The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 93, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 17, 2008 Page: 1 of 14
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2008
500
tlhe JBastrop adncrtiscr
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper Since March 1, 1853 Semi-Weekly Since Sept. 5, 1977
Volume 154, Number 93
Bastrop, Texas
16 pages in two sections
Safety meeting called after bus accident
By Terry Hagerty
Staff Writer
Nearly two dozen Bastrop High
School students were transported
to Lakeside Hospital Monday after-
noon after their school bus collided
with a track on South Pope Bend
Road.
There were no serious injuries to
the students after the truck turned
in front of the school bus, leading
to the accident, said Henry Gideon,
Chief Operations Officer for the
school district.
The students were released to
their parents after being examined
at the hospital.
Three of the students who were
18 years of age declined transpor-
tation to the hospital by signing
release forms shortly after the acci-
dent occurred, Gideon said.
The accident occurred near 4
p.m. as students were heading home
after school let out.
On Tuesday, Mike Fisher, coor-
dinator of the county's Office of
Emergency Management, said he
was organizing a meeting of school
district officials and first respond-
ers so several items could be dis-
cussed, including "who is supposed
to make what calls."' at an accident
site involving students.
Fisher said the meeting also
comes in relation to a previous
school bus accident on Oct. 11,
2007 on Texas 21. He said there
was "some indecision" in the after-
math of the accident. There were
several student injuries from the
wreck.
"What I am doing is not respond-
ing to a complaint," Fisher said. "I
just want to be sure we have the
proper procedures in place (before
an accident.) If people get hurt at
an accident, you don't have time to
make choices."
When asked if there were com-
plications in the aftermath of
Monday's accident, Fisher respond-
ed, "Nothing about yesterday led to
this decision (for a meeting)."
But he said such items as consid-
eration of "hospital resources" and
"expenses" related to wrecks need
to be discussed.
When asked who has the pre-
vailing authority at an accident site
involving students under school dis-
trict supervision, Fisher responded,
"Those are the kinds of questions
we are looking into — what do the
rales and state (laws) say and what
makes good sense."
See SAFETY, Page 2A
The Bastrop Advertiser photos/Terry Hagerty
J.R Scallorn, Alfred Merkord Jr., James Wilson arid Buddy Hoffman (left to right) often gather for coffee and
conversation at the Smithville Dairy Queen in the mornings simply because there are few other places to go.
Smithville's short on morning
coffee spots, seniors say
By Jacqueline Davis
Staff Writer
Bastrop has Maxine's and Elgin
has City Cafe, but where can the
retired folks grab a cup o" joe and
swap gossip in Smithville?
To hear Smithville locals tell it,
there are only two places left in town
for the old-timers to eat an early
breakfast and gab—the Dairy Queen
and Super Donuts, a spot better known
as "the donut shop."
The crowd was unusually thin at
the Dairy Queen Tuesday morning,
said James Wilson, who frequents the
restaurant with longtime railroad bud-
dies who spent most of their lives in
and around Smithville.
Wilson and his posse used to go
to the Caboose Cafe, but he said his
group lost interest in the place and
looked for other spots to meet before
the restaurant closed for renovations.
Its closure cut down on morning meet-
up options in Smithville, since it will
not be open again until February at
the earliest under new management.
"This is the only place there
is," Wilson said. "Everybody used
to go to the Caboose, but they shut
down. There are at least 15 of us here
on an average morning, and they start
coming in at 7."
Wilson said the ideal break-
fast and coffee spot in Smithville
would have a comfortable atmosphere
and friendly waitstaff, but that the
most important factor was the peo-
ple who showed up there. Buddy
Hoffman, a retired conductor who also
comes to the Dairy Queen, agreed that
the majority of his group come out as
a social routine rather than for break-
fast, making it necessary for the ideal
See COFFEE, Page 3A
A 'rewarding,
sometimes
thankless5 job
January is 'School Board
Recognition Month'
By Terry Hagerty
Staff Writer
Current and former Bastrop
school board members agree
that serving on the board is
sometimes like being back in
college— there's a substantial
reading load to stay abreast of
district issues.
The duty also requires the
skills of diplomacy, they said.
'The workload is no walk in
the park," said
board mem-
ber Karen
Halladay.
"You have to
be dedicated
to serve on
the board . .
. and know
about busi-
ness, finance,
be a good
relationship
builder and care about kids."
"If you do your homework
you are ready for the test of
being at each board meeting,"
board member Glenn Peterson
said. "And when you vote on
issues you see the fruits of kids
learning."
Peterson, who took time
out from his mail carrier duties
Tuesday afternoon to offer
comments, said board mem-
bers" time investment is well
worth the effort.
He recalled one encounter
with students.
"It's very rewarding when
you walk into a classroom of
elementary kids and they know
who you are," Peterson said.
"At Emile Elementary School,
about two years ago, the kids
sang me a song and I cried like
a baby."
Gov. Rick Perry has pro-
claimed January "School Board
Recognition Month"
At Tuesday's Bastrop
school board
meeting
— after the
Advertiser's
press time
— board
111 embers
were to be
honored for
their efforts.
"This is
the ultimate
volunteer
job," Peterson said. "And you
also have to have tough skin
and be diplomatic in dealing
w ith the public. One of the big-
gest challenges is treating each
person as an individual — let-
ting them know their particular
issue is special."
Peterson, who's serving his
second term on the board, said
some of the district's biggest
challenges are "dealing with
See BOARD, Page 3A
"This is the
ultimate
volunteer job"
-Glenn Peterson
Board member
INSIDE
Bastrop hires football coach.
Page 1B
Ladybugs from Japan find a good home in
Central Texas.
Page 10A
WEATHER! INDEX
■ Thursday's forecast:
Cloudy
High: 48°
Low: 32°
Rain: 0%
■ Last week:
High Low Prec.
Saturday 72 41 none
Sunday 64 38 none
Monday 63 33 none
Tuesday NA NA NA
Classified ads....
4R
Community
4A
Edcation
7A
Farm & Garden...
10A
Sports
1B
65668 78602 3
This newspaper
is recyclable
PACE unites animal advocates
By Jacqueline Davis
Saff Writer
An organized group of animal advo-
cates is striving for greater animal protec-
tion measures in Bastrop County after a
striking instance of animal cruelty in June
2007 brought concerned minds together.
After two Bastrop residents were
charged with animal cruelty for leaving at
least eight dogs chained outdoors without
food and water, four of which starved to
death, Bastrop area residents united to
form PACE, Promoting Animal Care and
Education.
"It was a horrible situation," said Laura
Jackson, a PACE founding member. "I
am fortner law enforcement, so I took the
necessary steps. We made contact with
the person. We called the sheriff, and we
called animal control, but nothing was
changing. After four months, the animals
began to die. This happened because it fell
through the cracks."
Jackson's sister chronicled the dogs'
demise in photos, in which Jackson
described the dogs as "carcasses at the
end of a chain." The severity of the dogs'
situation spurred her to organize PACE.
PACE is pushing for key ordinance
changes
like chain
bans for
dogs, bans
preventing
dogs from
riding unre-
strained in
truck beds,
and dif-
ferential
pet licens-
ing fees
that favor
sterilized
animals,
Jackson said. They seek to address a wide
variety of animal care issues, anywhere
from animals dumped on the side of the
road to starving cattle.
The group consists of 20 active mem-
bers with a six-member board that meets
bimonthly. PACE is in the process of
"I think the shock of that (dog)
case really galvanised us. We
realized this was a good time for
awareness given the Michael
Vick case that had happened."
-Heidi Gerbracht, PACE member
becoming an official nonprofit and has
most recently seen progress in getting their
goals accomplished with the Bastrop City
Council, which will consider passing new
rules at their
next regular
meeting.
"A lot of
us do res-
cue work
in the com-
m u n i t y,"
said Heidi
Gerbracht,
another
PACE mem-
ber. "I think
the shock of
that (dog)
case really
galvanized us. We realized this was a good
time for awareness given the Michael
Vick case that happened."
The move to pet registration would be
similar to ordinances already passed in
See PACE, Page 2A
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 93, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 17, 2008, newspaper, January 17, 2008; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth252453/m1/1/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.