In response to concerns expressed by Main Street business owners, La Porte City Council authorized staff to hire Pate Engineering to conduct a comprehensive study of La Porte’s Main Street and the Main Street District. Pate Engineering will be presenting the results of the traffic study to the City of La Porte Planning and Zoning Commission at their next meeting on September 15. The City of La Porte is encouraging Main Street Business Own-ers and members of the public to attend the meeting for an opportunity to review the proposals in detail and provide input. The meeting will be held in City Hall Council Chambers and begin at 6:00 p.m. The scope of work was to develop and evaluate various roadway configurations that attract visitors to Historic Main Street and promote a walkable mixed-use down-town. Several options were evaluated to enhance pedestrian safety, improve park-ing, calm traffic and improve the level of service, which is the road’s ability to ef-ficiently manage the flow of traffic. Street configuration options include features such as sidewalk “knuckles” that reduce the distance pedestrians have to walk from one side of Main Street to another, reduc-ing the lanes of traffic from four to two to provide a median, expanding the width of the sidewalks to encourage pedestrian use of the sidewalks, and roundabouts in lieu of the signals at 8th and 4th Streets and Broadway. The upcoming presentation can be seen by visiting the City’s website at www.laportetx.gov or call the Planning Depart-ment at 281-470-5020 for additional in-formation.

By The BayLPHS Reunion, 64-69Mamacitas BallroomSept, 17, 2011 • 6 - 1

La Porte Alumni from 1964-69 are gathering for a reunion on Friday, Sept. 16 and Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. The information for registra-tion, the event schedule, and tickets is online at: lphsreunion.org. This an exciting opportunity to share mem-ories, stories and hugs with your fellow classmates. Register soon!’ Linda Webb Craft, 281-391-8438

FUMC Fall Festival First United Methodist Church - La PorteSaturday, October 19 a.m. to 4 p.mCraft Show, Silent Auction , Kids activities. Contact Rebecca Dudley at 281-478-4673 or dudleytrio@comcast.net

2nd Annual Saltwater Derby Sept. 30, 2011 • 6 a.m.Outriggers Restaurant Seabrook

Fish Times: The tournament will start at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, Sep-tember 30, 2011 there is NO early check-in or captains meeting. You may be on your spot anytime before 6:00 a.m. The fishing will end no later than 3:00 p.m. You may launch from any public ramp on the bound-ary waters.You can enter and pay online at http://www.ci.seabrook.tx.us. Rules are on the City of Seabrook website also, or enter and pay at Outriggers restaurant in Seabrook.

GriefShare Recovery SeminarBayshore Baptist ChurchLa PorteSundays at 5:45p.m.

GriefShare recovery seminar and support group meets at Bayshore Baptist Church in La Porte Sundays at 5:45Pm beginning September 11, 2011. The church is located at 11315 Spencer. GriefShare is a 13-week program featuring nation-ally recognized experts on grief and recovery topics. Seminar sessions include the Journey of Grief; The effects of Grief; When your Spouse Dies; Your Family and Grief; and Stuck in Grief. For more informa-tion call Bayshore Baptist Church at 281-471-0332/www.bayshorebc.org. Please feel free to contact if you have questions or would like more information.

CERT Training ClassLa Porte Police StationSeptember 29, 2011

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training begins Sep-tember 29, 2011 at the La Porte Police Station. Training sessions cover disaster preparedness, fire suppression, basic disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, team organiza-tion and terrorism. With this train-ing, CERT teams played a vital role in providing support to jurisdictions throughout the region following Hurricane Ike in 2008.If needed following a disaster, these citizen-responders use their train-ing as part of a neighborhood or workplace team to help others when first responders are overwhelmed or not immediately available. CERT members provide immediate as-sistance to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the training, and collect disaster intelligence that will assist first responders with prioriti-zation and allocation of resources when they arrive.The training is hosted by the La Porte Office of Emergency Manage-ment and will begin Thursday, Sep-tember 29, 2011 for eight weeks. The Seabrook and La Porte CERT teams recently joined together to form BayCERT in order to help increase awareness of CERT in the Bay Area. For more information about the upcoming class contact the La Porte Office of Emergency Management (281) 470-0010, www.lpoem.org or Ronica Hall 281-326-5644 ronicahall@hotmail.com

INDEX

Community..................2-3Obituaries.......................3Editorial/Opinion............4LPISD Newsletter........5-8Sports..............................9Classifieds....................11In The Garden...............12 Cuisine..........................12

VOLUME 2, NO. 36 LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

The Bay Area ObserverCommunity News For The Galveston Bay Area

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Business-Residential PC-Laptop-ServerNetworks - Xbox-TV Repairs-Security Camera

Home Theater Installs

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Continued on page 2

City Of La Porte Encourages Attendance To Review Main Street Traffic Study Presentation

Kemah Boardwalk has added the Boardwalk FantaSea to their fleet of boats currently setting a new standard in the Houston area. Trips from the Kemah Boardwalk around Galveston Bay are now available aboard a state-of-the-art yacht, the Board-walk FantaSea. The Boardwalk FantaSea is a 149 passenger, 117 ft. luxury yacht, the newest and largest charter yacht on Galves-ton Bay.

“We are please to add the Boardwalk FantaSea to the Ke-mah Boardwalk experience, giv-ing guests access to Galveston Bay 363 days a year,” said Mark Kane, General Manager of the Kemah Boardwalk. “From din-ner voyages to party cruises, we offer something for everyone”. The Boardwalk FantaSea is a unique floating restaurant sur-rounded by an ever-changing view of beautiful waterfront homes, picturesque lighthouses

and the thrilling Kemah Board-walk. Scheduled throughout the year, the Boardwalk FantaSea will host a number of dinner cruises, themed party cruises, sightseeing cruises and firework cruises during the summer and on special occasions. On top of the scheduled events, the Boardwalk FantaSea is the ultimate setting for corporate cruise events, weddings, public charter cruises or a private gath-

ering with your closest friends. Equipped with enjoyable en-tertainment options to suit all aboard, the luxury yacht is the perfect venue to accommodate any group event. Group sailings are flexible in menu with options for dockside bar service before and after the cruise. Private dockside boat tours are available for those considering a private event. Since the acquisition the Boardwalk FantaSea has been

upgraded to Landry’s level of excellence and service with a delectable menu complete with added entrees and upgraded wine selections. The yacht has also been freshened up and pol-ished with a revitalized feel and a revamped schedule of cruises. “We are excited to share our new look and innovative menu with area residents and Kemah Boardwalk visitors,” said Chef Jim Whitecotton. “With our prime location on Galveston Bay, we decided to capitalize on our setting and incorporate excellent fresh fish and specialty dishes that our guests enjoy at our most popular restaurant concepts. The Boardwalk FantaSea’s cuisine and ambiance is the ultimate Landry’s experience”. The Boardwalk FantaSea is cli-mate controlled on all decks to maximize comfort in all areas of the ship. Outfitted with two full service bars, one on each level, and a dance floor, the Boardwalk FantaSea offers fun for all. Fea-turing large glass windows, the panoramic view can be seen from all positions aboard the ship. Throughout the upcoming months, the boardwalk FantaSea will venture out into the Gulf for a variety of occasions. During each cruise, guests will have the opportunity to purchase board-ing pre-sailing and disembarking photography at Kemah Photos on the Boardwalk. Individual cruise tickets are available for purchase by calling 281-538-9600 or vis-iting www.boardwalkfantasea.com.

117’ Luxury Yacht Sets Sail At Kemah Boardwalk

American Red Cross Needs Your Help For Texas Wildfire Victims

American Red Cross staff and volunteers throughout the Cen-tral Texas region and from across the state continue to assist thou-sands of displaced residents during this ongoing response. Five American Red Cross Shelters remain open in Bastrop, Travis and Williamson Counties for evacuees in need. “We are so thankful for the Red Cross resources, volunteers and staff deployed from all over Texas to help us be there for our neighbors in need,” says Regional CEO Marty McKellips. “We expect this response to continue into the coming weeks, and wouldn’t be able to support our neighbors without the work of our volunteers and assistance from around the state.” Devastating wildfires have scorched thousands of acres from the Rio Grande to the Red River, leaving hundreds of homes in ashes and thousands of people wondering what to do next. In Central Texas close to 30,000 acres have been lost to fire and at least 500 homes. The American Red Cross responded immediately by opening safe shelters, providing daily meals and giving a lot of emotional support. “Some of our staff and volunteers are directly affected by these fires, so we really understand what our community is going through,” says McKellips. An up-to-date list of open shelters and resources for evacuees, information about volunteering, and opportunities to donate re-main available at www.centex.redcross.org.

You can help turn heartbreak into hope by making a gift to the Red Cross. If you have not been impacted by a disaster this year, text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to the Disaster Relief Fund, or go to www.redcross.org to give even more.

Thousands Of Residents Receive Food And Shelter As Fires Rage

PAGE 2 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

COMMUNITY

Gardeners By The Bay Fall Schedule

Gardeners of all levels are invited to attend the Gardeners by the Bay meet-ings held the first Wednesdays of each month, from September to May, at University Baptist Church (Great Room on 2nd floor) located at 16106 Middlebrook Drive. Members and guests enjoy a light brunch from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. A brief business meeting is then held prior to the main program. Guest speakers present timely programs of interest to all gardeners. Anyone interested is welcome to visit or join. Our membership includes novice gar-deners as well as certified Texas Master Gardeners who are eager to share their expertise and knowledge in response to questions and concerns. Local trips are planned each year to gardens or other places of interest to gardeners. Visit us at http://gbtb.org.

FALL PROGRAMS:

Oct. 5, 2011 - “Blue Berries in the Backyard” with Dr. David CohenNov. 2, 2011 - “What’s Blooming in the Lazy Gardener’s Garden with Bren-da Beust Smith, Editor of the Lazy GardenerDec. 7, 2011 - “Amaryllis” with Betty Lenderman, owner of Enchanted For-est Nursery.

FALL TRIPS:

October, Wed. 26 or Thurs. 27: Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park in Houston. It is a tour of 5 houses of the Victorian era so there will be some walking involved. We will eat at the Spaghetti Warehouse. Bus Donation: $3.00 per person*, Fee for Tour: Senior (65+) $8.00, (Below 65) $10.00. Lunch is $8.00 which includes drinks and food.

November 10 or 17 Thurs: All day trip to Ellison’s Greenhouse in Brenham. Bus Donation: $3.00 per person*December 19 or 20: Heritage Garden Club – Christmas House Tours in Friendswood. Private Car Pooling

Please call Joanne at 281-286-4938 for information.

LPHS Project Graduation 2012LPHS Student CenterSeptember 12, 20116:30 p.m.

LPHS class of 2012 will have their first Project Graduation meeting. All are welcomed, come out and support our senior class.Location: LPHS Student CenterTime: 6:30Contact: Christina Crager- chairmanPhone: 281-467-7021

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 news-paper. Any erroneous statement which may appear will be corrected if brought to the attention of the publisher. Liability for errors is limited to the reprinting of the cor-rected 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

Contributing Writer.........................................Jay Dunhamdataz33@yahoo.com

Sports Writer.....................................................Keith Schullpbulldogblog@yahoo.com

Aerospace Writer...........................................Robert Swainrswain91@yahoo.com

Sales Representative..............................Beverly Lawrence281-793-7961 • blawrence506@msn.com

Sales Representative...................................Charlotte Horn281-507-8257 • charlottehorn53@yahoo.com

The Bay Area ObserverServing the communities along Galveston Bay.

The Evelyn Meador Library, a Harris County Public Library, will offer two free computer classes to teach beginners about file and folder management. The first, File & Folder Management I, will be held Wednesday, September 14 from 1:30 pm until 3:30 pm. This class focuses on providing tips to organize your computer’s hard drive. Learn to name, move, delete, rename file and folders in Win-dows 7. The second class, File & Folder Management II, will meet on Thursday, September 15 from 1:30 pm until 3:30 pm. This class focuses on providing tips to organize your computer’s hard drive. Learn to name, move, delete, rename file and folders in Windows 7. Registration is required for these classes. Please call or visit the library to register. The library’s phone number is 281-474-9142. Harris County Public Library will make reasonable accommo-dation for persons with disabilities. To make a request, notify the Branch Librarian at 281-474-9142.

Free Computer Classes At Evelyn Meador Library

Nature Center Needs Volunteers

Experience the joy of volunteering and the satisfaction of doing important work by supporting one of this nation’s most signifi-cant habitat preserves as an Armand Bayou Nature Center vol-unteer. Volunteer service is critical to keeping the nature center open during these challenging times, and volunteers are involved in all aspects of nature center operations. Choose from volun-teer positions in environmental education, resource stewardship, facilities maintenance, and visitor service programs. No experi-ence or particular skills are needed to get started, but volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. The next volunteer orientation is scheduled for two half-day sessions in September at the nature center. Join us September 17 at 9:00AM for an overview of Armand Bayou Nature Cen-ter and the many volunteer opportunities. On September 24 we will provide basic training and a guide to advanced training and specialized assignments. Both days will include classroom and outdoor activities so please come prepared with a sack lunch and sturdy shoes. Both sessions will conclude by 2:00PM. Some planned activities have limited seating so please let us know that you are coming. Advance reservations and volunteer program details are available at www.abnc.org. To reserve a space, call 281-474-2551. Armand Bayou Nature Center is located at 8500 Bay Area Blvd. near Red Bluff Road in Pasadena, TX. The Center is open Wednesday through Saturday at 9:00 AM. On Sundays the Cen-ter opens at Noon. The last admission is at 4:00 PM. The gates and parking lot close at 5:00 PM. Admission fees are $2 for se-niors over 59, $4 for adults, $2 for children 4 to 12, and children under 4 are free. Visitors are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for changing weather conditions. More infor-mation about Armand Bayou Nature Center is available at www.abnc.org.

Sophie is a petite 5-month-old calico/tortoiseshell with a sweet pink nose. She was rescued from a shelter with her twin sister. She is very fun, playful, friendly, outgoing and good with other cats and nice dogs. Cat adoptions start at $95 and include all shots, spaying, neutering, de-fleaing AND a microchip. Please consider bringing Sophie into your home. For more information email Second Chance Pets at pets2adopt@yahoo.com, call 281-286-3535 or visit www.secondchancepets.org. SCP adoptables are shown on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Petco store (Bay Area and Space Center Blvds.) and cats are shown at the Petsmart store across from Baybrook Mall the first and third Sundays of every month. Selected cats may be seen dur-ing the week at the Petco location and photographs of most adopt-ables are posted on our website. Almost all animals are fostered in local homes because it does not have a shelter. As always PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS. Second Chance Pets is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) animal welfare organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Second Chance Pets

President of the Seabrook Association Marcy Fryday has an-nounced that their organization is asking businesses and residents to attend a membership invitational event on Wed., Sept. 21, 6 to 8 pm at the Seabrook Community Center on Anders St. just off 2nd Street. “Our organization has been trying for over 30 years to make the city a better place to work, live, and play. We are emphaciz-ing the promotion of local businesses in order to strengthen our economy,” Fryday related. Attendees will enjoy hearing about the history, vision, and goals of the Seabrook Association. Charter members will be on hand to answer questions and relay interesting stories about past Sea-brook Association events and its citizens. Several Seabrook restaurants will provide refreshments along with some adult beverages. Last year at such an event, the Sea-brook Association gleaned about 20 new members thanks to its enthusiastic board which consists of Past President Patty Kane, Vice President Jenny Arunyon, Secretary Charlotte Gioannetti, Treasurer Jean Platzer, Membership Chair Diane Royal, and member at large Andrea Mason. There will be applications for membership which costs annually $30 for a resident, $40 for a business. The Seabrook Association meets monthly on the third Wednesday evening of the month, 5:30 – 7 pm, at Lakewood Yacht Club’s ballroom. Several on-going projects of the organization include the annual Pelican Ball which is raising funds for a Veterans’ War Memorial, the Pelican Path with 6’ tall fiberglass pelicans placed throughout the city in front of businesses, and plans for some property on Red Bluff Rd. which has been leased from the Port of Houston Authority.

Seabrook Association Invites New Members

The La Porte Texas Airplane and Auto Show is hosting a static display of Bi Planes and Antique automobiles on September the 24th 2011 at the La Porte Municipal Airport. Fly-ins are espe-cially welcome.

Features planned:

1. Beautiful Bi Planes and Antique Autos which will be judged by people’s choice a 2. Vendors of all types (Food, Professional, Merchandise etc.) 3. Entertainment ( Bands, Drill teams, model aircraft static display) 4. Signed autgraphs by aviation Celebrities,Veterans and Wounded Warriors This is the first of a planned annual event. Parking on airfield is free.

ADMISSION: $5 Per person plus two care package gifts (Chil-dren 12 and under free) Competition Show Entrants: $ 30 per airplane or auto plus five care package items. Vendors: $ 30 per booth Sponsors: $250 Platinum, $150 Gold, $125 Silver, $100 Bronze. For further information and registration forms see www.laportetexasairplaneautoshow.com.

La Porte Texas Airplane & Auto Show Set For

September 24th

Fern & Keith Mercado’s Birthday and Ronald

McDonald House Funraiser

Entertainment Lineup: 11am til 1pm Von Won, 1pm til 2pm The J.D. Rux Band, 2pm til 4pm The Last Soul Clan, 4pm til 6pm The Texas Union Band Food, fun for all and lots of games for children !!! Donated items for silent auction: Houston Astros, The Kemah Boardwalk, Coca-Cola, JSC Credit Union, Budweiser, the Jump-ing Monkey, Kemah.net, ClearLakeToday.com, Click2Kemah.com, Clear Lake Movers, Galveston County Sherriffs Depart-ment, Allen Swamp Shack, Kemah Merchants Association, T Bone Toms, Kemah Sonic, Kemah Dairy Queen, Little Caesers Pizza Pizza, Extreme Climbing, The City of Kemah, Waste Man-agement Tyson Chicken, Trinity Lutheran Church (LaMarque) Seabreeze & Eagle Press News Letter, Maximum Scuba, Ma-jestic Pet Hotel, Marburgers Sporting Goods, Neptune Subs, Gulf Coast Palapas, DQ-Seabrook, Subway-Pearland, Tropical Express. “It is not about me, it is about the House that Love built - The Ronald McDonald House. Please help me help them. If you would like to donate, or volunteer, contact myself, Elisabeth or Christine”, says Keith Mercado You can send checks or money orders to 600 9th Kemah TX 77565, payable to: Kemah Merchants Association or Ronald Mc-donald House of Galveston. The Galveston County Sherrifs Department will have a tent set up to finger print babies, children, and the elderly plus engraving serial numbers on bicycles. There are rooms available at kemahescape.com Call and tell them kemahcoach sent ya for the funraiser Sept 17th. Your support & participation in the Funraiser to benefit RMDH will be blessed !!!

When: Saturday, September 17 Where: 600 9th Kemah at 9th & Bradford

Time: 9:00am - 6:30pm Contact - 713-205-2395

By The Bay

Submitted by Jeff Martin

On Saturday June 11 2011 a group of Masons from La Porte Lodge #857 partici-pated in a road cleanup sponsored by the City of La Porte. The group was responsible for a 1.4 mile stretch of Fairmont Parkway from Under-

wood to Luella. Altogether they collected 23 large bags of trash. The city offers $200 to any non-prof-it or group of citizens that are willing to volunteer their time to assist cleaning up the streets around La Porte. The La Porte Lodge dedicated the proceeds to a “dis-

tressed brother”. The Masons that participated are from left to right: Clyde Ellison, Jeff Mar-tin, Tommy Walker, Charlie Marsh, John Dromgoole, La Porte Police Chief Ken Ad-cox, Ronnie Bass and Richard Atherton.

La Porte Masons Pitch In To Keep La Porte

Roads Clean And Help

Those In Need

With the recent drought in Southeast Texas, numerous homeowners have experienced heat-related adversities within their yards and among resi-dential structures. As a result, many residents will naturally begin seeking the assistance of various repair services. Be-cause of this inevitable situ-ation, the LaPorte Police De-partment would like to remind community members to guard themselves against being vic-tims of home repair scams and fraud. Although there are many honest and reputable home re-pair contractors, there are also many types of home repair frauds committed by people who are anything but honest and hardworking. Seniors, those who live alone, and vic-tims of weather-related hard-ships are common targets for such thieves. The best way to

protect yourself from becom-ing a victim is by making your-self knowledgeable about your consumer rights and exercis-ing common sense prevention methods.

Some initial prevention tips are:

• Never let a door-to-door so-licitor into your home.• Don’t be misled by claims of huge savings “if you act today” or other high-pressure sales tac-tics.• Get at least three written es-timates from other contractors on the work to be performed, as well as the cost.• Insist on a written contract. It should specify in detail the type of work to be done, start and completion dates, and substan-tial payment dates. It should also include the company’s name, address and phone num-ber.• Beware of companies that re-quire a large down payment.• Check with city or county building departments to deter-mine licensing requirements and to ensure that the contractor you are considering is properly licensed, bonded and insured. For these and many more pre-vention tips, as well as to report any events of fraud, contact the LaPorte Police Department at 281-471-2141.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 3

ANNIVERSARIES

COMMUNITY

1520 S. Shaver • Pasadena, Texas 77502

Store Hours: Tuesday -Thursday 8:30 - 5:30 • Friday & Saturday 8:30 - 6:00 • Closed Sunday & Monday713-472-0997

www.pasadenahabitat.org

La Porte Police Encourage Homeowners To Beware Of

Repair-Service Scams

National Night Out is an exceptional annual crime preven-tion event sponsored by the La Porte Police Department which takes place each year on the first Tuesday in October. This year’s National Night Out festivities will take place on Tuesday, Octo-ber 4th, 2011 and various social celebrations are slated to occur throughout the city. The La Porte Police Department will also be hosting its annual Open House at the newly dedicated Herbert Freeman Police Administration Building located at 3001 N. 23rd Street. All residents, neighborhood organizations, and especially neighborhood watch groups are encouraged to participate in this year’s festivities either by hosting a neighborhood block party or attending the open house at the police department. National Night Out events are an excellent opportunity to in-termingle with fellow community members. Prior events have witnessed participation from citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, neighborhood organizations, neighborhood crime watch groups, and local officials from all over the region. The events are expressly designed to:

1. Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;

2. Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime pro-grams;

3. Strengthen neighborhood spirit; and

4. Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighbor-hoods are organized and fighting back.

Along with the well-known traditional displays of increased outdoor lighting and front porch vigils, City of La Porte neigh-borhoods have historically participated in a variety of events over the years that have included block parties, cook outs, visits from local Police, Fire, EMS, and City officials, flashlight walks, con-tests, and youth programs. Taking part in National Night Out is an effective, inexpensive, and enjoyable occasion that promotes neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships in an on-going effort to maintain safe communities. If your neighborhood organization or neighborhood watch group would like assistance in planning a National Night Out event, please contact the La Porte Police Department at Sup-port Services Division at 281-842-3162 or 281-842-3183. Also, if you would like to host a block party, the following link will lead you directly to the City’s block party request form: www.laportetx.gov/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=6643.

LPPD Encourages Citizens to Participate in National

Night Out Festivities Pickin ‘n Grinnin: Once again, our four music makers(Robbie, Steven, Leroy & Carl) led us through timeless toe tapping favor-ites. Sing-a-long on the last Tuesday of the month (10:30 AM) is drawing an ever larger audience. My favorite is Request Tyme…Leroy’s rendition of Wabash Cannonball is reminiscent of LeRoy “Pappy” Self, a local fiddler from the 70-80’s. Be sure to join the other music lovers the last Tuesday of the month.

What’s Showing: Monday’s, right after lunch, is “Movie Buffs”. Popcorn and beverages are served as we watch movies in our large screen, surround sound “theater”. Some are old favorites that never lose their appeal, some I’ve even never seen. Robbie does a good job of selecting the entertainment. By the way, sign up for the Monday hot lunch, which is served every day at noon, except holidays. The lunch is provided by Harris County Area Agency on Aging.

Harmony: The senior choir, The Senior Songbirds, is once again active. Paul McBeth, accompanied by Bill Cloyd on the piano, is directing the group. We meet on Tuesdays at 12:30. As many of you know, Paul is an accomplished choir director and is doing a great job getting some marvelous harmony out of our small group. Like to sing? Come join the Songbirds and have fun, also.

Story Time: Thursdays, after lunch, around 12:40, we start to-wards the Living Room for the 12:45 start of Story Telling Group. We’ve had some interesting stories from our master story teller, like princes chasing flying white swans (no fooling), and just recollections of interesting personal experiences. For variety, Mary Lee suggested we form a rhythm group one Thursday. Each person bring something to beat a rhythm in accompaniment to “Yellow Bird”. There was a wide assortment of ‘instruments’: tambourine, gourd, marimbas, coffee can drum, beans in a bottle, musical comb and, oh yes, Bruce’s root-a-toot. All in all, it was very entertaining. Seniors don’t need much to have fun.

Who’s On First: Bean Bag baseball on Wednesday afternoons is proving to be a popular fun time. There are now 3 teams of 7 players, named, Reds, Blues and Purples. Most players wear colors identifying their team. The first round of 6 games is half over, with the Purple team with 3 first place wins, the Red team with 2 second place wins, 1 third place, and the Blue team with 1 second place win, 2 third place wins. The win/loss record does not tell the whole story. With the exception of 1 game, the winner has been decided by just 1 run. The players took a mid-season rest Wednesday, the 31st, and held a ‘Home Run Derby’. Each player of each team took turns tossing the bean bag (more ac-curately, popcorn bag) and counting only the home runs. After 7 innings, the home run Queen was Mary McPhee and home run King, Leo Saenz. The winning team, Reds with 8 home runs, were awarded American Flag key chains. Baseball has never been more fun than this.

Shop & Eat: There are few activities more enjoyable to seniors than a shopping trip and eating out. Put both together and it’s heavenly. Robbie loaded up a bus full and ventured to Baytown, to the Salvation Army Thrift Shop, followed by lunch at Roost-er’s, the 30 plus year old Baytown BBQ landmark. I heard one of the male trippers remark that the shopping stop was OK, but, the eatin’ was great!

Game Night: The third Friday of the month is Game Night, 5:00-8:00 PM. This month’s night found over 20 ‘late nighters’ (those of us who can stay up past 8:00) playing various card games and Mexican Train, among others. A break mid way allows all to sample the various snacks brought by the players to share. The variety was interesting to say the least. Game night will continue until daylight saving time ceases in November. We don’t care for seniors to be out after dark. Come and enjoy the games, food and fellowship.

Farewell, Good Luck: It started out as a ‘Back To School’ munchie party, but evolved into a not so joyful event. Oh, we brought goodies to share, as always, but having to say ‘so long’ to our adopted grandson, Mason, took some of the gaiety out of the occasion. We’re going to miss him, his friendliness, his smile, his pranks, and wish him the best of luck. He knows he will al-ways be welcome back here. Send us your first CD, Mason….no charge, of course.

Sing-a Long: At 10:30 on the last Tuesday of the month you will find us gather around the piano joining the musicians sing our old favorites. Last session found Leroy on the fiddle, Robbie and Carl on the guitars, Irene on the Ivories and Mason on his beau-tifully hand crafted bass guitar. As was usual, the rafters were raised by our lusty singing. It is good practice for our Tuesday choir rehearsals.

Upcoming Events:San Jacinto Methodist prostate screening

Huntsville bus tripRed Suspenders’ breakfast

Book swap

These and other event schedules are available at the front counter of the Norman Malone Senior Center.

The Senior Classby Jay Dunham - dataz33@yahoo.com

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Celebrating 60 Years of Marriage On September 16, 2011

Eugene G. Edmonds and Frances E. Hood met in Hampton, Virginia in January , 1951. They started dating and were engaged in June and married on September 16, 1951. They have two children, Jeffrey who lives in New Jersey and June who lives in Houston with her husband Michael Martin and their grandson Collin Martin. Gene was hired by the new NASA organization in Virginia and later transferred to Johnson Space Center in Houston in July 1962. “We have had so much to be thankful for including our home, community, neighbors and most of all our First United Method-ist Church where we both have worked and participated in many activities for forty nine years. Everything considered, we have had a very happy marriage”.

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EDITORIAL /OPINION

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry’s unfounded attacks on Social Security continued this past weekend in Ottumwa, Iowa, where he once again declared Social Security “is a Ponzi scheme.” He con-tinued, “The idea that [young people are] working and paying into Social Security today, that the current program is going to be there for them, is a lie. It is a monstrous lie on this generation, and we can’t do that to them.” Governor Perry’s doesn’t understand the differences between Charles Ponzi’s illegal scheme to defraud investors, which lasted 200 days, and Social Security, which has been operating continuously and success-fully for 76 years. In his ongoing attack on Social Security, he con-veniently overlooks that Social Security, unlike a Ponzi scheme, has a secure, on-going and dedicated revenue source – income from pay-roll tax contributions. Social Security is also monitored carefully by elected officials who have strong incentives and the capacity to make adjustments that are needed from time to time. Social Security is the opposite of a Ponzi scheme, which is a fraud, a deceptive promise made by a swindler that investors will reap huge returns. Social Security is a promise by the United States govern-ment, and a set of protections earned by working persons, that insures against lost earnings resulting from severe disability, retirement and death. And it delivers on that promise, which is why it is America’s most successful and popular federal program. Like any system, Social Security can experience problems, but it can never go bankrupt. Its major source of income is from the contribu-tions of workers and employers; as long as there are workers, Social Security will have income. Even if Congress took no action, Social Security can pay 100 percent of promised benefits for the next 25 years and more than three-quarters of benefits after that. Around 2036 there is a modest funding gap requiring modest increases in revenues to guarantee everyone 100 percent of the benefits that have been earned. Social Security has faced worse financial problems in the past, but Congress has never failed to act to ensure its funding and that prom-ised benefits are paid in full and on time. Social Security’s long-range funding gap is relatively easy to solve – it’s a matter of priorities. All it takes is to scrap the payroll tax cap so that Social Security contributions are made on all wages above $106,800. That would affect the richest 6 percent of Americans. Rick Perry’s wealthy donors might not like that but two-thirds of Americans support it. That Governor Perry’s views about Social Security are so misguided and extreme should come as no surprise. Remember, this is the same man who questioned the constitutionality of child labor, minimum wage, food safety, Medicare and Social Security laws. The same man who has suggested that Texas has the constitutional right to secede from the union. The future of Social Security is too important to the well-being of future generations of workers to be shaped by incorrect comparisons and misleading arguments. Governor Perry would do well to heed the advice of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower who wrote in 1954 that ‘Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, un-employment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt [and] a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.’

by Nancy Altman, Author of The Battle for Social Security: From

FDR’s Vision to Bush’s Gamble and Eric Kingson, Syracuse Uni-

versity Professor

Nothing New and Nothing Right about Rick Perry’s

Attacks on Social Security

Political bait and switch is nothing new. Still, the example set by the Republican majority on the Galveston County Commissioner’s Court last Tuesday, August 30, hit new levels of hypocrisy. Recall that Hurricane Ike did massive damage to UTMB’s facilities on the Island. There were serious questions as to whether the Board of Re-gents would rebuild or abandon the campus and with it thousands of jobs from all parts of the county. Through the heroic efforts of a bi-partisan team, a deal was struck. The Regents would keep UTMB in the county, the state would fund the reconstruction, and Galves-ton County would fund indigent care at UTMB to 100% of poverty level. The plan not only saved UTMB and the jobs it brings but set the stage for the further expansions that have been recently announced. Fortunately, the indigent care cost less than anticipated; resulting in an $11 million surplus. Commissioner Clark, then the only Repub-lican on the Court, had opposed the plan to save UTMB. He, Com-missioner O’Brian, and Judge Henry, the Republican majority on the current Court, all campaigned in 2010 against the surplus; which they denounced as a “slush fund.” One would think that they would welcome the proposal, from Democratic Commissioners Doyle and Holmes, to use the surplus to pay for a 4.5¢ tax rate cut; 900% higher than what they were considering. But Commissioner Clark argued against the tax cut he had de-manded before and it was rejected in a 3-2 partisan vote. To this Republican majority a tax cut is only desirable before an election and a “slush fund” magically becomes a prudent reserve when they are in power. Their own campaign promises are unacceptable when a Democrat suggests them. That’s enough of the hypocrisy and par-tisan games. Let’s return to practical government.

Rusty Catesrusty@coffee-oasis.comMr. Cates is the owner of Coffee Oasis at 4650 NASA Parkway in Seabrook

Political Bait And Switch Nothing New

A Rocky 2011 Leads To

Opportunities In The

Future For San Jacinto

College This past year was difficult for state institutions across Texas, including San Jacinto College. We faced record enrollment in the midst of significant legislative debates about budget and educa-tional accountability measures. Between current biennium cuts and looking into the next biennium, the College was forced to find a way to manage approximately $20 million in reductions to the 2011-2013 budget. As Chancellor, this is not the future that I envisioned for San Jacinto College, but I realize it is our reality. On Monday night, the San Jacinto College Board of Trustees ap-proved the FY2011-2012 operating budget of $135,499,797. Through all of the challenges we have experienced over the last year, I am very pleased with how far we have come to get this budget balanced and ap-proved without raising tuition or increasing our maintenance tax rates. While I can’t guarantee that won’t happen in the future, I am commit-ted to not passing on the burden to our students and community, as many of you are facing the same struggles. The College’s leadership team, with input from employees and stu-dents, has worked diligently over the past several months to manage the decline and ensure that our budget is balanced. These were dif-ficult decisions, but included in the plan was a voluntary separation

and severance plan, a soft hiring freeze, and operational budget cuts. Through these measures, we generated significant cost savings. Our mission at San Jacinto College is to ensure student success, and one of our four strategic goals is our people, and both of these were at the forefront of each budget decision we made. I hope our community will see that having a balanced budget moving forward in tough economic times is a positive move, especially when we see that other institutions and organizations are having a much more difficult time while raising tuition and tax assessment rates. In our budget, we established a pool for compensation dollars. Two years ago, we implemented a robust performance management system for all of our employees, with annual pay increases based on individual employee performance. We have spent significant time at the College implementing performance management for all employees, faculty, staff, and administrators. As we continue to implement this system that is truly unique in higher education, it is important that I see it through and reward those employees who are going above and beyond in their performance. Through the performance management system, we have raised the bar on our expectations of employee performance, and we have aligned work efforts with our four strategic goals – student suc-cess, P-16 pipeline, workforce and economic development, and our people. An employee who earns a rating of “valuable contributor” has truly lived our College values and has performed his or her job with absolute excellence. Our people are our most valuable asset – our peo-ple are San Jacinto College. Even though all of us are aware of the cur-rent economic challenges, the College must continue to fund startup programs and invest to expand high demand programs. As we innovate and discover new ways to operate the College, we are committed to repurposing and directing funding according to our strategic goals. San Jacinto College has a history of being fiscally responsible. While this has been a challenging year, and we have had to reduce costs in many areas, I am so proud of the fact that we have not laid off people. With our focus on our four strategic goals, we are weathering this storm, and will continue to do so in the future. We are hearing from our elected officials that we will go into the next legislative session with a deficit. We know that managing further cuts will be required. I am often asked, “Do you worry about the reductions we have taken?” And the simple answer is, I most certainly do. I worry about the impact on our students, I worry about the impact on all of our employees, and I worry about the impact on our community. Innovation and excellence are two of our College values. The excellence shows in the number of employees who serve on statewide or national initiatives. I am pleased to tell you that San Jacinto College is being looked at across the state of Texas, and across the nation, for the innovative programs we are implementing to address the accountability measures and management practices. These things are happening due to our innovative employees who embody excellence. We were fortunate to have the support of our community in 2008 when voters overwhelmingly approved a $295 million bond referen-dum to support our growth. The bond is funding infrastructure im-provements, as well as the construction of new facilities to better serve our students in the critical student support areas and in allied health and science, as well as a state-of-the-art transportation center. This is a true testament to our community understanding our needs, and sup-porting us as we move forward. We are well under way in the construc-tion of these facilities – in fact, the transportation center opened this semester for students in our automotive technology program. I thank all of you for your support of San Jacinto College and our building program. Even if you don’t have students attending the College at this time, the investment of creating an educated workforce will keep jobs in our community. As the College celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, I can’t help but think back on our golden past while at the same time look to the future. I am amazed at the determination of our founders and the sup-porters who rallied to create this college, despite the opposition they received. I’m thankful that they believed in the need for quality and affordable higher education in East Harris County. We have been compiling our history and it is impressive. We have weathered several storms… both literally and figuratively. Our future, although it might look just a little different, will be even more extraordinary. I am hear-ing the term “new normal” everywhere these days. That is true at San Jacinto College. We are realizing a new normal in how we deliver education, in accountability measures in student success, and in the resources available to do all this. We’re expecting to welcome more than 30,000 students this semes-ter. Despite the decrease in state funding, coupled with another record enrollment, we will move forward with our innovative and entrepre-neurial spirit to tackle the challenges and changes that will continue to impact us. We understand the dire nature of the state’s budget, but we also must continue to serve our students and our community. We will

embrace the future and all that it brings to advance our student suc-cess agenda and serve our students. We are fiscally conservative and this has made us a strong institution, even in this “new normal.” As the leader of this institution, I can assure you that my goal is for San Jacinto College to continue to be a leader in higher education, not only in our region, but throughout the state and across the nation as well.

By Dr. Brenda HellyerSan Jacinto College Chancellor

By Dr. Brenda Hellyer

EDUCATIONSeabrook Intermediate Student Places In National Competition

The Clear Creek Independent School District is proud to an-nounce a current 8th grade student at Seabrook Intermediate School has earned semifinalist honors in a national science com-petition. Tyler Raboin’s 7th grade science fair project was titled “Waves Versus Seawalls: The Disruptors.” He made the top 300 in the nation out of 6,000 students in the Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology

and Engineering for Rising Stars), a program for Society and the Public. Nominees are selected from the top 10 of the 6th, 7th and 8th grade participants in the United States. “We believe the Broadcom MASTERS is a stepping stone to expand a student’s engagement and enthusiasm in STEM (sci-ence, technology, engineering and math) activities in high school and beyond,” said Stephanie Bicoulis Lemnios, Broadcom MAS-TERS Program Manager.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 5

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER PAGE 9

By Keith Schul

This week the La Porte Bulldogs (2-0) will visit the Klein Forest Golden Eagles (2-0) 7pm Friday in a highly anticipated matchup of teams that have had very good early season results. Last season La Porte beat Klein Forest 26-13. http://lpbulldogs.blogspot.com/2010/09/final-la-porte-26-klein-forest-13.htmlHighlights: http://lpbulldogs.blogspot.com/2010/09/la-porte-vs-klein-forest-highlight.html La Porte breezes into this weeks game with victories over Fort Bend Clements (31-0) and Baytown Lee (43-16). Klein Forest enters the game after victories over highly ranked Cinco Ranch (32-17) and Fort Bend Marshall (28-7). On offense Klein Forest features Senior Quarterback and Texas A&M prize recruit Matt Davis. Rivals rates Davis as the #3 QB recruit in the country. He will pose problems through the air and on the ground. Coming into the third game of the season he has amassed 280 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air and 300 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. The Eagles run a lot of zone-read with Kenneth Jones their running back and Davis. At receiver Klein Forest spreads the ball to many with Senior Markel Steward-Gillespie the most hyped coming into the sea-son. On defense Klein Forest is big, physical and very tough against the run allowing under 4 yards per carry so far this season. Ju-nior Linebacker Tyree Gray is a 6’3” 240 lbs run stopper, he had a impact on last season’s game and really stands out especially with his size. La Porte comes into this week after putting up over 500 yards of offense on Baytown Lee. Senior Quarterback Josh Vidales was clicking with Senior Wide Receiver Aaron Nance-Garret through the air and Junior Running Back Keith Whitely the col-lection of Sophomore Running Backs on the ground. The Bull-dogs will need to continue the mix of run and pass to keep the Golden Eagles off balance and open up the running game in the

second half. The offensive line had a great game last week and will have a much bigger test this week against Klein Forest. On defense La Porte gets a high profile matchup against a hyped quarterback to make a name for themselves. The fans in La Porte know what this defense is capable of, but the Houston media and state media will have their eyes on this game to see what they are all about. Seniors Chad Sutherland, Chris Hickey will man the inside linebackers to shut down the inside running game. Senior Cameron Whilley and Sophomore Hoza Scott will be in charge on the outside to slow down the off tackle zone read play Klein Forest loves to run. The secondary will have to be on their toes this week as Davis will put the ball in the air with short and deep throws. Whitely lead the Bulldogs with 2 interceptions. Keys to the Game for La Porte:-Force Davis to beat you through the air where he can make mis-takes. La Porte has 8 turnovers created through two games in-cluding six interceptions. Davis has two interceptions thrown.-La Porte must show better tackling technique and wrap up their man after initial contact. I know the big hits are fun to get and watch, but Klein Forest will make you pay for missed tackles.-Field position is a part of the game La Porte excels at with Vidales punting and Junior Kicker Eric Medina being a big advantage so far this season. Win the battle and create shorter fields for the offense. The game this week will be broadcast locally on 1560AM http://1560thegame.com and http://www.legacysportsnetwork.com. The Houston Chronicle should also be present this week.

Come on out to Klein and support the Bulldogs!

Klein Memorial Stadium:16503 Stuebner Airline Rd

Spring, TX 77379

SPORTS

By Keith Schul

It was a much cooler night for football last Friday as the La Porte Bulldogs took down the Baytown Lee Ganders 43-16. La Porte’s offense came out firing on all cylinders with an impressive 30 points and over 300 yards of offense in the first half. The offensive line really came out with something to prove this week and controlled the Gander defense. The line was lead by Juniors Tony Bri-ones, Maurice Morris and Jus-tin King. Junior running back Keith Whitely started the game off with some nice runs and capped off a long drive with an eight yard touchdown. White-ly ran hard all night and ended

up with 108 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns. Bay-town Lee responded on the en-suing kickoff with a 100 yard kickoff return touchdown for Gander Senior Wide receiver and Texas A&M committment Jaevon Richardson. From there it was all La Porte with Senior Quarterback Josh Vidales run-ning for a 56 yard touchdown and hooking up with Senior WR Aaron Nance-Garrett for a 39 yard score through the air. On the night Vidales com-pleted 8 of 11 passes for 129 yards and a TD and ran for 59 yards and a TD. Garrett had a breakout game with 5 catches, 92 yards and 1 TD. The Bulldogs defense shut down the spread attack from Baytown Lee with strong run

defense and creating 4 turn-overs. Whitely, Nance-Garrett and Junior cornerback Malik Graves recorded the intercep-tions for La Porte. Sophomore outside linebacker Hoza Scott was in Lee Quarterback Josh Zellars face all night. In the second half La Porte Sophomore running back Jonathan Lewis took over on the ground and rushed for 111 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown including a daz-zling 42 yard run to get the bulldogs to the 3 yard line in the 4th quarter. Sophomore running back Taejon Wearen picked up where he left off last week and ran for 83 yards on 7 carries with some impressive elusiveness around the cor-ner on the jet sweep. Overall

a great effort for the offense with 400 yards rushing and 530 yards of total offense. La Porte’s Defense gave up their first touchdown in the 4th quarter after the game was already decided. Strong play from the usual suspects Se-niors Chad Sutherland, Cam-eron Whilley and Chris Hickey at linebacker as well as Juniors Corey Lee and Alex Jones on the defensive line

Week 2 La Porte At Klein Forest PreviewLa Porte Orange & White Report

Final La Porte 43 Baytown Lee 16 Postgame

The San Jacinto College (SJC) volleyball team won its first home game against Lon Morris last night 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-18), but it was the Central Campus Raven mascot that really captured the attention of 3-year-old Destiny Melton of Houston (pictured). Destiny was in attendance with her family to cheer on the team and her sister, Hannah Melton, who is San Jac cheerleader. With the win, San Jac improves to 4-1 on the season. SJC heads to Brenham this weekend for the Blinn College Labor Day Tournament.

San Jacinto College Volleyball Team Wins First Home Game Against Lon Morris

Keith Schul is the owner and writer for La Porte Bulldog Football Blog at

http://lpbulldogs.blogspot.com. You can also follow along on

Twitter @lpbulldogblog

PAGE 10 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

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San Jacinto Methodist Hospital To Host Annual Teddy Bear Clinic 2011

The hospital experience can be very scary for some children. To ease those fears San Jacinto Methodist Hospital will host the 3rd annual Teddy Bear Clinic on Saturday, September 24th from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. The event will be held San Jacinto Methodist Hospital Garth Indepen-dence Plaza II, 4301 Garth Road in Baytown. The clinic’s main focus is to simulate the ad-mission process of the hospital. Various hospi-tal departments demonstrate the experience that a child might have when entering the Emer-gency Department and then being admitted to the 3 West or pediatric floor of San Jacinto. For simulation purposes, children are encouraged to bring a teddy bear or other stuffed animal that could act as their representative through the ad-mission process. Just like in the real admission process, the bear, or patient, will be signed in by their “parent or guardian” and the patient’s picture is taken. Pediatric identification bands were applied to simulate the security and proper identification component of the admission process. The bears will be assessed by one of the 3 West nurses and children will be shown different instruments that may be used during a real life hospital ad-mission. The children will be allowed to play and have hands on fun with stethoscopes and reflex hammers. The children along with their bears then will visit the IV (intravenous) booth, and cast booth, where they will be shown how

IVs and casts are applied and removed. Mem-bers from Imaging Services will show children how x-rays are taken, and Respiratory Thera-pists will demonstrate how breathing treatments are administered while in the hospital. Members of the Dietary department will hand out snacks and encourage children to make healthy food decisions. After the patient, or bear, is given a clean bill of health and a goody bag; they will be sent home with their “parents or guardians”. “The Teddy bear Clinic has been a great suc-cess with teaching the children in the commu-nity that the hospital is not a scary place, every year our attendance increases and hopefully this year we can ease the mind of at least one child,” says Jennifer Rhoades, coordinator of event, RN, San Jacinto Methodist Hospital. Officers from the Baytown Police Department (PD) will provide identification cards to all of the children that attended. The Baytown Fire Department and emergency medical technicians from Baystar Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will show the children how their vehicles operate. Representatives from the Houston Dy-namo and Astros will also be there to show their support, take pictures and provide giveaways. Face painting, spin art and bounce houses will also be available that day. For more informa-tion on San Jacinto Methodist Hospital’s Teddy Bear Clinic please call 832-556-6543.

San Jacinto Methodist Hos-pital received the “Pathway to Excellence” designation from the American Nurses Creden-tialing Center (ANCC). This designation identifies health

care facilities, like San Jacinto Methodist Hospital, that pro-vide work environments where nurses’ careers can flourish and have high levels of profession-al satisfaction amongst nursing staff. To celebrate the hospital recently hosted a reception for hospital employees. To earn a “Pathway to Ex-cellence” designation a facil-ity must undergo a survey designed by the ANCC that documents hospital initiatives focused on creating a positive work environment. The initia-tives must be part of the facil-ity’s practices, policies and its culture.

“By providing our nurses with a great work environment we increase their job satisfac-tion, in turn increasing our patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction and employee sat-

isfaction are our number one priorities,” said Jane DeStefa-no, Chief Nursing Officer San Jacinto Methodist Hospital. “We are thrilled to celebrate the “Pathway to Excellence”

designation with all of our hos-pital employees.” To further its commitment to “Pathway to Excellence” San Jacinto Meth-odist Hospital awarded four nurses this year with schol-arships. Shalanda Skinner, RN, who is working on her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) ; Healther Dey-oung, LVN, and Diana Fregia, LVN who are in a program to advance their careers as Reg-istered Nurses; and Jennifer Luna, RN, who is working toward an advanced degree in nursing, MSN, MBA. The ANCC asked members of the San Jacinto Methodist Hospital nursing staff to verify the presence of certain career satisfaction criteria through participation in a confidential survey. The hospital scored greater than 90 percent on 21 of 28 items surveyed. For more information on this recent designation or services provided by San Jacinto Meth-odist Hospital please call 832-556-6543.

HEALTH NEWSSan Jacinto Methodist Hospital

Receives “Pathway to Excellence”

San Jacinto Methodist Hospital nurses celebrate the “Pathway to Excellence” designation.

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

Texas Citrus Harvest Expected To Be Down From Last Year –Drought

and February Freeze To Blame

IN THE GARDEN

812 S. 8th St.La Porte, TX. 77571

281-471-1430

By Rod Santa AnaTexas AgriLife NewsTeam

The Texas citrus harvest ex-tends roughly from Labor Day into May, but this year’s crop could be short due to adverse weather, according to an expert with the Texas AgriLife Exten-sion Service in Weslaco. Having retired Aug. 31 after a 38-year career, Dr. Julian Sauls has forecast his final citrus sea-son as an AgriLife Extension citrus specialist.“For the most part, production from the 2011-2012 harvest will be less than last year, and I attribute that to the freeze we had in Febru-ary and the drought we’ve had since,” he said. Sauls’ data show that cit-rus production fell sharply after another freeze, the rare Christmas Eve snow of 2004. “The freeze in February, like the snow of ’04 didn’t affect the trees too much,” he said. “There was no twig damage and little leaf damage, but there was a tremendous drop in the 2005-2006 crop because the snow came two months before bloom. “With the freeze this year, the trees just didn’t bloom or set fruit as well as they usu-ally do, and so the consensus is that the harvest will be down this year.” How low will it be? “Last year, in the 2010-2011 season, we harvested 316,000 tons of citrus,” he said. “That in-cludes grapefruit and oranges, both processed and fresh fruit. This year, we’ll be lucky to get 300,000 tons, if the coffee-shop talk is correct. The freeze did something, enough to affect flowering, fruit set or both.” The official U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate of the Valley’s 2011-2012 citrus crop

will be released in early Octo-ber, but their estimate is also a“guesstimate,” Sauls said. “They base their estimate for Texas citrus on the consensus of opinions of several large growers in the area, and they’ll update acreage of citrus basedon fly-over imagery. So, de-pending on who you talk to, the Lower Rio Grande Valley has about 27,000 acres of citrus.” That’s a far cry from the acreage that was growing here when Sauls first started as a citrus specialist at the Texas AgriLife Research and Exten-sion Center at Weslaco in 1980. He took the job just in time to witness two historic, devastat-ing freezes in the 1980s. “We had 70,000 acres of citrus be-fore the 1983 freeze,” he said. “After the freeze, we salvaged only 24,000 acres, but not all of that was lost to tree-kill. Some folks just decided to get out of the citrus business.” The industry was working its way back to production with re-habilitated trees and new plant-ings when the area was hit by another 100-year tree-killing freeze. “By 1989, when the second freeze hit, we were back up to 36,000 acres. We got knocked back to 12,000 acres, and we have now pretty well stabi-lized around 27,000 or 28,000 acres,” Sauls said. Despite its ups and downs, he predicts the Texas citrus indus-try will remain stable because “there will always be a market for the high-quality citrus pro-duced here.” “The quality of Texas red grapefruit will keep us alive,” Sauls said. “There are some areas in Florida that can match the quality of Texas fruit, but they are few and far

between. Hopefully, the de-mand for Texas grapefruit will continue to grow. As it is now, one-third of our crop goes out west, mostly to California, one-third stays here and the other third goes north and east, in-cluding Canada.” Urbanization and water de-mands will likely pressure growers to make changes, he said. “Unfortunately, the ideal place to build houses is also the ideal place to plant citrus trees. So the industry could move more toward Willacy County and northeast Hidalgo County, which have excellent soils.” To conserve water, growers will eventually be forced to abandon flood irrigation for pressurized water systems, he said. “Microsprayers and drip irrigation are costly, about $1,400 to $1,600 per acre. But if Florida growers can do it, why can’t we? With low-vol-ume systems, trees do well with only 12 to 18 inches of applied water per year because the wa-ter is delivered only where it’s needed,” Sauls said. While Valley citrus growers will eventually have to deal with citrus greening disease, Sauls believes the industry will survive that, too. “Citrus greening is moving toward us through Mexico,” he said. “It’s going to come. And based on the Florida experience, we’re going to lose some acreage as some growers just throw in the towel. But we have to trust that eventually greening will be-come a non-issue with a good psyllid control program of the insect vectors and nutritional sprays. Those will help us sur-vive until we can develop some genetically modified trees with resistance.”

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The Wildlife Rehab & Education facility was formed to meet the need for wildlife assistance in the Greater Houston/ Upper Gulf Coast. Every year thousands of injured, ill, or orphaned wild birds and mammals are received by the licensed rehabilitators at WR&E. It is the only trauma and rehab center in our area that treats all injured, sick, or orphaned Texas wildlife species. Together with the SPCA and the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, WR&E cares for every single species of animal. WR&E is located at 7077 Katy Rd. in Houston just inside the 610 Loop off of I-10.For more information about this valuable asset to our community go to their website at www.wrande.org

A Place To Grow, A Place To Heal, A Place To Be Wild

A time-honored delicacy in southern American states along the Mason-Dixon line, Texans claim to be particularly fond of buttermilk pie. Their reasoning — and the reasoning of folks from other states with a lack of local fruit growers — is that buttermilk pie was a sweet alterna-tive to fruit pie when fruit was not always readily available. Now days modern transportation makes it easy for those of us in Texas to get the fruit we want from our local markets. But we still love our buttermilk pie. This is a wonderful, old-fashioned pie. Don’t be put off by the buttermilk; this is a sweet and flavorful dessert. This recipe makes two pies but if you want just one, it can be easily halved.

Ingredients• 3 cups sugar• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour• 6 eggs• 1 cup buttermilk• 2 sticks of butter, melted• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract• 2 unbaked 9-inch pie shells

CUISINEButtermilk Pie - A Southern Favorite

One More Excellent Addition To Your Butterfly Garden – Passion Flower

There are many species of passion flowers. Most are tender tropical evergreens and al-though they do well in our area, the occasional freeze will kill them off. Fortunately, in Texas, we have a native passion flower, Passiflora in-carnata. Passiflora incarnata, commonly called maypop, is deciduous and can easily survive our winters. If it freezes to the ground, it pops right back up in the spring.

Several years ago, almost every vacant lot in our area had maypop growing in it. It is a fast growing perennial with tendrils that can attach to fences, trees, or other supports. It can gambol across the ground or, once attached to a support, reach a height of twenty feet. Passiflora incarnata has a beautiful complex flower. It is about three inches in diameter with ten white tepals arranged in a bowl shape lo-cated below a fringe of purple and white fila-ments. A white fleshy stigma is located in the center and is surrounded by five stamens. This

is a very complicated and interesting flower structure. Passion flowers open around mid day and last only one afternoon. Chemical compounds in the plant prevent most insects from feeding on it. In our area, however, the gulf fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, is especially fond of our maypop. The gulf fritillary is bright orange with black markings. It has silver spots on its underside. It has a two to three inch wingspan and is beauti-ful. Verbena and lantana are two nectar plants in our area preferred by the adult fritillary. Ma-ture fritillaries lay pin sized bright orange eggs on the leaves. These eggs hatch into extremely hungry little orange and black larvae that will make short order of your passion vine foliage pretty quickly. For this reason, make sure you have several of these plants in your garden. Now if you are growing your passion vine strictly for the overall beauty of the plant, this devouring of the foliage might not set well with you. But if you are growing it for the butterfly, it’s an amazing sight. As the larvae ravage one plant, you will find yourself helping them out by relocating them to another passion plant. Growing your passion vine on a fence with other leafy vines is a good idea. That way when the gulf fritillary butterfly larvae defoliate the passion vines, there will be other leafy plants to hide the damage and you will still be able to exhibit the beautiful flowers. Needless to say, you must not use insecticides near your plants. But all butterfly gardeners know this and grow passion vine primarily to attract the butterflies. They do not even agonize over the bedraggled appearance of the vines af-ter the fritillary larvae have finished their feast and gone on to become adults.

Gulf Fritillary Adult On Passion Flower

Gulf Fritillary Larvae On Passion Flower Foliage

Support Continuing Efforts To Protect Texas Rivers & Bays

Ask Your Legislators To Support The Texas Bottle Bill In 2013

Visit www.TexasBottleBill.com or www.BottleBill.org

If you don’t have the time or just don’t feel like baking your own buttermilk or any flavor pie, call Homestead Pies and get one fresh baked especially for you! Call piemaker Robbie Jobson Nelson at 281-777-0455 or email her at homesteadpies@gmail.com and she will bake it for you! Robbie uses her homemade crust, the best quality ingredients, and bakes each pie fresh with love and attention to detail! Be sure to “Like” Homestaed Pies on Facebook.

DirectionsPreheat oven to 400°F. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix well. Pour into 2 unbaked pie shells. Bake 10 minutes at 400°F. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 45 minutes. Makes 2 pies.