News

Mayor, Doc earn big bucks at Rotary event

Seguin Mayor Betty Ann Matthies and Dr. James Lee didn't have to think twice when they ended up being the final two names on the board at Thursday night's Rotary Club of Seguin Gold Mine Car Raffle. The pair decided quickly to split the $20,000 grand prize. They will now have to decide if they want $10,000 each in gold or $10,000 to go towards a new car.

Father turns himself in for injury to baby

(Seguin) -- A 20-year-old Seguin man turned himself in to police Friday morning for allegedly abusing his four month old baby.

An arrest warrant was issued late Thursday afternoon for Adrian Euresti for injury to a child and for reckless bodily injury. Police believe the little girl may have been shaken, or she suffered some other form of what they are calling non-accidental repetitive trauma to the head.

Seguin Police Det. Sgt. Aaron Seidenberger says that the baby, who lives in Seguin with her parents, was taken to Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital in San Antonio on Monday because she was vomiting and having seizures. Seguin Police were contacted Tuesday after an investigation by San Antonio officers led them to believe the child was injured at a residence in the 700 block of Nelda Street in Seguin.

"On Tuesday, investigators with Child Protective Services and a Seguin police detective went to the hospital to follow up and begin the investigation. Doctors had confirmed that the child did suffer some head trauma and that to cause of the injury to the infant was highly suspect for non-accidental repetitive trauma," said Seidenberger.

Seidenberger says that during an interview with the baby's parents, Euresti admitted to causing the injuries.

The infant was still in the ICU Thursday, but Seidenberger says that doctors are hopeful that the baby's condition will improve soon.

"They'll still run some further tests on the infant. They're hoping to move her out of ICU and into a regular room, but at this time, the doctor said it was too early to tell if there was any prolonged injury or permanent damage," said Seidenberger.

Seidenberger says that the case is being reviewed by the Guadalupe County District Attorney's office.

Ushering in the holiday season

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Seguin thanks to city of Seguin workers Robert Carrillo, left, and Gilbert Cevallos. The two men were busy Wednesday morning hanging lighted Christmas wreaths on light posts around downtown Seguin's Central Park.

Celebrating Faith in Action; church sends members into community

(Seguin) -- Instead of filling pews this Sunday, one local church is looking to fill the community with volunteers. The Rev. Linda Montgomery, associate pastor at the First United Methodist Church of Seguin, says this Sunday the church is hosting a Faith in Action campaign to encourage its members to go out into the community.

"We've been studying Faith in Action for four weeks leading up to a special Sunday when we cancel our morning worship service and Sunday school and send our entire congregation out into the community to serve in Christ's name," said Montgomery.

Montgomery says that in addition to mowing lawns and painting over graffiti, church members will be performing a number of tasks.

"We're doing all kinds of things. We're painting the Cranny. We're refreshing two parks. We're actually repainting the picnic tables and benches at Castillo and Blumberg parks. We are doing some remodeling at the family violence shelter. Here at the church, we have a few activities going on for children and for older adults who can't do a lot of other things. We are packing kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief. We're baking cookies for the Kairos Prison Ministry. Back out in the community, we're painting the exterior of a house for a disabled woman. We're doing some painting for one of our elderly members as well. We are just all over town," said Montgomery.

The idea behind the campaign is that church members don't just go to church, instead they put their faith in action and go out to be the church. Members of the community are also invited to put their faith into action. Montgomery says if you'd like to help out, go to the church on North Austin Street Sunday morning for an assignment.

Sock Hop to raise money for cancer research

(Seguin) -- Families are invited to revisit or experience the '50s for the very first time during this weekend's Earth Angels Relay for Life Sock Hop. The team sponsored by Emanuel's Lutheran Church will set out to transform the Seguin Elks Lodge into a real life fifties diner complete with a jukebox, hamburgers and milkshakes.

Team member Kay Martin says the Saturday night fundraiser will help give the team a jump start in raising funds for the American Cancer Society and the annual Relay for Life event planned for the spring.

"What we're doing this year is all the teams are trying to start their fund-raising early and so our team has actually had several events already this year. But this is going to be hopefully our biggest one and all the proceeds will go the Relay for Life which helps the American Cancer Foundation," said Martin.

Martin says she hopes the event reaches out to everyone in the community. She says it's not only a way to have fun but also to raise money for a good cause.

"We're going to have '50s music and everyone is supposed to dress up. We're also going to have prizes for the best dressed '50s couple and we're also going to have a small silent auction and we're going to have a special appearance by The Harleys. They are also going to have a dance contest," said Martin.

Tickets to the Sock Hop fundraiser are $15 each and can be purchased in advance by calling the church at (830) 379-5046. The Sock Hop will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Seguin Elks Lodge.

Seguin schools earn top performing education awards

(Seguin) -- The Seguin ISD is applauding the efforts of 10 of its schools. The schools are being honored for receiving a total of 23 Gold Performance Acknowledgments from the Texas Education Agency. Schools recognized include Jim Barnes and Briesemeister middle schools, Saegert Sixth Grade Center, and Ball, Jefferson, Koennecke, McQueeney, Patlan, Vogel, and Weinert elementary schools.

District officials say Gold Performance Acknowledgements have two categories, Commended Performance and Comparable Improvement.

They say for a school to receive Commended Performance recognition, at least 25 percent of the students must individually score at or above commended performance standard (at least 90 percent correct) on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).

Comparable Improvement is a statistically measured amount of growth from one year to the next as compared to 40 schools with like demographics. For a school to qualify for recognition, its students' average demonstrated growth on TAKS must fall in the top quartile of this comparison group.

Barnes Middle School received Commended in Reading, Writing, and Social Studies; and Briesemeister Middle School, Commended in Reading and Comparable Improvement in Math. Saegert received Commended in Reading and Math and Comparable Improvement in Reading.

At the elementary level, Ball received Commended in Writing and Science; Jefferson, Commended in Writing; Koennecke Elementary, Commended in Reading, Math, Writing, Science and attendance rate; McQueeney, Commended in Writing; Patlan, Commended in Science; Vogel, Commended in Math, Writing, and Science, and Comparable Improvement in Math; and Weinert, Commended in Science.

The Gold Performance Acknowledgment system was enacted by the Texas Legislature in 2001 to acknowledge districts and campuses for high performance on indicators of performance other than those used to assign accountability ratings.

Marion ISD to consider future of downtown building

(Marion) -- The Marion ISD is weighing its options on what to do with the old Central Office building that fronts FM 78 in downtown Marion. Trustees Wednesday night unanimously agreed that the two-story facility is no longer needed. Superintendent James Hartman says they will now look for ways to get the building off the district's hands.

"That building that's located on the corner of Hwy. 78 and FM 465 is a 1907 building that the district purchased from the Marion State Bank in 1988. We used it for (our) Central Office location for the last 20 years. Really, we’ve just kind of outgrown it in terms of space and technology needs and we recently vacated that building and relocated our central office," said Hartman. “The board tonight took the first steps to begin the process of disposing of that property or selling that property. Tonight the board declared that property as surplus. The board doesn't believe we need it for any school purposes in the future and the board voted to take that action. Since we've done that, we'll now be able to get a formal appraisal on the property so that we know what the fair market value is and I'll bring that back to the board and the board will be able to have some decisions to make at that time on about whether they would like to sell that property through a bid process on the open market or whether they would like to engage another municipality or non-profit organization in the community to take possession of it because it does have historical value," said Hartman.

Hartman says the facility is approximately 3,600 square feet. He says while the building would be great for a new purpose, it was no longer suitable for the district as a business office and curriculum and instruction building. He says a better idea on the value of the property and what direction the district will take will be determined during next month's regular school board meeting.

Deadline nears for free wedding ceremony

(Seguin) -- Couples who are interested in tying the knot during next week's free wedding ceremony have until Friday afternoon to walk down to the county clerk's office. County Court At Law Judge Linda Z. Jones says that even though the ceremony is next week, couples must apply for a marriage license today in order to be in compliance with a 72-hour wait period.

This is the sixth year that the the free wedding ceremony has been offered locally. Jones says that she, County Judge Mike Wiggins and County Clerk Teresa Kiel offer the service just before Thanksgiving because it's a time of year when not a lot of other places are offering free wedding services.

"There are other places that do the Valentine's weddings and there's also some local JPs (Justices of the Peace) that do the Valentine wedding so this was just a little bit different. It gave people the opportunity if they missed some of those other free wedding ceremonies that were offered for Valentine's and other dates. It's a great way to celebrate and get into the celebration of the holidays, give back to the community and be thankful for everything we have," said Jones.

The ceremony is a sign of appreciation and thanksgiving, according to Jones, who encourages all residents who would like to get married to take advantage of the opportunity.

"Anybody that wants to take advantage, come. You can bring all kinds of relatives. You can take pictures of the court. The court buys a cake, that's all out of personal money, not any taxpayer money. It's just a wonderful time to get into the spirit of the holiday," said Jones.

The wedding service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26 in courtroom 100 in the Guadalupe County Courthouse. Again, all couples must obtain a marriage license from the county clerk's office by 4:30 p.m. Friday. The cost for the license is $72.

Charity softball tournament to raise money for Blue Santa

(Seguin) -- Area lawmen and firefighters will take the field this weekend to raise money for area children at the third annual Battle of the Badge. Members of the Seguin Fire Department, area volunteer fire departments, Seguin Police Department and Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office will play exhibition games against each other Sunday during the the Holiday Toy Bash Men's Softball Tournament hosted by Yowza Softball. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the police department's Blue Santa program and Lions Toys for Tots. The toys will then be distributed to area children in need at Christmas. The police department and sheriff's office will begin play at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Seguin Softball Four-Plex. The fire departments take the field at noon. Entry to the games is free, but cash donations and new, unwrapped toys will be accepted for Blue Santa.

Geronimo Lions Club hosts fall festival

From the left are Vicki Mueck, second vice president of the Geronimo Lions Club, Tanya Moczygemba, Navarro 4-H; Dina Dillon, Navarro Band Boosters; Sam Chapa, Navarro Athletic Boosters; Luke Morales, NISD assistant superintendent/JHS Principal - Navarro ISD Student Clubs and Organizations; Eric Wieland, Navarro Intermediate School PTO; Nathan Voigt, Navarro FFA Ag Boosters and Debbie Hanse, Geronimo Lions Club, treasurer.

(Geronimo) -- The Geronimo Lions Club presented checks at their 6:30 a.m. breakfast meeting on Oct. 16 to Navarro ISD clubs and supporting organizations. Students, teachers, and parents involved in the organizations donated their time and talents to sponsor booths at the Geronimo Lions Club Community Fall Festival, which was held on Saturday, Sept. 20 at "The Big Red Barn" (Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center) on Cordova Road. Booths included a variety of games, homemade desserts, and drinks.

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