Songs of Christmas for Guitar and Voice
Saturday, December 14th at 7:00 PM. Mt. Carmel Hermitage Monastery, Christoval, Texas.
Music for Advent and Christmas
Goodwill offering at the door
Proceeds benefit the
Mt. Carmel Hermitage Monastery
A silver SUV completely destroyed a gas pump at the Stripes on Sherwood Way by Sam's.
More details to come.
Special Thanks to our reader, Jon Borjas for sending us the story and photos!
The numbers are in and we’re starting to see a trend: Tuesday’s most common crime was once again burglary/theft, including incidents at buildings, habitations, coin machines and autos.
According to the SAPD Daily Incident Report, a total of 11 calls reported one of the above forms of sticky finger violation, and of the 24 new Tom Green County Jail temporary residents, four charges for burglary/theft were doled out.
Driving-related incidents, city warrants and criminal trespass charges accounted for approximately five incidents apiece, and four people who were jailed had driving-related charges.
Tuesday criminal activity was fairly low in comparison to Monday, however it was a day for the heinous, as three assault charges are listed, plus indecency with a child – sexual contact only and injury to child, elderly or disabled individual. There was one missing person report and two arrests for assault.
Also low on Tuesday were possession charges (two), and there was only one DWI.
Connor Mathew Dabney drew our attention this morning with his laundry list of arrest charges. Dabney, 25, was arrested for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Theft of a Firearm and Burglary of a Building. Dabney’s also managed to rack up three family assault charges, three theft charges, possession of marijuana and a DWI. He’s a winner, ladies. Good luck, Dabney.
Police are seeking tips on the whereabouts of 59-year-old David Eldon Schell, wanted on an Active Blue Warrant for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Schell is 5’10”, 200 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. Tips may be given at 1-855-TIPS-247.
Schell was born on December 11, 1963. He’s got four previous DWI’s, so you may look for him out on the roads with a bottle of birthday cheer here pretty soon. He’s also got two previous assault charges, so he’s not a force to be reckoned with. Best to call the tip line as the police request, and never to try to apprehend a suspect yourself.
Providing Christmas for 350 Children in the Concho Valley
Foster Communications’ KIXY-FM, Toys for Tots, and Outback Steakhouse will once again partner with the Children's Advocacy Center of Tom Green County for the “Christmas for Kids” toy drive.
The toy drive will kick off on Thursday, December 5th at Outback Steakhouse (4505 Sherwood Way) from 11:00 am-1:00 pm with a live remote from Foster Communications’ KIXY-FM and a special delivery from the local Toys for Tots program.
This year, the CAC has over 350 children in the program. The children who benefit from the “Christmas for Kids” program also receive services from CASA or Family Enrichment Services.
Individuals are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy, valued at $5.00 or more for the toy drive. Outback Steakhouse will donate a $10 off coupon for any lunch entrée to those generously lending their support to the program and toy drive.
Not all children get to experience the joy that Christmas brings with a brightly lit Christmas tree and beautiful packages. If you can help the CAC provide the magic of Christmas to a child in need, please give them a call at (325) 653-HOPE, email leann@cactomgreen.org or visit www.cactomgreen.org.
The Children's Advocacy Center of Tom Green County, Inc. prevents child abuse and neglect and secures for each child a safe and nurturing home. They provide hope and healing to children and families through four programs: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Hope House, Family Enrichment Services and the Child Fatality Review Team.
The San Angelo Symphony is gearing up for the annual Christmas Pops Concert of the symphony season. This year is going to be a little different though, with the introduction of Alma Mexicana into the mix.
“A Christmas Fiesta” is the name of this Christmas’ program, and features popular local mariachi band Alma Mexicana.
This may be the first Christmas program with mariachi, but it is not the first instance of the symphony teaming up with mariachi musicians.
“We’ve had the best mariachi in the world before, Mariachi Vargas,” said Hector Guzman. “It was the best concert we’ve ever had.”
Said concert sold out the Junell Center, but it also sparked the idea in Gregorio Gutierrez to have a local version.
Gutierrez, Publisher of Conexión Hispana Newspaper, spoke with Guzman, who agreed that a local mariachi band teaming up with the symphony was a good idea.
“I spoke with the committee and they loved it,” said Guzman, “all we needed then was the arrangements.”
But Mariachi and Symphony arrangements are not too common, which might have been problematic had Guzman not gotten in contact with Jesus Guzman (no relation) director of Los Camperos in Los Angeles.
“He actually gave us the arrangements,” explained Guzman, praising the man’s generosity.
Guzman thinks that this unique blend of differing music styles will be a big hit with the culture-loving city of San Angelo.
“Symphony goers not used to that will be surprised at how beautiful that sounds,” he explained, “and perhaps people that don’t attend symphony and are familiar with mariachi music will also see how beautiful the orchestra is.”
A native of Mexico himself, Guzman is getting the best of both worlds.
“I’m proud of where I come from, and I’m proud to be music director of the symphony,” Guzman said with a smile.
“A Christmas Fiesta” will be at the McNease Convention Center on Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m. but with the closing of many streets downtown for the parade, it is advised to get there early or plan an alternate route.
For more information or to buy tickets call 325-658-5877 or visit www.sanangelosymphony.org.
A little preview of the musical prowess of Alma Mexicana
If there’s one word that is reiterated by city do-gooders, it’s community. It’s often been said San Angelo is tight-knit, and acts like the Miller blood drive show how much citizens here pull together.
On Wednesday, contributing to the common welfare of the city was paid back to City of San Angelo employee Carlos Carrillo, when he won a $4,000 diamond necklace in the United Way’s annual Diamond Draw.
The giveaway is a collaborative effort of the United Way’s yearly fundraising campaign and a generous donation from United Way supporter and local jeweler, Mark Priest.
“He designs it himself,” says United Way President Patti Breitreiter, adding that Priest has been donating the diamond for 11 years now. Priest, owner of Legend Jewelers, says his design is meant to represent the community and the social institutions present that rely on one another to reach a common goal.
Each year, a theme is selected for the Diamond Draw, and Priest explains how he incorporated this year’s theme, “Count on Me” into the circular pendant of small diamonds around a larger center stone.
“We as a community are the whole design of the pendant,” Priest says. “The United Way and the area agencies that the United Way supports represent the individual stones, but they all lean in toward the center and that is to help the sole, individual person—be it the Food Bank, be it the Boy Scouts, be it the Concho Valley Home for Girls—because every bit of that works together for one common purpose, and that is to help people…That’s always kind of what we have in mind for the theme of it. It all fits together,” he says.
The United Way’s fundraising campaign runs every year from August through the end of December, and seeks to raise money for the support of program providers.
The programs are housed within agencies, who then apply for funding. A committee weighs each application and how the funds are intended to be used, then redistributes funds raised based on those decisions. In total, there are 18 agencies this year seeking funding for programs used by the United Way.
So far, the United Way has raised $1,201,861. Campaign Chair Archie Kountz said, “We’ve had some sources this year that are new money, that we didn’t have last year. Some of our company’s campaigns got their supplier to match their funds…we’ve gotten money from oil companies that are present here, and even some from landowners. I’m very confident. We’ve got a lot of money left to raise.”
An exact figure on how much the United Way hopes to raise by the end of the year has not been stated, but any donation is appreciated, a fact reiterated by the annual diamond giveaway. Individuals who made a donation to the campaign were eligible to enter the drawing, even those who donated a single dollar. The tumbler cage with name cards was packed full on Wednesday when Kountz rotated it once more and Priest went digging for the winner. Carlos Carrillo, a City employee, was unfortunately not present to claim his prize at the time of the drawing. He’ll receive it at a later date.
Parties interested in scheduling a United Way campaign may do so by calling the office at 325-949-3716.
“The United Way supports the community, but the United Way is also very grateful for the support of the community. People that make donations from where they work are the ones that make the campaign work, and we’re very grateful to them,” Kountz said.
Kissing someone under the mistletoe is a popular Christmas tradition in pop culture. There is always a funny moment in a movie where unlikely characters are forced to kiss out of some sort of commitment to tradition.
However did that come into play?
Who’s idea was it to hang a piece of plant over a doorway and make everyone kiss if they stood underneath it?
While they didn’t kiss under the mistletoe, the Druids highly regarded the plant. They went through great lengths to ceremoniously gather the plant and give it places of honor.
A potential origin for the kissing aspect of the tradition comes from Norse Mythology.
In Norse Mythology Frigga gathered promises from all living creatures except the mistletoe that they would not harm her son Baldur, the god of peace.
So of course he was shot with an arrow of mistletoe.
According to livescience.com “Frigga revived her son under the mistletoe tree and decreed that anyone who stands under the mistletoe tree deserves not only protection from death, but also a kiss.”
The tradition continued in Victorian era England, where a maiden who refused a kiss while under mistletoe was expected to end up an old maid.
An important note about the plant is that it was widely used for medicinal purposes despite the berries being mildly poisonous and that ingesting too much will cause death.
The West Texas Energy Consortium met in Big Spring on Tuesday to discuss the economic impacts of the oil and gas industry.
Dr. Tom Tunstall of the University of Texas San Antonio Institute of Economic Development Center for Community and Business Research was the keynote speaker, and presented the baseline impact study for the Cline Shale.
Other speakers from various aspects of the industry supplemented the information Tunstall presented, some of it bringing forth new perspectives many hadn’t considered yet.
“They’re not going to spend a lot of money exploring the Cline Shale yet because they don’t have to, they’re already making bank in the areas they are already in,” explained Alyssa Yingst, Regional Outreach Coordinator for the consortium.
The Wolf Camp Shale, the Spraeberry Shale, the Eagle Ford Shale, and the rest of the Permian Basin are still so lucrative that companies have no need to drill the more expensive wells that reach the deeper Cline Shale.
That doesn’t mean that Cline is out of the picture, just that it’s not the highest priority for many companies.
Companies have trade secrets and don’t always share how lucrative their wells are, or how exploratory wells are doing, so information doesn’t arrive in a timely fashion to gauge the growth.
Yingst explained that Tunstall mentioned that his baseline study was very conservative in its initial projections.
That is to be expected from a baseline, with phase two having a more detailed projection for the region.
One thing that might surprise many dreading the ‘oil boom’ is that the industry doesn’t think in terms of ‘boom’ and ‘bust’ anymore.
“That was the consensus from the presenters,” Yingst said. “This is a much slower moving machine than what they’ve seen in the past. They [industry leaders] talk about it differently now than they used to.”
According to Yingst, the presenters are trying to break the perception that the bottom is going to fall out and that technology has progressed to where they can figure out where oil is and how to get it.
“We know what’s there and we are continuing to find more than we expected,” said Yingst.
The purpose of the presentations at the consortium was to get all 49 counties on the same page.
“[The] main goal is to be a forum for industry reps, individuals, land owners, businesses, organizations looking at impacts of economics, [and] health care facilities, where everyone is coming together to have a unified voice,” explained Yingst.
The unified voice holds more sway in Texas and national legislature and ensures that the rural communities are not left behind.
“We [rural communities] need money to fix our roads, we need money to explore water projects,” said Yingst. “It’s just going to be so much better if all these communities work together.”
As time moves on, many sub-committees will meet and discuss the impact of the Cline Shale in their communities and have questions and information to offer when the next meeting is.
All this together will help communities prepare and deal with the continued industry and economic growth in the area.
For more information about the Cline Shale economic impacts, visit http://www.westtexasenergyconsortium.com/
Low down, dirty scoundrels were out on the loose in San Angelo Wednesday, as Police calls and arrests circulated around Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance and various assault charges.
The SAPD Daily Incident report lists 41 calls, seven of which were for some sort of assault or abuse, including family violence strangulation/suffocation, sexual assault and possible child abuse among them. Likewise, three arrests were made on assault charges Wednesday, and one sex offender who had not registered was booked for various charges.
Also high on Wednesday were charges pertaining to the manufacture and delivery of drugs. Four of 31 different perpetrators were arrested on these charges, the most we’ve seen all week on a single day. Possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana accounted for four arrests total, and two DWI arrests were made.
The Tom Green County Jail Inmate Bookings Report shows a lot of inmates with a multiple charges, but 28-year-old Brandon Michael Richardson tops our list. Richardson was arrested by the SAPD yesterday on four Commitment charges, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Sex Offender’s Duty to Register (for the second time this year), and Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance greater than or equal to 200 grams < 400 grams.
There were no additional criminal or jail records (in Tom Green County) on Richardson.
As can be expected, burglary and theft once again tipped the scales of calls and bookings Wednesday, with 10 burglary/theft calls resulting in four arrests. One of these calls was for burglary of a vehicle – vehicle parts only, so be sure you’re keeping tabs on your windshield wipers and gas caps. Those things are in high demand.
Janet and David Harvey and The San Angelo Symphony invite you to join us for the event of the Season. Comfort food and festive sounds are sure to warm the HEART and delight the senses.
Heavy Hors d'oeuvres and Drinks, Dancing in the Ballroom, and Complimentary Valet Parking.
Tickets are $100 per person.
Built in 1908, the national and local historical Henderson Mansion on Park Street, now home of Janet and David Harvey, will be the host site for the Christmas soiree with lavish yuletide decor. The home has been through many transformations, and during World War II, it was used as a boarding house. Now completely resorted to its original glory, it will again come alive with the beauty and elegance oaf a time past.
Please R.S.V.P. by December 9th to the Symphony office - (325) 658-5877
Marines, Child Advocacy Center volunteers, and one cold KIXY DJ, David Carr, braved the cold in front of Outback Steakhouse Thursday to collect Toys for Tots.
The toy drive took place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and those participating got a $10 off coupon for a lunch entrée.
“We have partnered with them [Outback] for several years,” said Leann Hubert, Director of Marketing Services at the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Even the casual passerby would note the success of the drive as many people streamed into Outback or casually dropped off their donations.
Hubert explained that Toys For Tots works with the Children’s Advocacy Center around Christmastime to sponsor some of the children in the program.
“They have a wish list of four items with sponsors who help them,” said Hubert. “We have 350 kids who need a sponsor.”
In a surprising twist (for LIVE! anyway), the Woodmen of the World made an appearance to present a check to the Children’s Advocacy Center for $1,000.
“This is what we do,” said Tommy Wood, from Woodmen of the World. “The donations are paid with dues from Woodmen members.”
Other recipients of $1,000 checks from the Woodmen are Meals for the Elderly and Toys For Tots, the latter of which received a check at Outback along with the Children’s Advocacy Center
Toys for Tots is a Marine Reserve program with the mission to make sure underprivileged children receive Christmas presents.
The Children's Advocacy Center of Tom Green County, Inc. prevents child abuse and neglect and secures for each child a safe and nurturing home.
For more information on the Children’s Advocacy Center call (325) 653-HOPE, email leann@cactomgreen.org or visit www.cactomgreen.org.
Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Mild has been meeting with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and National Weather Service officials, along with our local law enforcement officers, throughout the day, monitoring conditions and forecasts.
Mild urges in the strongest terms possible that people should refrain from driving if at all possible tomorrow, particularly on Loop 306 and the Houston Harte Expressway.
Mild says in an email:
“Given all forecasts, it is a foregone conclusion that the roads will be iced over in the morning making travel extremely hazardous.
“We don’t know how much precipitation we will receive. What is known is that the high for tomorrow is currently projected to be 29 degrees, and may be adjusted even lower. The high will not be reached until early afternoon. Because of that, whatever ice we have on the roads will remain there, and road conditions will not improve much, if any. The sub-32 degree temperatures are forecast to remain through Sunday afternoon.”
Mild is the emergency management coordinator for San Angelo and Tom Green County.
Elisabethan Eco Fashion. What the heck is that? Well, if your first thought was of immense and ornate petticoats from 75 thread count hemp sheets or corsets with horsehair drawstrings, you’re not the only one.
A trunk show featuring “upcycled” accessories and fashion is sure to have the hippies come out in hoards, but don’t put on your patchouli repellant just yet, because you’re not going to find any shimmering recycled coke can accents at Papel this weekend.
“They collect old T-shirts and sweaters and stuff,” explains Kim Mikeska, owner of Papel and host to the Eco Fashion trunk show. “They have their own patterns and cut them out and sew them together to make the clothes,” she said. Mikeska is wearing her own brown-tone eco skirt with a large flower sewn on the side.
The product line, named after owner and crafter Elisabeth Delehaunty, has been around since 1996 and was inspired by thrift store shopping and vintage fabrics.
[The idea stems from] a love of sewing and fabric and a bad habit of going to thrift stores and bringing more stuff home than I need,” says Delehaunty.
The designer says that when she started in the ‘90s, she worked primarily with vintage fabric and toured various juried art shows. Seeking a break from the travel and a use from fabric stores, she began “upcycling” old clothes into unique new fashions.
“I just had a lot of raw materials that needed to be used,” Delehaunty says, “and was looking for way to use them.”
All of the products from Elisabethan are hand made in Paonia, Colo. by Delehaunty and her staff. The line features tops and tunics, skirts, scarves and small accessory clip-on bows and headbands.
“Every piece is unique and it’s all really nice,” adds Mikeska, who says this is her second year selling the clothing wares. “They’re also knit…so you can wear it here in San Angelo,” she says, noting this weekend’s exception to our moderate temperatures.
The environmentally-conscious fashion business also does custom work upon request, just send in old T-shirts and sweaters and have a new piece designed, hand cut and sewn together with your favorite old pieces combined.
As for Delehaunty, she doesn’t really have a favorite thing to make. “There’s something nice about making some of the small stuff,” she says, noting the detail, “but there’s also something about…seeing how the bigger pieces come together.”
In San Angelo, Mikeska says the scarves tend to be the most popular, and with the trunk show to run through Saturday, she just hopes she’s got enough. Customers making a $50 purchase or more will receive a $10 off coupon on Thursday only, and supplies are available only while they last.
“I’m just thrilled that we’ve made such a good name in San Angelo,” Delehaunty said.
Austin--Gov. Rick Perry today issued an emergency proclamation directing additional state resources to prepare for a severe winter storm system that is moving across Texas. The governor yesterday activated the Texas Military Forces to preposition assets in preparation for the storm.
"As this winter storm makes its way across the state, I urge all those in the affected communities to closely monitor the storm and prepare for dangerous weather conditions," Gov. Perry said. "We will continue to take the necessary actions to make state resources available to assist affected areas."
State resources currently responding include:
• 54 Texas Military Forces personnel and 20 supporting vehicles prepositioned in Wichita Falls and Sherman to assist with rescuing stranded motorists.
• Texas Department of Transportation officials to treat roadways in affected areas. Regional offices are monitoring the situation and remain ready to provide additional assistance as necessary.
• The Public Utility Commission to monitor power outages due to ice and coordinate any necessary response with utility companies.
The National Weather Service is forecasting frozen precipitation across much of Texas, with significant impacts around north and central Texas. Temperatures are forecast to remain below freezing for most of the weekend.
Texans may call 2-1-1 for winter weather related resources, such as information regarding Warming Centers where individuals may seek daytime shelter from the cold. Relay services and cell phone users who have out-of-state area codes can access 2-1-1 in Texas by dialing 1-877-541-7905.
The State Operations Center is activated and working with the National Weather Service to closely monitor this severe weather event. Below, the proclamation.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:
I, RICK PERRY, Governor of the State of Texas, do hereby certify that a significant winter storm poses a threat of imminent disaster in the following counties: Andrews, Archer, Armstrong, Bailey, Baylor, Bell, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Bowie, Briscoe, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Carson, Castro, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crockett, Crosby, Dallam, Dallas, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Ector, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Franklin, Gaines, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Grayson, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Haskell, Hemphill, Henderson, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Howard, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jack, Johnson, Jones, Kaufman, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Knox, Lamar, Lamb, Lampasas, Limestone, Lipscomb, Llano, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, Mason, McCulloch, McLennan, Menard, Midland, Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Moore, Motley, Navarro, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Parmer, Potter, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Red River, Roberts, Rockwall, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Sherman, Somervell, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Upton, Van Zandt, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Williamson, Winkler, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, and Young.
THEREFORE, in accordance with the authority vested in me by Section 418.014 of the Texas Government Code, I do hereby declare a state of disaster in the counties listed above based on the existence of such threat, and direct that all necessary measures, both public and private as authorized under Section 418.017 of the code, be implemented to meet that threat.
As provided in Section 418.016, all rules and regulations that may inhibit or prevent prompt response to this threat are suspended for the duration of the incident.
In accordance with the statutory requirements, copies of this proclamation shall be filed with the applicable authorities.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 5th day of December, 2013.
RICK PERRY
Governor of Texas
To those not familiar with the word ‘wassail’ it is merely a delicious mulled cider drink that is a favorite at Christmas parties.
‘Wassail’ is an old English word that wishes one good health, much like ‘cheers.’
Wassailing was used to celebrate harvests and wish good health during the winter to friend. To do so, people would fill a bowl with a variety of mulled drinks and share the Wassail.
Sometimes the bowl was taken door to door, usually with singing involved, and is the origin of the popular Christmas Carol “Here We Come A-Wassailing” or “Here We Come A-Caroling.”
“Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wand’ring
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
And God bless you, and send you
A Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year,
Here We Come a-wassailing”
History.uk.org describes the harvest aspect in earlier times of the tradition, “in the earliest known days of the practice, the wassail was poured on to the orchards after harvest as a libation or offering to bless the fields for the coming spring and to ward off evil.”
While that is rarely done anymore, the tradition of gathering for a party and visiting people door to door while singing still has participation today.
When you’re looking to buy drugs in town, there’s usually a neighborhood for that. Old, decrepit houses with chipped paint line streets with little to no traffic posts, junk and debris are discarded haphazard in yards and alleyways, and a shambles of a sidewalk —if there’s any there at all—serves more as a safety hazard than a walkway. Every town has these areas—San Angelo included—and up until 2005, there wasn’t much the City could do about it.
When Bob Salas got hired as Director of Community Development for the City of San Angelo that year, one of the first jobs he was given was to develop a neighborhood revitalization plan that addresses the issues of the city’s ‘slums’.
As his first order of business, Salas needed a plan to put his neighborhood revitalization in motion, and that plan logically began with identifying target areas. He and the City organized a windshield survey—a survey reliant on systematical observation made from a moving vehicle—and four areas around elementary schools were identified as particularly problematic. Those areas were Rio Vista, Blackshear, Fort Concho and Regan.
“The first time I drove around…I was going down Blackshear, 11:00 in the morning, in my City truck,” Salas says. “I get stopped by some kids—youngsters—out there drinking beer at 11:00 in the morning. They stop me and ask me if I want to buy drugs. I thought to myself ‘we’ve got a problem here. If they’ll stop a city vehicle—I mean, there’s something wrong with that. That’s big city—that’s Chicago—that’s not San Angelo.’”
But it was San Angelo, back then. With the memory of the boys still fresh in his mind, Salas says that the City identified 47 disheveled houses being used for illicit purposes, then joined forces with a military organization to get started on a systematic clean up of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.
“We partnered with the National Guard and we knocked down 47…vacant, abandoned houses that were being used for crack houses,” Salas says. “In fact, it was called Operation Crackdown. A lot of the drug dealers had to scatter and go somewhere else. Right away, it started making the citizens feel safer.”
Salas said that following the cleverly named operation, he began receiving phone calls of gratitude, but still, one of the neighborhoods he’d identified as worst was still being neglected. That neighborhood was Blackshear, where he’d met the young beer-drinking boys during the windshield survey.
“It was almost systematically neglected,” Salas describes. “They had no sidewalks, no stop signs, no street lights. The roads were deteriorated. We started focusing on that. We took all the funds that were earmarked for housing and dedicated it to that; we took funds that were earmarked for streets and dedicated it to that area and got sidewalks, stop signs, those kind of things, he said.
“We started partnering with the private sector and we started building homes, started fixing homes, went out and got a tax credit project through the state…got money to build 36 brand new, single-family houses to embed in the neighborhood, and we got an award for it,” he said.
The award came from the Texas Municipal League and was bestowed upon the City of San Angelo in 2013 for spirit, knocking out metroplexes and other rural area contenders at the same time.
By 2013 of course, the neighborhood revitalization project had grown from an idea into fruition, and Neighborhood Blitz was the spawn of that. The blitz program focuses on spot-cleaning and keeping appearances up to improve life quality and dignity in troubled neighborhoods. Run by City staff and volunteers from ASU, Goodfellow and the community, the blitz program touches up minor aesthetic damage on home exteriors, removes junk and garbage from streets, and repairs doors and windows to a safe standard.
“No other city does it the way we do it,” says Salas. “We close down non-critical City offices and the personnel get allocated to…me and my staff.” The personnel are then divided up into teams which address certain areas, such as streets and alleys, and then pick up trash, cut brush, paint houses, etc. “We’ve collected over 700 tons of junk and debris,” Salas states as example. “We’ve collected over 600 tires.”
With a whole lot of spot-cleaning going on, however, some became concerned that they were putting a band-aid on a bullet hole, a dressing paid for with tax dollars.
“I had some serious questions about it.,” said Mayor Dwain Morrison of his position on Neighborhood Blitz two years ago at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “I don’t remember whether I voted against it, but I had some serious questions about it,” he continued. Then, drawing long and emphatically on the next word, said, “However, I was wrong. I have seen the advantages this has done, because we have cleaned the neighborhoods up, and it seems like when one person starts doing something, then it’s who’s the next neighbor to start doing something. It’s kind of the domino effect,” he says.
Morrison said that his biggest concern had been a felt favoritism in the neighborhoods where blitz was taking place, a ‘why your house and not mine’ standpoint that may cause hard feelings among neighbors. He was also concerned that City staffers paid on the taxpayer’s dime were not in their offices during blitz projects.
In the absence of San Angelo City Councilman Winkie Wardlaw's usual skepticism (Wardlaw was absent), Councilman Don Vardeman spoke out in rare form at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, expressing opinions and concerns similar to the Mayor’s from two years prior when Salas showed up to ask for funds.
“I’m totally opposed to this,” Vardeman began. “I would rather fix up houses from the inside out than just this outside stuff…if you’ve got electrical problems, sheetrock problems, those people have to live in there. I would rather substantially repair an older person’s home, to make it safe, warm and comfortable for them than putting up siding,” he said, dismissing the blitz program as superficial.
Salas’ request had been to approve an amendment to the action plan for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), annual grants disseminated by the Housing and Urban Development agency, which stipulates that the funds may be used in any fashion that benefits moderate-income citizens.
The funds have been used for a variety of things in the past, ranging from health issues to recreational centers, but this time Salas is seeking funding for housing.
“In the past we’ve used the half-cent sales tax affordable housing funds…to pay for the siding replacement. Unfortunately, those half-cent funds have dried up, so in order to continue the blitz, we’re recommending using CDBG grant funds. We’d like to move $102,969 from what we call complete rehabs to the annual blitz,” Salas explained.
Complete rehabs are the sort that Councilman Vardeman mentioned—renovations worked from the inside out, each with a cap of $25,000 on it. With the average blitz project costing circa $4,000, the impact is much more widespread, which Salas says is the objective of the program.
“As the funds get limited, it gets harder for us to do complete rehabs,” he says. “For $100,000 and the max is $25, how many can you do? Four. What impact is that? It’s great for the four families, but how about the rest of the citizens? You’ve got to do something for the city and for the neighborhood. I do neighborhood revitalization.”
To help allay some of Vardeman’s concerns, Salas reminded the Council that the blitz effort does offer an emergency repair program for internal and external issues, and that they fund Helping Hands, an organization that targets elderly homeowners and does more invasive work.
“I wouldn’t be opposed to taking this money and putting it toward them,” Vardeman said, still not convinced. Councilman Silvas then stepped in and suggested that the two organizations try to coordinate better, so that as much could be done as possible.
Noting the good the program is doing, councilman Silvas stated: “I’ve been a part of a couple of those blitzes. Not only do I see the morale of the staff—they’re fired up and ready to go that day—but I also the morale of the other volunteers,” Silvas began. “But at the end of the day, when I see that elderly lady and she has her house painted or just redone and I see those tears coming down—that’s all worth it.”
Silvas’ moving statement was enough to compel the Mayor ask for a motion to approve, which Silvas immediately made. Following a brief round of public comment all in favor of the blitz program, even Councilman Vardeman had been dissuaded from his original stance.
“I’m not against the blitz,” he said, “I just want to make sure everything’s out in the open.”
The Mayor called for a vote and the amendment passed, 6-0.
Ambelside School of San Angelo all classes cancelled Friday.
Angelo Catholic School all classes cancelled Friday.
Angelo State University all classes cancelled Friday.
Ballinger ISD all classes cancelled Friday.
Christoval ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Claudia's Creative Childcare Center closed until 10 a.m.
Cornerstone Christian School all classes cancelled Friday.
Eldorado ISD delayed two hours Friday.
First Baptist Church CDC will open at 9am.
The Gingerbread House Preschool will be opening at 9:00 am
Glen Meadows Joy School all classes cancelled Friday.
Grape Creek ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Harris Avenue Baptist Church delayed until 9:30 a.m.
Howard College/West Texas Training Center all classes cancelled Friday.
Irion County ISD delayed two hours on Friday.
Junction ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Kidz Are Us Learning Center closed Friday.
Little Rascals Clubhouse closed Friday.
Miles ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Ozona ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Paint Rock ISD all classes cancelled Friday.
Park University-Goodfellow AFB Campus is delayed until 10 a.m. for Friday, December 6.
Pumpkin Patch Preschool closed Friday.
Robert Lee ISD delayed two hours on Friday.
San Angelo Christian Academy all classes cancelled Friday.
San Angelo ISD all classes cancelled Friday.
Schleicher County ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Sonora ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Southwest Childrens' Academy closed until 9 a.m.
Sterling City ISD delayed two hours Friday.
TLCA all classes cancelled Friday.
Veribest ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Wall ISD all classes cancelled Friday.
Water Valley ISD delayed two hours Friday.
Winters ISD all classes cancelled Friday.
YMCA Preschool closed Friday.
Shannon Baby Care Classes that start at 6:15 p.m. have been cancelled for December 5th.
The City of San Angelo will delay the opening of its offices by two hours on December 6.
MHMR closed until 10 a.m.
United Way closed until 10 a.m.
Workforce Solutions closed Friday.
Republic Services' garbage trucks will begin their Friday routes two hours later than normal.
Ozona Community Center will be delayed until 9:30 a.m. Friday
Concho Valley Community Supervision and Corrections Department is closed.
Concho Christmas Parade, Light Parade and Community Tree lighting all cancelled. Light tour and Christmas at Fort Concho still a go.
Crockett County Public Library will be delayed until 10 a.m. Friday
Crockett County Courthouse Annex will open at 10 a.m. Friday
Meals for the Elderly closed Friday
If you have authoritative information on school closings or delayed openings, please email webmaster@sanangelolive.com or text to (214) 893-6791
