Mathis News (Mathis, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 44, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 2, 2017 Page: 1 of 26
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71
VOLUME 91 • NO. 44
NOV. 2,2017 - Mathis, Texas 78368
10 Pages
Hl
Smolik ’s
-
Smokehouse
was
(See Amaya, 2)
explained
Pirates take
A
Krebs
planning to run for the I have been under your and W111 square off in the tunjty to to the
Last
Mathis
on
name since it’s on all
of his IDs and is his
children’s and wife’s last
name, as well.
His birth father, who
is organized annually by
the Portland Chamber of
Paul Gonzales photo
Mike and Gail Smolik will be taking Smolik's Smokehouse
to Austin this weekend as they participate in the 8th Texas
Monthly BBQ Fest. The event hosts more than 30 of the Top BBQ
Joints in Texas as listed in Texas Monthly.
1
V
- M
Contributed photo
name to the woman’s
maiden name,” Amaya
explained. “I didn’t know
any of this until I joined
the service.”
So
The Indians battled
back as each team kept
one another from scor-
ing in the third.
The Indians finally on
the board early in the
fourth with a 37-yard
run and extra-point
kick to bring the score
to 14-7.
Mathis was having
none of that as Salinas
once again returned
to the end zone on a
5-yard run, followed by
a Villarreal kick to shut
down Jourdanton 21-7.
Pirate quarterback
Marcos Medrano had 84
total passing yards for
the game, his longest at
49 yards.
Brandon Salinas had
113 rushing yards and
3 touchdowns. Isaac
Gutierrez also had 113
rushing yards and Seth
Gibson ended with 38
yards and one fumble
recovery.
I fg /
_ —... I
down Indians;
season at 5-3
retired. His term runs
through December 2018.
“I’d like to help edu-
on
Man’s 60-year search
for his birth mother may
find closure in Mathis
position for about a year, watch,” Nichols said.
Krebs was the second
member of the Portland
City Council to announce
By Paul Gonzales
Mathis News editor
MATHIS-It’s been 60
years since retired U.S.
Army First Sgt. Jose R.
Amaya last saw his bio-
logical mother. He was 7
years old when she came
to visit him where he
was living with his aunt
and uncle who he grew
to call his mother and
father.
“So, before my mother
died she said, you should
look for your mom, and I
knew I had a mother out
there,” recalled Amaya,
who now resides in
Virginia. “I’ve only seen
her once.”
His mother told him
that his father was her
brother. She explained
that when Amaya was a
child, his birth mom was
suffering from domestic
abuse and had to flee for
fear of both their lives.
She asked if his sister
could watch the boy, and
she left.
“So she told me I
should look for my moth-
er, so I thought well,
why not?” Amaya said.
“I have a picture of her
because she left me a
picture when she visited
me. I’ve looked all over
the Corpus Christi area
because she was born
there, but, from what I
understand, is that she
moved.”
Amaya
served on the Gregory-
ISD school
By Paul Gonzales
Mathis News editor
MATHIS -
Friday the
Pirates took on the
Jourdanton Indians for
a one-sided victory, tak-
ing their record to 5-3.
What started to look
like a pretty evenly-
matched football game,
with no points scored
during the first quarter,
eventually turned into a
Pirate siege, 21-7.
During the second,
Pirate Brandon Salinas
took a short 2-yard run
for a score, followed by
a Thomas Villarreal
extra-point kick to put
the first points on the
board with 7-0.
Salinas would return
to the end zone a short
time later with another
short 3-yard run, fol-
lowed by another extra
point kick by Villarreal
to take the game into
halftime 14-0.
Precinct 2.
Rick Ott
The
Missing
Mother
Sunday, Nov. 5.
“We’re thrilled,”
said. “Tired, but thrilled:
The barbecue crew will
travel with a 12-person
crew, as well as newly-
built, 20-foot-long barbe-
from all over the world
descended on the local
restaurant to taste the
famous barbecue, boost-
ing sales dramatically.
Then the Mathis XTik,xxvlcx
Economic Development nearly caused the high-
Corporation held a cel- way location to shut down
causing the Smoliks to
Amaya has recently
discovered he has a dif-
ferent last name on his
birth certificate, too. He
said that when he got a
job at the state, in order
to get security clear-
ance his name needed
to match his birth cer-
tificate which reads
Barrientes.
“About a month ago, . I f°und out that back
out of the blue another ln the old days if the
Barrientes saw my web- parents weren t married
site and asked ‘Did you they had to change the
ever find your mother?’
and I said no.
“This young man that
reached out to me said
he found my mom, well,
she might be my mom. So now Amaya is
She’s in the Mathis area going through the courts
and she’s 87 years old to legally change his last
and still alive.
“I kind of got excited.
Since she’s still alive
maybe I can reach out
to her.”
more transparency.”
Some things that may
need to be addressed
include the county’s road
system, Krebs said.
“We don’t have a unit
road engineer,” he added.
Terry Simpson current-
ly serves as the county
judge, and he will be run-
ning for re-election.
The primary election
will be March 6, and
Krebs said he will look
to raise money at various
county fundraisers for his
campaign.
Amaya
a World War II
veteran and moved to
California years ago, has
long since passed.
So now Amaya is on
the search for his long
lost birth mother, the
only living link to his
past.
“I’m going to do my
gearing up
for big time
By Shane Ersland
Portland News Editor
PORTLAND - Mayor
David Krebs announced
that he will run for San
Patricio County judge
last week at the State
of the City luncheon in
Portland.
Krebs said he will com-
plete his term as Portland
mayor - which runs
through May 2018 - but
will not seek re-election.
“I’ll have 20 years on
the council,” Krebs said.
“I think it’s time to move
on.”
Krebs announced
that he will run as a
Republican for the county
judge seat.
“I think I can do the Commerce — and recog-
citizens of San Patricio nized Krebs for his ser-
County a good job,” Krebs vice.
said’ “I’ve never been more
Krebs said he has been proud of Portland than both run as Republicans,
Portland mayor to run for county judge
payers’ money. To make
equipment last as long as
it can, and make repairs
instead of buying new.
We’ve got to earn their
trust by spending it cor-
rectly.”
Ott has only served for
six months, but believes
commissioners have
accomplished some sig-
nificant things while he
has been there.
“The biggest thing was
Hurricane Harvey recov-
ery,” Ott said. “As soon as
we could get out, we were
ing, Moore stated that out repairing signs. A lot
Cheniere’s Will Nichols be will instead run for of them went down. We’d
moderated the State of the San Patricio County get lost real easy without
the City luncheon - which Commissioner seat for signage:
Ott noted that the coun-
currently ty also recently acquired
serves as the Precinct 2 ownership of the Fred
commissioner, and will Jones Nature Sanctuary,
campaign to retain the an 11-acre tract of land
seat. Moore and Ott will just outside of Portland.
“We saw it as an oppor-
? coun-
ty’s park system,”
“There are i
ebration on their behalf c ~ •
for putting Mathis on the turn their attention away
map. And now, the hus- from festival prepara-
band-and-wife couple will tions and focus on filling
head to Austin this week- up their water truck to
end for the 8th Annual make sure the location
Texas Monthly BBQ Fest could open on Tuesday.
“Instead of working on
Gail the Texas Monthly stuff,
here we are having to
haul the water truck and
hook it up just to keep the
freeway location going,”
(See Austin, 9)
E
__y.
March 6 primary election. ty>s park system,» Ott
and believes the county Krebs was the second Ott was appointed the said. “There are some
needs more transparency memfoer of the Portland commissioner seat in restrooms there that need
from its elected officials. Qouncq to announce April after Fred Nardini to be repaired. It needs
“I just think they need in October that he would retired- His term runs some tender love and
new leadership,” Krebs not seek re-election, through December 2018. care.
said. “Someone who will Councilman Gary Moore “I’d like to help edu- Moore and Ott are both
meet with the mayors announced his with- cate people on all the Portland residents. Ott
of the county and listen drawal from the council things the county does;
to them and hear their during a council meeting Ott said. “My primary job Portland
voices. There needs to be Oct. 17. During the meet- is to carefully spend tax- board from 1979-85.
that the problem he’s
having finding her is
that her maiden name
is Barrientes, and he
doesn’t know if she ever
married since his birth
mother and father were
never wed.
Also, in the many
years that have passed,
Amaya isn’t sure how
many siblings he has.
“I don’t really remem- Jose R. Amaya last saw his birth mother, Maria Andria Barrientes,
ber this part; she said wh0 was from jn Corpus Christi, when he was 7, and received a
I either have a brother tip last month that she may be in the Mathis area. If Amaya
and sister, or brothers, finds her, it will put an end to a 60-year search and may provide
But I know I have other answers to many questions he's had over the years.
siblings on her side.”
Amaya’s search began
during the Gulf War
when he decided to put
up a website looking for
her. Over the years, he
let it go where it sat on
the internet collecting
digital dust until some-
one recently reached out
to him about his missing
mother.
About a month ago,
3?
l600Dr?!
By Paul Gonzales cue wagon which features
Mathis News editor an enormous barbecue
MATHIS - Gail and pit, three cook stoves, a
Mike Smolik have had three-compartment sink,
quite the year. After a hand washing sink
Smolik’s Smokehouse and a large cutting table
was gifted with the top ready to feed the 3,500-
barbecue honor by Texas plus festival attendees.
Monthly magazine as Plus, the couple had to
one of the “Top 50 BBQ get a truck big enough to
Joints in Texas,” visitors haul the massive barbe-
cue wagon.
But gearing up for the
long weekend hasn’t been
the easiest.
A water main burst
Monday night, which
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Gonzales, Paul. Mathis News (Mathis, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 44, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 2, 2017, newspaper, November 2, 2017; Mathis, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1187178/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Mathis Public Library.