News

   Tidehaven defeated Van Vleck 21-14 in a cross-county rivalry and District 14-3A-2 game that included a ribbon-cutting ceremony for stadium improvements at the Delvin L. Taska Tiger Stadium at El Maton last Friday.
   The final score accurately reflected a tight ball game where momentum often shifted with key turnovers – both quarterbacks threw pickoffs that ended promising drives.
   Rushing was the order of the day between the teams, with Tidehaven (2-1, 3-4) rushed for 291 yards and Van Vleck (0-2, 2-3) for 206 yards.
   In passing yardage, the Tigers had 60 yards, while the Leopards had 42 yards.
   Tidehaven had 351 total yards to Van Vleck’s 248 combined yards.
   Tidehaven quarterback Blake Garcia had a team-high 164 yards rushing.
   Jose Martinez compiled 68 yards on the ground and Ben Ruiz had six carries for 33 yards.
   Leopard junior Sam Bree had a team-high 125 yards rushing.

   Congressman Michael Cloud said that disaster relief is one of those topics his offices deals with daily.
   Cloud made two main points about disaster relief in an interview with the Bay City Sentinel at Kate’s Coffee, Tea and More Friday, Oct. 4.
   The first point is lessons learned to reform the disaster relief process, Cloud said, as it relates to his sprawling 27 Congressional District that includes Matagorda County in the north and Corpus Christi to the south.
   “There are lots of lessons to be learned,” he said.
   The second major point is helping the individual navigate the current process and improving the process.
   Cloud said he organized his staff to come up to speed with disaster relief.
   “The good news is we have outpaced previous recoveries,” the Congressman said.
   Cloud points out that the federal government wants state control on disaster recoveries.

   This year’s Matagorda Day is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Matagorda Volunteer Fire Department.
   The event kicks off with a parade at 10 a.m. downtown featuring a variety of floats, golf carts, and other vehicle entries.
   Vendor booths are open all day from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. and feature a variety of different wares including homemade items.
   “We currently have 12 vendors signed up. Some are selling crafts, custom fishing rods, and baked goods to name a few,” said MVFD member Christy Bishop.
   “We have a number of non-profits ranging from the Historical Society to The Matagorda Bay Foundation. The Matagorda School kids will have a soda 
booth.”

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   Time’s wasting to get your tickets to Matagorda County Stampede and PRCA Xtream Bronc Riding and Bull Riding Rough Stock event Saturday, Oct. 12.
   This event is one night only and begins at 7 p.m. The arena itself opens at 6 p.m.
   The Stampede features 12 of PRCA’s top 50 Bronc Riders, 12 PRCA Bull Riders, mutton busting, junior steer saddling, and bullfighting.
   Rider Kiesner - World Champion Trick Roper and Gun Spinner, will perform his “The Art of Trick Roping, Gun Spinning, and Whip Cracking” specialty act.
   The top three Bull Riders and Bronc Riders will compete for a prize pot of $10,000 each.  
   The event will flow continually with no breaks.

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   A contract for work that’s the next step in the Sargent Beach breakwater and renourishment pilot study was approved by commissioners court at its regular meeting Monday, Oct. 7.
   “This is the next step” on a multi-phase process to prevent Sargent Beach erosion and to rebuild it, County Judge Nate McDonald said.
   Earlier this year, the study proposed placing five, 442-foot-long barriers – 600 feet apart – in the surf at an eight-foot depth.
   The study also calls for sand renourishment on the beach until that and the barriers restore the beach.
   The contract the county signed Monday for this part of the project with the state General Land Office (GLO) calls for “environmental permitting, engineering design, sand source investigation and public outreach.”
   GLO/CEPRA (Coastal Erosion Planning & Response Act) will fund 60%, or $118,200, of the $197,000 project and the county, as qualified project partner, will pay $78,800.

   Matagorda County commissioners reviewed the Matagorda County Animal Regulations Ordinance codes during a recent workshop.
   “These codes were put in place in 1984 then amended in 1986,” said Matagorda County Attorney Denise Fortenberry
   “I think it’s safe to say we should be taking another look at these and bring them current with what the Texas Health and Safety Code require. A lot has changed since 1986 – that’s over 30 years ago.”
   Fortenberry added that the ordinance review was also spurred by a “no-kill animal shelter interest group” but gave no name for said group.
   “They’re really interested in coming to our county and building a facility to help local animals that are abandoned or get picked up by our animal control officers, get a chance at adoption,” she said.
   “Our current animal impound is not ‘no-kill’ and we have had to euthanize animals brought in – especially when we’re over capacity.”

   MEHOP CEO Celeste Harrison presented current Matagorda County health statistics with about 30 people as part of a Bay City Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture luncheon Sept. 26.
   Harrison said the data came from a variety of medical sources like the Medicare database and compared Matagorda County to Wharton County, the state itself and at a federal level.
   “Health insurance makes the difference whether someone will get the medical attention they need or not,” she said.
   “The consequences can be severe, particularly when preventable conditions or chronic diseases go undetected. We have a 7,547 total uninsured population in the county which is higher than Wharton at 7,435.
   “We have to also keep in mind that when the Affordable Healthcare Act went into place, Texas was one of the few states that did not vote to expand Medicare coverage either. That has had an impact on our uninsured population,” said Harrison.