The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 161, No. 6, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 22, 2014 Page: 1 of 12
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bastropadvertiser.com
Texas’ oldest weekly newspaper since March 1,1853 Semi-weekly since Sept. 5,1977
Saturday, February 22,2014
Vol. 161, No. 6 | $1.00
An edition of the ^ltn^meiican-^taU\sntan
INSIDE
SPORTS: Bastrop hoops’
historic season comes
to an end. B1
RIVER: If the flow in the
Colorado is decreased,
what will be damaged? A3
GOSSELINK: Thirty days
of thankfulness, according
to John. A4
CALENDAR
SATURDAY, FEB. 22
11 a.m.: 1 Oth annual Empty
Bowl Project at Bastrop High
School, 1614 Chalmers St.
Tickets are $20 per person
for all the soup and dessert
you wantto sample (and your
choice of a pottery soup bowl
by a local school-age artist);
childrenage 12andyounger
eat free.
11 a.m.: Black History Month
celebration at Hopewell
Primitive Baptist Church, 690
SH 21 West, Cedar Creek.
Please join us as we celebrate
Black History Month and the
Restoration of the Hopewell
- Rosenwald School built in
1921. Contact Elroy Williams
at ewilliams7732@att.net or
512-303-7732.
MONDAY, FEB. 24
6to8p.m.:BISD
Department of Special
Education Services Special
Education Advisory Council
will meet at 1507 Pine St.
This is an opportunity for
parents and educators of
students with disabilities
to give input intothe BISD
Special Education Action
Plan. Babysitting is provided
with RSVP to 512-321-4488.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26
5:30 p.m.: The Strong Faith,
Strong Families Steering
Committee will meet at
Hopewell Primitive Baptist
Church (690 State Highway
21 W. Cedar Creek, Texas).
FRIDAY, FEB. 28
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Friends of
BCAS rescheduled bake sale
at First National Bank next to
Beall’s.
WORDS TO LIVE BY
“Live simply, love
generously, care deeply,
speak kindly and give the
rest to God.” —Tonya McKay
Bastrop
Submityour“Wordsto live by”to:
cwright@bastropadvertiser.com
INDEX
News
A2-A6
Obituaries
A2
Sports
B1
Classifieds
B3
Newsroom: 51 2-321 -2557
©The Bastrop Advertiser
CRIME
Questions about gun remain
Family says Yvette
Smith was not armed;
investigation ongoing.
By Terry Hagerty
thagerty@acnnewspapers.com
Willie Thomas, a friend of
Yvette Smith, who was shot
and killed by Deputy Daniel
Willis with the Bastrop Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Office on Sunday,
said on Wednesday that he
told the deputy moments be-
fore he opened fire that mat-
ters were under control.
An initial news release
from the sheriff’s office said
there was a report of an argu-
ment at the home involving a
gun and two males, and that
Smith had come to the door
with a gun. But a subsequent
sheriff’s office news release
said it was unclear wheth-
er Smith, 47, was armed. On
Friday, Sheriff Terry Picker-
ing said the case was “still un-
der investigation” by the Tex-
as Rangers and he could not
comment further.
Family members say Smith
had no weapon.
“I told the deputy every-
thing was fine,” Thomas said
on Wednesday as he stood
next to his red pickup truck at
Shooting continued on A8
Maria Daniels stands in her yard on Zimmerman Avenue, across from
the home where Yvette Smith was shot and killed by a Bastrop County
deputy on Feb. 16. She said she heard a man tell the deputy, “Get out of
here, this is my house.” terry hagerty/acn newspapers
Noe Nino de Rivera recovers in the hospital following the incident at Cedar Creek High School on Nov. 20.
Nino de Rivera was in the hospital for almost two months due to the injuries he received when officers used
aTaserstun gun on him. courtesy ofadam loewy
FBI investigating Taser
incident at high school
The agency will see
if a pair of deputies
misused their power.
By Tony Plohetski
tplohetski@statesman.com
The FBI has opened an in-
vestigation into a Bastrop
deputy sheriff’s use of a Taser
stun gun on a high school stu-
dent last year that resulted in
brain damage to the 17-year-
old, officials confirmed
Thursday.
FBI officials said their in-
quiry will look into wheth-
er Deputy Randy McMillan,
who used his Taser, and Dep-
uty Timothy Stalcup, who was
at the scene, used excessive
force on Noe Nino de Rivera
or whether they misused their
power during the Nov. 20 in-
cident at Cedar Creek High
School.
Nino de Rivera fell back-
ward after he was shocked
with the weapon, hitting his
head on the hallway floor. He
spent nearly two months in a
medically induced coma.
FBI spokeswoman Michelle
Lee told the news outlets that
the bureau recently received
a complaint about the depu-
ty’s actions and a request that
the incident receive a feder-
al review.
“The FBI has reviewed the
material and we are opening
an official investigation,” Lee
said.
The incident had already
raised questions about how
Taser continued on A8
ONGOING: WATER
Board
denies
Forestar
request
LPGCD says no to water
marketer’s request for
second rehearing.
By Cyndi Wright
cwright@acnnewspapers.com
The crowd attending the
Feb. 19 meeting of the Lost
Pines Groundwater Conser-
vation District board of direc-
tors loudly proclaimed its ap-
proval of the board’s deci-
sion to deny Forestar’s bid for
a second rehearing on its re-
quest to pump 45,000 acre-
feet per year of water from
the Simsboro portion of the
Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Bas-
trop and Lee counties.
In a hearing in August
2013, the LPGCD granted the
company 12,000 AFY. Fore-
star had asked for the larger
amount, to be pumped from
1-10 wells at a depth of 1,500
to 1,700 feet each, and then
piped to Hays County.
In addition to denying For-
estar’s request for a second
rehearing, the board also de-
nied its request for a contest-
ed case hearing on Griffin In-
dustries application for one
existing well in Bastrop Coun-
ty to pump 224 AFY. The
board also approved the re-
quest for Griffin’s well.
Forestar’s attorney, Ed
McCarthy, told the board
that since Forestar was on-
ly granted 12,000 AFY, Grif-
fin’s request would affect the
Water continued on A8
BASTROP SCHOOL DISTRICT
Teachers identify district issues in survey
Only 18 percent of those
eligible took the poll,
superintendent says.
By Terry Hagerty
thagerty@acnnewspapers.com
From claims about teachers
having to buy classroom fur-
niture to effusive praise of ad-
ministrators, a recent employ-
ee survey conducted within
Bastrop ISD ran the gamut of
responses.
The Bastrop Federation of
‘There are
not enough
textbooks for
each student to
use one.’
BISD survey respondent
Teachers conducts the survey
each year to identify “what is
working well in the district, as
well as the areas that need im-
provement,” according to the
federation. The results were
presented to the school board
during its regular meeting on
Feb. 18.
Superintendent Steve Mur-
ray said it was a low percent-
age of turnout for the survey,
but that administrators still
value the comments.
“This year’s Bastrop Fed-
eration of Teachers’ survey
had particularly low partici-
pation, 221 (respondents) out
of a possible/eligible 1,210 em-
ployees - or 18 percent,” Mur-
ray said.
The most detailed portion
of the survey proved to be
quite popular when staff was
asked to supply written com-
ments to three questions.
Those responses filled up 11
pages.
The first question was: “Are
you able to address issues or
problems on your campus/di-
vision without fear of retali-
ation from supervisors? Ex-
plain.”
Survey continued on A8
Sarah loucks, Incumbent
SARAH LOUCKS
For Bastrop County
DISTRICT CLERK
COMMITTED TO YOU; DEDICATED TO PROGRESS!
I would appreciate your vole in the Republican Primary Election on Mardi 4,2D14
AS DISTRICT CLERK SARAH HAS:
V Organized and operated your District Clerk's Office efficiently.
V Updated the office to handle Bastrop County's growth.
V Begun implementing mandated e-filing to begin in 21115.
V Begun long-lerm project preserving 1 BOD's history od Bastrop County
v Promoted juror pay donations to various local non-profit
organizations benefiting children and families in Bastrop County.
y1 Provided convenient options never before offered in this office.
QUALIFICATIONS
V20+ years' experience in coort procedures
V Extensive experience in Civil and Criminal tourli
V Proven Leadership
V Graduate of SI Edwards Un iversity
v Graduate of Kussid School if Court Reporting
V Texas Certified Court Reporter 15+ years
V Taught Courtroom Procedures and Court reporting for 1 yearn
■i Dislrict Clerks Annual Continuing Education
• WWW.SarahlOUCkS.org Political ad paid for by Sareh Loucks campaign. Don Lausks. Treasurer. PQ Box 17JS Bastrop.TX 7B6Q3 • 512-30fi-1BOD
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Wright, Cyndi. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 161, No. 6, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 22, 2014, newspaper, February 22, 2014; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth649227/m1/1/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.