The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 95, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 20, 1997 Page: 1 of 16
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®Je JJaptotoit ^un
Police Beat, 4-A
What’s inside
Opinion, 6-A
Calendar, 2-A
Ex with a vengeance
Man's ex-girtfhend allegedly
attacks him, damages truck
Spaghetti dinner
The Pilot Club of Baytown will
hold a spaghetti dinner Friday
William Rusher
Medicinal use of mari/uana is
something to be considered
I State bound!
VGA's Lady Eagles
head to Waco
Bible Verse
6-A
Opinion
6-A
Calendar
2-A
Sports
1-B
Classified
6B
Television
2-B
Comics
3-B
TodayhHsby 6A
Obituaries
8-A
Poke Beat
4A
Volume 75, No. 95
Telephone Number 422-8302
Thursday, February 20,1997
Baytown, Texas 77520
50 Cents Per Copy
Flood watch in effect for area today
By JASON MOORE
The Baytown Sun
Like a bad record, stormy weather is once
again twisting its way through the Baytown
area today.
A 100 percent chance of showers and
thunderstorms, some possibly severe,
prompted officials with the National
Weather Service to issue a Flash Flood
Watch for the general Baytown area
through tonight.
With many bayous, ditches and lakes al-
ready full from recent rains, local emer-
gency authorities are urging residents to be
careful during the next few days.
Drivers are urged to slow down and leave
plenty of room between vehicles.
The rainy weather is expected to last
through Friday morning, weather service
officials said. The high temperature today
was expected to reach the lower 70s with
low temperatures tonight falling into the
upper 50s.
Forecasters say there is 30 percent chance
of severe showers and thunderstorms
tonight.
Skies should clear slightly on Friday,
however, another system from the west is
expected to bring more showers late Satur-
day afternoon.
Tomorrow, there is a 20 percent chance of
morning Showers and thunderstorms with a
high temperature in the mid 60s. Skies
should clear in the afternoon.
On Saturday, forecasters are calling for a
20 to 30 percent chance of showers and
thunderstorms late in the afternoon, possi-
bly early Sunday.
The silver lining should shine through be-
ginning early next week, according to
weather service officials. Blue skies and
sunny weather are expected to arrive by
Monday morning — just in time for the
work week.
In a commonly used
rescue maneuver, Lydia
Schneider, left, extends
a rescue tube to Andrea
Gutierrez. Registration
for the Red Cross life-
guard training program
is now under way and
will continue until March
4. Training begins
March 7.
Contributed photo
In The Swim Of Things
II
By JASON MOORE
The Baytown Sun
Yes or no:
A) Bay watch is one of my favorite shows.
B) My favorite things are swimming and oth-
er people
C) I just love that cool zinc oxide-on-the-
nose-look.
If you answered yes to all of the above, you
may be ready to be a lifeguard, but you’d better
hurry. Registration for the Red Cross’ Life-
guarding Today course ends March 4.
The perennial favorite summer job, lifeguard-
ing can often lead to a challenging career, espe-
cially when working for the famed beach pa-
trol.
Although it is known as a fun job, it does
come with important responsibilities, cautions
Susie Espinoza, Red Cross health and safety
coordinator. “Lifeguarding, like any job, has its
own particular rewards and responsibilities. It’s
fun, but it’s also prevention. We’re looking after
kids,” she said.
Training begins March 7 and includes com-
plete skills instruction, equipment-based res-
cues, spinal injury management, post-rescue
care and other topics — all incorporated with
the most current principles of aquatic safety.
The training will also cover what is expected
of today’s professional lifeguards in and around
the pool, including interaction with the public,
people with disabilities, cultural diversity and
handling behavioral problems.
The 35-hour course will also lead to Profes-
sional Rescuer certification in First Aid and
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
Call (281) 424-1300 to register or for more
information.
Officers bust Liberty County drug ring
ByJASONMOORE
LIBERTY — Officers with sever-
al law enforcement agencies in Liber-
ty County broke up a drug ring
Wednesday morning, netting three
suspected drug dealers and more than
$50,000 in cash and stolen property.
Officers with the Liberty Police
Department, Liberty Sheriff’s Depart-
ment and a narcotics taskforce raided
♦ a house in South Liberty and nabbed
three local residents as well as rough-
ly $2,000 worth of crack cocaine,
$23,000 in suspected drug money and
about $25,000 worth of stolen proper-
ty
The bust was the result of a two-
month long investigation by the
Chambers-Liberty-Polk counties Nar-
cotics Task Force, officials said.
Those arrested at the scene include
Betty Elizabeth Chambers, 32, Don-
ald L. Chambers, 28, and Earnest
Bernard, 28. All residents of Liberty
County, they are all currently being
held in the Liberty County Jail with-
out bond.
At the time of the arrest, the three
were found with approximately 18
grams of crack cocaine in addition to
the cash and stolen property.
Earlier this week the narcotics task-
force, headed by Liberty County Dis-
trict Attorney Mike Little, received a
search warrant for the residence —
located in the South Liberty Oilfield
— from 75th District Judge J.C.
“Zeke”Zbranek.
The trio arrested Wednesday morn-
ing may have been part of a larger op-
eration, according to Liberty County
Sheriff’s Department spokesman
Hugh Bishop.
He said the case remains open as
investigators with the narcotics task-
force look into additional arrests and
charges.
“These people have been a real
problem up here for a while,” Bishop
said. “It was a large operation.”
Eckels outlines
Robert Eckels
ByJASONMOORE
The Baytown Sun
9
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels signaled a renewed
commitment to work with the four county commissioners
Wednesday during his annual State of the County address at
the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Eckels, whose two years as county
judge have often been marked with ran-
corous disputes with commissioners, said
disagreements are natural for an entity
such as the five-person commissioners
court, which governs the third largest
county in the nation.
Extending an olive branch to commis-
sioners, Eckels said, “I admit that in the
heat of debate, I’ve said some things that
have offended my colleagues from time to
time. For those comments, I apologize...”
Eckels’ most controversial disagreement with commis-
sioners came last year when he blasted the court for approv-
ing a surprise property tax increase.
Eckels went on to praise the accomplishments of the com-
missioners, including Precinct 2 commissioner Jim Fonteno.
“He is heading problems off before they start,” Eckels said
of Fonteno, whose district includes the Baytown area. “His
senior programs are the most extensive in the county.”
Responding after Eckels’ address, Fonteno said he is opti-
mistic about working with the judge this year.
“The judge has four different personalities he has to deal
with. There are going to be differences of opinion. My per-
sonal evaluation is that he’s coming in with new, progressive
ideas,” he said. “This year, we’re working on getting some
roadwork done in the general Baytown area. And hopefully,
we’ll get a bond issue to do some capital improvements.”
During his address, Eckels also said he will continue .IQ
make the reduction of juvenile crime one of his top priori;
ties.
Eckels pointed to an additional 100 sheriff’s deputies how
on the streets and the county’s new Juvenile Justice Alternaj
tive program, which sends juvenile offenders to alternative
school facilities, as starting points for a total rehaul of the
county juvenile system. ; -•
In the last two years, Eckels said, juvenile homicide; is
down 33 percent; felony assault, 43 percent; robbery, 35 per-
i cent; auto theft, 34 percent and overall referrals are down
I eight percent.
Eckels also said he feels sure Houston will build a new
stadium and will get a new NFL football team. As for the
old team, Eckels said, “If our luck holds, within the next few
weeks I ought to be able to call the mayor of Nashville with
the simple but sincere message, ‘This Bud’s for you.’”
1997 goals for
Hanis County
Student fees top board of regents agenda tonight
ByJASONMOORE
The Baytown Sun
During a meeting tonight the Lee College
Board of Regents will consider updating the
schedule of student fees — a move that could
mean higher costs for local students.
The fee schedule hasn’t been updated in years,
according to college officials, and now several
fees that students pay do not cover the costs in-
curred by the school.
Among the fees that are scheduled for increas-
es are:
• NSF check charge, now $15, proposed $25
• Loan processing fee, now $2, proposed $ 10
• Late Registration Fee, now $10, proposed
$20
• Graduation fee, new $17, proposed $20
• MACS fees, now $7, proposed $20
• Welding fee, now $0, proposed $20
• EMT certification fee, now $0, proposed
$160
Steve Evans, Dean of Financial Services, did
point out that several of the fee hikes — includ-
ing the EMT certification fee — are simply ex-
penses now included in class fees that in the past
were paid individually by students.
For home delivery, call 422-8302
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 95, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 20, 1997, newspaper, February 20, 1997; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1176280/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.