Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 27, 2013 Page: 1 of 16
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Volume 53, No. 47
www.mysoutex.com
June 27, 2013 -75C
Commissioners implement burn ban
! .. 4
Tim Delaney photo
A seagull flies by the boat launch and dock at the Mission River access to the public. The dock is
at the end of Mission River Road off Farm-to-Market Road 136. A CiAP grant through the U.S. Fish
And Wildlife Service will be used to improve the dock and county commissioners have agreed to
fix the parking lot.
By Tim Delaney
County Press Editor
REFUGIO - Refugio
County commission-
ers approved a burn
ban for the next 60 days
because of the potential
for fire. The measure was
approved Tuesday morn-
ing, June 25.
Refugio County Sheriffs
Office Chief Deputy
Sheldon Wiginton said
the on-and-off again rain
has brought the county
out of and back into the
Keetch-Byram Drought
Index acceptance for
moisture.
“The rains have done
little,” Wiginton said.
He said the dryness
and moisture have been
“yo-yoing.”
He added that after it
rains, the moisture imme-
diately evaporates with
heat and dry conditions.
“If we get a fire out
there, it’s going to be a
nightmare,” he said.
Commissioners also
approved a website train-
ing class for the county’s
various offices at the sug-
gestion of Commissioner
Ann Lopez.
“This would be a ben-
efit for all of our offices,”
Lopez said.
The training is
by the County Information
Resources Agency of
the Texas Association of
Counties.
The fee for the train-
ing was $527.54. And the
training session will be
done in the commission-
ers courtroom on Aug. 8.
Justice of the Peace
Emi Riemenschneider
suggested the funds to
pay for the training could
be taken from the tech-
nology fund.
Currently, Brittany
Lane posts items on the
county’s website once a
week for a $500 a year
(See Website, 16A)
Unexpected arrival becomes, dmily
Tim Dealney photo
Antonia, an African Salcado tortoise, seems to be smiling after a snack of corn on the cob. She lives in Bayside with
her owner, who says Antonia gets fed well.
By Tim Delaney
County Press Editor
BAYSIDE - Antonia can
see and hear, but she is prac-
tically mute.
If only she could speak, she
probably would tell about her
adventures in the wild and
how she survived it all.
Her hissing and grunting
can hardly be translated into
narrative, but they send a
strong indication of her likes
and dislikes.
She moves slowly and care-
fully with determination. She
sleeps in the shade.
She eats voraciously and
quickly. But she is a vegetar-
ian.
Antonia is an African
Sulcado Tortoise, a land tur-
tle.
In fact, she belongs to a spe-
cies that is the third largest in
the world with the Galapagos
tortoise and the Aldabra Giant
Tortoise found on the Aldabra
Atoll in the Seychelles (north-
east of Madagascar) being the
largest, respectively.
Her species is the largest
of the land turtles, excluding
those two species found on
islands.
Sulcada Tortoises make
great pets because they are
so mild mannered, but they
do require special care. And
that care involves their diet
and habitat. Mainly, protein
is bad for them.
South Texas is a great place
for Antonia because it is along
the same latitude as North
Africa - between 25 and 30
degrees north latitude with
generally the same weather.
The call came one day back
in April. Debbie Carter lis-
tened to her friend who lives
along Copano Bay tell her
about the big turtle living
underneath her house. She
didn’t know what to do and
was convinced it belonged to
somebody.
Debbie took the turtle on
April 10 with the thought of
finding its owner. She called
City Hall and went to the post
office to find out if anybody
was missing a turtle.
Assistant City Secretary
Lorraine Dyche heard about
the turtle and thought it
might be Freddie, a female
Greek Tortoise she lost a cou-
ple of years ago.
“I had one that had gone
missing about two years ago.
We kept it outside in a ken-
nel,” Lorraine says.
“One morning, like every
morning, my Mom went out
to feed it and found the cage
door open, and the tortoise
was gone,” Lorraine says.
She says she thinks a rac-
coon may have gotten in the
kennel and taken the turtle.
“It is still unknown to us
what happened to it,” Lorraine
adds.
She told her story to Debbie
who then sent a photo of the
turtle.
“I was sure it was our
Freddie. When I drove up to
her house, to my surprise, this
thing was about 20 pounds or
more,” Lorraine says.
“I thought then Tt can’t be.’
Well, I planned on taking it,
and told her I would. While
trying to figure out how and
where I would keep a tortoise
this size, Debbie fell in love
with it,” Lorraine says.
Debbie’s house already had
a fenced-in yard with lots of
plants, giving off shade and
providing hiding places.
So the weekend after
Mother’s Day, Lorraine
(See Turtles, 3A)
Cleared
of felony
charges
By Tim Delaney
County Press Editor
REFUGIO - After two
years since he was indict-
ed on two counts of felony
injury to a child, Dondre
Christopher Doomes was
acquitted on Thursday,
June 13 in the courtroom
of 135th District Judge
Stephen Williams.
Doomes was indicted on
two counts of injury to a
child in May 2011.
One felony count had
been dropped by the state,
and the second count con-
cluded in acquittal.
Doomes
had been
indicted on
the injury
to a child
charges
that the
prosecu-
tion tied to
10-week-
old Jordan Doomes’ death,
which occurred prior to
the charges.
In the re-indicment,
Doomes was cleared of the
remaining second count of
injury to a child.
‘We thank God and his
precious Son for watch-
ing over him for two long
years for something he
did not do,” said Mable
Henderson, speaking
for the Henderson and
Doomes families.
Doomes spent the last
two years in the Refugio
County Jail.
“Thanks for all the
prayers from family and
friends. We love you all,”
Henderson said.
Doomes
TML meeting follows
‘safari’ theme
Tim Delaney photo
Sally Crofutt receives a monogrammed gift from Refugio County
Chamber of Commerce President Lenny Anzaldua on Friday,
June 21, during the quarterly meeting of the Texas Municipal
League. Crofutt was the guest speaker at the event.
Deaths
Juanita Mae Dippel
Lillian Faye Linney
Maria Cliofas Silvas
James Leslie Wolfshohl
Jerry Lynn Wolfshohl
Index
Classifieds Page 7 A
Community Page 3 A
Church Page 6 A
Obits Page 2A
Sports Page 10 A
»y Tim Delaney
County Press Editor
REFUGIO - Executive
Manager of the Fennessey
Ranch Sally Crofutt out-
lined the “safari” she and
ranch owner Brien Dunn
experienced as they built
up a successful eco-ranch.
Crofutt was the guest
speaker at the quarter-
ly meeting of the Texas
Municipal League on
Friday, June 21.
Crofutt revealed “real
things that happened”
such as Dunn getting on
his knees to persuade vis-
itors to buy tickets.
Crofutt had built up
birding at the ranch and
had developed humming-
bird tours.
She said Montana folks
heard Dunn and Crofutt
knew what they were
doing and wanted the
information. So flights
were arranged.
Also, she described
staying in a little bunk
house with Dunn. The
quarters were tight, but
they managed through it.
All in all, the efforts
paid off, and the result is
a successful ranch that
attracts eco-tourism from
all over.
Also, TML board mem-
ber C.J. Wax, mayor of
Rockport, urged members
to be aware of Senate Bill
656, which requires addi-
tional duties when pre-
paring budgets, including
a record vote.
Two workshop sessions
prior to the quarterly
meeting involved what
the Coastal Bend Council
of Government offers
and basic information on
annexation.
John Buckner, Coastal
Bend COG director, said
the organization is look-
ing for ways to help vet-
erans.
Planned is to coordi-
nated a lot of services and
provide that information
to veterans. The idea is to
make veterans aware of
what is available.
Buckner added that the
CBCOG continues its suc-
cessful and popular old
American programs.
Also, Scott Houston,
deputy director and TML
general counsel, gave a
basic overview of annexa-
tion processes.
He said annexation
is not a property rights
issue.
He said that annexa-
tion is a money and inter-
(See Annexation, 16A)
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Delaney, Tim. Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 27, 2013, newspaper, June 27, 2013; Refugio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth741140/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dennis M. O’Connor Public Library.