The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 155, No. 24, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 17, 2008 Page: 1 of 10
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SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2008
500
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"Che IBastrop 2docrtiscr
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper Since March 1, 1853 Semi-Weekly Since Sept. 5, 1977
Volume 155, Number 24
Bastrop, Texas
16 pages in two sections
B £ IS mural stirs
up controversy
By Terry Hagerty
Assistant Editor
A mural that has been
hanging in a Bastrop High
School hallway for five
years — without apparent
complaints from viewers
— is now the subject of
some discord.
Although school offi-
cials say they are surprised
at the current reactions to
the mural that depicts both
Bastrop history and ancient
cultures, they welcomed
the calling of a special
meeting by school board
president James Allen
Tuesday to help resolve
concerns.
Allen called for the
meeting after concerns
about the mural were
raised at a forum the
school board hosted
Tuesday to improve com-
munications with the pub-
lic.
Complaints raised:
Lauren H an sel l, an
Elder at Celebration
Community Church,
claimed the mural was
Dani Schumacher, a
2006 BHS graduate,
spoke in favor of the
mural,
confusing to students with
images of "a god standing
on a demon" and other
questionable images.
One of the pictures is a
Hindu deity dancing on the
head of a small person. But
faculty and students
involved said the figure
symbolizes overcoming
the "head of ignorance."
Patty Green, the art
teacher who helped coordi-
nate the project in 2003
with Austin muralist Raul
Valdez told the forum. "At
the dedication ceremony
the mural pleased the com-
munity greatly . . . and sud-
denly five years later
there's a group very unhap-
py with it."
Hansell also claimed a
part of mural showing two
African-American women
picking cotton was offen-
sive. The figures are linked
to African-American man
playing a guitar with a lone
line of musical notes
appearing to symbolize the
musical field of "the
blues."
On Thursday,
Superintendent Roderick
Emanuel said, "I have not
had a close look at the
mural, but I saw it in 2003
when they put it up . . . and
I thought it was a good
job/' ~
But Emanuel acknowl-
edged the mural is offend-
ing some people.
"Both sides will come
together (for discussions)
and a right decision will be
The Bastrop Advertiser photo/Terry Hagerty
A mural at Bastrop High School that depicts Bastrop county history and
includes some religious figures drew complaints at Bastrop school board
forum Tuesday.
made," he said, adding that
rumors the mural was com-
ing down are false.
"No decision has been
made so far," Emanuel
said.
On Thursday, Allen
said, "Obviously, there's
lot of passion on both sides
about this issue, so we
want to hear from both.
There's nothing about
Jesus Christ on the mural,
and that appears to be
upsetting some people"
'"I think these (differ-
ences) are something that
will be worked out soon,"
he added.
th u^erty d'h astropad-
vertiser.com
Restroom po icy questioned at school board forum
By Terry Hagerty
Assistant Editor
Student restroom use, input
from teachers and safety concerns
about the location of the new
Cedar Creek High School were
some of issues raised at the dis-
trict's "Community Conversation"
Tuesday night.
The school board and
Superintendent Roderick Emanuel
hosted the public forum at the 9th
grade campus.
School administrators said sev-
eral parents raising concerns about
when students are allowed to use
the restroom surprised them.
Some parents claimed some stu-
dents were prevented from using
the restroom during the middle of
class time at several schools.
Principals at Bastrop High
School and the district elementary
and middle schools said students
would not be prevented from using
the restroom.
"We are not going to prohibit
kids from going to the restroom
when they need to,"
Superintendent Roderick Emanuel
Members sworn in Tuesday
The Bastrop School Board will swear in its new members, John
Eaton and Johnny Sanders, and get an update on district design and
education projects at its meeting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the BISD
Service Center at 906 Farm St.
The board will also consider bids for video editing equipment and
cafeteria equipment at Cedar Creek Elementary and Bastrop
Intermediate schools. "Information items" include the school calendar,
enrollment and a proposed price increase for school lunches.
said, reinforcing a point already
made by the principals.
Speaker Catherine Daniel said
she was concerned about traffic
safety for Cedar Creek High
school, due to open in August
2010.
"Safety is my concern." Daniel
said about school buses having to
contend with traffic around Texas
71.
Henry Gideon, the district's
Chief Operations Officer said the
intersections involving Texas 71
and Union Chapel and South Pope
Bend Road will eventually be
improved to make them safer.
Those improvements will entail a
traffic light and also the possibility
of the state constructing an over-
pass within 10 years.
Gideon said the district had
consulted with safety engineers at
See RESTROOM, Page 2A
The Bastrop Advertiser adds experienced publisher
Ennnett McKinley became the publisher
of The Bastrop Advertiser this week, replac-
ing Stan Woody who has taken the publish-
er's role at The San Marcos Daily Record.
McKinley previously was affiliated with
papers in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana
and New England. For 16 years he worked
for Media News Group in Texas, New
Mexico and New England.
Most recently he was working in the
Houston area.
McKinley said he has long been attracted
to the Central Texas area and plans to stay in
Bastrop.
"I've been looking for years to move to
this part of Texas, and I am looking forward
to being part of the community,'' he said.
He said he's also looking forward to
working with The Bastrop Advertiser staff
and learning the community.
inside
■ Bastrop threesome to parti pate in
Kerrville arts and crafts fair, See Page
3A
weather! index
■ Saturday's forecast:
Partly cloudy
High: 84°
Low: 59°
Rain: 20%
■ This week:
High
Low
Prec.
Sunday
90
63
20
Monday
94
67
10
T uesday
92
71
zero
Wed
92
74
30
Thursday
93
73
40
Friday
91
72
30
Church directory 9A
Classified ads 3B-6B
Community 6A
Community calendar..,5A
Deaths 5A
Letters to the editor.....4A
Sports 7A
Inn
This newspaper
is recyclable
The Bastrop Advertiser photo/Mark Goodson
Shelby Gregory and her husband Tom Gregory make
their routine walk Friday in the Lost Pines. The
Gregorys have lived in Bastrop for 26 years.
Well-wishers gather
to welcome new officials
By Davis McAuley
Editor
Bastrop City Hall was filled Tuesday with well-wishers
eager to welcome a new mayor and two council members, as
well as bid farewell to three familiar figures who were leav-
ing long-held seats because of term limits.
Mayor Terry Orr along with Council Members Julie Hart
and Joe Beal were sworn in and mounted the dais.
Outgoing mayor Tom Scott stepped down with council
members Martha Harris and John Creamer.
Orr, noting how long the departing trio served the city,
quickly set the tone for his tenure as mayor. He said he will
"stress checks and balances and due process." He also called
on the council to think independently and to act with civili-
ty-
The council includes "six members with independent
thought," he said. "It's not necessary or desirable to all think
alike."
Orr also vowed to "respect the rule of law" and "respect
the rights of people." He closed by declaring that "good gov-
ernment is based on a high degree of civility," a remark that
was greeted with a burst of applause from the audience.
Scott had been mayor since 1998. Creamer spent eight
years on the council. Harris served for six years.
In his report to the council, City Manager Mike Talbot
said a detailed agreement with developers of Bastrop Village
See ORR, Page 2A
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 155, No. 24, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 17, 2008, newspaper, May 17, 2008; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth252478/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.