White supremacists suspected in Magnolia man’s death

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

The burned body of Gregory Wilkomm was found Sept. 29 along the banks of the San Jacinto River near the Montgomery County line in Northeast Harris County, one day after he went missing.

Gregory Wilkomm

Police have arrested seven people in connection with his death, several of whom are believed to have connections with the Arian Nation Brotherhood, a criminal street and prison gang.

While the body was found in late September, it wasn’t until Oct. 10 that the Harris County Medical Examiners office identified it as Wilkomm. He was last seen Sept. 28 mowing his lawn, police said.

However, authorities say they do not know the cause of death.

James Stallings, 32, of Magnolia, Joshua Berryhill, 23, of Frankston, and Joshua Tarrant, 25, of Frankston have been arrested in connection with Wilkomm’s death.

According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, police learned that Wilkomm’s credit card and identifying information were used throughout North Harris County and East Montgomery County.

Police arrested and charged four other suspects, Tammy Mozingo, 42, of Spring, Johnny Mozingo, 46, of Houston, Robert Fath Jr., 30, of New Caney, Kasey Kantak, 25, of Splendora, and Rachel Trussell, 27, of Cypress in connection with the use of Wilkomm’s credit cards and checking account information.

Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers or the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

In the tradition of the Mayor’s Cup, Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagen (left) presented the trophy to Magnolia Mayor Jimmy Thornton (right), appearing incognito dressed in sunglasses and Bulldog colors, at the Oct. 9 Magnolia City Council Meeting. This is the first year the Magnolia Bulldogs have won the cup by beating the Tomball Cougars on Sept. 17 since Thornton instituted the tradition in 2004.
Photo by Cari Herr

Longtime Tomball private school named among nation’s elite

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

One of the Tomball community’s most revered educational institutions has received one of the nation’s most prestigious awards.

Jenny Honeck (center) leads Salem Lutheran students in a song during the school’s celebration of its Blue Ribbon Award on Oct. 10.

Salem Lutheran School has been named a 2007 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

According to Salem, the honor was achieved by consistently scoring in the top 10 percent of the nation on nationally-normed tests over the last decade.

“What a blue ribbon school does is make sure every child has forward progress,” said Principal Dr. Mary Beth Gaertner. “And our kids are in that top 10 percent in the nation. That’s been a long time coming.”

Gaertner explained that Salem enrolls a range of students that span the educational spectrum while administrators work to meet each child’s needs.

“We think we’re very good at assessing children and what their learning levels are,” she said. “We then adjust our curriculum and instruction to meet their needs.”

Salem was one of 287 schools in the nation to achieve the Blue Ribbon Award, and was the only private school in the Houston area named. They were also the only Lutheran school in Texas awarded and one of two, along with a school in New Mexico, in the nation.

“These schools are proving that when we raise the bar, our children will rise to the challenge,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

The Blue Ribbon Program is part of the national No Child Left Behind mandate. According to the Dept. Of Education, the schools are selected based on one of two criteria: Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests; and schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests, or in the case of private schools, the top 10 percent of the nation on tests.

A total of 413 schools nationwide can be nominated.

After Gaertner and Salem administrators completed the application process, the wait for a decision ensued.

“We were told it would be the third week of September when the schools were awarded,” Gaertner said.

But delays forced the decision back to Oct. 2. “We just humbly waited,” she said. It was then that Gaertner got the good news, in an e-mail from the Dept. of Education. Last week, Salem students, teachers and administrators celebrated the achievement with a special Wednesday morning chapel service, blue ribbons, specially-designed blue T-shirts, blue cookies and blue balloons. The celebration will continue when Salem will be honored, along with the rest of the recognized schools, during a ceremony in Washington D.C. on Nov. 12 and 13.

North Harris County focus of crime enforcement initiative

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

A recent enforcement initiative by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office has resulted in 96 arrests, the seizure of more than 900 grams of narcotics and 540 traffic citations.

The operation was held Oct. 5 and 6 in north Harris County between 6 p.m. and 4 a.m. each day and targeted the area bounded by Hardy Toll Road North and Ella Blvd. on the east and west and Parramatta and North Forest Blvd. on the north and south.

According to the sheriff’s office, a mobile command post was set up in the Cypress Station Shopping Center parking lot at 235 FM 1960 and served as the center of operations during the operation.

The initiative included personnel from Districts I and II patrol, the Crime Control Division, K-9, and Communications.

Arrests
There was one arrest for an adult felony warrant, four felony drug arrests, three other felony arrests, 58 arrests for outstanding warrants, 18 drug arrests and 12 other arrests.

Drugs/Weapons
Officers seized 802 grams of marijuana, 75 grams of cocaine, 9.2 grams of Xanax, and 36 grams of ecstasy; as well as five guns and $4,345 cash.

New programs at MISD increase student safety on line and on campus

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

With the onset of rapidly advancing technology, parents, students, faculty and staff of the Magnolia Independent School District (MISD) will have more resources for campus and Internet safety available to them this year.

Two new programs, iSafe.org and MISD CrimeStoppers, were highlighted in presentations made at the district’s Oct. 8 board meeting, both aimed at increasing the safety of students online and on campus.

MISD Technical Coordinator Chris Turek unveiled the district’s new iSAFE.org training program as an “essential resource for parents and the rest of the community.”

ISafe offers a training program called i-Learn, which uses a Web-based video module system that allows parents to stop, pause and rewind the training modules that will allow users to become iSafe certified, Turek said.

Established in 1998, iSafe America is a non-profit organization designed to educate parents and students on how to avoid dangers online. The program combines students, parents, law enforcement and community leaders in an Internet safety-training environment.

The new tool will teach Internet users to use the resource “properly, judiciously and responsibly, and will help parents understand the dangers of online social networking,” said Turek.

A link can be found on the district’s Web site, www.magnoliaisd.org, by accessing the Parent and Student Information menu and clicking on Safety Training.

“To get the buzz out there,” the district will include information and training in the current computer curriculum classes and send information to parents through campus newsletters and announcements, said Director of Technology Rob Miller.

In addition to iSafe, the district has partnered with Montgomery County CrimeStoppers, the Pct. 5 Constables Office and Prosperity Bank to implement a program that has been two years in the making.

The MISD CrimeStoppers program will empower students, staff, and parents to anonymously report illegal campus activities by calling 281-356-7283. A tip number will be assigned to the call. The tip will then be investigated and followed up on.

“If the tip is good, the caller can receive a pass code and a reward amount will be established. The caller can then take that pass code to any Prosperity Bank drive thru where the reward will be issued,” said Lt. Chris Jones of Pct. 5.

Prosperity Bank is providing the rewards up to $1,000, Montgomery County Crime Stoppers is facilitating the establishment of the reward, and the Constable’s office, which also facilitates the district’s D.A.R.E. program, is providing the investigative manpower.

Funding for the program is provided by the district and is supplemented by government entitlement funds for safe and drug free schools, according to Director of Student Services Matt Clark.

The program is modeled after the Conroe ISD CrimeStoppers program, which has paid out $5,000 since January.

In other district news, a public hearing was held Oct. 8 to receive comments on the Superior Achievement rating the district received in the state’s Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, known as School FIRST.

School districts are required to prepare an annual financial accountability report and present it at a public hearing, according to a district report. The results were released by the Texas Education Agency for year ending June 30, 2006.

“This is the highest rating a district can receive and MISD has accomplished that rating every year since FIRST was implemented,” said Financial Director Jan Jones.

No MISD elementary No. 9
At the Oct. 8 Magnolia Independent School Board meeting, Superintendent Michael Holland made it clear that recent reports regarding the building of a ninth elementary school in Magnolia Ridge were false. “There has been no determination as to the location of the next school, there has not been a bond issued to build that school, and no land has been donated,” said Holland. He added that the district would entertain a donation of land and a consideration of the building of a ninth elementary school, but that the district was considering “no such thing at this time.”

Fish fry fundraiser
Fall festivals and fundraisers are underway and area residents can enjoy the first fruits of fall at a Fish Fry and Auction to be held Oct. 20 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Church at Friendship, located at 25979 Kickapoo and Joseph Road in Hockley. The meal will include fried catfish, coleslaw, French fries, baked beans, hushpuppies, dessert and drink. A silent auction will be held throughout the day. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children age 6 to 11 and are available in advance or at the door. Discount tickets are $9 with the purchase of 10 or more adult tickets. Proceeds will benefit the Friendship Children’s Ministry and the Friendship Hospitality Committee. For advance tickets, call 281-961-3434 or the church office at 936-931-9369.

Rotary blood drive
The Magnolia Rotary Club is sponsoring an area wide blood drive on Nov. 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The drive will be held at the St. Matthias Catholic Church in Magnolia in the Parish Life Center. Sign up at www.eblooddrive.org and follow the “Find a Drive” link. For more information, call Steve Hoffart at 281-356-9089.

Bulldogs fall to resurgent Tigers, 28-10

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

The Magnolia Bulldogs were the latest to fall victim to the Conroe Tigers’ return to power. The Bulldogs ended up on the losing end of a 28-10 final Oct. 5 on Magnolia High School’s homecoming night.

The Tigers took advantage of five Bulldog turnovers on their way to a sixth straight win and their first in district 15-5A. After several years of mediocrity, the Tigers (6-0 overall, 1-0 in district) are once again becoming a power program in the north Houston area.

The Bulldogs played a strong first half, taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room. The Magnolia defense limited the Cougars to just 35 total yards.

But Magnolia could not sustain the momentum going into the third quarter, allowing three Tiger touchdowns and surrendering their diminutive lead.

Chase Wehr’s 70-yard touchdown run in the third kept the Bulldogs within striking distance, but the Magnolia offense failed to muster another scoring drive the rest of the way.

The Tigers’ first score came early in the third when Drayton Booker scored on a 55-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead on Wehr’s touchdown run, making it 10-7, but the Tigers pulled in front for good on an 81-yard scoring strike from Justin Smith to Ronald Stine.

Conroe’s D.D. Johnson scored on a pair of short-yardage runs to put the game away for the Tigers. Booker led all players with 119 yards rushing.

The Bulldogs mostly ignored the passing game, with quarterback Josh Smith throwing only three times, completing a pass for 24 yards.

Smith, however, was the main component in the ground attack, running 22 times for 64 yards. The stifling Tiger defense limited Smith to just 2.9 yards a carry.

The Tigers also out-gained the Bulldogs on offense, with 318 yards of total offense compared to the Bulldogs’ 216. The Bulldogs next game is Oct. 20 when they travel to play College Park at 1 p.m.

WHS Bulldogs clobber Caney Creek, 41-7

The Waller High School Bulldogs continued their winning ways Oct. 5 with a 41-7 romp over the Caney Creek Panthers. The Panthers, who entered the contest with a 4-1 record and leading the district in offense and defense, had the Bulldogs primed for a big fight.

Both teams seemed to have a bad case of nerves during the first quarter. Caney Creek committed two turnovers, while the Bulldogs fumbled on their opening possession. The Bulldogs eventually settled down to score 21 points in the second quarter to take a 21-0 halftime lead.

Byron Abbs scored twice from short yardage and Jeremy Luckett added a touchdown from on an option pitch.

After the half, the story stayed the same as the Bulldogs scored 20 unanswered points in the third quarter. Jeremy Phillips threw touchdown passes to Joplo Bartu and Andrew Simon. Steven Williams added a touchdown on the ground.

Phillips finished the game 10 for 12 with 195 yards passing and two touchdowns. Leading receivers were Bartu, Williams, and Simon.

Defensively, the Bulldogs had another dominating performance. The defense held Joe Simmons, the district’s leading rusher to -9 yards. The district’s second leading rusher, Terrance Griffin, was held to just 45 yards on the ground.

The Bulldog’s defensive unit held their third straight opponent under 200 total yards and seven points.

Waller County Fair Junior Livestock Auction breaks all-time record

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

The 62nd Annual Waller County Fair Junior Livestock Auction proved to be a record-breaking year for 2007, bringing in $493,750 in comparison to last year’s sale of $360,750. The additional $130,000 will go a long way toward scholarships for Waller County youth.

Allen Cullen, 9, of St. Anne Catholic School, is a member of the Bracy Island 4H Club.
Photo by Cari Herr

The fair was dedicated to Mike Eden, considered by many to be instrumental in the growth of the Waller County Fair and 4H program.

Since moving to Waller County in 1970, Eden served 12 years as a 4H director, 18 years as the Waller County Fair Association President, and established the first livestock judging contest in Texas on a county level. Eden built many of the structures, pens and grandstands in use at the fairgrounds today.

The WCFA is staffed primarily by volunteers who often forgo sleep, thirst and hunger, and who “live at the fairgrounds for two weeks,” said Field Store 4H Director Cathy Powell.

One such volunteer is Sheri Roesner, who suffered an attack of kidney stones during the second week of the fair. After a short hospital stay, Roesner was back on the job. She has returned to the hospital and is the concern of many in the county.

“We’re all worried about her,” said Sponsorship Director Carol Ehlert.

The buyers and sponsors who make the fair a priority not only provide a means for student scholarships, but also an avenue for young agriculturalists in the county to learn business management and financial planning.

The top 20 buyers at the fair this year were Sim-Tex, SBS, G&S Manufacturing, Edmonds Insurance, Double H Ranch, Shoshone Feed, 100 Club, Styers Construction, J.B. Morace, Waller County Trophies, Foster Farm, Triangular Insulators, Rafter X Services, Waller County Paint & Body, Hill Bar & Grill, Tin Hall, Coldwell Bankers – Colt Hack of Waller, Repka's Restaurant, Moffit Heavy Hauling, and Sodexho.

The top beef producer project owner, Presley Wilson, grossed more than $35,000 with two Grand Champion awards for heifer and steer.

Beef projects
Grand Champion Steer, Presley Wilson, $20,000 and Reserve Champion Steer, Garrett Herzog, $11,000. Grand Champion heifer, Presley Wilson, $15,000 and Reserve Champion heifer, Victoria Zulim, $14,500. Grand Champion scramble heifer, Ashton Broadrick, $17,500 and Reserve Champion scramble heifer, Christopher Lucherk, $17,500

Equine
Grand Champion colt, Kristin Reyes, $4,250 and Reserve Champion colt, Kelsey Morace, $3,500. Grand Champion filly, Isreal Reyes, $3,750 and Reserve Champion filly, Megan Bonefas, $3,500.

Meat pens
Grand Champion goat, Justin Landis, $3,750 and Reserve Champion goat, Tristan Lampkin, $2,250. Grand Champion lamb, Averi Derrick, $5,000 and Reserve Champion lamb, Myles Derrick, $5,000. Grand Champion rabbits, Ashley Weeks, $1,600 and Reserve Champion rabbits, Jayme Lenart, $1,600. Grand Champion swine, Jacob DiIorio, $6500 and Reserve Champion swine, Madison Miller, $5,000.

Poultry
Grand Champion broilers, Tyler Roesner, $4250.00 and Reserve Champion broilers, Dylan Schroeder, $4700. Grand Champion turkey, Alyssa Morris, $3000 and Reserve Champion turkey, Tori Bradbury, $2000.

E.C.H.O. Foundation gears up in style for third annual Fashion Show

The upcoming third annual “Glamour Under the Stars” fashion show, sponsored by the E.C.H.O. Foundation, will model holiday trends provided by local boutiques. The Fashion Show will be held at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center on Oct. 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. Shopping will begin at 5 p.m. with cocktails at 6 p.m.

Models from the 2006 E.C.H.O. Foundation Fashion Show display clothing on the walkway.

A Chinese raffle will be offered, including a dinner and movie package, gift certificates to some of the clothing stores participating in the fashion show, massages, facials, and an over night stay at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott and more.

Attendees will not only view some of the latest in holiday fashions modeled by local men and women, but can also visit vendor booths that will include Cha Cha’s Boutique, Silver & Co., Alice’s Collections, and Country Gardens.

Tickets, tables and booth space are available. For more information, call 281-401-2978. The E.C.H.O. Foundation was created in 1996 to advance the philanthropic and charitable contributions for improving healthcare services and programs at TRMC. Funds raised by the Foundation are used to further the hospital’s mission as a non-profit organization.

The show will benefit the Women’s Imaging Center at the Tomball Regional Medical Center and help fund state-of-the-art equipment needs for the center, including new Digital Mammography units equipped with Computer-Aided Detection software, a Stereotactic breast biopsy unit, Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging, a Bone Density unit, Ultrasound units, a patient library and a conference room for support groups, seminars and educational meetings.

Carson & Barnes Circus coming to Waller

The 70th edition of the Carson & Barnes Circus is scheduled to perform in Waller on Oct. 30 with two performances at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.

The Carson & Barnes Circus is the largest traveling big top featuring elephants and performers from around the world and providing two hours of three-ring family entertainment.

The fundraising event is a partnership between the Waller Area Chamber of Commerce (WACC) and the Waller Independent School District (WISD), and is sponsored by Sim-Tex, L.P., Waller County Land Company, the Feed Store Restaurant, SEC Energy Products & Services, Juneau Exploration, and ECO Resources.

Proceeds from the event will benefit WISD after-school programs and the Chamber.

“We are excited to bring this kind of quality entertainment to Waller County for folks and their children. Waller has been a great partner in this endeavor, and the opportunity to benefit WISD’s after-school programs makes it a win-win,” said WACC President Mark Dandy.

Feature acts include two Giant Wheels of Death, acrobats and aerialists, exotic animal acts, trapeze artists, Millers’ Prancing Ponies, clowns, and animals such as camels, llamas, horses, and a traveling zoo featuring many rare and exotic animals.

The public is invited to attend at no cost the creation of the magical “Circus City” from 10 a.m. to noon on Oct. 30, as stagehands transform a vacant field into a world of magic when elephants raise the Big Top, creating a memorable event.

The Big Top will be raised on Stokes Road at FM 2920 and SH 290 E in Waller between Schultz Middle School and the WISD transportation facilities.

Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children. Tickets are now available at Kwik Kopy in Tomball, the Blue Iguana restaurant in Magnolia, and Curves, Waller County Cleaners, and Harlan’s Food Market in Waller and Hempstead, and the Waller Chamber of Commerce.

For additional information, call the Chamber at 936-372-5300 or log on to www.wallerchamber.com.

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Magnolia council rejects Alexander’s request for reinstatement

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

After Cpl. Mike Alexander of the Magnolia Police Department (MPD), minus his attorney, requested an open session evaluation before the Magnolia City Council meeting on Oct. 9 to consider his reactivation, Mayor Jimmy Thornton cast a tie-breaking vote.

Cpl. Mike Alexander

When Thornton called the vote on the motion to reinstate Alexander, council members Dave Sutherland and Sammie Scott voted yes. Todd Kana and Patsy Williams voted no.

John Bramlett, who remained quiet for most of the discussion, abstained from casting a deciding vote. With a 2-2 tie, the mayor held the final vote.

“We’re not bringing him back,” said Thornton and adjourned the meeting.

Bramlett said he chose not to vote on the measure because he “was just not ready to make a decision right then.” “There were a lot of unanswered questions,” he added.

Bramlett declined to elaborate on what sort of information would have encouraged him to cast a vote had it been provided. “I’d just rather not say.”

Alexander has been on administrative leave since July, when he was reinstated by the city council after being fired by Chief Ron Cunningham for insubordination.

In June Alexander filed a complaint with the district attorney’s office alleging that Cunningham and Capt. Mike Smith had issued unlawful orders to arrest or detain certain city candidate-elects prior to the May election.

Quickly thereafter, Technician Chris Webb of Eagle Broadband filed a complaint in July that Alexander had approached him with an unlawful request to place spy ware on Cunningham’s computer.

Subsequently, Cunningham filed Webb’s affidavit and a request to accept charges with the district attorneys office, which deferred the case to the Texas Rangers with whom it is currently under investigation.

Mayor Jimmy Thornton

“There’s been an allegation that Cpl. Alexander has committed a felony crime by asking Technician Chris Webb for spyware to be placed on a computer that belongs to the chief (of police),” Williams said.

She added that Webb, who has submitted a sworn affidavit of the event, voluntarily submitted to a polygraph and passed “100 percent.” Nine MPD officers also made sworn statements that the allegations against the chief were not true.

“One officer said it was (true),” continued Williams in reference to Lt. Bo Crabtree, who filed his own affidavit in June with allegations against Cunningham and Smith. “The same officer that at one point had a lawsuit against the city.”

Williams objected to a motion made by Sutherland to place Alexander back on active duty, contingent upon Alexander signing a full release of any and all claims that may have accrued to date against the city and any wrongful termination claim, and be placed on the same shift as Crabtree, saying that Alexander would be returning to a hostile work environment.

“If I was Alexander, I would want to know that the person I was working with was going to be there if I needed help,” said Sutherland.

Scott seconded the motion.

According to Smith, “Sutherland’s statement challenged the integrity of this department and every officer that puts on the badge and the uniform everyday.”

“It is the position of this police department as a whole, or any office in this department, that personnel issues are kept separate and no officer in this department, or any office, will let their personal issues get in the way of any officer’s safety,” said Smith.

While Bramlett and Scott had little to say, Kana voiced his concerns.

“We would be creating a liability for the city by putting someone with a pending felony back in the department,” Kana said.

Alexander was quick to point out that the charge Cunningham made against him is not a felony, but rather a class B misdemeanor. In addition, he claims that he “did not commit that crime.”

When Alexander was offered the option of taking a polygraph, he attempted to negotiate with the stipulation that the entire department would take a polygraph on the allegations. However, council did not entertain the counter offer.

Jeans & Jewels quilt features ‘Springtime in Texas’

A handmade quilt entitled, “Springtime in Texas,” is among the auction items at the ninth annual Jeans & Jewels gala benefiting Northwest Assistance Ministries to be held Oct. 20 at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott.

Mentie Cochran with her quilt, “Springtime in Texas.”

Mentie Cochran made and donated this year’s quilt. Reminiscent of Texas highways lined with bluebonnets and sunflowers in the early spring, this quilt features three dimensional fan-shaped flowers of blue and yellow set in a trellis motif. Cochran said she spent several hours a day over four months making the quilt.

Cochran first worked on a Jeans & Jewels auction quilt in 1999 and has been involved in making all but two of the auction quilts since then. The quilts have proven to be popular auction items and have sold for prices ranging from $7,000 to $11,000.

For information about the gala, call Tanecia Snid at 281-885-4608.

HGAC heads up panel to conduct FM 2920 traffic study

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

An eight-member team, headed up by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC), is conducting a traffic and access management study of FM 2920 and they are seeking the public’s input.

The team is made up of HGAC, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Harris County, the City of Tomball, the City of Waller, the North Houston Association, the Houston Northwest Chamber, and the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce.

The study will include a stretch of FM 2920 from US 290 to I-45.

According to HNTB, the project’s engineering firm, “the purpose of the study is to identify transportation measures that will improve public safety and traffic flow, reduce motorist delays, enhance air quality, and improve pedestrian and bicycle access.”

As part of the study, the group will host two public meetings in an Open House format, where information on the project will be provided, as well as questionnaires for public comment.

HNTB said the meetings are being held early in the process “to gather input from constituencies that would be affected by any recommendations.”

“While the engineers currently are conducting traffic counts, gathering crash data and other information pertinent to this type of study, the most important input we can gather is information from those individuals that utilize this roadway,” said HGAC project manager Christy Willhite. “I encourage the public to attend the meeting and provide input early in the study process.”

The study will collect information “to measure and evaluate a range of viable short-term and long-term improvement concepts,” HNTB said. Those concepts will be reviewed for cost effectiveness and a list of improvement projects will be developed along with an implementation schedule.

The meetings will be held Nov. 14 at the Elmer L. Beckendorf Conference Center at Tomball College, located at 30555 Tomball Pkwy., and on Nov. 15 at Krimmel Intermediate School, located at 7070 FM 2920 in Spring. Information will also be provided on the project’s Web site at www.fm2920mobility.com.

Members of Boy Scout Troop 1044 were welcomed by Magnolia Mayor Jimmy Thornton at the Oct. 9 City Council meeting. The troop led the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Texas Flag.
Photo by Cari Herr

Magnolia council goes head-to-head on MPD issues

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

The underlying issues of trust and delegation plagued the Magnolia City Council once again at the Oct. 9 meeting, presenting itself in a verbal sparring match between opposing factions.

During the 2007 budget season, discussions focused on the purchase of six laptops, two new patrol units, the hiring of additional officers and hiring a city code enforcement officer for the Municipal Court.

Both Chief Ron Cunningham and Councilman John Bramlett provided estimates to council members, but a comprehensive plan could not be agreed upon other than two patrol cars and one officer.

The 2007-08 budget passed unanimously on Sept. 24 with a $500,000 budget surplus.

Councilman Dave Sutherland said that while the city might have a surplus in the budget, that money “is not in the bank.”

Cunningham said he placed his order to Dallas Dodge on Oct. 1 at the start of the fiscal year for two V8 Hemi Chargers, hired the additional officer and submitted a request for approval of the cost of the vehicles, training for patrolmen, radios, fuel, and minor equipment.

However, Bramlett denied ever having approved the purchase of two new vehicles and said a V6 was cheaper, despite Capt. Mike Smith’s assurance the V8 Hemi engages only four cylinders below 60 miles-per-hour.

Both council members Todd Kana and Patsy Williams, as well as Mayor Jimmy Thornton, disagreed with Bramlett, saying an approval had been granted.

Sutherland attempted a compromise, saying the budget should remain the same with the exception of a lease amount for one new patrol vehicle.

“A reasonable compromise is to get one car at this time,” Sutherland said. The department has four patrol vehicles and four vehicles without light bars and cages. “This is not an urgent need for the department,” Sutherland added.

At one point during the discussion, Bramlett implied that Cunningham had ordered the new patrol units prior to the budget year, saying, “I was at city hall on Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. and he told me he had already purchased it.”

Williams asked Bramlett if he was calling Cunningham a liar.

Cunningham, who had assured the council that the purchases were not made prior to the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year, ended the debate with a note of finality.

“I am not a liar. I’ve never been a liar,” he said. “Both cars are cancelled. I see where this is going. There are three council members against me.”

Budget increases requested by Cunningham were denied, with the exception of $7,500 for one-year’s lease on a single V6 patrol unit, contingent upon the cancellation of the existing order for V8s, in a 4-1 vote. Williams voted nay, but Kana said one car is better than none.

“Let the man do his job,” Williams said in reference to Cunningham. She added that the purchases were already approved and the discussion “was just muddying the water.”

That debate was pre-empted by Cunningham’s request for six patrol unit laptops, which were also denied by a 3-2 vote, with Bramlett, Sutherland and Sammie Scott voting no. However, the council later voted to suspend a 90-day rule that would allow them to reconsider the item at the next meeting.

Bramlett pushed to gain approval for the hiring of a deputy marshal to be assigned to the Municipal Court as a city code enforcement officer. An approval would circumvent the MPD and the city administration department heads.

“If there’s no money in the budget for cars, how do we have money for a deputy marshal?” asked Kana, who along with Williams and Thornton have supported a code enforcement officer under administration, while Bramlett, Sutherland and Scott have differed in opinions.

Again, the council was split. Bramlett tabled the item.

Each month, Waller ISD’s Holleman Elementary sets a goal for its Box Tops for Education program. In September, the students were challenged to collect 4,000 Box Tops. The student from each grade level who met the goal got to dunk a teacher in a dunking booth. A total of 5,719 tops were collected. Proceeds from the program support participating schools. Pictured above, the students and teachers who participated in the dunking.
Submitted Photo

From the Book of Clifford

By Clifford Parker
Contributing Writer

Well, there is only one person who passed my test last week. I put a lot of people through a very special test and there was only one person who passed it!

Last week I told you a story about my good friend Robert Bogs. In my story I mentioned he grew up in a family of four. Not true!

He actually grew up in a family of five with four sisters and not three as mentioned in my story. I was testing everyone to see if you read the details. (I hope you really believe me. You do, don’t you?!) The only person who passed the test was my mom. She came over to my house and warned me, telling me “I’m probably going to get some feedback”. Well, feedback didn’t happen so, for right now, I’m still in the clear...at least for a while. I have played so many jokes on so many people I always have to watch my back.

It’s just like this story from a few years ago when I played a joke on my own mother and uncle.

On my mom’s side of the family I have an uncle named Marvin Dale Osgood. Uncle Marvin is a very straight-laced kind of guy. He and I are very much alike. We never create a scene at family gatherings. We are both extremely quiet and our demeanor is always very, very serious. We both tend to shy away from pranks and jokes on people and when our wives are together with us they are always by our side trying to get us to meet and greet new people due to our shyness. (Now if you believed everything I just wrote then I have a new freezer to sell you in Alaska or maybe a gas heater if you live in the desert or maybe a new bridge over Spring Creek!)

The truth is, Uncle Marvin and I are always in trouble with our wives and family because we laugh too loud, pull too many pranks on people, and cause a general ruckus even in a serious situation. We are both very happy-go-lucky guys that believe God has it all in control, so why cry and belly ache about things?! We enjoy living!

A few days ago I remembered I needed to call my mom and give her a message. I told her I would help her do something with her car and I needed to let her know I would be there soon.

When I dialed her number she was not at home, so I decided to tease her with a garbled message. Her nickname is Willie Dee so my message went something like this: “Willie Dee!” (and then I proceed to scratch my voice and jumble and mumble my words to make it sound like there was a bad connection) “I’m going to be over at your” garble garble garble “about 30” garble garble garble “to fix your” garble garble garble and then I hung up.

I could just envision my mom listening to her voice message over and over again trying to figure out what I had said. I could picture her in my mind bending over the recorder with her ear to the speaker trying to decipher the message. I could see her pushing and pushing re-play over and over again. I could even see her asking the family to listen to the message trying to figure out who this was.

I started laughing out loud to myself knowing she would eventually figure out it was me and then she would innocently call me and tell me something must be wrong with her recorder or my phone.

About an hour or two after I had left her the message the phone rang at my home. All that my mom said to me when I answered was “listen to this.”

She moved the phone from her ear and placed it on the speaker of her answering machine and played back the message for me to hear. I was already laughing so hard inside I could barely contain myself.

After she played the message she moved the phone back to her mouth and her very words were “You know who that was don’t you? That crazy Marvin Dale! He called me and left me that silly message and then he had the gall to call me and asked me if I had gotten his message!”

I was belly laughing so hard that I was doubled over. It seems my Uncle Marvin (her brother) had in fact called my mom to innocently leave her a message and then he actually called her later to make sure she had gotten it with neither of them realizing what was going on!

I couldn’t contain myself, but I never told my mom the truth! I figured the longer I could keep my secret the better this joke would be. Let her go on stewing about his stupid message and he is still in the dark!

I got two for the price of one! My mom was blaming her own brother for the joke and Uncle Marvin was in trouble for nothing!

I’ve had good teachers. My entire family on both sides are good for practical jokers, so if any of you are wondering how I could pull something like this on my own mom, just blame her! She helped teach me!

Now, I just gottta’ watch my backside and, yes, I have since confessed my deed to her.

-- Clifford

MISD bus driver claims grievance filed one day prior to termination

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

As of Oct. 5, Kerrie Murphy had worked for the Magnolia Independent School District (MISD) for almost two years, but on Oct. 4 Murphy was terminated for what she alleges is harassment, one day after she claims she filed a grievance with the district.

Though Superintendent Michael Holland could not comment on Murphy’s specific case, he did say that the “district has not received any grievances in accordance with DGBA procedures” as of press time last week.

The former employee worked in the MISD transportation department and said that she has been “followed” while on her route, suspended for leaving her keys in the ignition during a driver change, kicked off the trip list for going to lunch on a field trip, and finally terminated for procedural and safety violations.

“I feel like all eyes were on me instead of policing everybody,” said Murphy, who was told that if she went onto MISD transportation property, she would be trespassing.

The district has a procedure that employees wishing to file a grievance should follow, said Holland. An employee should notify a supervisor who will provide the forms needed to formally file a grievance.

MISD bus drivers are held accountable to the district’s Transportation Department Handbook and must follow the district’s Employee Complaints and Grievances procedures in accordance with any adopted Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Localized Policy Manual Updates, including DGBA Legal and Local procedures.

The district’s policy allows for grievances to be filed, reviewed and elevated over a series of 10 to 15 day filing and response intervals.

“We would like to settle any grievance at the lowest possible level and that is laid out in the district’s policy,” said Holland. “We try to handle that in the best possible way.”

Murphy said she has been subject to 11 write-ups over the past year for anything from going to lunch off campus during field trips, to wearing the wrong shorts. The last write up, Murphy claims, was for walking between two other drivers and saying, “Excuse me.”

“Ironically, the day after I filed grievances stating that I felt I was being harassed and discriminated against, I was fired,” Murphy said.

Murphy claims she did file a grievance with MISD Transportation Director Joe Divas, objecting to the other driver’s behavior during the hallway confrontation, as well as citing that she felt harassed for being written up so many times.

“I am forced to work in a hostile work environment, where one driver keeps harassing me,” said Murphy.

The next day she was fired, despite Government Code Chapter 554 known as the Whistle Blower Act, which is designed to protect employees who file grievances.

This is the second grievance Murphy claims she has filed with the district in regards to her job performance evaluation and personnel file.

The first was filed last year, following a near miss traffic accident in which an unknown driver allegedly cut her off in passing, nearly causing a collision while she was on her bus route.

A “scared and shaken” Murphy requested assistance over the radio, according to district procedure. Murphy avoided a collision, but felt too shaken to continue her route. A lead driver was sent to inspect the bus and relieve Murphy from her route.

“I stepped off the bus when I was told to, because the lead (driver) was getting on the bus to finish the route,” Murphy said.

However, within days a complaint was filed against Murphy for leaving her keys in the ignition with students on board during the incident.

“I was suspended for three days without pay,” Murphy said.

Her complaint stems from her perception that despite precedence in the department for tolerance in certain circumstances, other drivers have committed similar or worse infractions without repercussions.

Murphy cited the September incident in which MISD bus driver Deborah Rex dropped 9-year-old Stacie Nuenez off at the wrong location in the pouring rain, but continues to drive a bus route.

According to Holland, Rex is still a district employee.

WHS jazz musicians selected to Region Performing Band

The Waller High School (WHS) Jazz Ensemble recently competed in Region 27/Region 9 Jazz Ensemble auditions. Nine students auditioned and four were selected to be part of the Region Performing Band, including Cody Winton (Alto Sax), Gabby Garrett (Trumpet), Ashley Burton (Trumpet), and Frank Scott (Trumpet).

The Waller High School Jazz Ensemble musicians (from left to right) Director Mike Cheripka, Frank Scott, Ashley Burton, Cody Winton, Gabby Garrett, Randallyn Kelso, Miguel Valdez, and Loren Miller.

Randallyn Kelso (Drum Set), Miguel Valdez (Trombone), and Loren Miller (Trombone) did not make the Performing Band, but ranked high enough in the Region to advance to Area. All students that advanced to Area earned the right to make a recording to send in to be considered for selection to the All-State Jazz Ensemble.

For the students who made the performing band, the Region Jazz Ensemble concert will be held March 3 at North Harris Community College. They will be performing with professional jazz saxophonist Chris Vadala.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of these students. Their work ethic is just amazing,” Waller High School Jazz Band Director Mike Cheripka said.

The Haunted Depot and Scary Caboose Halloween event will be going on at Magnolia's Historic Depot in Downtown Magnolia on Halloween night, October 31st from 6:30pm until 9pm.  Visit www.historicmagnolia.com for details.