School Hosts Annual Athletic Banquet

The annual S-T ISD Sports Banquet will be held at 7:00 p.m. Monday, May 1st, at the school's "cafetorium." Tickets are $7.00 for a barbecue plate and souvenir cup, and can be bought at the High School Secretary’s office. Athletes are reminded to bring a dessert.

Lions Club Requests Rummage Sale Donations

The Skidmore-Tynan Lions Club will hold a Rummage Sale Saturday, June 3rd, in the lot west of the Post Office. If you have items you would like to donate to the Sale, please contact Dee LeCount at the Chisholm Trail Cafe (287-3847) or Lions Club President David Waishes (287-3574). Any and all items of value will be accepted. Small items may be dropped off at the cafe. Larger items will be picked up by a Lions Club member. The S-T Lions thank you for your continued support of our club and Lions Charities.

April Edition of Skidmore Signal Now Available

Pick up your copy of the April 24 print edition of the Skidmore Signal at Chisholm Trail Cafe, Dalia's Cafe, Kwik Pantry, Lucky Horseshoe, or Papa's Market in Skidmore. In Beeville, you can pick up a copy at Taqueria Vallarta.

In this month's issue, Edwin Wallek Jr. writes about the "Boys of Summer" - or more specifically old-time baseball in Olmos, Texas. Jo Kreis pens a "once in a blue moon" compendium of "Moon Facts." And finally, J.D. Henshall expounds on all things technological.

If you would like to have the Signal delivered to your mailbox, just send a check for $15.00 to: Skidmore Signal, P.O. Box 556, Skidmore, Texas 78389.

Save The Internet

Congress is now pushing a law that would end the free and open Internet as we know it. Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. So Amazon doesn't have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer.

Many members of Congress take campaign contributions from these companies, and they don't think the public are paying attention to this issue. Let's show them we care - please sign this petition today. MoveOn.org Civic Action: Save The Internet. For more in-depth information see www.savetheinternet.com

Judge Jimmy Martinez Calls for Exxon-Mobil Boycott

KRIS-TV 6 reports that on Monday, the county commissioner's court voted 4-1 to pass a resolution that urged folks to stop buying gasoline from Exxon-Mobil on May 1, and not to buy it again, until the price drops to a $1.309

County Judge Jimmy Martinez said the boycott has to work. He believes if people don't buy Exxon gas, then Exxon is forced to lower its price and the other companies are forced to follow. But others believe it's just not that simple.

Bee County has three Exxon stations - all owned by the same local company. That company told 6 News the only impact an Exxon boycott would have would be on their profits from the sale of food and merchandise, which makes up for about a third of their sales.

For the full take, visit KRISTV.com for the full story:

04.24.2006 - Bee County Commissioners call for boycott of Exxon-Mobile [KRISTV]

Caller-Times Posts 2006 Football Schedules

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times posts the 2006 District 31-2A football schedules in their story: District 31-2A football makes changes.

It Could Never Happen to Me...

A family in Mathis is having to face the music after one of their children had her Internet activity was traced. KRIS-TV 6 carries the full story:

04.22.2006 - Family learns they're being sued by music industry [KRIS-TV ]

The girl was using Peer-to-Peer networking software, also known as P2P, to illegally share music and other media online. Among Kazaa mentioned in the article, a comprehensive list of P2P software can be found on Wikipedia.

As stressed in one of the Tech Talk articles a couple months ago, the argument of "It could never happen to me" is no longer a valid safeguard. I don't entirely agree with the restriction of new DRM technologies, but following the rules is the lesser of two evils compared to being sued for $3,000+ dollars.

Sports Pics - Mengers Homers in Final Game of Season

Teammates congratulate Ben Mengers after his home run hit to left field.


Ricky Gutierrez slides head first into home plate in Friday's end-of-season win over Three Rivers.

Click here for more game photos at Shutterfly.com

S-T Alumna Works on Behalf of Autistic Children

S-T alumna Marsha Rogers Coulter was recently interviewed by KRIS-TV Channel 6 News regarding "Hannah's Hope" school for autistic children. Click here to read the full story. Visit the Hannah's Hope website at www.hannahs-hope.info

S-T Students Advance to Post-District Competition

Brett Howard and Rob Boscamp were among the students receiving recognition in the April School Board Meeting.

By popular demand, the Signal offers the following list of students who advanced beyond District competition. The Signal congratulates these outstanding students. Please let us know if we left anyone off the list..

One Act Play

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Rob Boscamp - All-Star Cast, District, Area
Brett Howard - All-Star Cast, District, Area
Jessie Pierce - Honorable Mention All-Star Cast, Area
Victoria O'Brien - Honorable Mention All-Star Cast, District

UIL Academics:

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Rob Boscamp, 1st Place Feature Writing, 1st Place Headline Writing, and 1st Place Informative Speaking.

Golf:

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Chris Patrova - Regional Qualifier

Track:

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John Boscamp - Regional Qualifier - Pole Vault
Jairus Yzaguirre - Regional Qualifer - 1600m & 3200m relay
Matt Brown - Regional Qualifer - 100m, 400m, & 800m relay
Clint Isaacks - Regional Qualifer - 200m, 400m, & 800m relay
Cory Markham - Regional Qualifer - 400m, & 800m relay
Josh Owen - Regional Qualifer - 200m, 400m, & 800m relay
Jared Kimball - Regional Qualifer - 800m relay
Liz Torres - Regional Qualifier - Shot put
Stephanie Coker - Regional Qualifier - High Jump

FFA:

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Chapter Farmer Livestock - 1st Place - Chris Hall, Amanda Doubrava, Wes Rix, Dillon Salvagno, Heather Kopplin, and Garrett Vandever (District high point).
Greenhand Livestock - 1st Place - Chris Patrova, Eryka Thomas, Zach Petrus, and Ty White (District high point individual).
Farm Business Management - 1st Place - Scott Hale and Ben Mengers (District high point individual).

Drivers Education Class Offered Through S-T ISD

"Joy Driving School" is offering a Drivers Education Class from April 24th to May 18th. Student drivers may register for the class on April 20th, 2006 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the High School. The course fee is $300 with at least $100 paid up front and the balance due by May 18th, 2006. Call Joy Driving School at (361) 241-2317 for more information.

TAKS Testing Schedule Online

J.D. Henshall reports this week's entire TAKS testing schedule for students from 3rd Grade to High School may be found at S-T ISD Online.

Lions Club Annual Easter Basket Raffle Winners

Christopher Luna assists S-T Lions Club President David Waishes in drawing the winning raffle tickets.

The Skidmore-Tynan Lions Club drew 3 winning tickets in this year's annual Easter Basket Raffle. The top prize winner was little Isabel Luna who won a large handcrafted Easter basket stuffed with lots of goodies. The basket was made by two young men from the local Amish community who use the proceeds from their basket weaving to help support their widowed mother.

Also winning smaller baskets were Pat Peavey of Corpus Christi and "Easy" of San Antonio. The Lions thank all who purchased raffle tickets. Proceeds from the ticket sales go to Lions Club Charities.

Sports Pics - Varsity Baseball vs Taft

Garrett Gonzales slides head first into home scoring the game winning run on a two-RBI double by Jordan Haws.

Click here for photos from the Banquete (13-5) and Taft (11-1) games at Shutterfly.com

Click Hereto sign up for a new Shutterfly account and receive 15 free prints of any photos from the Skidmore Signal album.

Supply and Demand?

Want to know where a portion of the $2.79 a gallon you are paying at the pump is going? ABC News: Exxon Chairman Gets $400 Million Retirement Package Amid Soaring Gas Prices

Residents Call for Reconsideration of S-T ISD Administrative Contract Extensions

"I am here tonight to express great concern for one of the decisions made about not renewing any of the contracts for any of the administrative people" said Angie Wolf at the Monday, April 10th S-T ISD School Board meeting. In her comments, made during the Public Forum portion of the meeting, Mrs. Wolf gave an account of her personal experiences with the three campus Principals. Mrs. Wolf stated "I feel all three of them act appropriately and do things - and be here - for the students and faculty."

Longtime Skidmore resident Mattie Hicks also spoke in the Public Forum. "We've got a great adminstration and athletic coaches and staff and I came here to try to talk to the board - to the president of the board - to reconsider the contracts for these people."

In the course of Monday's Regular Meeting, Trustees recognized recent student achievements in One-Act Play, UIL Academics, Golf, and Track, and heard the Superintendent's report on the state of the District.

Action items addressed in the Regular Meeting included:

Consideration and Possible Approval of the Multihazard Emergency Operations Plan for the District. This item was approved.

Consideration and Possible Action to Direct the Superintendent to Conduct Investigation into the Responsible Party (Author and Dissemination) of Letter Allegedly Authored by the Superintendent, which discusses Action on Administrators Contracts taken by the Board of Trustees at the February Board Meeting (Mr. Rick Olivares). This item was removed from the agenda by Board President Rick Olivares.

Consideration and Possible Approval of Personnel Recommendation(s). There were no recommendations at this time.

A specially called 7:30 p.m. meeting to follow the Regular Meeting was cancelled. The Special Meeting was called to address a single item: Employee Level 3 Grievance Presentation: Mrs. Diana Trevino (per Mr. Rick Olivares). No explanation was given for the cancellation of the Special Meeting.

The next Regular Meeting of S-T ISD Trustees is scheduled Tuesday, May 16, 2006, at 6:00 p.m.

S-T ISD Conducts Trustee Candidate Training

Candidates in the 2006 S-T ISD School Board Election were invited to attend a special Board Candiate Workshop April 12, 2006 at the S-T ISD Event Center Board Room. The mini-seminar hosted by Superintendent Dr. Brett Belmarez proved very informative to the three candidates in attendance - Alice Gonzales, Keith Petrus, and Jerry Rodriguez.

"The Hardest Goodbye"

Driving through Mathis on the way back from Tuesday's Varsity baseball game in Banquete, we noticed red, white, and blue ribbons on virtually every signpost and tree along the roadside. Nancy Crouch of Skidmore's Variety Shop informs the Signal that the ribbons were placed in honor of 21-year old Cpl. Andres "A.J." Aguilar Jr. who died in Iraq on April 2, 2006. "A.J." had lived in Mathis as a child and has many family members in the area. Read more about his service and ultimate sacrifice to his country in The hardest goodbye, courtesy of the Victoria Advocate.

In Memoriam: Lazaro P. Olivares

Lazaro P. Olivares, of Beeville, died Saturday, April 8, 2006 at age 67. Mr. Olivares was a retired master plumber and owner of Olivares Plumbing. He was born in Skidmore August 22, 1938 to the late Rafael and Raquel Perez Olivares and was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Mr. Olivares is survived by his wife, Mary Del Bosque Olivares; two daughters, Debbie Gamez and Dorothy Olivares, both of Beeville; two sons, Lazaro Olivares Jr. and Danny Olivares, both of Beeville; four sisters, Marcela O. Flores, Elia O. Alvarado, and Yolanda O. Silva, of Beeville, and Anita O. Castillo of Lubbock; four brothers, Margarito P. Olivares of Gretna, La., Paul P. Olivares of Beeville, Fermin P. Olivares and Manuel P. Olivares, both of Skidmore; and seven grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 11th at Angelus Funeral Home chapel. A rosary will be recited 7:00 p.m. in the chapel. Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Mr. Olivares will be laid to rest in Our Lady of Victory Cemetery No. 2.

Bloemer, Petrus, Patrova Advance to Regionals in Tennis

Meghan Bloemer serves up a winning point.

Meghan Bloemer will advance to the Regionals after placing 2nd in Varsity Girls Singles at the Monday, April 10 District Tennis Meet. Chris Patrova and Zach Petrus took 2nd Place in Varsity Doubles and will also advance to Regionals. The JV squad too had an impressive showing as indicated in the results below:

Varsity Girls

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2nd Place Singles - Meghan Bloemer

Varsity Boys

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2nd Place Doubles - Chris Patrova and Zach Petrus
4th Place Doubles - Jared Kimball and Travis Berthold
5th Place Singles - Josh Petrus
6th Place Singles - Trey Dodson

JV Girls

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2nd Place Singles - Devon Wilder

JV Boys

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1st Place Singles - Ty White
2nd Place Singles - Reed Berry
1st Place Doubles - Cody Chambers and Joe Rey Gonzales
3rd Place Doubles - Jeff Burris and Robby Ramirez

S-T ISD Early Release Thursday for Easter Break

Parents are reminded that S-T ISD will release students from school Thursday, April 13th at 1:00 p.m. for Easter Break. Friday is the only day off for Easter this year. Students will return Monday to prepare and review for TAKS testing which begins Tuesday, April 18th.

Sports Pics - District Track Meet

Josh Owen outpaces his opponents.


Cory Markham takes the baton from Clint Isaacks.

See more photos courtesy of Rob's Digital Photography.

Texas Baptist Men Conduct South America Disaster Training

Reverend Lee Bevly (on right) at the famous statue of "Christ the Redeemer" in Brazil.

Reverend Lee Bevly of the Skidmore Baptist Church recently traveled to Brazil as part of a team of eight Texas Baptist Men (TBM) who were invited by the Brazilian government to share information on TBM's disaster relief efforts.

The men split in to two groups, each of which visited two cities, spending seven days in each from March 10th to 25th. Lee Bevly was a part of the team who went to the capital, Brazilia, the first week and Rio de Jeneiro the second. Their trip was a resounding success with representatives from several neighboring countries attending the week long training session.

As you can see by the photo above, they took the opportunity to go to the "Christ the Redeemer" statue. Brother Lee says they were treated like "royalty" and adds that Brazil is a beautiful country. "I feel blessed to have been asked to attend and take part in such an historical event" said Rev. Bevly. "God is at work around us, in every country." -- Submitted by Cindi Bevly

In Memoriam: Maureen Elizabeth Jostes

Maureen E. Jostes, of Tynan, died Wednesday, April 5, 2006 at the age of 51.

Ms. Jostes was born Nov. 1, 1954, in Mathis, to Eunice Hornung Jostes of Tynan and to the late Frank Jostes. She graduated from the University of Texas School of Pharmacy in 1978 and was a pharmacist in San Antonio from 1978-2000 at University and Nix Hospitals and Eckerd Drugs. From 2000-2002 she worked in Mathis, Orange Grove, and Woodsboro.

Survivors include her mother, Eunice Hornung Jostes of Tynan; and two sisters, Betty Jones of Fair Oaks Ranch and Eva Brown of Corpus Christi.

Ms. Jostes was laid to rest in the Three Rivers Cemetery Saturday, April 8, 2006.

In Memoriam: Manuel Alaniz Jr.

Manuel Alaniz Jr. of Skidmore died April 5, 2006 at age 77. Mr. Alaniz was a Korean War Army veteran and a retired employee of the Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Center at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.

Survivors include his wife, Margit; son, Roberto Alaniz of Corpus Christi; brother, Jesse Alaniz; four sisters, Maria Trejo, Dora Adame, Angela Rodriguez and Beatrice Riojas; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Rosary will be recited April 9th at 6:00 p.m. at Memory Gardens Funeral Home in Corpus Christi. Services will be held April 10 at 10 a.m. at Memory Gardens Funeral Home.

Caller Times: No cooldown for Hooks fever

"You almost get the feeling these guys could schedule a midnight game in a patch of grass somewhere in Papalote and the fans would create a traffic jam all along 181 trying to get there.".

S-T ISD to Conduct Trustee Candidate Training

Candidates in the 2006 S-T ISD School Board Election have been invited to attend a special training session April 12, 2006 to be held in the S-T ISD Event Center Board Room. The mini-seminar will inform candidates on the powers and duties of school Trustees.

One Week to Register to Vote in School Board Election

April 13, 2006 is the deadline to register to vote in the May 13 School Board Election. Applications and information may be found on Secretary of State Roger Williams' website: English - Spanish

Special Meeting to Follow April 10 Regular School Board Meeting

A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of Skidmore-Tynan ISD will be held April 10, 2006, beginning at 6:00 PM in the S-T ISD Event Center Board Room.

At 7:30 p.m., immediately following the Regular Meeting, the Board will convene again in a Special Meeting to discuss Employee Level 3 Grievance Presentation: Mrs. Diana Trevino (per Mr. Rick Olivares). The Special Meeting will be conducted in closed session unless otherwise requested. This item was pulled from the agenda in last month's meeting after it was requested that discussion be held in open session.

In their regular meeting, Trustees will recognize recent student achievements in One-Act Play, UIL Academics, Golf, and Track.

Action items included in the Regular Meeting agenda include:

• Consideration and Possible Approval of the Multihazard Emergency Operations Plan for the District.

• Consideration and Possible Action to Direct the Superintendent to Conduct Investigation into the Responsible Party (Author and Dissemination) of Letter Allegedly Authored by the Superintendent, which discusses Action on Administrators Contracts taken by the Board of Trustees at the February Board Meeting (Mr. Rick Olivares). This item appears to be related to copies of the "Superintendent's Corner" column from the February issue of the Skidmore Signal that were sent home with Elementary students.

• Consideration and Possible Approval of Personnel Recommendation(s)

The next Regular Meeting of S-T ISD Trustees is scheduled Tuesday, May 16, 2006, at 6:00 p.m.

Trans Texas Corridor Update

TTC-35 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (DEIS) ISSUED.

It’s out – and look out! The Federal Highway Administration has now released the Draft EIS for TTC-35 which includes 521 miles of toll road that TxDOT and Cintra Zachry want to see open by 2015.

In the path, as it has been narrowed today, are more than one and a half million acres of prime farm land, almost one million people, three major aquifers, more than 8 thousand acres of public park land, and more than 100 acres of federally recognized historic sites. From North to South the Recommended Preferred Corridor Alternative impacts these counties: Cooke, Grayson, Collin, Hunt*, Rockwall, Kaufman, Dallas*, Ellis, Navarro*, Hill, Limestone*, McLennan, Falls, Bell, Williamson, Travis, Bastrop*, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Bexar, Wilson*, Medina, Frio, LaSalle, and Webb. ( * Path could avoid these counties)

CorridorWatch.org will provide county-by-county TTC-35 maps in the very near future.

TTC-35 April 2006 DEIS Map (4MB)

Full DEIS Document

More analysis and detail from CorridorWatch coming in the next few days. -- CorridorWatch.org BULLETIN #2 04.04.06 submitted by Stacie Bednorz.

Sports Pics - Three Rivers Junior High Track Meet

Long distance runner Cody Wilson.

Photographer Arthur Robinson took some excellent shots of Saturday's Junior High Track Meet in Three Rivers. Click here to view the entire album by Rob's Digital Photoghaphy.

Long Line at Annual Rabies Clinic

Joshua and Morgan Lopez assist their grandfather, Santana Lopez, at Saturday's Rabies Clinic

If you haven't done so already, don't forget to take your pets over to the Skidmore Fire Station for discount Rabies shots. The clinic is open until 5:00 p.m. Saturday.