News

    Architectural plans for bidding requests on two Schulman Movie Bowl Grill projects – the entertainment center and the parking lot - went to six contractors, D.C. Dunham said Tuesday in an interview.
   The Bay City Community Development Corporation (BCCDC) executive director, Dunham said she hopes the bids will be less than $8 million for the 51,000-square-foot theater complex and less than $2 million for the parking lot.
   Contractors receiving bid requests are from this area and from Houston, Dunham said.

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   With 1,000 pounds of peeled shrimp among shelled oysters, French fries and hushpuppies, the sixth annual Matagorda Seafood Festival is shaping up as the place to be this Saturday, March 12.
   The gates open at 10 a.m. at the Matagorda Fireman’s Hall and cost only $5 per person.
   That ticket price includes access to the live auctions, beer garden, musical entertainment, vendor booths, an eating contest and tournaments.
   The Tejas Brothers, Larry Joe Taylor and KG Williams Band are providing the live entertainment for the day-long event.
   Music begins early at 11:30 a.m. just in time to serenade your lunch experience.
   For $10 festival-goers can get a plate of fried shrimp and oysters along with hushpuppies and French fries.
   There will also be a raw oyster bar guests can partake in for the same price.
   Washers, cornhole and horseshoe tournaments are slated to run with raw oyster eating contests as well.

   OXEA was approved for a tax abatement from Matagorda County Commissioners Court Monday as part of the Bay City chemical plant’s $112.5 million Phase 2 expansion projected to retain 162 employees and create 14 new fulltime operators.
   The court approved the five-year abatement at its regular meeting Monday, March 7.
   The new OXEA manufacturing unit is in the tax reinvestment zone the county approved Dec. 9, 2013.
   The county adopted a resolution May 4, 2015, of its intent to participate in tax abatement and approved guidelines and criteria for the reinvestment zone.

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   Tidehaven Independent School District’s plan to sell at least some of its unused land may be tougher than it would seem.
   That’s the message a local real estate expert had for the board of trustees Monday night.
   “I don’t know if you are aware of how complicated it really is,” said attorney Bill Pendergraft as he briefed the board on his initial inquiry into district leaders’ idea to “liquidate” up to 35 pieces of unneeded property.
   The problem, Pendergraft said, is that much of the property was donated to the district decades ago – at least one gift can be traced to the 19th century – and the exchange included “reversion language” giving donors the right to reclaim the property if the school system decides it no longer needs it.

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In May 2013, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) took action and formally banned Synthetic Marijuana as a Class I drug.
   That made the distribution of legal weed a federal crime in the US.
   A 2012 government survey found that 1 in 9 high school seniors in the U.S. had used synthetic cannabinoids, the second-most commonly used illegal drug for that age group, behind marijuana, said monitoringthefuture.org’s website.
   But, what does that have to do with local citizens?
   Moreover, what is synthetic marijuana?
   These questions and many more are slated to be answered at a special presentation by the BCHS theater department and Jonnnie Montalbo of Bay City Recovery Friday, March 11.
   The presentation will be offered at the following times: 7:35 a.m., 8:27 a.m., 9:19 a.m. and 10:11 a.m.

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   Vandals heavily damaged a Van Vleck man’s pickup truck in two incidents over two straight weeks, the Matagorda County Sheriff’s office reported.
   The man’s 2011 Dodge 1500 pickup first was struck Feb. 27, when the suspect smashed the front windshield with a red brick, which also was used to shatter the driver-side mirror, for total estimated damages of $1,500.
   Not satisfied with that damage, the vandal then threw the brick at the driver-side window, scratching the window and door frame – then apparently threw the brick behind the truck, Deputy Victor Hadash reported.
   The pickup truck’s owner again notified the sheriff’s office March 6, noting the vandal this time used a can of spray paint to paint the headlight, fog light, both driver-side rims and all over the driver side of the vehicle. Criminal mischief damage from this incident was estimated at $5,000.

   Are you ready to spring forward an hour?
   Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday, March 13 at 2 a.m.
   On top of that, next Monday starts spring break for local students.
   Students in Bay City, Tidehaven and Van Vleck ISD are all out Monday March 14 – Friday March 18.
   Classes resume at their regular times on Monday, March 21. 

   A sentence of six years and a $10,000 fine was handed Joyce Black Tuesday night after she was convicted of theft totaling about $200,000 and misapplication of fiduciary property by a Matagorda County jury the day before in 130th District Court. 
   Black was remanded to Matagorda County Jail to await transfer to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
   A candidate for mayor of Bay City in 2010, Black was prosecuted by two Attorney General’s White Collar Crime and Public Integrity Section attorneys, Jonathan White and Amy Cadwell, while visiting District Judge John Delaney of College Station presided over the trial.  
   Black was represented by Tyrone C. Moncriffe of Houston. 
   The trial began Monday, Feb. 22, after a six-man, six-woman jury was seated, with one female alternate.   

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   Learning what the public thinks about the city acquiring the old Texas Theatre building for a community arts center will be the aim of a March 8 town hall meeting that city council scheduled at its regular meeting Thursday, Feb. 25. 
   The town hall meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, at Bay City Civic Center. 
   The projected 90-minute program will feature a rolling slide show of what other cities have done with cultural arts buildings and will be emceed by former mayor Richard Knapik, Cornman told council, saying the town hall session surfaced after four meetings of the group studying the proposal. 
   “Then we’ll open it up for comments” from the public, Cornman added. 
   “What we want to do is get the message out,” the councilman said. 
   The event won’t be heavy on details – “until we learn what people want,” he commented. 

  Tidehaven ISD had a bus accident Monday afternoon at about 4 p.m. on CR 482 between Blessing and Midfield. 
   There were 31 students on board and one bus driver. 
   Patients began arriving at Matagorda Regional Medical Center (MRMC) between 4:30 to 5 p.m. Monday. 

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