Suspect in Waller murder captured in Austin County
By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff
Just one month after a warrant was issued for her arrest, police have caught
Teresa McGrath, who is alleged to have murdered 36-year old Kenneth DeMarco in
March. McGrath was arrested in Austin County when Belleville police performed a
routine traffic stop on the car in which she was riding, according to Waller
Police Chief Randy Smith.
Teresa McGrath
A background check on McGrath revealed a warrant had been issued for her
arrest in Waller County for the murder of DeMarco. She was arrested without
incident, Smith said, and transported to the Waller jail, where she was still in
custody as of press time last week. Her bail was set at $300,000 by Pct. 2
Justice of the Peace Delores Hargrave.
DeMarco died of a gunshot wound to the chest March 6 in Waller. According to
Waller police, DeMarco was killed after a disagreement over a tattoo gun and a
$200 debt.
On the day of his alleged murder, DeMarco went to McGrath’s home to pick up
the tattoo gun. McGrath refused to turn over the item until the debt was paid.
Following an altercation between the two and two other visitors to McGrath’s
home, she allegedly shot DeMarco in the chest, killing him. He was pronounced
dead at the scene.
DeMarco’s murder was the first homicide in Waller in 12 years. An arraignment
for McGrath as been set for Oct. 9 in the 9th District Court in Waller County.
Couple critical after head-on with tow-truck
By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff
Both the driver and the passenger of a black 1998 Honda Shadow motorcycle are
listed in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital following a call to
Life Flight Aug. 18 by Department of Public Safety Trooper Angela Fountain. The
driver of a 2000 white Nissan tow-truck failed to yield the right-of-way during
a left hand turn, and hit the motorcycle head-on around 9:30 p.m. 250 feet east
of Lakeshore Dr. at FM 1488, according the report filed by Fountain.
Scott Soloars, 50, suffered two broken legs, severed tendons in his left hand
and internal injuries requiring multiple surgeries, and Debbie Russell, 49,
suffered two broken legs, a shattered hand and has been in a coma since the
accident, said Jacqui Dumas, a friend who is helping to rally the community to
the aid of Russell and Soloars.
Russell boards horses and offers shelter to abused animals at her Montgomery
property, Dumas said, while Soloars is a warehouse manager for Fox Packaging and
Display Ltd. in Houston.
The driver of the tow-truck, Michael Allen Hargett, 51, fled the scene of the
accident, but was later apprehended by police. He was transported to Tomball
Regional Hospital by Montgomery County Hospital District emergency services
where he was treated for sustained injuries. A blood sample revealed that
Hargett was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the DPS report said.
Following his discharge from the hospital the night of the accident, Hargett
was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on two counts of intoxication
assault, a third degree felony, and one count of failure to stop and render aid,
a state jail felony.
The intoxication assault charges each bear a $50,000 bond, while the state
jail charge bears a $2,500 bond. However, Hargett is being held on a parole
violation warrant for Montgomery County, which makes him ineligible for any
bail.
Dumas, along with friends and family of the Montgomery couple are organizing
a benefit fundraiser to help feed and care for animals on Russell’s property.
Mark and Joy Martin of Martin Arena have already donated hay and their time in
the care of the animals, said Dumas.
Donation jars can be found at M-N-M Grocery Inc. at 1510 FM 1486, as well as
at Henry’s Hideout at 46010 FM 1774 and at Texas Thunder Saloon at 29460 FM 1488
in Fieldstore. For more information about the benefit fundraiser please call
Texas Thunder Saloon at 936-372-2232.
Lady ’Dogs win showdown with cross-town rivals
By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff
The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs continued their hot start with a straight-set
victory over rival Tomball Lady Cougars Aug. 22 at Magnolia High School. The
Lady Bulldogs (5-2) were led by senior Michele Williams’ 10 kills on their way
to their third straight victory. The Lady Cougars fell to 1-2 on the season.
The Tomball Lady Cougars fell in all three sets to the Magnolia Lady Bulldogs
August 22 in a rivalry game at Magnolia High School.
Magnolia set the tone for the evening in the first set, easing past the Lady
Cougars with a 25-15 win. The second set saw much of the same, with the Lady
Cougars winning 25-16. The match was quickly clinched with a 25-19 third set
victory by Magnolia. Magnolia’s Hannah Fort and Alicia Shaffer each had eight
kills in the win. Williams also added three blocks in the effort. Jackie Stabell
led the Lady Cougars with nine kills.
The match up between the two marked the only time this season Tomball and
Magnolia will meet. For the past four years, the two competed in 17-5A and met
twice annually. With this year’s UIL realignment, both schools now compete in
different districts.
Prior to the game, Magnolia High School celebrated “Bulldog Night,” an event
that served as both a fundraiser for the school’s athletic program and as an
avenue to introduce the school’s fall sports teams. After the school’s ROTC
presented the colors, the concert choir performed the National Anthem. The
varsity cross country team, the varsity tennis team and the football teams were
all presented at the event. Also receiving recognition were the school’s support
squads, such as the choir, band, cheerleaders and drill team.
Next up for the Lady Bulldogs is another showdown with a former district
rival, Jersey Village, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. That game will also take place at
Magnolia High School. The Lady Cougars will hit the road to play Clear Brook
Aug. 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Boar’s Head service and quality available at Food Basket
By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff
For some in Magnolia the Food Basket at the corner of Buddy Riley Blvd and FM
1488 will always be Amatos grocery store, for others it may ring home as
Harlan’s grocery store, but for most the Food Basket has been an ever-present,
albeit changing icon in the community for 35 years.
Bryan Pace of Food Basket displays the new Boar’s Head deli meats case. He was
recently promoted to Perishable’s Manager in the dairy section of the store.
In April, Food Basket remodeled its deli to bring Boar’s Head delicatessen
products to shoppers. Boar’s Head products are free of artificial colors and
flavors, cereals, fillers and by-products, said Manager James Crow.
Deli Manager Brian Pace said, “Customers know they are getting preservative
free turkey, ham, and beef as well as a variety of cheeses from Swiss to
cheddar. The product is healthy for you. It’s good stuff.”
Pace has been with Food Basket since June 2002. He organized and established
the new Boar’s Head deli. He has since been promoted to Perishable Manager for
the dairy section of the store.
“The community appreciates the quality of the meat and cheeses that are
offered in the Boar’s Head deli. It’s the best you can get,” said Crow. “It has
very few preservatives and no water, its just good meat.”
Boar’s Head has been manufacturing quality delicatessen products since 1905.
Established by Frank Brunckhorst in Brooklyn NewYork, the company has not
wavered from its high standards of pace-setting quality in the marketplace for
over 105 years.
Food Basket has a history of responding to the service and quality needs of
the community as well. In the early 1990s when the store was called Amatos it
was remodeled, doubling the size of the building and the product offerings.
When Harlan’s purchased the store in 1995, Crow came on board to manage the
store until 1999. He returned to Magnolia in January of this year following a
purchase by Grocer’s Supply in 2003 and another remodel in 2004.
Food Basket has contributed to community events such as Magnolia’s first
National Night Out and continues to bring new product offerings to the community
with the same level of excellent service it has provided over the years.
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Trans-Texas Corridor forum held in Waller
By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff
The Trans-Texas Corridor is not just another highway. It is a 1,200-foot wide
$184 billion superhighway, and it may be coming to a neighborhood near you.
Citizens for a Better Waller County invited Fayette County’s David and Linda
Stall, founders of Corridor Watch, discussed the project at an Aug. 24 meeting
held at the Waller High School auditorium.
Citizens for a Better Waller County Board of Director member Martha Estes
The highway is a NAFTA effort planned to reach from Mexico to Canada that
will consume as much as 5,000 acres of Waller County alone. According to the
TxDOT website, in March 2005, TxDOT and Cintra-Zachry LP, a subsidiary of Cintra
Concesiones Infraestructuras SA of Madrid, Spain, signed a comprehensive
development agreement for TTC-35. The agreement authorizes a $3.5 million
planning effort only.
The Comprehensive Development Agreement between TxDOT and Cintra-Zachry LP,
exists in two parts: Exhibit B - Conceptual Development Plan, and Exhibit C –
Conceptual Final Plan. The Texas Attorney General’s office ordered the plans for
the Trans-Texas Corridor to be made available to the public. However, TxDOT
filed a lawsuit along with Cintra to keep the documents proprietary. The
documents have never been released, said Stall.
Sections of the corridor are referred to as TTC-35, TTC-69 and TTC-10 and are
planned to relieve traffic flow from major cities and small rural communities.
Four years have passed since Governor Rick Perry and TxDOT drafted a plan to
build the Trans-Texas Corridor, which the Transportation Commission adopted in
2002 without public discussion.
Public hearings have been held in all 254 Texas counties, but small rural
communities will be most economically impacted, said Stall. These communities
can ill-afford the relief to already unstable economic infrastructures, he said.
The quarter-mile wide project is planned to have 10 traffic lanes, six
passenger lanes and four trucking lanes with six rail tracks regulated for
various speeds. The utility zone is planned to be 200-feet wide to accommodate
large water lines, natural gas and petroleum pipelines and high power electrical
lines, leaving 435 feet of right-of-way planned for economic development along
the corridor.
“We do have a choice in all this,” said Stall. Those in attendance were urged
to get informed and get involved by contacting state representatives and
senators. “Ask to have the tools the legislature is abusing taken out of the
toolbox,” he said. “It’s about revenue, not transportation.”
Waller ISD and Hempstead ISD Board of Trustee members issued resolutions of
non-support for the corridor in 2005, said Citizens for a Better Waller County
Board of Director Martha Estes. County Judge Owen Ralsten and Waller ISD Board
member Leonard Treichel were present at the meeting, along with WISD Assistant
Superintendent for Finance Mike Marcus who gave a welcome to those in
attendance.
Independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who was a guest
speaker at the meeting, said, “Texans should own their land and their freeways
and they have a right to view the proprietary documents that are being kept from
them.”
For more information on the Trans-Texas Corridor, logon to
www.keeptexasmoving.com or
www.corridorwatch.org. For
information on Citizens for a Better Waller County contact
www.wallercounty citizens.org or call
979-826-2715.
Concordia freshman wins teen pageant
By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff
The Hometown With A Heart not only produces a rare sense of community, but
also a bevy of beauty queens. Following in the footsteps of beauty pageant
winners Mallory Martino, Whitney Washam and Carole Yost, Tomball’s Ashton Theiss
now wears a crown of her own.
Ashton Theiss
Theiss won the National American Miss Junior Teen Division at the state
pageant held July 29 through 31 at the Hotel Intercontinental in Dallas.
With her win, Theiss received an official state crown, banner and trophy, as
well as a $1,000 cash award.
Theiss will now compete in the National Pageant to be held in Anaheim,
Calif., during Thanksgiving weekend where she will also visit Disneyland and
tour the streets of Hollywood.
Theiss, a freshman at Concordia Lutheran High School, also won most promising
model, the pageant’s photogenic competition, and the actress competition and was
second runner-up in the sportswear competition.
Theiss is a member of the Concordia junior varsity cheerleading squad and is
a six-year honor roll student. She is a member of the National Charity League
and the Spanish Club and works with the Lair Nelson Fashion and Talent Group.
She is the daughter of David and Lyndsey Theiss.
UIL realignment brings Waller Band closer to home
By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff
The Waller Bulldog Band is looking forward to another sweepstakes this year
after celebrating its first trophy since 1997 during last year’s season. That
may prove to be a challenge for several reasons, but the Bulldogs are up to the
task.
The WHS Marching Bulldog Band stepped out Aug. 1 for the second day of a
two-week band camp. The band won the U.I.L Region 9 Marching Band Contest in
2005 earning straight Division 1 ratings from all judges.
Among changes the band faces this season is the district realignment by UIL,
which places the band in the Region 27 UIL district. According to Assistant
Director Mike Cheripka, the band will be competing closer to home for the
2006-07 season. Big competitors for the band are now the Brenham,
Cypress-Fairbanks, and Spring Branch school districts.
In last year’s season first division ratings by the marching band at the
Region 9 UIL marching contest, combined with first division ratings from all six
judges at the Region 9 UIL concert and all three judges in the sight-reading
portion of the contest, clinched the victory for the Waller Bulldog Band.
This year the band is performing an all-original music piece called “Happy
Holidays,” by Marc Martin, Bret Kuhn and Joseph Cox. With a 30-member increase,
for a total 148 students, the band is fully prepared for the coming season, said
Cheripka. “We’re taking new steps forward,” he said.
Other changes for the band include a new fine arts building, completed last
year as a part of a campus expansion plan, and a new practice grid.
Of greatest impact on the band is the presence of Cory Meals, who replaces
Gale Rask as Director of Bands this year while he begins his fifth year of
teaching at Waller High School. Meals was previously an Assistant Band Director
at Klein Forest High School and holds a Bachelor's Degree in music education
from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago.
Meals comes to the district prepared to move the band forward to another
successful season. He is a five-year veteran of the world champion Cavaliers
Drum and Bugle Corps (1997-2001) and has been a member of its brass staff since
2002. Meals was named Outstanding Fine Arts Teacher at Klein Forest High School
in the fall of 2004.
In regards to the bands progress over the last several weeks of practice,
Meals said, “It’s virtually impossible to expect something to get better every
day, but everyday they have gotten better. We are very, very proud of the work
they have done.”
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