News

   Bay City ISD recognized 18 area businesses and organizations with the Texas Association of School Board’s (TASB) Business Recognition Program honor “Stand up for Texas Public Schools” at the regular board meeting on July 15. 
   This is the second year that BCISD has participated in TASB program, which seeks to recognize those for their support of public schools through partnerships, donations, and services. 
   Recognized for the 2018-19 school year were: Bay City Abstract and Title Company, Bay City Rotary, Capital Farm Credit, Celanese, Champion Turf Farms, Crafts Furniture. 
   Also, Daughters of the American Revolution/Mary Rolph Marsh Chapter, Hip Hop Hope Ministries, IBC Bank, Lisa’s Main Street Salon and Coffee Bar, Matagorda County Education Finance Committee, Matagorda County Farm Bureau, Meant to Bee, New Horizons Church, Tenaris-Bay City, The Children’s Store, Totally Tux and Walmart-Bay City. 

   EDITOR’S NOTE: Ron Ballenger is a lieutenant for the Sheriff’s Department and an active member of the Philip Parker VFW Post 2438.

   The body of longtime – and respected – City of Bay City employee Joe Rodgers was found last week inside the recycling center.  
   Bay City police received a call shortly before 7 p.m. July 10 from a man who mows the lawn in that area.   
   He noticed the bay doors to the recycling center were open and they are normally closed at that time.   
   He decided to check the building and located the body of the employee.   
   Police arrived and notified JP Mark Finley who ordered an autopsy.   
   Services for Joe Rodgers, will be as follows: 

•     Viewing, from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at Taylor Brothers Funeral Home. 
•     A graveside service will be at 10 a.m. Friday, July 19, at Cedarvale Cemetery.

   A road use and master road repair agreement between Matagorda County and Peyton Creek Wind Farm was approved by commissioners court at its regular meeting Monday, July 8.
   Wind farm construction already underway has damaged county roads, Precinct 1 and Precinct 2 Commissioners, Gary Graham and Kent Pollard, respectively, have reported.
   County Judge Nate McDonald asked if the county “got enough to fix the roads.”
   County Attorney Denise Fortenberry, who discussed the road use and repair pact with the court, said, “The heavy loads and increased, repetitive traffic has caused damage already.

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   Bay City ISD received a $1,376,520 check from OXEA Corporation as part of its newly amended appraised value limitation agreement July 2.
   The check is only part of the total $2,477,736 the company has owed the district since 2015.
   “This is the first payment we’ve received from them the whole time since 2015,” said BCISD Chief Financial Officer Rick Johnson.
   Originally, the company owed over $5.5 million in back payments, but BCISD trustees approved reducing that total to just over $2.4 million during the school board meeting June 27.

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   A 35-year-old Nigerian mother and her 10-year-old daughter drowned in the Colorado River off Riverside Park late Saturday afternoon, July 6, according to state Game Warden and Sheriff’s Department reports.
   While the body of the mother, Kelechi Echefu, was found by a fisherman not long after Game Wardens were notified at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, her daughter’s body wasn’t discovered until Monday morning, July 8, officials said.
   Game Warden Trey Sparkman said that EMS unsuccessfully tried to revive the mother who was brought to the park’s boat ramp.
   Sparkman said the woman and two daughters, ages 8 and 10, were on a sand bar in the river and the two girls were showing her how their swimming skills had improved.
   Other newspaper reports indicated that the mother’s boyfriend accompanied them.
   As the girls were demonstrating their swimming, they apparently stepped off in water that was seven to eight feet deep, Sparkman said.

   Bay City Tourism Council unanimously approved up to $5,000 in funding for the annual Rotary Club concert during their regular meeting, July 3.
   “They asked for $7,000 this year, but we awarded them $5,000 last year,” said Bay City Tourism Director Heidi Martinez. 
   This year’s concert features American Idol Contestant Colby Swift of Midfield, opening for Ronnie Millsap and lasts from 7 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Bay City Civic Center. 
   Rotary Club members Jessica Russell, Alyssa Sanders and Tereana Ottis were present at the meeting to provide insights and statistics on the event thus far. 
   “This is the 19th year for our concert and we’re almost sold out in ticket sales,” said Ottis.  
   “We’ve got about 60 individual tickets and one event table left available.” 
   Ottis added that the Club had blocked over 60 rooms between The Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn and Best Western.