By Rebecca Collinseditor@bayareaobserver.com

Seabrook city council on Tuesday voted 5-0-1, with Laura Davis recused from vot-ing, to grant a permit to Petro Vest, Inc. to drill and operate a gas and oil well located within a 10.5 acre tract of land in the Seabrook island subdivision. The property is located at 3401 Bayport Boulevard. City Hall was filled with con-cerned citizens, most of whom own homes within the Sea-brook Island subdivision. A public hearing was held prior to consideration of the item, and a total of 11 speakers voiced their opposition to the permit. Representatives from Petro Vest, Inc. president D. L. Mc-Clure, and operations manager Mike McClure gave a detailed presentation regarding their rights concerning the property, environmental and safety poli-cies for drilling the well. City ordinance section 60 prohibits drilling for oil within 1500 feet of a residential area but includes an exception if all residents within that area give their written consent. The City of Seabrook origi-nally issued a drilling permit for the site in 1965. In 1996, Phil Newton, the developer of the Seabrook Island subdi-vision, entered into an agree-ment with Taylor Lake Hold-ings, owners of the land, to allow drilling on the site. D.L. McClure, President of Petro Vest, Inc. began the pre-sentation by stating some facts about the proposed site stat-ing; “There was a drill tract of 10.8 Acres which was later

reduced to 10.5 Acres in the southeast corner and it was designated by judicial hear-ing and judgment that the two acres tract midway on the south perimeter was cancelled and the easement to City was cancelled and a mineral sub-division was granted to min-eral owners and operators for a drill tract of 10.5 Acres. And this is the final order final judgment of the railroad com-mission of the state of Texas and it specifically designates

this 10.5 Acres as a drill tract for the purpose of drilling oil and gas wells producing oil and gas on that 10.5 acres and all other uses connected with oil and gas production. That was surveyed and this judgment was filed in Harris county. It was made a part of the subdivision plans which were submitted by Taylor Lake holding for the subdivi-sion. It was approved by the Seabrook city council and was so designated on the maps of

the City of Seabrook website. We have been completely transparent in our application, we have submitted all of the agreements, all of the corings, all of the designations, of this 10.5 acres as a drilling tract and we opened our files and divulged completely to the city the complete confidence of the contract and it’s in the hands of your council. We come as neighbors, we’ve been here a long time, we’ve been operat-ing it for a long time.

There’s never been a spill or a fire or complaint of odious smells or anything else. These 10.5 Acres has got plenty of area to buffer any sound or sight and we intend to beau-tify this acreage and to clean it up and make it as park-like as possible.” He went on to say, “ We have nothing to hide. The area around the first well, the one that was drilled in 1965 produced for a time. The area around it has been cored many

By The BaySeabrook: Wednesday Night Sailboat Racing on Clear LakeEvery Wednesday

Every Wednesday evening from April until October, pro-fessional and amateur sailors get together for a friendly sail-boat race on the waters of Clear Lake, twenty minutes south of Houston and home of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.These races were created with the public in mind, and the course has been set where the race can be enjoyed by specta-tors from some of the restau-rants around the lake. Everyone is invited to come and watch. The races are rarely cancelled due to bad weather. In the previ-ous twelve years, the races have been cancelled only about five times due to bad weather. The atmosphere just seems to get its act together as the sun goes down! Come on out and join us! The races start promptly at 6:15 PM and finish before sunset. Come and join us for an evening of fun and relaxation. There’s al-ways some commentary on the action, and if you wish to par-ticipate, you’re welcome to sign up on our crew list. We always have boats looking for crew! If you own a boat and would like to participate in these races, read the race instructions, then come out and join the fun. You can sign up the day of the races by filling out an entry form.Time: 6:30 pmVenue Name: Villa Capri Italian Restaurant Location: 3713 Nasa Parkway, Seabrook, TX 77586Admission Cost: Phone: 281-468-6909Web: www.clearlakeracing.com

Seaside Garden ClubMonthly Meeting 3rd Wednesday 2:30 pm Carother’s Coastal Gardens in Seabrook

Your thumb doesn’t need to be green to come to Sea-side Garden Club’s monthly meeting on the third Wednes-day of every month at 12:30 pm at the beautiful new Carother’s Coastal Gardens Wedding and Event location, 502 Pine Gully Rd in Sea-brook. If you want to help beautify Seabrook, meet new people, and learn new things, then come check us out. The next meeting is May 18th at 12:30. We are excited about hosting David Cater, an ac-tual Texas bamboo farmer and story teller who will be presenting a program on growing bamboo and vege-tables and more. This is sure to be a fun experience for all. For more information call D. Nelson 281-474-4825 or S. Thompson 281-291-0472

Terrific TuesdaysEvery Tuesday In JuneBayshore Baptist ChurchLa PorteHey Kids! Sign up today for Terrific Tuesdays – field trips for kids in Kindergarten through 5th grades – hosted by Bayshore Baptist Church. We will be go-ing to Lil’ Jacks, Old McDon-ald’s Farm, Sylvan Beach and Palm Beach at Moody Gardens. Field trips take place every Tuesday in June. The cost is $32 for all four trips! For more in-formation, call the church office at 281-471-0332 or email us at vrigsby@bayshorebc.org

INDEX

Community..........................2Crossword............................2Local News.......................3-4Obituaries............................3Arts & Entertainment........5Medical News......................6Election News......................6Around Town...................7-8On The Water......................9Education.......................9-10Classifieds..........................11In The Garden..................12Cuisine...............................12 In The Garden...................12

VOLUME 2, NO. 19 LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

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Seabrook City Council Hears Concerns About Drilling Site In Seabrook Island

According To Mike McClure, Operations Manager For Petro Vest, Inc. These Existing Tanks Will Be Inspected, Cleaned, Repaired And Repainted. All Stairwells Will Be Replaced And Any Tanks Found With Holes Or Damage Making Them Unusable Will Be Removed.

Parents and guests joined students at Ed White Elementary on April 29th to celebrate their hard work in the Mileage Club. Mileage Club is a program that Ed White coaches, Coach Fortenberry and Coach Lindley started to encourage kids to run. Students can run during PE, recess and during school sponsored fun runs. They earn charms for every 5 miles they run. The 137 students who were honored during the ceremony have run 26.2 miles each, which totals 3,590 miles this year. Special guests came to help pass out awards and celebrate this occasion. Robby Sabban of Seabrook Lucky Trail Marathon donated t-shirts and the medals that were passed out to students who participated in Mileage Club. The support of

Lucky Trail Marathon has infused Mileage Club with new energy. His organiza-tion has pledged support of Mileage Club next year as well. Guests that came to help included Laura Davis, Seabrook City Council Position 6, Brad Emel, Mayor of the City of El Lago, Mike Giangrosso, Seabrook As-sociation, Mike Huss, President of Seabrook Rotary, Gary Renola, Mayor of the City of Seabrook, Glenn Royal, Vice-President of Seabrook Rotary and Mayoral Candidate for the City of Seabrook, Robby Sabban, Seabrook Lucky Trail Mara-thon and Dr. Peter Wuenschel, Executive Director of Communities in Schools Bay Area.

Students At Ed White Elementary Receive Medals For Running Marathon

La Porte Declares May 7th As Evelyn Kennedy DayContinued on page 3

See photos on page 7

On Saturday, May 7th, La Porte Neighborhood Centers treated La Porte residents to a children’s festival in honor of Evelyn Kennedy. Guests enjoyed games, prizes, food, drink and so much more. Several area businesses were on hand to help with festiv-ities, and included representatives from the Port of Hous-ton Authority, AirProducts, and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. AirProducts volunteers made homemade ice cream. Mayor Louis Rigby, along with Councilmen Jay Mar-tin, Tommy Moser and John Zemanek were also there to celebrate. A proclamation declaring May 7th as Evelyn Kennedy Day was presented to Paula Swearingen, Com-munity Developer for La Porte Neighborhood Centers. Mayor Rigby also unveiled a street sign reading “Evelyn Kennedy Boulevard” which will be installed at the inter-section of San Jacinto and the Neighborhood Center. The issue will go before council to receive final approval. Performing at the festival was Ballet Folklorico De La Porte, which is housed at La Porte Neighborhood Centers. The group performs traditional cultural dances, which show off their heritage and culture. They perform at both large and small events and members range in age from five to seventeen years old.

PAGE 2 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY EVENTS

Women of Purpose Bible study classBayshore Baptist ChurchMay 22nd9:00 am

The Women of Purpose Bible study class of Bayshore Baptist Church would like to invite all women to join them for a new study entitled “Being Yourself: How Do I Take Off This Mask?” The class begins May 22nd and meets every Sunday at 9:00 am for twelve weeks in Room 203. In this study, you will discover the unique strengths, tal-ents and gifts God has given you and how to use them to serve and love others. Bayshore Baptist Church is located at 11315 Spencer Hwy. in La Porte. For more information, contact the church office at 281-471-0332.

Bluegrass Night in League CityLeague ParkMay 21, 20116:30pm - 9 pm

Bay Area Bluegrass Association (BABA) would like to invite you to our Free Bluegrass music show and jam session in the park. Bands are Buffalo Nickel and Cypress Creek. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the music.Time: 6:30pm - 9 pmVenue Name: League ParkLocation: 500 E. Main, League City, TX 77573Admission Cost: FreeWeb: www.bayareabluegrass.orgEmail: redfish1313@comcast.net

Continued from page 1

P.O. Box 305 • Seabrook, Texas 77586Phone: 281-907-3140 • Fax: 866-596-8973

Email: editor@bayareaobserver.com

Opinions in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the newspaper. Any erroneous statement which may appear will be correct-ed if brought to the attention of the publisher. Liability for errors is limited to the reprinting of the corrected version. Submissions are encouraged by mail, by fax, or by email to editor@bayareaobserver.com.

Editor & Publisher.....................................Rebecca Collinseditor@bayareaobserver.com

Associate Editor.........................................Carolyn Collinscarolyn@bayareaobserver.com

Arts & Entertainment Reporter...................Mason Sterlingmkdsterling@yahoo.com

Sales Representative..............................Beverly LawrenceLa Porte Area • 281-793-7961 • blawrence506@msn.com

Sales Representative...................................Charlotte HornSeabrook, Kemah Area • 281-507-8257 • charlottehorn53@yahoo.com

The Bay Area ObserverEstablished in 2006

Serving the communities along Galveston Bay.

The Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting a me-morial blood drive in honor of the man who lost his life from his burns after saving the lives of many other residents at the Emer-ald Shores apartments. With the Memorial Day holiday and then the July 4th holiday not long after, there is usually an increased need for blood. The drive will be held on Monday, May 23rd, 2011 from 4:00PM to 8:00PM in association with the UTMB Blood Bank. All community members are invited and encouraged to partici-pate in the blood drive, which will be held at the Seabrook Volun-teer Fire Department, Station 1, located at 1850 E.Meyer Road.For more information, please contact SVFD at 281-474-3434.

Seabrook Volunteer Fire Dept. Memorial Blood Drive

May 23rd, 2011

Shoreacres Civic Association

Saturday, May 14th, 2011At Circle Park

S.C.A. Food Booth opens at 11:00 a.m.Crawfish, vegetables

and soft drinks for saleActivities throughout the day:

• 50/50 Raffle: Buy rafflee tickets for $1 or six for $5. Win-ning ticket drawn spilts the pot with the Civic Associa-tion• Booze Box: For a $5 raffle ticket you could set up your own bar at home with a unique variety of adult bever-ages.• Crawfish Races: How are your handicapping skills? For $2 a race you can draw a throroughbred from our corral. For $5 a race you bring your own ringer. Winner spilts the pot with the Civic Association.• Live Band: La Porte’s own Bad Boyfriend will play from 3 - 6 p.m.• Cooking Teams Awards at the first break of the band.• Shoreacres Car Show: We’re trying something new. Show off your ride. Open to all types of vehicles.• Silent Auction: Various items donated from local busi-nesses.

You don’t need to be present to win, but it sure will be more fun that way...

Reminder: Shoreacres City Elections Are The Same Day. Don’t Forget To Vote!

PUBLIC INVITEDCome Party With Your Neighbors!!!

Crawfish Boil

You are invited to tour the working and demonstra-tion gardens maintained by the Harris County Master Gardeners at Precinct 2. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions during this free event.Children are welcome, but must be accom-panied by an adult at all times.Free and open to the public.

When: Monday, May 16, 9-10:30 am

Where: Genoa Friendship Garden, 1202 Genoa-Red Bluff, Houston, TX77034For more information visit our web site at:http://har-ris-tx.tamu.edu.hort

Open Garden Day

June 1, 2011 marks the beginning of Hurricane Season. Hur-ricane IKE was three years ago and we remember it like it was yesterday. Were you ready for that storm? Did you have a KIT? Did you have a PLAN? Did you stay INFORMED? Come to the City of Seabrook Hurricane Preparedness Meeting on May 25, 2011 located in the City Council Chambers, presented by the Seabrook Office of Emergency Management. On hand will be the City of Seabrook Flood Plain Manager with information; the National Weather Service, Gene Hafele, with the forecast for the upcoming Hurricane Season; and the BayCERT with information on how you can join. Don’t let this season catch you off guard. Come learn how to Make a KIT, Have a PLAN, and STAY INFORMED, by a presentation from the Seabrook Office of Emergency Management. I look forward to seeing you there.

Charles “Jeff” GalyeanEmergency Manager – City of Seabrook281-291-5700

City of Seabrook Hurricane Preparedness Meeting

May 25, 2011

EMS: Everyday Heroes” is the theme this year for EMS Week. The City of La Porte EMS recognizes this week each year and has proudly served the community for 27 years, being “everyday heroes.” Our mission is to aggressively and continuously plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate the quality of emergency medi-cal services provided to the residents of and visitors to the City of La Porte. La Porte EMS has established itself in the community as an ardent supporter of public education. Our education pro-grams include: Community CPR classes, Vial of Life Program, Childhood Immunization Program, Child Safety Seat Inspection Program, and bi-annual Shattered Dreams Program participation. For information on these programs and City of La Porte EMS, please visit our website at www.lpems.org.

City Of La Porte EMSRecognizes May 15-21, 2011

As EMS Week And The Month Of May As Trauma

Awareness Month

Barry Schlueter, Master Hybridizer, will speak on “Hibiscus Culture and Breeding.” Learn how exotic hibiscus are bred and their cultural requirements in the greater Houston area. This lecture is free and open to the public.

When: Wednesday,May 18, 2011, 10 a.m.

Where: The Meeting Room at Clear Lake Park (on the lakeside),5001 NASA Parkway, Seabrook, TX77586.

For more information visit our website at: http://harris-tx.tamu.edu/hort

Thursday, June 16, 2011Health Fair (Time to be announced)

Location: Jenny Riley Civic Center (North 4th Street)Contact Charlie Perry for more details at 713-398-8782

Friday, June 17th, 2011Meet and Mingle (6pm-8pm)

• Meet our pageant contestantsLocation: Jenny Riley Civic Center (North 4th Street)Contact Nakia Moore for more details at 832-605-3898

Old School Baseball Game (6pm-8pm)• Everyone is welcomed

Location: Deotis Gay Softball Field (North 4th Street)Contact Nicole Wells for more details at 832-722-0739

Saturday, June 18, 2011Morning Coffee (8am-9:30pm)

Location: 5 Points Town Plaza Park on Broadway and Main

Juneteenth Parade (10am-12pm)Location: Starting at La Porte Elementary

and finishing at North 8th Street

Picnic Lunch (12pm – Until)Location: Jenny Riley Civic Center and Park

(North 4th Street)

Juneteenth Pageant (12:30pm – 3:30pm)• Little Mr. And Miss Juneteenth

• Jr. Miss Juneteenth• Miss Juneteenth

Location: Deotis Gay Softball Field (North 4th Street)

Concerts: Sponsored by the City of La Porte (3:30pm-9:30pm)

• Step Rideau and The Zydeco Outlaws (3:30pm-5:30pm)• Texas Johnny Boy Blues and R&B (6:30pm-9:30pm)

Location: 5 Points Town Plaza Park on Broadway and Main

Please come out and join us at 5 Points Town Plaza after the Juneteenth Parade and Pageant. There will be lots of food, vendor booths, and a fantastic car show during the wonderful music entertainment we have lined up. Contact Sherry Lowe for more details at 281-222-4432.

Sunday, June 19, 2011Sunday Service “Happy Father’s Day” (3pm-5pm)

Location: Jenny Riley Civic Center (North 4th Street)Contact Charlie Perry for more details at 713-398-8782

30th Annual Juneteenth Celebration 2011

Schedule of EventsHosted By: La Porte Community Civic Club

Master Gardener Lecture Series

On Monday May 2, 2011 La Porte Police Officers were dis-patched to the 8900 block of Fairmont Parkway in reference to what initially appeared to be an assault. However, the sce-nario later revealed a thwarted Robbery attempt thanks to a quick-thinking victim and a group of determined police of-ficers. In the end, a potential robber was taken into custody and the victim was able to drive home for the evening. The scenario began when the victim was driving home along the 8900 block of Fairmont Parkway near Canada Rd. at approximately 11:46 p.m. Her vehicle window was sud-denly shattered by a large rock, which also struck her in the shoulder. She then observed a young black male, wearing a checkered jacket; flee into a construction area, south of Fairmont Parkway. Using good judgment, the victim did not stop and instead drove to a safe area, where she immediately called 911, advis-ing police what had transpired and providing a description of the suspect. Officers arrived within moments and began

searching the area. They soon spotted a 15 year-old Black Male, matching the victim’s description, riding a bicycle near the area where the inci-dent had taken place. As of-ficers attempted to approach the rider, he made an effort to evade the officers by dropping his bicycle and running. For-tunately, officers were able to catch the suspect who was later positively identified as the per-son responsible for throwing the rock through the victim’s windshield. A subsequent interview con-ducted by LPPD Detectives un-covered additional facts. The suspect, who is a student with-in the Houston Independent School District, had apparently

skipped after-school deten-tion, stolen a bicycle from his school, and then rode the bike to another school where he stole a second bicycle. He lat-er broke into a nearby car and stole both a radio and a set of keys. The suspect then contin-ued travelling east on Fairmont Parkway, eventually entering the City of La Porte. Fatigued from ridding the bicycle, the suspect attempted to com-mit a car-jacking by throwing rocks at passing vehicles. The suspect’s intention was to rob the driver of any vehicle that stopped and steal their car. Based on the quick thinking of an alert citizen, the rapid response of patrol officers, and a thorough follow-up by detectives, the suspect was unsuccessful in his robbery attempt. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office ac-cepted charges of Robbery for the juvenile’s crime and the suspect was transported by La Porte Officers to the Har-ris County Juvenile Detention Center. For more information relating to his event or the La Porte Police Department, call 281-471-2141.

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 3

EDITORIAL/OPINION

LOCAL NEWS

OBITUARIES

Petro Vest .....Continued from page 1

KAYS

James A. Kays, 80 of Kosse, Texas passed away Saturday, April 23, 2011 after a six-year battle with cancer. James was surrounded by those who loved him as he went to be with his Heav-enly Father. He was born October 12, 1930 to Ethel and Harry Kays in Willisburg, Kentucky. James was a 30-year employee of Tenneco Oil and a man who served our nation through the

U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and the National Guard. He was also a veteran of the Korean War. James was a member of the First Baptist Church of Kosse, Texas and was very much loved by his church family. All that knew James loved his smile and the way he was always there to help someone.James was preceded in death by his father Harry Kays, mother Ethel Kays McNabb, step father A.J. McNabb Sr., brother Billy Jo Kays and sis-ter Nancy Fenner.James was survived by his loving wife of 56 years Beverly Sue Kays. His sweet daughters and wonderful son-in-laws, Pamela J. Tibbetts and husband Karl of La Porte, Texas, Janet L. Corley and husband Mickey of Blue Ridge, Texas, Debra K. Burton and husband Randy. He had 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grand children and one on the way. His brother Fred Kays and wife Mary Ann of West Virginia, sis-ter Marilyn Schulte of Spring, Texas and A.J. McNabb Jr. of Hallettsville, Texas. As well as many other family members.A memorial service was held Friday, May 6th, 2011 at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Kosse, Texas (100 N. Myrtle/Corner of Hwy. 7 and N/ Myrtle). The final resting place for James is at the Lakeland Hills Memorial Park, Burnet, Texas at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 7th, 2011. In lieu of usual remembrances the family requests that donations be made to the First Baptist Church of Kosse/James Kays Youth Memorial Fund at P.O. Box 127, Kosse, Texas.

Police BlottersSeabrook Police Department - 5/07/11 – 5/09/11

Assaults................................................1

Burglary...............................................3

CVE Citations......................................8

Disturbances.........................................8

Domestic Violence..............................3

DWI/DUI............................................1

Traffic Accidents.................................2

Traffic Citations/Arrest......................80

Welfare Concerns.................................2

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La Porte Police Capture Robbery Suspect and Avert Car-Jacking

My family and I would like to thank all of the friends of my father, Dennis Dunham, who showed their love for him after his passing, with gifts of food, flowers, and donations to Hope Village. Ad-ditionally we would like to publically thank the La Porte Fire Department Honor Guard for all they did for dad with the “firefighter funeral” he wanted upon his death. It was beautiful. The citizens of La Porte don’t realize just how fortunate they are to have such a dedicated bunch of folks with La Porte Fire and EMS putting their lives on the line for their community each and every day. Unfortunately, at dad’s visitation at the funeral home, there was some campaigning going on by a family member of one of the candidates for La Porte city council at large position, which may or may not have left the wrong impression of who my dad was supporting in that particular race. I can assure you that dad was supporting Mrs. Kaminski for that city council position. It is sad that things like this occur when folks gather to remember the life of a loved one or a close friend. It most certainly was not the place or time for such activities. It was very disrespectful. So, I would encourage everyone to get out and vote for the candidate of your choice and let’s also vote YES for the Fire Department funding issue on the ballot. God bless the USA. Thanks, John (Champ) Dunham and family

times. There is no environ-mental problem or complaints of any kind. On this 10.5 acres 250 cores have been taken be-fore the subdivision was built and the 10.5 acres was desig-nated for oil and gas indus-try”. Seabrook citizens Kelly Soich, O.J. Miller, Flo Li-gon, Bill Steven, Mark Pe-ters, Andy Thacker, Robert Poston, Kim Jernigan, Tama Colbertmaschino, Earl Ligon, and Sally Antrobus all spoke in opposition of approving a drilling permit. Among them were concerns of environmen-tal and noise pollution, safety issues and property valuation. Among the most troubling were the possibility of radia-tion or other airborne pollut-ants being released into the atmosphere during the drilling process. Mike McClure, who is also a Health Physicist, stated that tests have shown there is no radioactivity at the drill site. He added that Petro Vest, Inc. has the instrumentation and knowledge needed to monitor for radioactive materials on the drill site and there has been no plume of contamination or evidence of hydrocarbons on site. He stated that the drill site was in place before homes were built in the area and that as a commercial operation as proposed it can become an asset and will not devalue the property. D.L. McClure reiter-ated that there were no hydro-carbons on the site. When asked about a worst-case scenario, Mike McClure responded, “The worst case scenario is a tank rupture and the contents spilling and for that to escape into the water-ways or into someone’s back-yard. However the primary berm surrounding the stock tanks is capable of holding all of the capacity of all of the storage tanks. The secondary berm will keep many acres of any overspill that may occur”.

The project will work in four phases:

Phase I will involve the drill site preparation, which will oc-cur in daylight hours only. This will include pipeline safety is-sues, the installation of “Dura Mats” to ensure truck-driving safety by preventing slippage for safe mobilization. It will also ensure personnel safety, and dampen noise. Petro Vest, Inc. stated in their presentation that all well equipment will be new, pres-sure rated and within industry standard safety guidelines, that there is no high pressure and that all formations have been tested to be normal pressure. There will be no hydraulic fracturing and there is no hy-drogen sulfide or other poison-ous gas producing formations. Mike McClure, operations manager for Petro Vest, Inc. also noted that there will be no alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs of any kind allowed on the site. Noise abatement in-stallations will also be installed during phase 1 with a 10-foot high acoustical noise barrier panel and 30’ high sound and sight barrier around the perim-eter of the pad Phase II will involve drill-ing activities and will require work to be done 24 hours a day until completion. Petroleum Engineers, Inc. Of Lafayette, Louisiana have been employed by Petro Vest, Inc. for drilling design and supervision during this phase. McClure said it would be necessary to restrict traffic in and out of the site to autho-rized personnel only. A guard will be located at the entrance to the site to coordinate access to the site around the clock, on 6-hour shifts. Petro Vest, Inc. will request permission from the Seabrook Police Depart-ment to employ off duty po-licemen to guard the entrance/exit gate. Trucks will be leav-

ing the site with drill cuttings, for instance, and police officers training and experience will provide final inspection of the trucks as a precaution so that unclean transports will stay off Seabrook’s roadways. Only highly trained, pre-ap-proved personnel will be al-lowed access to location dur-ing Phase II. It is estimated that Phase II will take 13 days to rig down, or complete drill-ing. Completion of the well will occur during Phase III in day-light hours only. Petro Vest, Inc. has prepared a site spe-cific spill prevention, contain-ment and control plan dur-ing this phase. As in Phase I, Petro Vest, Inc. has again as-sured that all well equipment will be new, pressure rated and within industry standard safety guidelines, that there is no high pressure and that all formations have been tested to be normal pressure. There will be no hydraulic fracturing and there is no hydrogen sulfide or other poisonous gas producing formations. The time expected to complete and test during phase III is estimated to be fin-ished within 5 days. The noise and sight barrier will be left in place while all completion work is conducted. Hook-up and production will occur during Phase IV, which is the final step in the project. A 4 foot berm will be in-stalled to completely encircle the operating site, preventing escape of any produced fluids onto surrounding property. A 6 foot chain link fence with “forest green” privacy shade will be installed around the operating site. Foliage, such as oleander and/or pine trees will be planted inside the perimeter of the wooden fence and all weeds and undesirable trees and shrubbery will be exca-vated and the grounds seeded in coastal Bermuda grass. D.L. McClure stated that they are going to give the property a “park-like” setting. He said, “the City of Seabrook and the citizens have an opportunity to get an improvement”.

Along with approval of the permit the city of Seabrook imposed, these are the condi-tions which Petro Vest, Inc. must follow:

• Preparation of the drill site will only be performed during day light hours• Special traction mats will be used (Dura Mats) for truck traffic stability on load bearing services. These special mats will be removed after drilling as depicted in its presentation.• No mud pits on site.• No high pressure, no hydrau-lic fracturing, no chemical in-jection, no hydrogen sulfide release. • Pump/generator will be po-sitioned on ground and not rig floor to help prevent noise and related issues.• 10 Foot acoustical noise bar-rier panels will be used during drilling. These barriers will be rated to at least stc-30, with performance panel of double baffling design for insulation/sound absorption.• 30 Foot sight and sound bar-riers around pad perimeter.• Use of a Spencer Harris 7000 drilling rig or equivalent sub-stitute as determined by city. Derrick not to exceed a total height of 120 feet.• Will use private security pro-tection at ingress/egress points to the site during Phase II drilling.• Absolutely no alcohol or il-legal drugs/use will be toler-

ated on work site – compliance testing required.• A 4 foot berm will be con-structed to completely encircle site for prevention of escape of produced fluids.• 6 Foot chain link fence, with privacy inserts to be erected around entire operating site.• Foliage – oleanders, trees will be planted inside perim-eter of wooden fence.• Site will be cleaned up, with addition of seeded costal grass. Petro Vest, Inc. will be directly responsible for maintaining site, including vegetation, in full compliance with code of the City of Seabrook, noting that it has no control of pipe-line/power line right of way.• Operator must demonstrate adequate access for emergency personnel/equipment as deter-mined by the chief of police.• Map to be submitted showing proposed transportation routes and location of fire hydrants. • Emergency action response plan/procedures to address any hazard resulting from opera-tion. This would be amplified to include guidelines of RRC, TCEQ, DOT, EPA, and include preliminary risk management assessment, preliminary hazard mitigation plan. This shall in-clude the name, address and a phone number that is answered on a twenty-four-hour basis of the person to be notified in case of an emergency. Spill preven-tion and maintenance plan to be on site at all times. This emer-gency plan shall specifically in-clude a first responders plan for address of emergency situations.• Incident report to be provid-ed to city manager, within 24 hours, for all wells drilled by operator.• Entire tract shall be main-tained pursuant to city code and applicant shall be respon-sible for removing debris and mowing grass as provided therein within 90 days of coun-cil approval – 5/3/11.• City will enforce all nuisance provisions of its code of ordi-nances, specifically including those relating to noise, debris and lighting.• Petro Vest, Inc. understands, agrees and stipulates that any misrepresentation, failure to perform, or otherwise comply with the representations in its applications or in its presenta-tion to the city of Seabrook, or violation of the conditions here-in or Seabrook code, may cause revocation of the drilling permit pursuant to section 60-6(b). According to Mike McClure the condition set out by Petro Vest, Inc. and required by Sea-brook City Council will cost an additional $300,000 to Petro vest, Inc. McClure, anticipates a 4 month preparation period to finalize plans before the on ground work begins. Once that process is finished, there will be a walk though inspection and operations will begin. If however, they hit a dry well, and find that the site will not be productive, they must remove everything including storage tanks within a 6 month period. When asked about local in-volvement, Mike McClure told the Bay Area Observer that Pet-ro Vest, Inc. intends to contrib-ute to the local economy by us-ing local businesses as much as possible. “We’ll use Seabrook plumbers, electricians, and oth-er local contractors whenever we can,” McClure said. He also stated that they make contribu-tions to the Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department.

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Evelyn Meador Library In Seabrook To Open Soon

The House Environmental Committee did not choose to have a hearing on HB 2114 (refund-able deposits on beverage containers) this ses-sion. With 6 Republicans and 3 Democrats on the committee it was decided there were not enough votes to pass in the committee. But, there’s still an opportunity for our legislation to be brought forth as a budget item, given that HB 2114 creates non-tax revenue for the state. It is imperative that you contact Speaker Joe Straus, Chairman Hilderbran (Ways and Means) and Chairman Pitts (Appropriations) and ask that HB 2114 be a budget consideration. This leg-islation is estimated to generate the state $100-200 million a year in non-tax revenue.

Speaker Joe StrausOffice:(512) 463-1000

Room CAP 2W.13, Capitol P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768

Ways and Means CommitteeChairman Harvey Hilderbran

Office: (512) 463-0536Fax: (512) 463-1449

PO Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768

Appropriations CommitteeChairman Jim Pitts

Office: (512) 463-0516Fax: (512) 463-1051

PO Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768

Lobbyists from the beverage and retail indus-try were out in full force, opposing the bill be-fore even reading it. Although we have people in Austin pushing this bill and citizens sent thousands of cards, emails and faxes accompa-nied by phone calls and office visits, we were out numbered and out spent by the opposition which blocked your voice from being heard by your elected officials. We still have a chance to override the lobbyists by going straight to the top: the people in charge of the budget. Your letters and cards have produced more interest in this bill than any other brought be-fore the Environmental Regulation Committee. Good work and keep it up! The power house of support from county commissioners, cit-ies, businesses and organizations in Texas, in-cluding the Port of Houston Authority, has been heard but not acted upon because of special in-terests. Don’t let your legislators only hear the bever-age and retail industries, they need to know that 1% of Texans polled support this legislation. (Baselice & Assoc poll 2011).

“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed and thoughtful people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Be Louder Than The Lobbyists

1014 S. 2nd Street • La PorteREAL ESTATE

La Porte Proclaims ‘LyondellBasell Employees Day’ in Honor of Volunteer Work

La Porte Mayor Louis Rigby declared Mon-day, May 9, as “LyondellBasell Employees Day” in the city of La Porte in honor of the company’s Global Care Day volunteer projects to build a tree farm, improve the animal shelter and other work. “The LyondellBasell employees have led by example and have shown themselves to be valu-able assets and able stewards on Global Care Day by giving unselfishly of their time and us-ing their skills and expertise to provide needed facilities for the betterment of this community,” said the mayor in making the proclamation. LyondellBasell volunteers rolled up their sleeves Saturday, April 9, and went to work transforming the La Porte Animal Shelter, cre-ating a La Porte City Tree Farm, removing Hur-ricane Ike debris from San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, making the Kids Count Foundation’s playground safer and brighter, and collecting and sorting household hazardous waste, all in La Porte.

LyondellBasell’s 12th worldwide day of com-munity service saw people helping people in 64 communities in 24 countries with a combined 12,000 hours of volunteer service. There were 14 projects in the greater Houston area. The numbers add up to a better world, one commu-nity at a time. Global Care Day began in 2000 as a way to reach out to local communities where the com-pany operates. Global Care Day challenges em-ployees worldwide to participate in community service above and beyond ongoing community involvement activities with a special project on the same day. Each participating site selects a project that meets the following criteria: It ad-dresses a community need, it is aligned with one of the company’s community-relations focus-areas of education, environmental conservancy or community prosperity and the result will be a visible improvement because of employee in-volvement. More information can be found at:www.lyondellbasell.com/globalcareday.

La Porte Mayor Louis Rigby (fourth from right) presents a proclamation to LyondellBasell employees naming Monday, May 9, as LyondellBasell Employees Day in La Porte. The honor was for the company’s Global Care Day volunteer work to build a tree farm, improve the animal shelter and other projects. From left are La Porte Parks and Recreation Director Stephen Barr; LyondellBasell site manager Guy Tremblay; Heather Owens, LyondellBasell; LyondellBasell site manager Courtney Ruth; Mayor Rigby; Gayden Coo-per, LyondellBasell; Shawn Strope, LyondellBasell; and La Porte Police Chief Kenith Adcox.

Save the date! The beautiful new Evelyn Meador Branch Library will open on Tuesday, June 28th at 10:00 AM. Stop by and take a tour of the new facility or check out some of the new library materials. The Friends of the Evelyn Meador Library will sponsor entertainment and activities for all ages following the opening ceremony hosted by Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Morman. For more information, please call 713-749-9000.

City Of La Porte, Recognizes The Month Of MayAs “Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Month”

Members of the Leathernecks Confederation and Bay Area V-Twins Motocycle organi-zations receive the proclamtion for “Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Month” from La porte Mayor Louis Rigby.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 5

BOOK REVIEWS

Keels & Wheels Art Competition Winners Announced

Review by Mike Shannahan

“A book can’t be judged by its cover” – an appropriate and time honored cliché that came to mind as I looked over my recently arrived copy of Bulldozed: Kelo, Eminent Domain, and the American Lust for Land. The vintage photos of shrimp boats and the weather beaten visage of a fish house owner on the dust jacket are anything but a chamber of commerce poster shot. What a difference the turn of a flap can make. Author Carla Main has one spellbound within the first few paragraphs of the introduction and keeps the reader on edge through 276 pages. In well annotated and footnoted detail, Main delivers one bare knuckled punch after another in her successful effort to bring the travesty of eminent domain takings for private profit into crystal-line focus. Backdropped by one of our sister cities a short drive down the coast, in sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph, and chapter after chapter, details of the raw truth about bureaucratic bul-lying of honest, hardworking, taxpaying Americans are served up by the rancid bowlful. Anyone with even a modicum of civic responsibility will recoil at the political thuggery and overbearing demeanor of government officials carrying on like a ruling junta in a banana republic. Without torturous overuse of legalese and lawyer-speak, the layman is quickly given a basic education in the history, legal nuances, and constitutionality of the practice of eminent domain. Summed up in coastal Texas vernacular, it ain’t right, it ain’t ethical, it ain’t fair, and it ain’t pretty, but by golly, it’s legal. Given the frequency of catch phrases and buzzwords like “destination,” “sense of place,” “revi-talization,” “public-private partnering,” and (my favorite) “greater good” rolling off the tongues of municipal officials throughout the Bayshore area, this true story should be required reading for all business and property owners in our coastal communities who might naively think it could never happen to them. It’s the civics lesson you were never taught in sixth grade social studies. Two thumbs up on a five star read.

Bulldozedby Carla MainEncounter Books, 2007

Mike Shannahan owns and operates a full service carpentry contracting business in La Porte. He is former outdoors columnist for the Bayshore Sun and free lances articles in national construction trades publications.He can be reached at 281-470-6229.

The Arts Alliance Announces the Winners of the Keels & Wheels Concourse d’Elegance Art Competition There were 29 artists who submitted 89 works

in all media to the Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance Art Competition. The Jurors’ Panel was very pleased with the quality and diversity of the submissions, and is proud to announce the following awards:

1st Place: Gay Paratore for Rolls Royce2nd Place: Robin S. Collins for Rope it Up

3rd Place: Peter Janecke for Chris Craft

Honorable Mentions:Carl Ramsey for Pebble Atlantic

Jorge Gaete for Kemah ReflectionsBrenda B. Taylor for Harbor Reflections

Barry Armer for PoliceFrank Clements for Chesapeake Bay Skipjack

“Carrie Price”Steve Smith for 908 (abstract car with orange

35x45)Cuauhetemoc Murphy for Weekend Project

Sylvia Trybek for Boats

These winning works will be in a special Keels & Wheels Concours D’Elegance Art Competi-tion display at The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake from June 2 – 23, 2011, with an opening reception at 5 pm on June 2, just prior to the 5:30 Preview and Artists’ Talks for the Open Door Series: Summer Juried Exhibition. Se-lected works by winning Keels & Wheels artists will also be exhibited at Galveston’s Buchan-an’s Gallery at a date to be announced.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Bulldozed’by Carla Main

Peter Jarnecke won the 3rd place award

Enameling is the colorful result of melting powdered glass onto a metal surface by firing. The heat causes the enamel to melt and unite with the surface of the copper. Variations of this ancient art form have been used by many civilizations around the globe for over two thousand years. Join Galveston jewelry artist Carolyn Vieau to learn this fascinating technique and make unique handmade gifts. Enameling is an easy process to learn and is fun for the whole family!

Children’s class, 9:30 to 11:30 amAdult Class, 12 to 2 pm

FEE: GAC members, $12 plus $20 supply fee ($32 total)Non-members, $15 plus $20 supply fee ($35 total)

Six University of Houston-Clear Lake art students will get a chance of a lifetime when they travel to Plzen, Czech Republic in July to attend ArtCamp at the University of West Bohemia as part of the university’s International Art Consortium. While the stu-dents will be going to learn, UH-Clear Lake Associate Vice President of University Ad-vancement Dion McInnis and UH-Clear Lake Art Instructor Miguel Herrera will be going to share their skills as instruc-tors in photography and sculp-ture respectively. UH-Clear Lake graduate and undergraduate art students at-tending include Emma Marks, John Collins, Lakita Cost-ner, William Jones, Sherrie Schaeffer and Jason Shaw. They will join students from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Germany, Slovakia and Russia at ArtCamp.They will work on

art projects in various media including photography, book-binding, jewelry and painting.“I am really looking forward to the Czech trip this summer,” says William Jones, one of the six attending ArtCamp. “As an artist it will help me gain a sense of a European aesthetic and a look the art history of that area. “As a secondary art teacher, it will help me understand and relate to the exchange students from Europe, while increasing my own world view in regard to visual art.” Graduate student Sherrie Schaeffer agrees that the trip provides a wonderful oppor-tunity. “ArtCamp affords me the opportunity to enhance my painting skills and explore new ideas by enrolling in two consecutive weeks of classes,” says Schaeffer. “Each new ex-perience broadens my concept

of the world. I look forward to sharing my expression of that through each piece of art cre-ated.” University of West Bohe-mia’s ArtCamp holds classes that range from one to three weeks, and is just one of sev-eral programs offered through the International Consortium. The consortium, which was created in 2003 and originally included UH-Clear Lake, Uni-versity of Hawaii in Hilo, Ha-waii, Universidad de Veracru-zana in Xalapa, Mexico, and the University of West Bohe-mia in Plzen, Czech Republic, has grown to also include the University of Arts in Belgrade Serbia and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Brat-islava, Slovakia. Two other universities will be joining the consortium including Savan-nah College of Art and De-sign in Atlanta, Georgia and University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. “The consortium provides many opportunities for art stu-dents and faculty,” says Hu. “For the six art students at-tending ArtCamp in the Czech Republic, this experience will give them an opportunity to be exposed to art and artists from countries a half a world away.” Hu hopes that trips like this for art students and faculty at UH-Clear Lake can happen on a regular basis. “Whenever art students, or any students for that matter, are able to meet and interact with students from other coun-tries and leaders in their re-spective fields, it’s a win-win situation,” adds Hu. For more information about art at UH-Clear Lake, contact Hu by calling 281-283-3378, e-mailing hu@uhcl.edu, or by visiting http://hsh.uhcl.edu/Art_Exhibition.

Students Travel To Czech Republic For ArtCamp

Six University of Houston-Clear Lake students will travel to the Uni-versity of West Bohemia in Plzen, Czech Republic during July to attend ArtCamp as part of UH-Clear Lake’s International Art Consortium. Pictured are five of the six students with UH-Clear Lake Professor of Fine Arts Sandria Hu (front, center) including (back, l to r) Emma Marks, Sherrie Schaeffer, William Jones, John Collins and Lakita Costner. Not pictured is student Jason Shaw.

May Art Workshop for Children And Adults Galveston Arts CenterEscape for a few hours of creativity one Saturday per month with the Galveston Arts Center. Classes held in the basement kitchen at Moody Mansion, 2618 Broadway at 27th Street. Children’s classes are appropriate for students ages 7 to 14. Each class is limited to 10 participants. As materi-als must be ordered in advance, pre-registration is required. Dress for mess! Contact Robin at 409.763.2403 or robin@galvestonartscenter.org to register

Copper Enamel Jewelry Making With Carolyn Vieau

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Floral Interpretations Of Art Are A Fragrant Feature Of Mentor

Show At The Arts AllianceWho: The Nassau Bay Garden Club and The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake

What: The public is invited to see the “floral flair” of the Nassau Bay Garden Club as their arrangements are placed in harmony with works currently on exhibit at TAACCL’s Mentor Show. The color and style of the floral designs enhance and complement the original artwork. This show is possible through the cooperation of The Nassau Bay Garden Club and The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake.

When: The Garden Show is Saturday, May 14 from 2 pm to 5 pm. The Mentor Show opens April 21 and continues through May 19.

Where: The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake, 2000 NASA Pkwy, Nassau Bay (across from JSC.)

This judged event is free of charge.

More information about the Mentor Show: TAACCL celebrates mentorship by exhibiting

works by area high school students, college and university students, and the instructors of both. Invitations were extended to 15 school districts and 16 colleges and universities in the Houston area. Galveston artist and gallery owner Kath-ryn Buchanan has juried the student submis-sions and given awards, some with cash prizes, at her discretion. The top three winners are as follows:

1st Place: Jacy Johnson, student at Clear Lake High School. Her mentor is Mrs. Nina Make-peace.

2nd Place: Emily Hansen, student at Clear Falls High school. Her mentor is Mrs. Shara Appa-naitis.

3rd Place: Laura Arteaga, student at Pasadena High School. Her mentor is Mrs. Sally Both-well.

There were eight Honorable Mention award re-cipients.

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ELECTION NEWSElection Day- May 14, 2011- Polling Locations

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Voting/Polling Location #1

Located at Baker Sixth Grade Campus 9800 Spencer Hwy.

(Spencer Hwy @Underwood; enter off Spencer Hwy) Districts 1, 2, 3 & 6 vote at this location

Voting/Polling Location #2Located at La Porte City Hall Council Chambers

604 W. Fairmont Parkway Districts 4 & 5 vote at this location

Look for information on your City Water/Sewer Bill indicat-ing which Council District you reside in. Visit the City website for voting information at www.laportetx.gov. Contact the City Secretary’s Office at 281-470-5019 for further information or clarification on where to vote.

CITY OF LA PORTE CANDIDATES

At-Large B Dottie Kaminski

Les Bird Charles “HeavyFed” Gilliam

Rick Guzman District 1

Mike Mosteit District 6

Charles Rothmund Mike Clausen

PROPOSITION – FOR OR AGAINST The creation of the La Porte Fire Control, Prevention and Emergency Medical Services District dedicated to fire safety and emergency medical services and the adoption of a proposed local sales and use tax at a rate of one-fourth of one percent (0.25%)

The city will hold a regular election on Saturday, May 14, 2011 for the positions of Mayor and Council Positions 2, 4 and 6 for three (3) year terms expiring in May, 2014. There will also be a special election to allow voters to vote for or against Proposition 1 “The adoption of the police officers’ civil service law.”

Polling PlaceSeabrook City Hall

1700 First StreetSeabrook, Texas 77586

City of Kemah Election Information

MayorMatt Wiggins (I)Bob Cummins

City Council Position 2 Gerald Looper

Pat Buchanan (I)Dyana Babik

City Council Position 4 Beverly HelmsWayne Rast (I)

Election Day is Saturday, May 14th voting is at Kemah City Hall

from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.Be sure to bring your voter registration card or a picture ID.

Seabrook City Elections

La Porte City Elections Kemah City Elections

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The Baytown Fire Fighters Association Local 1173 and San Jacinto Methodist Hospital Cancer Center will host the inaugural Baytown Pink Heals Event to raise funds to help assist patients in our community with expenses related to their cancer treatment. As part of the event, we will also host a Fun Run. We are hold-ing a t-shirt design contest among Survivors in our community. The winning artist will have their design printed on the Fun Run T-shirts worn by participants and have the artwork framed on dis-play at San Jacinto Methodist Hospital Cancer Center. The judg-ing will be based on the following rules and regulations, creativ-ity of the design, color usage, and the incorporation of the event name. Judging of the entries will be performed by the Baytown Pink Heals Event Planning Committee. The run will take place at the San Jacinto Mall on Saturday, October 22, 2011. We hope you will come out and join the fun.

T-shirt Design Contest Rules:All entries must be received by September 5, 2011.

Open to all Cancer Survivors in the Baytown and surrounding communities. Designs should be 8 1/2” x 11” in size

(front design only. No sleeve or back design). Entry should include the Survivor’s first and last name, address, and phone number -printed on back of entry.

All designs must be original art. No copyrighted images. Designs are limited to 4 colors (one must be Pink) and must

incorporate Baytown Fire Cares Enough to Wear Pink, Baytown Pink Heals Event Family Fun Run, and Pink Heals Tour.

All entries must be submitted to:

San Jacinto Methodist Cancer CenterAttn: Denise Martinez

4021 Garth Road, Suite 105Baytown, TX 77521

Any Questions or Concerns can be sent to: Baytownpinkhealsfunrun@yahoo.com

Recently San Jacinto Methodist Hospital celebrated the 2nd quarter Sacred Works finalists and winners. The Sacred Works award recognizes those employees who go above and beyond their typical job duties and embody the true meaning of Sacred Works in all that they do. Sacred Works is laying a foundation of love, grace and charity. It is having a servant’s heart, uncondi-tional love and compassion for our patients and each other. Each sacred encounter empowers us to step outside of our jobs so that all needs are heard and answered with love, for we are all care-givers. To honor those finalist and winners, the hospital hosted a Sacred Works Award ceremony. Finalists and winners were announced and nominations were read. The award will be given on a quarterly basis to both a clinical and non-clinical employee. For more information or to nominate a San Jacinto Methodist Hospital employee for the Sacred Works Award please call 832-556-6543.

San Jacinto Methodist Hospital Recognizes 2nd

Quarter Sacred Works Award Finalists and Winners

Carmen Flores, Finalist; Karan Blackburn, Finalist; DeAnna Cox, Finalist; Margaret Boyd, Finalist; Maria Garcia, Non-Clinical Win-ner; Cheryl Luis, Finalist; Susan Zieschang, Finalist; Melissia Cham-berlain, Finalist; Deborah Stewart, Finalist; Joe Kennedy, Finalist; Lisa Arnic, Clinical Winner.

Baytown Pink Heals Event Family Fun Run T-Shirt Design Contest

San Jacinto Methodist Hospital’s (SJMH) Cancer Center was recently reaccredited for another three years by The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (CoC). Before a program can attain accreditation, it must first pass an onsite physician evaluation and meet high standards for patient care. SJMH’s was first accredited by the CoC in 2005 and then again in 2008. “This marks the third consecutive accreditation for our Cancer Center. This consistency represents our commitment to providing quality cancer treatment and patient care. I credit the staff, physi-cians and advanced technology with the success of this survey,” said Halena Hellums, Director San Jacinto Methodist Hospital Cancer Center. The facility must demonstrate a high level of compliance with the standards that represent the full scope of a cancer program. The following standards are reviewed: Cancer committee leader-ship, cancer data management, medical services, community in-volvement and quality improvement. Additionally, an accredited program must attain high standards for other services provided. The CoC’s Accreditation Program uses quality-of-care stan-dards to review each cancer program. In order to receive a suc-cessful CoC survey the program must conform to all of those set standards. Accreditation is only given to those programs that have volunteered to undergo the rigorous CoC evaluation process.

A CoC accreditation ensures that a cancer program provides the following services to their patients:• Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art ser-vices and equipment; • A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treat-ment options; • Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment op-tions; • Access to cancer-related information, education, and support; • A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results, and offers lifelong patient follow-up; and • Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.

For more information on the CoC accreditation or on services provided by the San Jacinto Methodist Hospital Cancer Center please call 281-420-8557 or visit www.sanjacintomethodist.com

MEDICAL NEWSSan Jacinto Methodist Hospital Cancer Center Earns Commission on Cancer Accreditation

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 7

The La Porte Rotary Club hosted its 2nd An-nual Wine-Tasting and Style Show event on Sunday, April 10 at the Magical Creations Ball-room. Thanks to the generous support of many area businesses and Rotarians, the event was a great success. Fashions were provided by the Clotheshorse Boutique of League City and Magical Cre-ations Boutique. Melissa Rodriguez of Salon Avante’ was instrumental as co-lead with Bren-da Thompson of La Porte Rotary Club. Salon Avante’ coordinated the models and provided their own stylists (Brenda, Cindy, and Paige) for the hair and makeup applications. Premier Restaurant hosted three wine companies for the afternoon. CMR Jewelers donated a beautiful princess-cut diamond worth over $1,000 for the Diamond Draw. Congratulations to the winner of the diamond, Yvonne Bish. Food was donated by Jeanie Ann’s Tea Room, Antonio’s Italian Grill & Seafood, Colonial House of Sandwiches, El Toro Mexican Res-taurant, King’s BBQ, and Cupcakes N Treats. Local vendor booths were Salon Avante’, Be-yond Beaute’ Day Spa, It’s A Girl Thing, Mary Kay, Heaven Essence, Clotheshorse, and Pre-mier Sports Photos. Ad sponsors of the event included Southern Ionics, DuPont La Porte, and Beacon Federal Credit Union. In addition to the participating vendors, door prizes and silent auction items were also donated by Dr. Vic-tor & Julie Alvarado, Upscale Resale, Rhonda

Cumbie, Janice Edwards, and the event plan-ning committee. Much appreciation goes out to Rotarians, including: Crystal Redden (President of La Porte Rotary Club and owner of CMR Jewel-ers), Kathy Boehm for helping coordinate the sponsors and silent auction, Frank Parrilla for providing the wine glasses, and to Joan & Nick Higham and Terri Cook for assisting with reg-istration, along with many other Rotarians for ticket sales. Added thanks goes to Bay Area Observer and Houston Chronicle Neighborhood News for publicizing the event in advance. If you have been a past supporter, donor, or participant, we thank you and look forward to seeing you again. La Porte Rotary is proud to be giving $21,000 to LPHS Students for Academic & Vocational Scholarships in May. Upcoming fundraising events include a Crawfish Boil on Saturday, May 7 @ Seabreeze Park, sponsored by DuPont Bayport. We’re bringing the 21st Annual Re-verse Draw back to La Porte - Hee Haw style at the Lomax Arena on Saturday, October 8. Contact a friendly Rotarian for tickets to both events. All donations are tax deductible to La Porte Rotary Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Theme; Building Communities, Bridging Continents. La Porte Rotary Club is part of Dis-trict 5890.

Picture of Models provided by Carlyle Henry, Premier Sports Photo

AROUND TOWN

Rhonda Cumbie, Brenda Thompson and Sherry Lowe Sell Tickets And Greet Visitors To The La Porte Rotary Crawfish Boil

DuPont Employees Mary Yin, David Sutton and Gil Santiago Enjoy The Bay Breezes And Fresh Boiled Crawfish At Seabreeze Park In La Porte

La Porte’s City Manager Ron Bottoms Serves Up A Batch of Crawfish To DuPont Employee and La Porte Rotarian Brenda Thompson

La Porte Rotary Club Hosts 2nd Annual Wine-Tasting and Style Show

3rd Annual La Porte Rotary Crawfish Boil

Scenes From The Evelyn Kennedy Memorial Festival

Councilman Jay Martin, Councilman John Zemanek, Mayor Louis Rigby and Councilman Tommy Moser Hold the New Evelyn Kennedy Blvd. Sign.

Mayor of La Porte Louis Rigby Presents a Proclamation to Paula Swearingen, Community Developer For La Porte Neighborhood Centers

Declaring May 7th As Evelyn Kennedy Day

Volunteers, Friends and Family of Evelyn Kennedy Gathered At La Porte’s Neighborhood Center to Celebrate Her Life and Legacy

With A Festival For Children In Her Honor.

AROUND TOWN

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Helping You And Your Family See Into The FutureDeborah S. Bernay, O.D. • Andreane B. Fagala, O.D.

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Red Suspenders Shrimp BoilThe Red Suspenders’ Shrimp Boil was held on Saturday, May 7, 2011, at Nor-man L. Malone Senior Center, 1322 So. Broadway, La Porte, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM. Plates of boiled shrimp, cole slaw, beverage, cocktail sauce and crackers were available for $10. Homemade desserts available by donation. Door prizes were drawn throughout the event and two lucky people won a 2 night stay at Candle-wood Suites. Proceeds for the event benefit the La Porte Special Olympics.

Johnny Has The Best Seat In The House...Watching Over The Dessert Table!

Red Suspenders Members And Friends Serve Up The Shrimp!

Josh Burton And Mom Cindy Burton Enjoy The Company And Great Food!

From Left To Right: LPHS Varsity Team Cameron Whilley, Alex Jones, Chris Webendorfer, Coach Keith Whitely Sr. (Standing left), Chad Sutherland, Victor

Holmes, Keith Whitely Jr. (Standing right), Blake Turlington, and Maurice Morris Lend Their Appetites To A Good Cause

Dottie, Barbara, Charlcya, Mitch and Bob

PAGE 8 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

Councilman Mike Clausen

Sargent Stripes is a male polydactyl brown tabby. That means he has what looks to be “thumbs” on his front paws. He’s just like the famous six-toed cats Ernest Hemingway kept. Sargent Stripes is 3-years-old, good with dogs and a TOTAL lap cat. He was rescued from the Bay City shelter. For more information email Second Chance Pets at pets2adopt@yahoo.com, call 281-286-3535 or visit www.secondchancepets.org.

Second Chance Pets

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 9

Clear Horizons Early College High School (CHECHS) graduates at San Jacinto College (SJC) South were honored at a president’s reception hosted by Dr. Maureen Murphy, South campus presi-dent. This year’s graduating class of 81 students includes valedictorian Deena Lucardi, salutatorian Aviana Knochel, and the soon-to-be United States Military Academy at West Point cadet Christal Theriot. All students honored at the reception will be receiving their associate degrees on May 13, three weeks before their high school graduation on June 4. CHECHS is a partnership between Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) and SJC South. CHECHS is the only CCISD high school to receive an exemplary rating for three years by the Texas Education Agency, and appear on the Texas Business and Education Coalition 2010 Hon-or Roll. CHECHS has also been named a National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA) Higher Performing School by the American College Testing (ACT) organization. For more infor-mation on CHECHS, please visit www.ccisd.net. Photo credit: Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto Col-lege marketing department.

EDUCATION

University of Houston-Clear Lake will recognize longtime educator and UH-Clear Lake Distinguished Alumna Sandra Mossman at a special event in her honor, “Another Great Day in CCISD: May 24, 2011—Cel-ebrating Sandra Mossman,” May 24, 5:30–7 p.m., in the university’s Bayou Build-ing, Atrium II, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, 77058.

The event will celebrate the dedication and accomplish-ments of Mossman, a for-mer Clear Creek Independent School District superintendent who retired in 2008 after 22 years of service. “The event is more than an acknowledgement of one of the university’s Distinguished Alumni and one of the com-munity’s great leaders; it is a celebration of education, lead-ership and a community that is great because of the people who live and work there,” said UH-Clear Lake Associate Vice President for University Advancement Dion McInnis. “The endowment created in her honor will forever support work and outreach done in the realm of educational leader-ship by faculty members in our School of Education—a fitting acknowledgement of every-thing that Dr. Mossman stood for and succeeded in through-

out her career.” Mossman was honored by CCISD through the creation of The Sandra Mossman Elemen-tary School in League City, which is housed in CCISD’s Education Village. The inno-vative school is part of a K-12 three-campus park that garners exemplary ratings and provides collaborative education for students. Her work as a super-intendent, principal and coun-selor contributed to the vision for the village, which opened in October 2009. Named superintendent of schools in 2003, Mossman was the first female and first em-ployee to work her way to the position through the ranks of the school district, where she was first hired as special programs counselor and team leader for Seabrook Intermediate School in 1985. She was named princi-pal of Clear Brook High School in 1993, and joined the Educa-tion Support Center administra-tive staff in 1997, as executive director for the Clear Creek Cluster. She was later promoted to associate superintendent for instruction and then deputy su-perintendent of schools. Mossman’s professional honors include the Education Leadership Award by the Clear Creek Educators Association and the 1994 Administrator of the Year for large school dis-tricts by the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. In 2003, she received the Trailblazer award from San Jacinto Col-lege South and was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Association Award by UH-Clear Lake. She was chosen the Superin-tendent of the Year by the Texas Computer Educators Associa-tion and named 2007 Region IV Superintendent of the year as well as one of five finalists for the State Superintendent of the Year. She currently serves on various boards and commit-tees in the Bay Area. For more information about “Another Great Day in CCISD: May 24, 2011—Celebrating Sandra Mossman,” call UH-Clear Lake’s Office of Univer-sity Advancement, 281-283-2021.

ON THE WATEROpen Regattas Schedule At Seabrook Sailing Club

The Seabrook Sailing Club is hosting three major regattas this summer on Galveston Bay, open to all interested sailors. Wheth-er it’s challenging one design racing or family fun, Seabrook Sailing Club’s summer regatta schedule has it all. We are look-ing forward to having local and out-of-town sailors join us for competition and fun on the bay.

The Gulf Coast Windsurfing Championship will be held at SSC again this year on May 14 and 15, 2011. Windsurfers enjoy the consistently steady breezes and surfable swells that SSC’s sail-ing venue provides. The event is open to all windsurfers, con-tinuing its tradition of bringing together all levels of competitors. Expected classes include long boards, Mistral Prodigys, and an open class (for example, hybrids and formula boards). The No-tice of Race and Sailing Instructions are posted on the Seabrook Sailing Club website www.seabrook-sailing.org. SSC’s annual Summer Solstice Regatta will be held on June 18 and 19, 2011. This regatta is open to all small sailboats and beginner racers are welcome. Lasers, 470’s, Sunfish, windsurf-ers, Vangaurd 15’s, and catamarans are regular classes at this fun event. This regatta is on the Texas Laser District 15 Cir-cuit schedule, drawing Lasers from around the state. There will be one design starts for all classes with at least three boats. A Portsmouth handicap fleet will be formed for boats that do not make up a one design fleet. Official Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions will be posted on the SSC website. This year, the Summer Solstice Regatta will double as the Laser Gulf Coast Masters Championship. For the 35 and older

crowd, this is a well attended event for the region’s best Laser sailors and those enthusiastic sailors who want to see how they stack up against the best. Finally, the Summer Solstice Regatta will also serve as the 2011 Area F eliminations for the US Singlehanded Sailing Championship in Lasers. The top male and female winners of the Singlehanded Championships Semifinals for Area F will be given an entry berth at the 2011 US Singlehanded Championship in July in Portland, Oregon, and will compete for the prestigious O’Day Trophy. SSC’s annual youth regatta, the Endless Summer Regatta, will be held on September 24 -25, 2011. This always popular regatta draws about 150 youth sailors, parents, and organizers to Seabrook and Galveston Bay from all over Texas. With the new SSC clubhouse and its panoramic view of the sailing area, the Endless Summer Regatta is a much anticipated stop on the Texas Youth Circuit. The youth sailors participate in six differ-ent fleets, the beginner sailors in the Optimist Green fleet, the experienced Optimist sailors in the Red/White/Blue fleet, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, Laser Full Rig, and Club 420.

For more information about our regattas or other activities at SSC, please visit www.seabrook-sailing.org, or contact Zar Wade-Gledhill at 281-380-9971 or sscmembership@yahoo.com. The Seabrook Sailing Club is located at 1020 Toddville Rd in Seabrook, Texas.

UH-Clear Lake To Honor CCISD Educator

81 Students To Receive College Degrees Before High School Diplomas

Optimists Approach the Weather Mark at 2010 Endless Summer Regatta

Lasers Ready to Launch at the 2010 Laser Gulf Coast Championships, Seabrook Sailing Club

Visit us on the web at www.bayareaobserver.com or join us on FACEBOOK

(photo by Robby White)

(photo by John Fricker)

PAGE 10 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

EDUCATION

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5/12/20112011 - 2012 Kindergarten Registration at All La Porte ISD Elemen-tary Campuses - 8:30 AM - 3:30 PMBayshore Elementary - 5th Grade BaySmart field trip Bayshore Elementary - Spanish Club - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMHeritage Elementary - JSC Deposit Day Jennie Reid Elementary - Kindergarten field trip to Old McDonald’s FarmJennie Reid Elementary - Student Council field tripLa Porte Elementary - 3rd Grade field trip to Main Street Theater Rizzuto Elementary - Volunteer Appreciation Brunch - 9:30 AMBaker - Choir Spring Pop Show - 7:00 PMBaker - Immunizations - 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM - multi-purpose roomBaker - LXJH/LPJH counselors input schedules LPHS - Band Drill Captain Tryouts LPHS - Varsity Baseball Area Playoffs vs. Clear Springs - 7:30 PM - Bulldog Field

5/13/2011Secondary Progress Reports2011 - 2012 Kindergarten Registration at All La Porte ISD Elementary Campuses - 8:30 AM - 3:30 PMBayshore Elementary - Field DayCollege Park Elementary - Field Day/RIF - Building WideHeritage Elementary - Volunteer Appreciation Tea - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMJennie Reid Elementary - Field Day for Kindergarten - 2nd GradeRizzuto Elementary - 4th Grade field trip to San Jacinto Monument Baker – “Willie Wonka” presented by the Music/Theater Club - 7:00 PMBaker - Field Day, am onlyLPJH Cheer Tryouts - 4:15 PMLXJH - YAPS Young Athletes Program - 8:30 AM - 11:30 AMLPHS - Varsity Baseball Area Playoffs @ Clear Springs - 7:30 PM

5/14/2011College Park Elementary - CPE Challenge - 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM - Building Wide Baker - “Willie Wonka” presented by the Music/Theater Club - 7:00 PMLPJH & LXJH - Orchestra Solo and Ensemble Festival - 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM - at La Porte Junior High LPHS - Varsity Baseball Area Playoffs vs. Clear Springs (if needed) - 2:00 PM - at Baytown Lee High SchoolLPHS - Prom - 8:00 PM - San Luis Hotel - Galveston

5/16/2011Bayshore Elementary - 3rd Grade Field Trip to Main Street TheatreBayshore Elementary - Art After School - 3:30 PM - 5:00 PMBayshore Elementary - Spanish Club - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Jennie Reid Elementary - 2nd Grade field trip to Wildlife Park LXJH - CPOC Meeting - 4:00 PMLPHS - Band Drum Major TryoutsLPHS - Band Color Guard Audition Camp - 4:30 PM - 7:00 PMLPHS - Student Council (STUCO) Banquet - 6:00 PM - Student CenterLPHS - Band Booster Club meeting - 7:00 PM - Band Hall

5/17/2011TAKS Math Retest for 5th & 8th Grade College Park Elementary - CPOC Meeting - 3:10 PM - LibraryLPJH - Rock Solid - Christ on Campus - 7:45 AM - Choir RoomLPHS - AVID Celebration - 6:00 PM - Student CenterLPHS - Band Color Guard Audition Camp - 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM

5/18/2011TAKS Reading Re-test for 5th & 8th GradeBayshore Elementary - G/T field trip to Downtown Aquarium Bayshore Elementary - Art After School - 3:30 PM - 5:00 PMBayshore Elementary - Chess Club - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMBayshore Elementary - Drama Club - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMHeritage Elementary - PTO Gringos NightLa Porte Elementary - G/T field trip to Downtown AquariumLPHS - Band Color Guard Audition Camp - 4:30 PM - 7:00 PMLPHS - Grant Scholarship Awards - 6:30 PM - Sonja Angelo Theater

La Porte High School junior Imani Mark broke her own per-sonal best time and set a new school record while winning the 800-meter race at the Region III Track Meet held at Humble High School on May 3. According to head coach Joel Fagan, Imani’s time of 2:14.11 places her with the fourth best time in the state this year in the 800 meters. Imani will compete against eight other qualifiers at the state track meet May 13 and 14 in Austin. Her qualifying time is less than a second from the leader in this event.

The La Porte High School baseball team will advance to the area round of the playoffs this week after hard-fought 12-8 vic-tory over Pasadena Memorial on May 7. The Bulldogs will face Clear Springs High School in the area round. The first game is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 12, at La Porte, with the second game at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 13, at Clear Springs. If needed, a final game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at Goose Creek CISD’s Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown. Ticket prices will be $5.00 across the board.

San Jacinto College North recently honored its 2010-2011 outstanding graduates, based on academic achievements, leadership, and other positive character traits. The students include, from left (front row): Jennifer Aguirre (History), Ediz Cepeda (Cosmetology), Jodi Esquivel (Pastry), Lacey Steward (Mental Health), Debra Lillard (Developmental Reading), and Sherry Matchett (Developmental English); (second row): Jaime Ferguson (Health Information Management), Karly Hutchins (Music), Camilla Terrel (Com-puter Information Technology), John Sidney (Culinary Arts), D’Anna Espinosa (EMT Paramedic), Jenny Freeman (Student Success Program), and Violeta Cardenas (Math); (third row): Krista Wells (LVN), Jose Molina (Alternative Teacher Certification), Adam Ortego (Geography), Jami Summey (Government), and Guillermo Villsenor (Medical Assisting); (back row): Rodney Alvarado (Pharmacy Technician), Stephen Smith (Air Conditioning Technology), Robert Garza (Engineering Design Graphics), Christina Humphreys (Biology), Sylvia Querales (Paralegal), Verena Gossett (International Business), and Paul Knowles (English). Photo credit: Rob Vanya, San Jacinto College marketing department.

Students from K. E. Little Elementary School in Bacliff recently attended the school’s Career Fair, where they visited booths fea-turing 45 different vocational/career fields. Booths represented a variety of fields from cosmetology to auto technology to aero-nautical engineering to the law. “We stress every day to our students how important it is to fin-ish high school and go on to college or trade school. At the Career Fair, the students saw how many choices are available to them,” said Malika Greene, program coordinator for Communities In Schools-Bay Area (CIS-Bay Area). CIS-Bay Area is a dropout prevention program working on 15 campuses in the Clear Creek and Dickinson Independent School Districts to keep kids in school and prepare for life. For more information on the dropout prevention program, visit www.cisba.org.

K. E. Little Students Attend Career Fair

Malika Greene (right), program coordinator for CIS-Bay Area, guides K. E. Little students (from left) Esmeralda Padron, Enya Miftari and Christian Goodner through the recent Career Fair.

Outstanding Students Honored

Imani Mark Advances To State Track Meet After Setting New

School Record

La Porte Baseball Advance To The Area

Round Of The Playoffs

LPISD District Calendar5/12/11 to 5/18/2011

Communities In Schools-Bay Area (CIS-Bay Area) has achieved accreditation from the National Commu-nities In Schools organization. CIS-Bay Area is among the first to receive its national accreditation among the nearly 200 local affiliates that comprise the CIS network in 25 states and the District of Columbia. CIS-Bay Area is a dropout prevention program serving 15 campuses in the Clear Creek and Dickinson Independent School Districts. “We are proud to have achieved our accreditation as it underlies the value of falling in compliance with the high set of standards put in place by CIS,” said Dr. Peter Wuenschel, executive director of CIS-Bay Area. To receive national accreditation, CIS-Bay Area demonstrated compliance with all CIS Total Quality System standards. For more information on the program, visit www.cisba.org .

Local Dropout Prevention Group Receives National Accreditation

Communities In Schools-Bay Area Executive Director Dr. Peter Wuenschel (center) receives congratula-tions on the affiliate’s national accreditation from Bill Milliken (left), national CIS founder and vice chair-man, and Julie Wayman, director of Dropout Prevention Initiatives- Texas Education Agency.

Student Team Gets Honorable Mention For Imagine Cup Project

A team of University of Hous-ton-Clear Lake School of Sci-ence and Computer Engineer-ing students received honorable mention in the Microsoft 2011 Imagine Cup U.S. competi-tion for their project—a serv-er-based software application called GreenClick. Imagine Cup, created in 2003, is the world’s premier student technology competition. This year’s theme was “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems.” The four-person team of grad-uate students, Shreyas Sali, Jay Dani, Prajakta Sangore and Meghan Bairat designed and implemented GreenClick, a server-based application which allows organizations to central-ly monitor and control the state of workstations to save energy. The team entered the competi-tion with the name The Mind Benders. Their project tagline was, “To make IT green.” Their unique software design was part of their student cap-stone project, a graduation re-quirement for every computer science and computer informa-tion systems student. “This is the first time that we included Microsoft’s Imagine Cup as a candidate project for students in the capstone project course,” said project mentor, Professor of Computer Science and Computing and Mathemat-ics Division Chair Kwok-Bun Yue. “It was quite unlike other projects and was a new experi-ment for the department.”

The project entry included a business plan, the software de-sign and implementation, and a 5-minute video showcasing the problem and the solution. Team members were responsible for every aspect of the project, which addressed energy con-servation, saving money and protecting the environment. Such projects provide real-world experience that allows students to work with profes-sionals in the entire software life-cycle, says Yue. . “Imagine Cup covers a much broader scope than traditional courses in both technical and non-technical nature. Student excitement in a national level competition is also very obvi-ous,” said Yue. “They worked really hard.” The yearlong Imagine Cup competition starts at local, re-gional and online in more than 100 countries and ends at the worldwide finals held in a dif-ferent country each year—this year in New York City, July 8 - 13. Six UH-Clear Lake under-graduate teams also participat-ed at the national level, but only

the graduate-level team, The Mind Benders, is participating at the international level “While working on this proj-ect we realized it is important to make your work enjoyable, it helped us to come up with in-novative approaches as well as create bonding between team members,” said the creative team of the project Prajakta Sangore and Meghan Bairat. “Professor Yue has always helped us to learn the manage-ment-oriented aspect in every phase and encouraged us to follow an innovative approach every time.” The team is participating in the Imagine Cup 2011 International competition in the software de-sign category, using their recent competition experience on the same project with new innova-tive features. For more information about the School of Science and Computer Engineering, visit http://www.uhcl.edu/sce. For more information about the Microsoft 2011 Imagine Cup competition, visit http://www.imaginecup.com.

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Four graduate students from University of Houston-Clear Lake’s School of Science and Computer Engineering received honorable mention in the Microsoft 2011 Imagine Cup U.S. competition and are continuing on to the international competition held in July. Pictured are members of The Mind Benders team including (l to r) Meghan Bairat, Jay Dani, Shreyas Sali and Prjakta Sangore.

San Jacinto College (SJC) North student Maria Castro recently won a Dell netbook computer by simply filling out an online class evaluation. Lamar McWaine, North campus student life coordi-nator, presented her with the com-puter. A Dell netbook computer is awarded each semester at random to a student that participates in SJC surveys. The computer is funded by donations made to the College through the San Jacinto College Foundation’s Student Success Initiative. Photo credit: Rob Vanya, San Jacinto College marketing department.

Student Wins Notebook

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 11

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IN THE GARDEN

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Directions:

Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and toast until aromatic and slightly darker, about 2 minutes. Cool; grind finely in spice mill. Whisk lime juice, honey, and cum-in in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil; stir in dill. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Growing vegetables in a drought can be stress-ful not only for the plants but for gardeners. But there are some solutions, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist. “This year in Texas, we are facing a drought, and people are asking about stressed plants,” said Dr. Joe Masabni, AgriLife Extension vegetable specialist. “And of course this year, lack of rain is the issue.” Masabni said a rule of thumb for raising veg-etables is about 1 inch of water a week either from rainfall or irrigation. “But when it’s been so dry for so long, we forget that we need to irrigate more frequently to keep the soil profile moist and the plants healthy and never stressed,” he said. “Good production comes from a situa-tion where the plants never undergo any kind of water stress.” Masabni acknowledged that home gardeners often forget that plants need even more wa-ter, as they grow bigger. He said while plants may need a half an inch in May, in July they may need an inch or more because the plants are bigger, and the soil and air temperatures are warmer.

“The problems of lack of moisture can be eas-ily fixed by using soaker hoses or drip irriga-tion,” Masabni said. “Set a watering system to run in the morning for half hour and a half hour in the afternoon early in the season or maybe an hour in the morning and an hour in the after-noon, every day, later in the season.” He said these recommendations can be ad-justed for local soil type and conditions. “For commercial growers, a drought means a losing operation. But for a homeowner who can man-age water, even if you get one-third of the yield, it’s still enjoyable, and still tastes great and is still very nutritious,” Masabni said. “Just adapt to the weather conditions and water more regu-larly. “Drip irrigation is the way to go in Texas,” he stressed. “Even on a regular, normal year drip irrigation is best because it’s more efficient. Ninety percent of the drip irrigation water is used by the plant, compared to 40 percent to 60 percent of surface irrigation. So you can use half the amount of water with drip irrigation and get the same yields as with flood irrigation. Drip ir-rigation for a homeowner with a vegetable gar-den is the only way to be successful.”

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Pea Salad With Dill, Radishes And Feta Cheese

Eggplants-Plants......................... ..All MonthCantaloupe-Seed............................All MonthOkra-Seed......................................All MonthPeas-Southern................................All MonthPeppers-Plants................................All Month (marginally)Potato- Sweet (slips)......................All MonthPumpkin-Seed................................All MonthSquash-Summer.............................All Month (marginally)Squash-Winter................................All Month (marginally)Watermelon-Seed...........................All Month

Vegetable Garden Planting Schedule For May

By: Kathleen Phillips- Texas AgriLife

Saving valuable landscapes – even success-fully adding some new plants – depends on the length of one’s hose and depth of one’s com-mitment, according to a Texas AgriLife Exten-sion Service gardening expert. “It’s the season. People are going to want to plant,” said Jayla Fry, AgriLife Extension Mas-ter Gardener program assistant in College Sta-tion. “ By all means, go for it. But at the same time you have to realize that during times of a major drought like this, you’re going to have to add the water,” she said. “So it’s an expense that one has to weigh out when adding to the landscape.” Fry said existing plants – from flowers to shrubs to trees – also need special care during the drought to stay healthy and last until rain

returns. “A couple of things to consider in a drought are lawns and trees,” Fry said. “With lawns of course, they need to be protected with supplemental irrigation. So about once a week you’re going to want to add about an inch of water. Bermuda grass is a little more drought tolerant than St. Augustine, so it is more forgiv-ing.” Trees are a higher investment for property owners and should be watered during a drought to keep them from dying. “You’re going to want to protect trees and how you do that is with your water hose,” she said. Fry suggested that a water hose be turned on until it produces a pencil-sized flow. Place the running hose at the drip-line, or the edge of its canopy, and move the water around the tree ev-ery 15 minutes until the ground is completely soaked. “You need to do this every two weeks, even when the rains come again,” she said. “The trees will need the extra water to recoup from this prolonged drought.” For flowerbeds, Fry said, the soil is an indi-cator of whether water is needed. “If it is cool to the touch, then you’re OK,” she said. “But especially with the wind and the drought con-ditions, you’re going to want to supplement with irrigation. Shrubs will need between the amount of water that you add to your lawn and the amount that you add to your trees.” Adding mulch, she noted, will maintain soil moisture and reduce soil temperatures, which helps plants survive a drought. “And of course, by adding mulch you get the benefit of cutting down on weeds in your flower bed. So mulch can be a great help during drought periods,” Fry noted.

Saving Your Landscape Plants During Droughts

Texas AgriLife Research Photo by Kathleen Phillips

Cool Salad For Gulf Coast Spring.

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