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The Banner-PressSunday, June 7, 20151visit us online at www.brenhambanner.com serving brenham, washington county since 18661

Vol. 149 No. 134 | Two Sections, 14 Pages please recycle after reading | $1.25

SPORTS, 1BThree Washington County little leaguers compete in Pitch, Hit & Run championships

HERE & THEREHappy birthday wish-

es Saturday go to TREVOR BECKENDORF; and ERIAUNA GRAVES, 8 ...

Happy birthday wishes Sunday go to RICKY BRITTON III ...

DEATHS, 2A• Rhonda Conner• LeViola Maass• Lois Nitsch• Bonnie Whitehead

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@290sports

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WEATHER

PATRICK CRANKStaff Reporter

What started out as a dream of retiring in the countryside of Brenham, enjoying the outdoors and visiting children and grandchil-dren, quickly devolved into a nightmare for Jim and Diane Odermann.

Moving to the area last fall, the couple planned to build their retirement home to-gether on a two acre plot in the southwest corner of town, complete with a guest house so that relatives could come and visit.

“We had moved from Oklahoma here to be closer to the kids and grandkids,” said Diane Odermann. “We didn’t know a soul here, we just picked Brenham because it was halfway in between Austin and Houston and that’s where our grandkids are, in both of those cities.”

Jim ran a contracting business and worked as an insurance adjustor while Diane did the accounting work for his business. The two-some planned to work in tandem to build their new home, something they’d done pre-viously.

“Every place we’ve moved we’ve built our

own home, literally the two of us,” Oder-mann said. “We thought we would just come out and make a little guest quarters on the acreage and then my mom could move in there while we built the main house.”

It seemed like a storybook ending. How-ever, in midst of building the guest building, the unthinkable happened.

Jim would fall unexpectedly ill, losing an enormous amount of weight in the process. The pair then learned that due to a blood transfusion given to Jim in his youth, he had contracted Hepatitis C, which proceeded to decimate his liver, which requires a trans-plant.

“He dropped 75 pounds in the blink of an eye and basically became bedridden before we knew what was happening,” Odermann said. “I just turned 60 and I was continuing to try and build the guest quarters on my own and take care of him.”

However, the couple’s funds had been se-verely depleted after being forced to stay in a hotel for many nights while Jim recovered, forcing them to sell possessions to get by.

‘A fighting chance’In face of almost overwhelming adversity, Odermanns find help at local church

ADVERSITY continued on A3

ARTHUR HAHNManaging Editor

The Washington County District Attorney’s office is reviewing evidence that has been gathered in the shooting death last fall of a Blinn College student.

District Attorney Julie Renken said the Brenham Police Department has turned over what its investigation has uncovered so far in the murder of Trey Allen Kurtz.

The body of Kurtz, 20, was found last Oct. 30 near the intersection of Seelhorst and Dark streets. He had been shot once.

Kurtz, from Houston, was attending his first semester at Blinn College.

Renken said her office is reviewing the case “to determine if there’s enough to take to a grand jury at this point or if there needs to be further investigation.”

“It’ll probably be at least presented to a grand jury to see if we have enough or we have to refer it back for more investigation,” she said. “But it’s still too early in the review.”

Renken said the decision of when — or if — to present it to a grand jury will be made “sometime this summer.”

Police have said they have several “persons of interest’ in the case, but no arrests have been made.

Police have also said they believe Kurtz knew his assailant.

Brenham-Washington County Crime Stop-pers is continuing to offer a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or indict-ment in the case.

The identities of Crime Stoppers tipsters are kept confidential, and information can be called in to 836-TIPS.

Murder casefindings goto DA’s office

From Staff Reports

The Texas Department of Trans-portation has awarded another con-tract for U.S. 290 improvements.

The $70 million contract will add one lane in both directions of U.S. 290 west of Houston from Mason

Road to Badtke Road, a distance of six miles.

The work is funded through a debt issuance for highways approved by Texas voters in 2014.

A total of 25 miles of U.S. 290 is being widened in a series of projects, from the 610 Loop in Houston west to

Mason Road.TxDOT spokeswoman Karen Oth-

on said the latest addition to the proj-ect schedule should go quickly.

“We’re not having to go in and demolish bridge structures,” Othon said. “There are not a lot of elevated structures out there, like direct con-

nectors that need to be rebuilt.”Othon said drivers will start to see

construction on the main lanes this fall, but added that there probably will not be widespread traffic delays that have bogged down other parts of

The final stages of the Chappell Hill Street extension project will begin Mon-day, Brenham officials say.

Chappell Hill Street has been extend-ed to what was then-Becker Street, and traffic lights have been installed at the new intersection of Chappell Hill and Market streets.

Those lights, however, have not yet been activated. But it won’t be long, said city engineer Grant Lischka.

Lischka said seal-coating of Market Street will begin Monday, and that new lane striping will be installed seven to 10 days after the seal-coating project is completed.

That will include reconfiguring what is now traffic lanes on Market Street into left-turn lanes.

After the striping is completed, the traffic signals at Chappell Hill and Mar-ket will be activated and signals at the intersection of Becker Drive and Market will be removed, said Lischka.

Traffic patterns are expected to shift as more drivers begin using the Chap-pell Hill extension to access U.S. 290 or head toward the downtown area, he said.

A Somerville man charged with as-saulting a family member has been sen-tenced to 10 years in state prison.

Shawn Keith Broesche, 49, was sen-tenced in district court here Thursday, Judge Carson Campbell presiding.

Broesche was convicted to assault causing bodily injury to a family mem-ber (enhance), a third-degree felony. Authorities said the offense occurred in August 2013.

Broesche in 2006 was sentenced to

five years in state prison for failing to stop and render aid after being in-volved in a traffic accident that killed two people.

Authorities said Broesche was the driver of a vehicle that clipped another vehicle from behind, causing it to spin out of control.

In other district court cases:• Thomas Lee Reek Jr., 34, Brenham,

was sentenced to seven years for pos-session of a controlled substance (4-

200 grams) and five years for evading arrest with a vehicle.

• Derrick Gordon, 47, Bryan, was sentenced to three five-year prison sentences. Two of the cases were for assaulting a family or household mem-ber with a previous conviction (a sec-ond-degree felony) and one count of impeding the breath or circulation of a family member.

• David Martinez, 47, Brenham, was sentenced to five years in state prison

on two counts of delivery of a con-trolled substance (1-4 grams) and three months in the Washington County jail for delivery of a controlled substance (less than a gram).

• Helen Johnson, 49, Caldwell, was sentenced to four years in state prison for theft (less than $1,500) with two pre-vious convictions, a third-degree felony.

• Arthur Clifton Lewis, 30, Houston, was sentenced to four years in state prison after his burglary of a habitation

probation was adjudicated.Lewis was also ordered to pay $361

restitution.• Andy Lee Ivy, 19, Muldoon, Tex-

as, was sentenced to 14 months in a state jail after his probation for theft ($1,500-$20,000) was adjudicated.

Ivy was also fined $1,500.• Jessie Dewayne Clifton, 32, Bren-

ham, was sentenced to 12 months in a

Final stages of Chappell Hill St. work to begin

Melissa McCaghren/Banner-Press

Ally Trostle (left) pours MaryCaroline Bearden a glass of lemonade Friday afternoon. The stand was built to raise money to go to Branson, Mo. with the Brenham Children’s Chorus this month.

Cool, refreshing treat to earn for trip

Somerville man receives 10-year prison sentence in assault case

WORK continued on A2

PRISON continued on A2

Expansion project approved for segment of U.S. 290

EXPANSION continued on A2

(Right) Jim and Diane Odermann together in a picture taken in 2009.(Above) Jim Odermann in the after-math of his liver condition.

Special to the Banner-Press

ConnerMrs. Rhonda Gale (Hendrick-

son) Conner, 55, of Springtown, and the wife of Tony Wayne Conner, died Saturday morning in Brenham.

Funeral arrangements are pending at Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 West Main Street, Brenham.

MaassLeViola (Lorenz) Maass, 92,

of Brenham, the widow of Walter Maass, died June 4, 2015, at Brenham Nursing and Rehabilita-tion Center.

Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Sunday, June 7 at Me-morial Oaks Chapel.

The funeral for LeViola Maass will be at 2 p.m. Monday, June 8 at Zion Lutheran Church of Zionsville with Pastor Pat Lehrer officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Mrs. Maass was born April 15, 1923, in Washington Coun-ty, Texas, to Richard and Meta (Glaesmann) Lorenz.

On May 7, 1942, she was mar-ried to Walter Maass at Zion Lu-theran Church of Zionsville. In 1986 she retired as a nurse’s aid at Bohne Memorial Hospital in Brenham. In 2007 she retired as caregiver to persons in their homes. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church of Zions-ville, where she was a member of the Women of the ELCA and the Bluebonnet Club.

Mrs. Maass took great pride in her family, especially her great-granddaughters. She also loved baking, cooking, working in her flower beds and taking care of others.

Survivors include her sisters, Elsie Brennan and Ella Mae Niemann, both of Houston; her daughter-in-law, Ruth Maass of Brenham; grandsons, Jason Maass and wife Emily Ruth and Jeffrey Maass and wife Laris-

sa; great-granddaughters, Av-ery Lynn Maass and Madison Grace Maass.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Wal-ter Maass on Jan. 31, 1971; her son, Jerry Lynn Maass in 2008; brothers and sister-in-law, Melvin Lorenz and Alvin and Evelyn Lorenz; sister and brother-in-law, Erna and Walter Winkelmann; and brothers-in-law, Edward Brennan and Ted Niemann.

Pallbearers will be Jason Maass, Jeffrey Maass, Charles Wayne Lorenz, Mark Niemann, Jeff Brennan and Karl Johnson. Honorary pallbearers will be Charles Brennan, Ed Brennan, her roommate Bonnie Brown, and caregivers Franny Rucks and Cheryl Garner.

Memorials may be given to Zion Lutheran Church of Zions-ville, Hospice Brazos Valley or the charity of choice.

The family thanks the staff of AMA Health Care, Hospice Brazos Valley, Brenham Nurs-ing and Rehabilitation Center and Scott and White Hospital.

Funeral arrangements for LeViola Maass are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main St., Brenham, 979-836-4564. To post a tribute to the family, visit: www.memori-aloakschapel.

NitschLois Braun Nitsch, born Nov.

15, 1936 in Humble, Texas went to be with her Lord and Savior on June 5, 2015. She was a life-time faithful member of Our Savior Lutheran where she was an LWML member and member of Sunday and Wednesday Bi-ble classes. She graduated Klein High School and Southwestern Business School in Houston. She loved being a Wife, Mother and Grandmother.

She is survived by her lov-ing husband of 57 years, Jim Nitsch, sons and daughters in law, Michael and Desie, David and Piper and Scott and Angie: Grandson Jonathan, Jason and Gunnar. Granddaughters: Au-

drey, Megan Heather, Eva and Heidi and sister Joyce Martin. She was preceded in death by her parents Henry Charles and Lavina Smith Braun and broth-ers Robert, Ernest and sister Catherine.

Services will be held at Our Savior Lutheran Church on Monday, June 8, 2015 at 10 a.m. Visitation will be at Klein Fu-neral Home, 9719 Wortham Blvd. on Sunday, June 7, 2015 from 4-6 p.m. Burial will be in Prairie Lea Cemetery, Brenham at 2 p.m.

Family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Our Savior Lutheran Church, 5000 West Tidwell Road, Hous-ton, Texas 77091-4633.

WhiteheadBonnie Dee Whitehead, 87,

of Brenham, the widow of Tom S. Whitehead Jr., died T h u r s d ay, June 4, 2015 at her res-idence in B r e n h a m . Vi s i t a t io n for family and friends of Mrs. Whitehead will be held Sunday, June 7, from 5-7 p.m. at Memori-al Oaks Chapel. A memorial ser-vice for Bonnie Dee Whitehead is scheduled for Monday, June 8, at 10 a.m. at the First Christian Church of Brenham, 306 Cot-tonwood Street, with Reverend Richard Stadelmann officiating. Burial will follow in the Prairie Lea Cemetery in Brenham.

Mrs. Whitehead was born in Somerville on Oct. 29, 1927 to Hope and Olga Kettrick Thom-as. She graduated from Somer-ville High School and Blinn College before attending the University of Texas. A staunch Fightin’ Texas Aggie fan, it must have pained her greatly that A&M did not allow female stu-dents in those days. During her time at Blinn College, she was forced to ride to an Aggie game with a Tea-sip named Tommy Whitehead, whom she later married on May 23, 1953. They survived and enjoyed 51 years of Turkey Day games together until his death in 2004.

Mrs. Whitehead’s early ca-reer was spent teaching in a one room schoolhouse in Wesley. Later she joined the staff at the family’s radio station, KWHI. As the station’s Music Director, she was known for using a pair of scissors to scratch out the “B” side of 45 records of which she did not approve. Along with her family, she helped own and operate the Brenham Banner Press, KWHI-AM, KWHI-FM (now KTEX 106.1), and TV Ca-ble of Brenham (now Sudden-link Cable).

An avid outdoorsman, Mrs. Whitehead enjoyed family vaca-tions in a station wagon pulling a popup camper to Big Bend, Yellowstone, Estes Park and countless other places. She loved to hike mountains, and could out fish and out hunt every member

of the family. Once she caught two trout from a stream with her bare hands, highly impressing her sons.

Mrs. Whitehead’s true passion was golf, where she also could beat every family member. She loved playing golf with her girl-friends, and enjoying a cold beer or scotch after the round. Birth-day lunches with girlfriends also brought her much joy.

Education was very important to Mrs. Whitehead and her late husband. Together, they helped send not only family members, but many others to college ed-ucations. Through her support, her ten grandchildren also have that opportunity. She always en-couraged them to study hard, or face the “Somerville Treatment” should they make a bad grade.

Mrs. Whitehead is survived by sons and daughters-in-law Tom Dee and Melissa Mont-gomery Whitehead of Bren-ham, Mark Kerley and Heidi Hofmann Whitehead of Bren-ham, and Robert Clyde and Kym Ambelang Whitehead of Austin; grandchildren Frank, Ellen, Hunter, Kaitlin and Seoul Whitehead, James, Stephanie, Jesse and Jack Baker, and Jordyn Baker Foust; and great-grand-children Levi and L.J. Baker. She is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law Lynn and Elo Junek Sr. Mrs. Whitehead was preceded in death by her hus-band, Tom Simmons Whitehead Jr., and her sister, Ruby Kathryn Thomas Swenson.

Serving as pallbearers for Monday’s funeral will be Frank and Hunter Whitehead, James, Jesse and Jack Baker, and Michael Watts. Honorary pallbearers are Teddy Boehm, Twila Tate, Judy Smith, Tam-my Metzger, Marcena O’Mal-ley, Demaris Koziol and Gloria Smith. The Whitehead family would also like to thank her spe-cial caregivers over the past nine months, Gloria Smith, Mary McCullough, Lela Schwartz and Rosie Carmack.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Hospice Brazos Valley and the First Christian Church of Bren-ham. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main St., in Brenham. To post a tribute to the family, visit memoria-loakschapel.com.

AUSTIN (AP) — Health and Human Services Commission-er Kyle Janek is on his way out, state officials announced Friday, shaking up Texas’ big-gest agency that plunged into turmoil over a $110 million no-bid contracting scandal that remains under criminal inves-tigation.

Janek, who makes $260,000 a year and was appointed in 2012, will step down on July 1.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott made no mention of the unrest at the massive agency, which includes an ongoing probe by public corruption prosecutors and the forced resignation of other top officials, in naming two veteran state executives to take over the 56,000-person commission.

But tellingly, within an hour of announcing the changes, the governor touted his signing of contracting laws that are being tightened after HHSC last year gave an Austin tech company lucrative no-bid deals to help the state root out Medicaid fraud.

“I am proud to sign this bill that ensures Texans can trust their state government to issue contracts in a fair, open and re-sponsible manner,” Abbott said.

In a statement, Janek did not address the recent scrutiny on him and HHSC, saying his leave is timed to an impending restructuring of the agency that oversees the state’s Medicaid program, welfare payments and women’s health. As recently as March, Janek had given no indi-cation that he planned to leave, even after a scathing state re-port ordered by Abbott urged changes at the top.

“I think it’s important we have a smooth succession as the agency takes on these new chal-lenges,” Janek said.

The contracting scandal handed Abbott his first crisis as governor and erupted shortly after his election in November. Top Janek deputies resigned and the state halted large-scale con-tracts across all agencies.

Janek has criticized former employees who steered the work toward Austin-based 21CT. The company has denied having an unfair advantage and has said it was forced to have layoffs after the state canceled the HHSC contracts, which totaled $110 million. Other 21CT contracts elsewhere in state government also were called off, but the company still has a contract with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.

Prosecutors and investiga-tors have not accused anyone of wrongdoing.

Abbott said he intends to ap-point Chris Traylor, the current deputy executive commissioner at HHSC, as Janek’s successor. Charles Smith, who oversees child support at the Texas at-torney general’s office, will be deputy executive commissioner.

Janek is a former Republican state senator who was appointed by former Republican Gov. Rick Perry. Democratic state Rep. Garnet Coleman, who helped push legislative reforms in the wake of the HHSC turmoil, said running such a complex agency is better left to bureaucrats in-stead of politicians.

“It’s easier to have a relation-ship that isn’t based on ideolo-gy,” Coleman said. “I’m not say-ing Kyle was super ideological. But they serve at the pleasure of the governor.”

state jail after his probation for driving while intoxicated with a child passenger was revoked.

Clifton was also fined $1,500.• Shameka Flowers, 32, Bry-

an, was sentenced to eight months in a state jail after her probation for theft (less than $1,500) with two previous con-victions was adjudicated.

Flowers was also fined $1,500.• Mohammed Gordon, 23, Brenham, was placed on eight years deferred adjudication pro-bation for burglary of a habita-tion.

Gordon was also fined $1,500 and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

• Pamela Lockett, 42, Bren-ham, was placed on eight years deferred adjudication proba-tion for exploitation of the el-derly.

Lockett was also ordered to pay $3,808 restitution, perform 250 hours of community ser-vice and have no contact with the victim.

• Bobbi Elexus Reed, 18, Brenham, was placed on seven

years deferred adjudication pro-bation for organized retail theft ($1,500-$20,000).

Reed must also pay $7,425 restitution and perform 280 hours of community service.

• Aldonia Marie Johnson, 48, Brenham, was placed on five years probation for tampering with physical evidence. Johnson was also fined $750 and ordered to perform 100 hours of com-munity service.

She was also sentenced to 64 days in the Washington County jail for forgery.

• Michael Deante Savere, 18, Pflugerville, Texas, was placed on five years deferred adjudica-tion probation for possession of marijuana (4 oz.-5 lbs.).

Savere was also fined $2,000

and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. He must also serve 30 days in the county jail.

• Terance James Farrell, 34, Brenham, was placed on four years probation for three counts of driving while intoxicated with a child passenger.

Farrell was also fined $1,500 and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and serve 30 days in the county jail.

• Jay Harrison Benson, 37, Brenham, was placed on three years deferred adjudication pro-bation for possession of mari-juana (4 oz.-5 lbs.).

Benson was also fined $1,500 and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service.

All or Nothing Day1-3-4-7-13-14

15-17-19-20-22-23All or Nothing Evening

1-5-8-9-10-1114-16-19-22-23-24

All or Nothing Morning1-2-5-6-7-10

12-13-14-15-22-24All or Nothing Night

1-2-4-5-7-1213-14-18-19-20-24

Cash 56-11-13-24-28

Daily 4 Day6-7-6-0, Sum It Up: 19

Daily 4 Evening5-1-6-9, Sum It Up: 21

Daily 4 Morning5-8-6-7, Sum It Up: 26

Daily 4 Night7-1-9-0, Sum It Up: 17

Mega Millions7-22-27-41-49, Mega Ball: 10

Pick 3 Day5-8-1, Sum It Up: 14

Pick 3 Evening1-7-6, Sum It Up: 14

Pick 3 Morning7-4-0, Sum It Up: 11

Pick 3 Night4-8-6, Sum It Up: 18

PageTwoThe Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015

www.brenhambanner.com/obituaries

The Banner-PressISSN: 8750-5800

Published daily except Saturdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day at 2430 Stringer

in Brenham, Texas 77833.

Office | (979) 836-7956 Fax | (979) 830-8577

Periodicals postage paid at Brenham Texas

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

The Banner-PressP.O. Box 585

Brenham, Texas 77834-0585.

Lake Somerville full stage: 238.0.Lake level at 7 a.m. Saturday: 257.83.City of Brenham water usage: June 5: 2.004 million gallons.Rainfall this month: 0”.Rainfall this year: 40.29”.Average annual rainfall: 44.15”.

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTSThe Brenham Board of Adjustments will meet Monday at 5:15 p.m. in City Hall, 200 W. Vulcan. The board will hold public hearings and possibly act on: a request to allow encroachment into the side yard at 311 E. Main, a request to reduce the number of required parking spaces for a multi-use facility at the corner of Blinn Boule-vard and Old Mill Creek Road, a variance to the minimum average lot depth of 115 feet for a residential lot at 512 W. Jefferson St.,, a rear yard setback variance request at 512 W. Jefferson, lot depth variance requests for two lots (Wilkins, J-West block), and a rear yard setback variance request for those lots.

DAILY BRIEFS

TEXAS LOTTERY

WATER USAGE

Residents wanting to report suspicious activities — such as strange cars in their neighborhood — but don’t want to call 911 can use dispatching’s non-emergency number of 337-7272.

———Central communications had 2,551 radio transmissions and

124 calls to the 911 emergency phone system during the 24-hour period ending at midnight Friday.

A breakdown of the 911 calls: Brenham Police Department, 15; Washington County Sheriff’s Office, 10; Emergency Med-ical Services, 13; Department of Public Safety, one; Bren-ham Fire Department, one; hang-ups or abandoned calls, 37; non-emergency calls, 11; and 36 outbound checks on abandoned calls.

———No reports were available Saturday from the Brenham Police

Department.The department’s website address is www.ci.brenham.tx.us/

police.———

The Brenham Fire Department had five calls during the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. Saturday.

At 11:41 a.m. Friday, BFD responded to 656 Windy Acres Road for automatic mutual aid with Berlin FD for a report of a grass fire. Upon arrival FD units found one round hay bale on fire. FD units extinguished the fire and contained the damage to the bale only. It appears the bale was ignited by the heat from a bearing in the baler malfunctioning.

Friday at 3:16 p.m., BFD responded to 700 Medical Parkway, Scott & White Hospital, for an automatic fire alarm. Upon ar-rival and after investigation it was determined that the facil-ity had lost power and was running on the backup generator. There was a smell of smoke in the facility but no source could be found. Once the power was restored BFD units checked the entire building again to make sure everything was functioning properly.

At 3:33 p.m. Friday, BFD responded back to 656 Windy Acres Road for automatic mutual aid with Berlin FD for a report of a grass fire. Upon arrival FD units found approximately one acre of grass on fire in the area of the previous round bale fire. FD units extinguished the fire and contained the damage to the one acre. The cause of the fire appears to be a rekindle from the round bale fire from earlier in the day.

Friday at 8:05 p.m., BFD responded to 802 West Second Street for a possible carbon monoxide release inside a residence. Upon arrival the resident was being evaluated by EMS for possible carbon monoxide exposure. BFD units checked the residence for CO or natural gas and nothing was found. It was determined that he residence did not even have gas to the building.

At 8:24 p.m. Friday, BFD responded to 1900 South Market Street, Crossroads Convenience Store, for a report of a smoke smell inside the building. Upon arrival and after investigation BFD units found that an extension cord was over heating caus-ing the light smoke inside the building. BFD units turned off the breaker to the plug and advised the employee to have an electri-cian check out the plug before operating it again.

The fire department’s website address is www.ci.brenham.tx.us/fire.

———Washington County Emergency Medical Services calls

during the 24-hour period ending at midnight Friday were not available.

The EMS website address is www.washingtoncountyems.net.

BRENHAM BEAT Funeral Notices

SATURDAY NIGHT: Clear skies. Low 69. Winds light and variable. Sunday: A mainly sunny sky. High 92. Winds light and variable. Monday: Partly cloudy skies. High 92. Winds light and variable.

FORECAST

One final thing will then need to be done: removal of a stop sign on Chappell Hill Street at Becker.

The stop sign will be moved a few feet onto Becker, requiring motorists on Becker to stop at the Chappell Hill Street inter-section.

WorkContinued from A1 Prison

Continued from A1

U.S. 290’s widening.“Because it’s not in a metro

area, you know, the closures may not impact as much as they do once you get closer into town,” Othon said. “But I think in this area you won’t see a lot of major total closures.”

TxDOT expects to finish the U.S. 290 widening project by the end of 2017.

ExpansionContinued from A1

Texas Health Commissioner on his way out after scandal

PHOENIX (AP) — It didn’t take much rain to set a record in Phoenix.

The National Weather Ser-vice said Friday the 0.03 inch of rain recorded at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by 4 p.m. was the largest amount for June 5.

Meteorologist Chris Kuhl-man said that it had never offi-cially rained in the desert city on this date.

Phoenix sets June 5 rainfall record with a .03 inch

Brenham, Texas | The Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Page A3

DON’T MISS THE BOAT.JOIN BVSCU TODAY!

Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union is open to your community*. Become a valued member and you’ll be entered to win a cruise**!

*Subject to membership eligibility. See www.bvscu.org for details. ** Grand prize valued at $5,000. No purchase necessary. Odds of winning

depend on number of entries. Drawing subject to terms and official rules, located at www.bvscu.org and in each BVSCU office. All entries welcome. Promotion and drawing dates are May 1 – June 30.

Federally Insured by the NCUA

WWW.BVSCU.ORG

Enjoy extended hours at the Stringer Street branch on May 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and June 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or visit our College Station branch on June 27 from 10a.m. to 12 p.m.

We are proud to welcomeChristopher Moore, CFP®, CRPC®

to the team.

Please contact us for all your retirement needs.

979-421-8050Brenham979-836-1111

Columbus979-493-7668

Harold R Andersen, DPM, FAAFSCentral Texas Foot and Ankle Centers

601A Medical ParkwayBrenham, Texas 77833

TAKE THE FIRST STEP to

GOOD HEALTH and

FOOT COMFORT

Brenham School of DanceInvites you to

Saturday June 13, 2015 @ 6:30pmBrenham High School Auditorium

Free Admission

Moments In Time10 Openings in the

Brenham Children’s Chorus!Audition for one of these spots!Boys and girls in the 4th – 8th grade (2015-2016)

Monday, June 8, 201512 pm – 3 pm

The Community Education BuildingChildren from all economic and ethnic backgrounds

are encouraged to audition.Prior singing experience is not required.

Financial assistance is available.Call the Chorus Office for an audition time:

979-277-3897

ConcealedHandgun

License Class

Saturday, June 138AM till 2PM

$100 Class includeslunch along with Shoot

No Shoot Scenarios

Reserve your spot today atwww.DeansDefensiveShooting.com

or call

979-203-1534

Europe Trip, August 11-23, 2015Berlin, Gdansk, Warsaw, Krakow, Wadowice, Frenstat & Prague

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Without a septic tank or plumbing system in place, Jim was forced to make a trip to a porta-potty every few hours when his stomach upset while Diane took care of him around the clock. With no income, it seemed as though the couple’s dream of settling down may never materialize. However, help would soon come in the form of local churches.

A friend of the Odermann’s back in Oklahoma, David Pick-le, reached out to his brother, Stewart Pickle, who works for the Tryon Evergreen Baptist As-sociation in Conroe. Pickle then reached out to local churches in hopes that someone might be able to lend a hand.

Calvary Baptist senior pastor Billy Sutherland was among those Pickle reached out to, who met Diane and decided his con-gregation would be able to help.

“I called Diane and asked if she would be willing to meet my wife and I at Denny’s just to talk and hear her story,” Sutherland said. “As I sat and heard her story it just seemed to ring true and seems like they had been in the position of always ‘I’m giving,’ and now all of the sud-den they’re in a situation where they’re needing help.

“I always believe that when your focus is on helping other people, that’s when God bless-es you so I thought this came along at a really good time and it would give our church an op-portunity to stand together and help out somebody that really, really needed our help. It just kind of snowballed from there.”

The church in turn helped to install plumbing and a much-needed septic tank on the

Odermann’s property.“Who ever knew that the

sound of a flushing toilet is the most beautiful sound in the world,” Odermann said. “I can assure you that after six months with a porta-potty it is.”

Others reached out as well, as Cornerstone Assembly of God organized volunteers from the troubled youth center who put siding on the back of the cou-ple’s house.

Calvary Baptist member Bob Craig, age 76 and whose wife is suffering from Alzheimer’s, comes to help Diane continue to build every Tuesday and Thurs-day as well. Other congregation members have donated food and lent a hand in construction.

“All these people from this church, they have their own burdens,” Odermann said. “An-other lady from church was on her way to take chemo and on her way she brought a lasagna out because she knew we didn’t have a stove hooked up yet.

“It’s just amazing the kind of people, with everything that they’re going through, they still stop to help us. I’m just amazed by them.”

“When I told her that that I’d talked to the church and we agreed to help, I said ‘Diane, we’re not going to help you as a charity piece, we’re going to help you as a family member,’” Sutherland said. “‘We expect that when we get through this then you’re going to be able to

help us help other people.’“She was thrilled with that.”Jim and Diane recently

learned that not only is Jim’s liver in need of replacement, but that it has also become cancer-ous. The news presents two dy-namics.

“They’ve now found cancer in his liver also which is good and bad,” Odermann said. “The good part is it moves him higher up the transplant list. The bad is our insurance wouldn’t cover (the procedure.)”

The couple recently applied for new insurance that will cov-er the required procedures, but are still awaiting confirmation.

“All of the deductibles that I had already paid basically disappeared,” Odermann said. “The premium has gone up $340 more a month. We just re-cently got on disability for him, so to say money is tight would be an understatement.”

A preliminary procedure to prevent the cancer from spread-ing further will be needed be-fore Jim can get a liver trans-plant.

Once the transplant does oc-cur, Jim will need to stay in Houston for a month to monitor

the new liver, as there is a possi-bility his body will reject it.

In an attempt to raise funds to cover Jim’s increasing medical costs, Diane started a GoFund-Me account to gather donations. The title of the web page is “Please help save my husband’s life.”

Diane has set the page’s goal at $9,500 based off of the pre-miums, deductibles and co-pays she anticipates the two having to cover over the next two years.

So far, she has received $3,240 in donations.

“I started it and I’ve gotten donations from people — I have no idea who they are, they just blessed us and wrote scriptures to us,” Odermann said.

“I’m just trying to give him a fighting chance, basically.”

In addition, Calvary Baptist pledged $10,000 to the couple to help cover medical expenses.

“The whole overriding prin-ciple here is where Jesus said ‘Be doers of the Word, not just hearers only,’” Sutherland said. “This is an opportunity for our church to do instead of just hear and talk.”

When assessing chronic liv-er disease, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, or MELD scoring system, is used to assess the potential mortality risk in a patient’s condition. The high-est score on the scale is a 40. Currently, Jim is rated at a 34, falling in the 52.6 percent range in regards to three-month mor-tality according to a study per-formed by the Mayo Clinic.

Simply put, Jim’s time is run-ning out.

Those wishing to contribute to the couple’s medical expenses can donate to their GoFundMe account at the following location — gofundme.com/u9td56ew.

GoFundMe charges an eight-percent fee off the top off donations, so those wishing to donate directly can send funds to the couple’s property located at 7580 Apperson Rd., Brenham 77833.

Diane and Jim can be reached at 918-353-2632 for those wish-ing to offer encouragement and support.

“I told Diane, I said ‘Diane, regardless what happens to Jim, if he gets better or not, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you did everything you could possible do,’” Sutherland said.

“She agreed. She said, ‘Yeah, that’s right.’”

AdversityContinued from A1

Special to the Banner-PressA picture of the Odermann’s guest residence prior to plumbing and septic installation.

Special to the Banner-PressA septic system is installed at the Odermann residence after members of Calvary Baptist Church come to the couple’s aid.

Page A4 | The Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Brenham, TexasSAFE DEFENSIVE LIVING

Numerous times this year we have seen news events of civil distur-bances, out of control protests, and even mob violence and riots in multiple cities. Twenty years ago we all watched in horror as South Cen-tral Los Angles burned and more than 100 peo-ple were killed. Our fa-thers remember the sim-ilar Watts riots during their generation.

Now with Ferguson and Baltimore demonstrating how the War on Cops is raging, officers are under siege in many

urban areas. I would in-clude the massive shoot-ing in Waco last month at Twin Peaks, but let us just see what the real sto-ry is there since things in Waco are smelling a bit fishy again.

Whatever the cause of the uprising, you need to have your situational awareness in high gear to avoid getting caught up in such chaotic scenes that can quickly become

urban anarchy zones. You must assume that the police cannot save you during those war-like events. Your survival

skills will be all that is protecting your-self and your family when large groups of negative people pack up and become destructive.

Since avoidance is most often the best option, stay informed on both local and national news and current events. Know if a highly charged court decision is about to be announced. Be aware that a questionable shooting has just occurred that may cross racial fire lines.

Stay informed of dates and places of organized demonstrations espe-cially when lead by so called com-munity leaders that have been the center of problems before — Hous-ton’s Quanell X is a perfect example.

On Channel 13 news I saw Quanell’s protesters blocking the Highway 281 south of Houston’s medical center trying to pull a lady out of the car who was trying to get the hospital just after the Zimmerman acquittal a couple of years ago.

If by chance you do drive into a hot bed of protesters or God-forbid a riot, here are some suggestions to help get you out of the lion’s den. Best try your last chance to avoid and evade by look-ing out for large groups of people on the streets with signs. With the first in-dication of an unusual gathering turn around immediately. If that means hop-ping a median or tearing up some grass then do it if you can safely and worry

about a traffic ticket later after you are headed to a less hostile area.

Worse case if you become surround-ed, do not open your windows to talk or taunt. Simply roll slowly forward (2-4 mph) if you can to get out of harm’s way. Only after rioters start to break your vehicle’s glass can you implement Texas Castle Doctrine and use deadly force whether it is with your vehicle or a force multiplier like a firearm. But that would be the last resort in many ways.

Next month’s column: Road Rage.John Deans is a local firearms in-

structor teaching CHL and handgun classes, www.DeansDefensiveShoot-ing.com.

JOHNDEANS

Protecting yourself during mob violence

blinn newsSummer and Fall registration now open

Registration is currently open for Blinn’s Summer and Fall se-mesters. Registration for the Summer II semester, which runs July 7-Aug. 4, is open through July 6.

Star of the Republic Museum offers hands-on activities for young visitors

Blinn College’s Star of the Republic Museum is connecting chil-dren to Texas history with an exciting new summer program. Each Saturday in June, children of all ages are invited to participate in the “Hands-on History” program, where they can learn the craft behind such skills as knot tying, corn husk dolls, basket-weaving and beading and weaving, all while learning bits of Texas history from museum staff and volunteers. The “Hands-On History” ses-sions are available during normal business hours, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Length of the sessions is dependent on individual museum patrons. There is no additional cost to participate in the sessions, and children are invited to take their crafts home.

Workshop will certify weldinginstructors in NCCER standards

Blinn College will certify dual credit instructors in national welding credentialing requirements during a three-day conference at the A.W. Hodde, Jr. Technical Education Center. The first-ever Summer Welding Conference will be held June 22-24, and will em-power dual credit instructors to certify high school students accord-ing to National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) standards. The conference is $75 and takes place from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day. For more information on the workshop, contact Gayla Briles, program manager, at 979-209-7205 or gayla.briles@blinn.edu.

Small Business Human Resources Workshop

The Blinn College Small Business Development Center will teach small business owners the human resource skills that lead to better employee performance – and better business.

The workshop will be held Thursday, June 11, from 6-9 p.m. in the Blinn – Brenham campus Student Center, located at the corner of Blinn Boulevard and West 2nd Street. Registration is $40 and available online at www.blinn.edu/sbdc.

Star of the Republic Museum thanks military families for their service

Star of the Republic Museum administered by Blinn College will show its appreciation for members of the U.S. armed forces this summer by offering free admission to active duty military person-nel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Free admission to all sites at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site will be offered Monday, May 25 – Monday, Sept. 7. Up to five family members will also be admitted free of charge.

Scholarships still available for Blinn College music, theatre arts programs

The Blinn College Division of Visual & Performing Arts in-vites students to apply for music and theatre arts scholarships for the 2015-16 academic year. Blinn’s Music Department offers small classes, one-on-one attention, practical learning and easily-accessi-ble faculty so students are actively engaged in a superior learning environment. All Blinn’s outstanding, world-class music instruc-tors encourage students’ individual growth while introducing them to a wealth of music, ideas and issues. For information about schol-

arship opportunities on the Bryan campus, contact Bryan campus Theatre Arts Director Greg Wise at greg.wise@blinn.edu or 979-209-7244. For information about Brenham campus scholarships, contact Brenham campus Theatre Arts Director Bradley Nies at bnies@blinn.edu or 979-830-4269.

Part-time job listings availableLocal employers who have part-time job openings for Blinn Col-

lege students may list those opportunities with the job listings ser-vice provided by the college advising and counseling center. Em-ployers may forward information to donna.winkelmann@blinn.edu or Blinn College Counseling Services, 902 College Ave., Brenham, TX 77833. For more information about the service call 830-4196.

Career & TechnicalTraining Scholarships

Scholarships are available for students pursuing a variety of pro-grams, including Machining, CNC Machining, Welding, Certified Nurse Aide, Phlebotomy, Medical Office Technician, and more. To see if you qualify, and to review program offerings, visit our web-site or call to make an appointment with our Workforce Advisor. Free GED Classes are available Monday evenings at the Hodde Center through Community Education and full workforce program scholarships are available for students pursuing both a GED and qualified training programs. For more info, call 979-830-4443 or visit www.blinn.edu/workforce.

Technical Education classes available

The Blinn College Technical Education program housed in the A.W. Hodde Jr. Technical Education Center offers classes in ma-chining, electrical technology, office and administrative support and health fields such as phlebotomy, medical office assistant, cer-tified nurse’s aide and certified medication aide throughout the Fall. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/blinntec or call 979-830-4443.

Brenham, Texas | The Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Page A5

The Blinn College Alumni & Friends and Buccaneer Alumni Letterman Associations would like to thank all their sponsors who supported the 2015 Blinn College Clay Shootout!

Funds raised at the event totaled over $38,000 and will go towards the purchase of athletic equipment and the creation of scholarships for Blinn College Students.

Platinum Level SponsorsBlue Bell CreameriesDBR, Engineering ConsultantsLaRoche Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Buick

Gold Level SponsorsBlinn College

Silver Level SponsorsBrenham Chrysler Jeep DodgeBrenham National BankBritt Rice Electric CompanyCopy StopGlasco & Co. Landscaping, Inc.Kolkhorst Petroleum Co./RattlersRound Top & Somerville Farm and Ranch Inc.Strand AssociatesVan Dyke Rankin Insurance Company

Trophy SponsorsMr. Alan HoddeBrenham Veterinary ClinicCoca ColaDocumationDue South Outfitters – Captain Wiley CrowsonEnterprise Fleet ManagementMr. James GrimmMs. Susan MyersThe Arkitex Studio Inc.

Meal SponsorsMarmonMok ArchitectureNathan’s BBQ – Nathan Winkelmann ’75Sysco FoodsMike Hopkins DistributingCapitol Wright DistributingKristen Distributing Company

Shooting Station SponsorsAppel Ford BuyBoardMr. Charles SchwartzEckermann’s Meat MarketGameGuardHodde Real Estate Co.JH Faske JewlersMoeller ElectricOffice DepotSeidel, Schroeder & CompanyTegeler ToyotaToshiba

Raffle SponsorsMr. Don WilhelmBrenham RepairSenator Lois W. KolkhorstMr. Lonnie TegelerFelder’s Buy and ByeMr. Vince and Rebecca RuffinoMr. James GrimmBlue Bell CreameriesIndoor Outdoor StoreAcademy Sports and OutdoorsDr. Kyle and Mindy MertenThyme Day SpaMs. Renee MuellerMr. Johnny SheffieldBlinn College Class of ’64Mr. Michael GriffinDumas Walker Pepper and Pie CompanyBallard and Fleetwood Attorneys-at-LawRound Top State BankTegeler Toyota

A well-deserved thank you.

Team SponsorsBank of BrenhamBlinn CollegeBrenham Chrysler Jeep DodgeBrenham National BankBrenham Police DepartmentBrenham Wholesale GroceryBritt Rice Electric Company Caldwell CompaniesCrowson/Crowson/ Schomburg/Damon DBR, Engineering ConsultantsDumas Walker Pepper and Pie CompanyFlencher FamilyGermania Insurance CompanyGlasco & Co. Landscaping, Inc.HD Power SolutionsMr. Kevin Bosse Kolkhorst Petroleum

Kovar/Chastain/Elolf/KovarLaRoche Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Buick McCoy Workplace SolutionsNewberry/Bligh/Wiesepape/CarterPremier Metal BuyersRau/Phelps/Ogle/LischkaRound Top & Somerville Farm and Ranch Inc.Ruffino/Coomer/Will/JonesMerten/Borchardt/ Schroeder/SchaerSommer/Weidemann/ Spiess/HoltkampStrand AssociatesTexas Farm CreditThe SkeetersVan Dyke Rankin Insurance

Give-A-Way Sponsors Applebee’sChinese BuffetChilisCici’s PizzaHermann Furniture

Home DepotLowesSmitty’s Café & BakeryStarbucks Coffee CompanyYum! Sweets & Eats

SAVE THE DATE The 2016 Blinn College Clay Shootout

is tentatively set for April 1, 2016

Blinn College Foundation MissionThe Blinn College Foundation, Inc. is organized for the sole purpose of providing support for programs and activities which enhance the quality of education for Blinn College students and expand the educational opportunities for the entire community.Blinn College Foundation • 902 College Ave. • Brenham, TX 77833 • foundation.blinn.edu

TEXAS HISTORY

A Republic senator in-troduced a resolution on June 4, 1837 to make a world famous naturalist and wildlife painter an “honorary Texan.”

John James Audubon was born Jean Rabin on a Caribbean island in 1785 to parents from two very different worlds. His father was a rich French seafarer, merchant, plant-er and slave trader, while his mother was a creole servant who died less than a year after giving birth.

As an adult Audubon tried to divert attention from his embarrassing begin-ning with the silly suggestion that he was the missing son, the “Lost Dau-phin,” of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. He referred again and again to his “noble birth” and “my great se-cret” claiming he was actually an “aris-tocrat” who looked like his “real, not my adopted father.”

In reality Audubon had no reason to complain. Rather than leave his illegitimate son behind on Santo Do-

mingo, his father took him home to a childless wife who raised the boy as her own.

Audubon’s doting mother let him do what-ever he wanted. He learned to ride, shoot, dance and to play three musical instruments but could barely read or write. His youth was spent outdoors draw-ing birds, collecting nests and seeing “na-

ture through his own eyes instead of through the spectacle of books.”

The elder Audubon did not want his offspring to fight Napoleon’s wars, so in 1803 he packed him off to America. After living five years on land his father owned outside Philadelphia, the idle im-migrant married a neighbor’s daughter named Lucy.

The couple went west to Kentucky, where the husband’s lackadaisical at-tempts to bring home the bacon invari-ably ended in failure. Audubon hit rock bottom in 1819, when his debts landed him in jail. Moving to Cincinnati for

a fresh start, he worked for awhile as a taxidermist, portrait painter and art teacher.

Then in 1820 at the age of 35, Audu-bon had his Great Idea. He would draw every bird in the United States! His sub-jects would be life-size with their natu-ral habitat as the backdrop. He did not have a clue what he would do with the finished product, but that did not matter.

While Audubon was away, which was most of the time, long-suffering Lucy supported herself and their two sons by teaching school. She even saved enough to pay for her absentee spouse’s trip to England in 1826 to find a publisher for the 240 watercolors of his feathered friends.

“The American Woodsman” with his frontier costume and shoulder-length hair was an instant sensation in London. He met every person of importance, in-cluding Czar Nicholas I of Russia, who gave him an expensive diamond ring. He was no less a hit in Paris, where fu-ture monarch Louis Philippe contacted the Austrian emperor and the king of Sweden on his behalf.

A Scottish engraver agreed to pub-lish The Birds of America, and the

ground-breaking work sold like hot cakes on both sides of the Atlantic. By 1830 the artist was well-known and wealthy.

When the Seminole War forced Audubon to postpone a trip to Florida in late 1836, he hitched a ride to the Texas coast on a revenue cutter. On April 25, 1837, the Campbell announced its arriv-al in Galveston Bay with a blast from its biggest gun, and secretary of the navy S. Rhodes Fisher welcomed the distin-guished guest to the Lone Star Republic.

Audubon and son John spent two weeks exploring Galveston Island and gathering specimens for his next project, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. On a side trip to an army gar-rison, the naturalist was shocked by the squalid living conditions of the Texas soldiers and their Mexican prisoners of war.

Following a leisurely 10-day cruise, the Campbell reached the capital city of Houston on May 18. Spring rains had flooded the town and surrounding coun-tryside, and the visitors waded through ankle-deep water on the long walk to the presidential “mansion” — a two-room log house.

Sam Houston was not home, so the Audubon party wandered the muddy streets of the new capital, which was still a work in progress. They bumped into the Hero of San Jacinto dressed in “a fancy velvet coat with trousers trimmed in broad gold lace,” and he in-vited them back to his place for a drink.

A few days after Audubon’s departure, Senator S.H. Everitt offered a resolution to make the “celebrated ornithologist” an honorary Texan. The paperwork was forwarded to the committee on foreign relations, where it gathered dust instead of support.

John Audubon came back to Texas in 1845. Accompanied by Ranger Capt. John Coffee Hays, “a man not afraid to go to Hell by himself,” he scoured the Hill Country for more four-footed crea-tures. His invalid father, who had only six years of life left in him, was partic-ularly pleased with his son’s sketches of cougars.

Autographed copies of “Murder Most Texan,” Bartee’s latest book, are still available. Order yours in the “General Store” at barteehaile.com or by mailing a check for $26.65 to Bartee Haile, P.O. Box 152, Friendswood, Texas 77549.

BARTEEHAILE

Audubon painted Texas wildlife for posterity

Rotary Club of Washington County gives $7,000 to local charitiesChecks were awarded by club President Becky Bosse to representatives from Camp for All, Boys and Girls Club, Heritage Society, Unity Theater, Children’s Chorus, Hope and Relief International (Nicaragua).

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Gulf Seafood Trail hopes to hook diners on seafood.

The trail takes in 52 restaurants that dot the state along the Gulf Coast naturally but also swims up-stream to include eateries in Jackson, Vicksburg, Southaven and more.

The Mississippi Gulf Seafood Trail was estab-lished with BP tourism grant money to promote Gulf Coast restaurants and the Gulf seafood they serve, said Mike Cashion, executive director of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association.

Through the Gulfport ad agency, The Focus Group, a multiple award-winning media cam-paign (print, social media, some electronic) drove the message home to Gulf Coast customers and tourists coming in.

“Response was overwhelming,” Cashion said of a Facebook survey that followed the program. “Customers loved the concept of being able to have a one-stop-shop place to go to find Gulf seafood.”

Even though the grant money ran out, the restaurant association wanted to expand the trail statewide to promote Gulf seafood and participat-ing member restaurants statewide.

The Mississippi Gulf Seafood Trail includes restaurants committed to serving wild-caught Gulf seafood from now through the end of the

year. Parameters are broad because of supply and demand and cost issues, Cashion said, and restau-rants have latitude to change menu items and run specials.

“The only requirement is that they have at least one item on their menu at all times that emanates from the Gulf of Mexico. And most of them are doing much more than that,” he said.

The trail’s interactive website links to restau-rants’ menus and Facebook pages; the trail’s Face-book page has 25,000 likes and plated seafood pics that can set mouths watering.

“We’re just trying to, no pun intended, cast a broad net” to engage as many folks as possible through social media, Cashion said.

Restaurants engage them through snack bars and dinner plates, and the trail hooks up seafood fans with the spots to dive right in.

At Islander Seafood and Oyster House in Jack-son, executive chef Jessica Furches’ Smoky Citrus Gulf Oyster and Gulf Shrimp Kabob freshened up a summer appetite like a sea breeze. Thread-ed with red onion and fresh pineapple chunks, shrimp and oysters basked in the flavors of smoky barbecue sauce, orange marmalade and horserad-ish. The result was a teasing mix of smoky and sweet, with the slightest heat.

Mississippi Gulf Seafood Trail hopes to hook diners on seafood

LifestylesThe Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Page A6

www.brenhambanner.com/lifestyle

New DAR OfficersPictured are new DAR officers Sissy Miller, historian/librarian; Gaylain Keenan, registrar; Mary Jane Jean, recording secretary; Toni Martin, corresponding secre-tary; Joy Kenjura, treasurer; Diana Hodde, chaplain; Billie Schmidt, regent; and Betty Creer, who installed the offi-cers. Not pictured is Tiffany Morisak, vice-regent.

Mark and Ronda Kunkel announce the engagement of their daugh-ter, Sierra Dawn Kunkel of Burton to Alan Joseph Richard. He is the son of Benjamin and Maria Abshire of Kaplan, La. and Gregory and Shelley Richard of Brenham. A wedding is planned for July 11 at 4:30 p.m. at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine.

July 11 wedding planned

Club News

Headliners

Daughters of the American RevolutionLearn About Quilts

The Captain Jabez Deming Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met recently at the Ross-Carroll-Bennett House. Members, guests and prospective members enjoyed a salad luncheon.

Regent Billie Schmidt led the members in the DAR ritual, the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States, the American’s Creed, the preamble of the Constitution and the pledge of allegiance to the Texas flag.

The program “Our Quilting Heritage” was presented by member Sharon Buban. She gave a history of quilt making. Some of the ear-liest examples of cloth being put together have been found in early Egypt. A little later silk quilts could be found in India. By the time early colonists settled in this new land, intricate quilts were a heri-tage which was brought with them. Serving the utilitarian purpose of keeping individuals warm, quilts also provided the maker with an opportunity to be creative.

Buban stressed the importance for quilters to sew a label that contains as much information as possible to the back of quilts. This helps preserve the history of a work of art.

Following her presentation, Buban, assisted by fellow quilter Gay-lain Keenan, shared some of her quilts with the group. Members saw quilts with embroidery, appliqué and various quilting styles.

The presentation included information on how early quilts, whose fabrics were dyed to achieve different colors, could fade over time. Quilts were made to be useful, beautiful and to record history.

Some of the early quilts were called sheet quilts. They were large sheets or pieces of fabric which were quilted to create their beauty, as opposed to many small pieces of fabric that were sewn together to create a design.

Buban told the group that her earliest memories of quilting start-ed as she played under the quilt frame as her grandmother and oth-ers worked and chatted above her.

One of the favorite quilts belonging to Buban was one made by her grandmother. It was worn, much loved and held many special memories.

President General Lynn Forney Young’s message to Daughters stated that members are preparing for the 124th Continental Con-gress June 24-28 in Washington, D.C.

On Oct. 11, the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution will officially celebrate 125 years since its beginning. Also the DAR Museum hosted a quilt symposium and exhibition entitled “Eye on Elegance: Early Quilts of Maryland and Virginia. It can be found at http://youngblog.dar.org/eye-opening-new-re-

Martin Graduates from Springfield CollegeMarlon Keith Martin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in

human services from Springfield College in Humble April 23.

Watts named to the Angelo State University Dean’s List for Spring Semester

Students achieving the dean’s list for the 2015 spring semester have been announced by Angelo State University in San Angelo.

To be eligible for the dean’s list, students must be enrolled full-time at ASU and must maintain a 3.25 or better grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

Those named to the list include, from Brenham, C. L. Watts.

Texas A&M University Names Dean’s List, Distinguished for Spring Semester

COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M University has named its honor students for the spring semester, recognizing them for out-standing academic performance.

The dean’s honor roll recognizes students taking at least 15 se-

mester hours during the spring semester who have maintained a 3.75 or higher grade point (GPR) out of a possible 4.0.

A second designation, distinguished student, recognizes those who earned a 3.5 to 3.74 GPR while taking at least 15 hours for the spring semester.

Those named to the lists are, dean’s honor roll, from Brenham, Patrick A. Donaldson, Graham W. Henkhaus, Isaac M. Leer, and Jordan B. Siemsglusz.

From Washington, Brandon N. Nickle.Those named as distinguished students were, from Brenham,

Zaira I. Carlos Pelayo, Tyler M. Faykus, Ashlea L. Hagemann, Bai-ley R. Hodde, Laramie S. Naumann, and Sawyer M. Wilson.

From Chappell Hill, Lauren E. Dunn.

Texas A&M University Names Graduates for Spring Semester

COLLEGE STATION - Diplomas were awarded to approximate-ly 8,700 Texas A&M University graduates during spring com-mencement ceremonies.

Among those receiving degrees were: from Brenham, Brian A. Anderson, Bachelor of Science - biological and agricultural engi-

neering; Deanna L. Bosse, Master of Science - agricultural leader-ship, education and communication; Joseph L. Dickschat, Bache-lor of Science - animal science, Patrick A. Donaldson, Bachelor of Business Administration - finance, cum laude; Richard F. Horner, Bachelor of Science - electronic systems engineering technology; Caroline H. Martin, Bachelor of Science - chemistry; and Alexan-der D. Pryor, Bachelor of Science - agribusiness.

Also, Blake D. Sander, Bachelor of Science - agribusiness; Tan-ner J. Schmidt, Bachelor of Science - agribusiness; Sierra L. Tab-one, Bachelor of Science - animal science; Brittany J. Thomas, Bachelor of Science - ag communications and journalism; Brock D. West, Bachelor of Arts - English; Ashton M. Whaley, Master of Science - sport management; Blake A. Winkelmann, Bachelor of Science - agribusiness and Jeremy C. Zettel, Bachelor of Science - agribusiness.

From Chappell Hill, Alyssa L. Cummins, Bachelor of Business Administration - management information systems

From Washington, Brandon N. Nickle, Bachelor of Science - con-struction science, cum laude; Robert D. Taylor, Bachelor of Science - urban and regional science;

From Burton, Kendall L. Smith, Bachelor of Science - agribusi-ness, cum laude.

Presenting Quilt HistorySharon Buban presents story of quilts to the Daughters of the American Revolution recently.

search-maryland-and-virginia-quilts-symposium.Diana Hodde presented information from the National Defender.

“Almost half of Army enlistees in the 1840s were immigrants. To-day, about 35,000 non-citizens serve in the military and about 8,000 enlist each year.” These non-citizens must have a Green Card, an established residence in the U.S. and go through the immigration process. A non-citizen can serve only one term unless they become a U.S. citizen during that term. Naturalization at basic training, established in 2009, gives non-citizen enlistees the opportunity to naturalize when they graduate from basic training.

Secretary Donna Sprenger presented the minutes from the last meeting, which were approved. Treasurer Joy Kenjura provided the report of financial status.

Registrar Gaylain Keenan gave a report on prospective members. Susan Manchester reported on the American Indian minute, Tif-fany Morisak gave a Constitution minute fact and Mary Jane Jean reported on conservation.

Billie Schmidt reported that three students(Savannah Stewart, Cheyenne Chapel and Ashley Eyster) had been selected by the scholarship committee to receive $2,000 scholarships. The presen-tation was made by Toni Martin on May 8.

The final report on the Junior American Citizens art and essay contest winners was made by Billie Schmidt. The contests included poems, essays, posters and stamp designs.

At the national level, Washington County students were recog-nized for 10 first place winners, 12 second place winners, four third place winners and five honorable mentions.

Under new business, Tiffany Morisak reported on the success of Local History Day and thanked members who helped. Debbie Carlson spoke briefly on genealogical research. Susan Manchester moved that the Chapter do a different project to aid veterans next year. The motion carried.

Member Betty Creer installed the new officers for the next two years. The officers for 2015-17 are Regent Billie Schmidt, Vice-re-gent Morisak, Chaplain Diana Hodde, Recording Secretary Jean, Corresponding Secretary Toni Martin, Treasurer Joy Kenjura, Reg-istrar Gaylain Keenan, and Historian/Librarian Sissy Miller.

New officers received a pink rose and out-going officers received a plant in thanks for their dedication.

Members and officers will meet during the summer to work on the yearbook and genealogy.

Nanette Putnam of Brenham and the late Jeff Putnam announce the engagement of their daughter, Randi Kay Putnam of Brenham, to Kyle Joseph Branham of Brenham. He is the son of Bobby and Janie Branham of Brenham.

A wedding is planned for 3 p.m. Oct. 10, 2015.

October 10 wedding planned

Looking at Turtles Brenham Elementary’s third grade students observe a tur-tle that wandered into the W.J. “Bill” Rankin Ag Complex during a recent Outdoor Adventure. It is normally at Nails Creek but due to weather, it was moved to the ag complex.

School News

Deering Named Texas Elementary Teacher of Yearby iteachTEXAS Alternative Certification ProgramCarrie Deering, a first-year teacher of fifth grade science at Bren-

ham Middle School, has been named the Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year by the iteachTEXAS alternative certification program. On June 1, she was notified of the surprise honor with a certificate, flowers, and a check from iteachTEXAS for $4,250 presented at her school faculty awards program on June 1. She was nominated by her principal Peggy Still and by her iteachTEXAS field supervisor, Hollis Hood.

Candidates for this state-wide honor had to meet all program re-quirements and demonstrate exceptional qualities and teaching skills. Deering distinguished herself by providing students engaging learn-ing activities, an encouraging and supportive learning environment both inside and outside the classroom, high expectations and oppor-tunities to collaborate and to integrate both technology and multiple subject areas. She demonstrates “exceptionally effective instruction” that “truly integrates technology” into regular lessons, according to her field supervisor.

As the only alternative certification program to receive national accreditation through the rigorous NCATE accreditation process, iteachTEXAS is the largest provider of initial certification in Texas, averaging 1,000 new teacher candidates each year over the past 12 years to meet the demands of increased enrollment in Texas schools. Combining observation, on-line coursework, and year-long support from experienced field supervisors, candidates from the iteachTEX-AS program are also staying on the job with a retention rate of 86-90 percent compared to less than 50 percent from traditional university programs. The program taps the talents and skills of candidates with degrees and work experience outside the classroom, and offers flexi-bility in beginning and completing their coursework.

Brenham High School Students Receive State Choir Honors

Brenham High School students received gold and silver medals for first division ratings in the University Interscholastic League State Solo and Ensemble Contest.

Receiving gold medals for first division in solo were Troy Freeman, Catie Krueger, John Moorman, Michelle Rigsby, Auggie Robertson and Nick Summerour.

Receiving gold medal for first division rating in ensemble were Freeman, Ezra Hackler, Moorman and Summerour.

Earning a silver medal for second division rating in solo were Hank Dawson, Jennifer DeLeon, Christopher Holt and Haley Schultz.

They had a great trip and beautiful weather in Austin and thanked all for their support in recent weeks while they were preparing for this big event.

Honored for Teaching Carrie Deering, a first-year teacher of fifth grade science at Brenham Middle School, has been named the Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year by the iteachTEXAS alter-native certification program. Also pictured is Hollis Hood, Deering’s iteachTEXAS field supervisor.

Brenham, Texas | The Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Page A7

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Texas A&M School of Public Health identifies top 10 rural health priorities, best practices in Rural Healthy People 2020

COLLEGE STATION — Americans who experience a health emergency, but are more than 30 minutes from the nearest hospital, have a 46 percent mortality rate compared to 21 percent for those who live less than 30 min-utes from a hospital. Even though 17 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural or remote places, only 9 percent of physicians practice in rural areas. The shortages are similar for dentists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and emergency medical services.

The closing of rural clinics and hospitals, an increasingly older popu-lation, higher poverty levels and less infrastructure support are just a few of the challenges addressed in the re-cently published Rural Healthy People 2020 by the Southwest Rural Health Research Center at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health.

“Each chapter of Rural Healthy People 2020 provides an overview of current challenges and examples of successful community-wide efforts,” said Jane Bolin, Ph.D., J.D., B.S.N.,

senior editor of Rural Healthy People 2020 and director of the Southwest Ru-ral Health Research Center. “Our re-search team focused on advances made in the previous decade and continuing challenges in addressing the needs of rural populations, providing an ex-haustive literature review update and valuable models for practice.”

This highly requested update to the 2010 version of the publication is a one-of-a-kind national resource providing federal and state health policy planners with valuable information, and rural leaders and health care providers with critical tools, for responding to the needs of the rural communities they serve.

“Today with approximately 59 mil-lion people in the U.S. living in rural areas, understanding the health needs facing rural Americans is critical,” Bolin said. “The health of rural Amer-ica is more important than ever to the overall health of the U.S. As a land-grant institution, Texas A&M is com-mitted to addressing the needs of rural Americans.”

Access to health care continues to be the most frequently identified ru-ral health priority, according to Bolin. Within this priority, emergency ser-vices, primary care and insurance gen-erated the most concern.

“Relying heavily on volunteer emer-gency staff, rural populations in need of immediate care are more likely to die or have higher morbidity and mor-tality associated with delay in access-ing emergency care,” Bolin said.

Nutrition and weight status in rural areas climbed from the number 10 pri-ority over a decade ago to number two overall, becoming the second most im-portant priority for the current decade.

Continuing as top-ranking health concerns are the challenges rural pop-ulations face in preventing and man-aging both diabetes and mental health and mental disorders. Currently, more than 85 percent of mental health pro-fessional shortage areas are in rural areas.

Substance abuse completes the top five ranked rural health priorities, with variations in both type and rates of sub-

stance abuse across regions of the U.S. For example, nonmedical prescription opioid use is particularly problematic in Appalachian Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.

Also presented in Volume 1 and rounding out the top 10 rural health pri-orities were heart disease and stroke, physical activity and health, older adults, maternal infant and child health and tobacco use.

Volume 2 takes a look at rural health priorities number 11 through 20, which include topics like cancer, oral health, immunizations, public health infra-structure, family planning and injury and violence prevention.

Nationally two-thirds of rural coun-ties have poverty rates at or above the national average. In Florida, poverty in rural counties is now at a histori-cally high level of 20.3 percent. Rural residents also face substantial disad-vantages in terms of employment op-portunities. Risk of on-the-job injury remains consistently higher for rural workers, including higher mortality and morbidity due to traumatic injuries

associated with agriculture, mining, forestry and fishing.

Closings of hospitals in rural areas is compounding rural health challeng-es, which is largely due to cutbacks in Medicare reimbursements, reduced funding and imminent deadlines for instituting electronic medical records. At the same time, relative to urban America, rural mortality and longevity rates are falling behind, particularly for females.

“With the publication of Rural Healthy People 2020, it is our hope to continue to provide support for rural leaders, health care providers and leg-islators on the important challenges to providing health care services in rural America,” Bolin said. “We want to continue to build and add to the collec-tive understanding of rural health con-ditions and knowledge of the unique challenges facing those who provide health services in rural America.”

To receive a hardcopy version of Ru-ral Healthy People 2020 or to down-load the free pdf, please visit: sph.tam-hsc.edu/srhrc/.

BOB BATZ JR.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH — Since East End Brewing Co. began opera-tions in Homewood more than a decade ago, the brewery now based in Larimer has sold al-most all draft beer — either in glass jugs known as growlers, in glasses or in kegs.

But on a recent afternoon, 20 barrels of BigHop India pale ale went into 6,600 brilliant green cans, thanks to a 6-foot-long, stainless steel contraption oper-ated by two guys from We Can Mobile Canning of Danville, Pennsylvania.

“There are hot dog carts that are bigger than that,” quipped East End owner Scott Smith as We Can owner Pete Rickert and colleague Jason Cichoskie fin-ished setting up and sanitizing their machine.

For years, Smith has talk-ed about canning, which has become increasingly popular with craft brewers interested in the containers’ protection from sunlight and air, lighter ship-ping weight/cost, portability, and recyclability. He even con-sidered buying a small manual canner.

Instead, he ended up rent-ing this one for a long day — a course that many small- and medium-sized breweries are taking.

The topless cans — Smith ordered 94,000 separately and had them designed by local Commonwealth Press — float-ed in a stainless steel bin of sanitizer. Once the brewers had the pressure right in the beer tank, the We Can team hooked up the hose and turned the can-ner on.

It sounded like a train clack-ing down the track with coins clinking into a fare box as three cans at a time moved along the length of the canner. Tubes first displaced the air inside the cans with heavier carbon dioxide, then other tubes displaced the CO2 with 12 ounces of foam-topped beer.

Finally, with another puff of CO2, the machine plopped on a top — CLICK! — and sealed it with a spin that sent flecks of foam flying.

We Can is able to fill about a case worth of cans a minute, up to 55 cases an hour. Rickert, the “Head Six Packer,” can pick up a case at a time, with two six-packs in each of his big hands.

The company’s 11 other em-ployees can 10,000 cases a month, working from Cincinna-ti to Ocean City, Maryland, to the New York-Canada border. They might hit the same brew-ery once a week.

He said they’re one of about 20 such mobile operations in the country. This was We Can’s first time in Pittsburgh, though their first client — back in 2013 — was Lavery Brewing Co. of Erie. They’ve canned for winer-ies, too, and soon will be can-ning coffee.

Smith started selling the pol-ished new packaging Wednes-day night for $12 per six-pack or $46 a case (plus tax) — only at the East End brewery and its Strip District satellite for now.

He’s going to keep close watch on the beer and its shelf life, as well as customer demand be-fore distributing canned brews more broadly, which is perhaps the cans’ biggest advantage over growlers. “For a lot of people,

this will be the first East End they have.”

He opened one of the very first BigHops ever canned, the tab giving way with a telltale pop. “That’s a good sound,” he said with a grin, before ex-changing “Cheers!” and clink-ing cans with fellow brewer Jim Hicks.

“I love it. I think it’s the best package for beer,” said Hicks, who came down from Hermit-age for the occasion. Having can experience from his time at Slippery Rock’s North Country Brewing Co., he even helped by hand-loading empties onto the little line.

They still were at it late Wednesday afternoon. When they finished, the itinerant can-ners were scheduled to head on to the next brewery — in this case, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, where they’ll work tomorrow, before driving to Portland, New York, and then back to Lans-dale.

ANDREW TAYLORAssociated Press

WASHINGTON — House Republicans voted Thursday to keep restrictions on Ameri-cans seeking to travel to Cuba, a setback to Obama admin-istration efforts to ease the five-decade Cold War stand-off.

The Republican-controlled chamber voted 247-176 to keep a Cuba-related provision in a transportation funding bill. The provision would block new rules issued in January that would significantly ease travel restrictions to Cuba and allow regularly scheduled flights for the first time.

The administration rules lifted a requirement that U.S. travelers obtain a license from the Treasury Department before traveling to Cuba. In-stead, all that is required is for travelers to assert that their trip would serve educational, religious or other permitted purposes.

The White House has threatened to veto the bill, in part because of the Cu-ba-related provision. The measure is also caught in a battle between Republicans controlling Congress and the White House and its Dem-ocratic allies over spending levels for domestic agencies. The White House has issued a blanket veto threat against

every Republican spending bill, and Senate Democrats weighed in on Thursday with explicit promises that they will delay the measures and block them from reaching Obama’s desk.

The Republican-backed Cuba provision is the hand-iwork of Rep. Mario Di-az-Balart, a Cuban-American Republican from the Miami area.

Diaz-Balart said the Obama administration is wrong to lift the travel restrictions, noting that the flights would land at an airport that was partially owned by U.S. interests when it was seized by the Castro government.

“What you are saying is, ‘It’s OK to do business on property that was stolen from Ameri-cans,’” Diaz-Balart said.

But to most Democrats and a handful of House Republi-cans, the travel ban is an obso-lete Cold War remnant.

“We need a 21st century approach to this nation 90 miles away from our shores. This is 2015 ... not 1960,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, a Demo-crat whose attempt to strip Diaz-Balart’s provision from the transportation appropria-tions measure failed. “The rest of the world is doing business with Cuba, allows its citizens to travel to Cuba and also has normal diplomatic relations with Cuba.”

Yes they can: Pennsylvania company offers mobile canning service for craft beer brewers

Republican-led House votes against easing travel to Cuba

Page A8 | The Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Brenham, Texas

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LINDSEY TANNERAssociated Press

CHICAGO — Alcohol problems af-fect almost 33 million adults and most have never sought treatment, accord-ing to a government survey that sug-gests rates have increased in recent years.

The study is the first national esti-mate based on a new term, “alcohol use disorder,” in a widely used psy-chiatric handbook that was updated in 2013.

Five things to know about the re-search published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry:

DEFINING ALCOHOL PROBLEMS

The revised handbook, the DSM-5, defines problem drinkers or those with the disorder as people with at least two of 11 symptoms, including drink-ing that harms performance at work, school or home, frequent hangovers and failed attempts to limit drinking. Mild problems involve two to three symptoms; severe involve at least six symptoms. The new handbook com-bined alcohol abuse and dependence, which had been separate disorders, added craving as one symptom and eliminated alcohol-related legal prob-lems as another.

THE NUMBERSResearchers from the National Insti-

tute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism asked 36,000 adults during 2012 or 2013 about lifetime drinking habits, in-cluding current or within the past year. About 14 percent of adults were current or recent problem drinkers, or nearly 33 million nationally, and 30 percent — almost 69 million — had been at some point in their lives. Mild drink-ing problems were the most common, while 14 percent had ever experienced severe drinking problems.

Using the old definition, the rates were 13 percent for current or recent problem drinking and 44 percent for

lifetime prevalence — up from 9 per-cent and 30 percent in the agency’s 2001-02 survey.

HEAV Y DRINKINGNearly 40 percent of adults surveyed

said they had engaged in binge drink-ing — downing at least five drinks in a day at least once in the past year, up from 31 percent in the earlier survey. Even heavier drinking also increased but was less common.

WHO’S DRINKING?Drinking problems were most prev-

alent among men, whites and Native Americans. Low-income adults, those younger than 30 and those who never married also relatively high rates. Prob-

lem drinking also was more common among city dwellers than those in rural areas, while the West and Midwest had higher rates than other regions.

STIGMA & DENIALDr. George Koob, director of the

federal agency that did the survey, said it’s unclear why problem drinking has increased but that many people under-estimate the dangers of excessive alco-hol. Many won’t seek help because of “stigma and denial,” and many don’t realize that medications and behavior treatments can help.

“There’s a lore that there’s only Al-coholics Anonymous out there and that’s not true,” he said.

Problem drinking affects 33 million — 14% of U.S. adults

Texas residents share ideas, network to lead positive changes for rural areasHORSESHOE BAY — State

and federal governments have multiple ways of defining “ru-ral,” but “places that lack lead-ership” isn’t one of them, Texas officials note.

During a recent conference of the Texas Rural Leadership Program, more than 80 people representing small towns across the state convened to learn from each other, share ideas, find out what opportunities are available and — most importantly for the organizers — vow to teach lead-ership skills to people from all walks of lives upon returning to their communities.

“We want to go through the process and hook up the re-sources with the people,” said Ronnie McDonald, Texas Rural Leadership Program director. “We’re bringing stories and people together to show what can be done to help our rural communities thrive.”

The Texas Rural Leadership Program was the vision of a minister who felt that training in leadership would help people better tackle the economic and sociological issues facing rural and small town communities.

In 1989, the Texas Rural Leadership Program began a more formal partnership with the Texas A&M AgriLife Ex-tension Service. Together they worked with more than 40 agen-cies and organizations to devel-op a curriculum to train people in leadership.

The idea is that whether a small town is facing issues with economy, jobs, education, infra-

structure, water or myriad other problems, well-trained leaders — not just elected officials — can bring about positive change, said McDonald, who became di-rector in 2013.

“Texas is still the largest ru-ral state in the lower 48, and we have the opportunity with the Texas Rural Leadership Program to try to grow our rural areas back to what they once were,” Dr. Doug Steele, AgriLife Extension director in College Station, told the gath-ering. “What matters is the diversity and quality of voic-es at the table. The AgriLife Extension agencies with half a billion-dollar budget and research around the state can help, but we can’t do it alone. It’s about people investing their time, talents and trea-sures to help people.”

Shared stories from partic-ipants at the meeting ranged from an AgriLife Extension agent who partnered with an Episcopal priest to bring well-ness programs to the people of their rural county to that of a group of rural women who in visiting each other realized that domestic violence was a serious issue and thus started a shelter for battered women — a service often only offered in bigger cit-ies.

“Bring together a wide diver-sity of people, a coalition who really knows what the com-munity is and looks like,” said Debbie Bresette, who began her community involvement while an organic farmer in Bastrop

County and now is president of United Way of Greater Austin. “You can help people reframe an issue, rather than focusing on all the negativity. Communities are undergoing a tremendous change, and you can bring the strength of new people to the table to help shape positive out-comes.”

She said one trend facing

Texas is that people are moving out of larger cities into the rural towns because the cost of liv-ing is more affordable. But that brings with it greater needs, and often results in economic segre-gation which compounds a vari-ety of related issues.

“All of this impacts eco-nomic development,” Bresette said. “You can’t have a thriving

community if you don’t treat all members of the community with deep respect.”

She suggested that communi-ties should “entice people of all walks of life” into the dialogue – regardless of economic status – provided they have a trait such as being “action-oriented, a risk taker, a money raiser, one who’ll ask the hard questions, one who

is respectful and thoughtful, or a detail person.”

“Bless and release those who aren’t looking at the common vision,” she said.

National Guard Briga-dier General Rick Noriega of Houston told the group that the late-President Kennedy’s admonishment “Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your country,” hit him at his core as a child.

“Servant leadership changes lives and communities,” he said, pointing to two Bible scriptures and a quote from George Ber-nard Shaw about the joy of life as “being a force of nature in-stead of a feverish selfish clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

Noriega said a position of au-thority is not the same as a po-sition of leadership, and added that in his military service, he likes to empower privates to ex-ercise leadership regardless of rank.

“If we’re capable of muster-ing public will in a crisis, why can’t we muster that when there are other issues that need help?” he asked. “No one is honored for what they received; they are honored by what they gave.”

McDonald noted that the Tex-as Rural Leadership Program is actively seeking communities who want to engage and train people to begin problem solving efforts. Find out more at http://trlp.tamu.edu/.

Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kathleen PhillipsParticipants at the recent Texas Rural Leadership Program conference were given pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and had to work with attendees they had not met to solve the puzzle.

SportsThe Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Page B1

www.brenhambanner.com/sports@290sports

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TEXAS A&M AGGIES

No. 6 baseball (49-12, 18-10): NCAA Super Regional, Fort Worth, vs. TCU, today, 1:15 p.m., ESPN.

HOUSTON ASTROS

Astros (34-21): @ Blue Jays, today, 12:07 p.m., RTSW.

WEEK AT A GLANCE

SUBMIT SPORTSNEWS & PHOTOS

Share your news and pho-tos with us.

If you see something inter-esting or newsworthy snap a photo and write a brief cap-tion and send it to sports@brenhambanner.com.

Purchase photos by going to The Banner-Press’ DotPhoto site: http://goo.gl/TkBDfu.

WEEKLY BRIEFS2015 BRENHAM BASEBALL CAMP The annual Brenham Base-ball Camp will be held June 15-18 at Brenham High School at 525 A.H. Ehrig Dr. There are two sessions: The basic camp and a pitching camp. The basic camp, for ages 6-13, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday. This is a comprehensive in-structional camp on hitting, de-fensive positions and throwing mechanics. The cost is $150. The pitching camp, for ages six to 13, will be from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., Monday throughWednesday. This camp will focus on the mechanics of the pitching motion, defensive drills

and the art of how to pitch. The cost is $50. The new camp director this year is Lanny Williams, head baseball coach at Brenham High School and former Texas Ranger. The camp staff includes Kyle Van Hook, professional scout and former head baseball coach at Blinn College. The rest of the staff is composed of high school coaches, college coaches and college players. The camp is designed to en-sure a 12 to 1 camper to coach ratio. Campers may enroll for more than one session. For more information call (979) 830-3573 or email: brenhambaseball-camp@gmail.com.

Staff Report

HOUSTON — Three Washington County little leaguers participated in the 2015 Astros Pitch, Hit & Run Team Championships Sunday at Minute Maid Park.

Mason Lampe took second place in the 11-12 year-old boys division, Karleigh Flisowski fin-ished second in the 13-14 year-old girls division and Alannah Sanders placed third in the 9-10 year-old girls division.

The trio advanced to the finals after winning their respective district and sectional rounds of competition. In the finals, they competed against kids from Texas, Louisiana and Alabama.

In the hitting event, each competitor had three swings to hit a ball as far as possible.

For the pitching competition, the girls threw softballs from 35 feet away from home plate and the boys threw baseballs from 45 feet. They had six attempts to hit the Major League strike zone and each strike was worth 75 points.

In the running competition, competitors started from second base, rounded third and finished at home plate, attempting to clock the best time.

The final point tallies were based on a conver-sion table with all three events weighted equally.

There will be a Pitch, Hit & Run team champi-onship at every Major League ballpark over the next four weeks. The first-place winners at each championship will be ranked from 1-30 in scor-ing, with the top three in each age and gender group advancing to the national finals at the July 14 Major League All-Star Game.

Three Washington County little leaguers compete in Pitch, Hit & Run championships at Minute Maid Park

Special to the Banner-PressMason Lampe (left), Karleigh Flisowski (center) and Alannah Sanders (right) all com-peted at the 2015 Astros Pitch, Hit & Run Team Championships Sunday at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

IAN HARRISONAssociated Press

TORONTO — Runs have been hard to come by for the Houston Astros in recent games. It was the same story Friday night.

Aaron Sanchez pitched into the ninth inning, Jose Reyes and Jose Bautista each hit a two-run homer, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Houston 6-2 to end a seven-game losing streak against the Astros.

Houston has failed to score more than three runs in three straight games and six of the past eight. The Astros are 4-4 during that stretch.

Sanchez (5-4) allowed one run and six hits in eight-plus innings, his longest career start. He was pulled after giving up three consecutive hits to start the ninth. For the first time in 11 starts, he didn’t walk a batter.

“We knew he was a little er-ratic earlier in the year and we expected him to spray the ball around a little bit,” Astros man-ager A.J. Hinch said. “What we saw was a little bit different, where he pounded the strike zone with his fastball. This guy has a good arm, his ball moves all over the place, and when he’s inside the strike zone, he’s tough to handle.”

Second baseman Jose Al-tuve, who had one of the hits off Sanchez, praised the Blue Jays rookie for doing “a tremendous job.”

“I was looking for balls right in the middle,” Altuve said. “That’s what he did and I still couldn’t hit it.”

Sanchez was perfect until George Springer reached on an infield single to start the fourth, with Josh Donaldson’s throw from third pulling Justin Smoak off the bag at first. Springer was erased when Altuve followed by grounding into a double play.

Colby Rasmus hit a one-out single in the fifth, but the in-ning ended when Luis Valbuena grounded into a double play.

Roberto Osuna finished to give Toronto its first win over Houston since Aug. 1, 2014. The Blue Jays matched a season high by winning their third straight.

Jason Castro hit a leadoff homer in the ninth, snapping a 21-inning scoreless streak by Blue Jays pitchers. Toron-to held Washington scoreless in the final four innings of a 7-3 win in the second game of

Offense struggles again, Astros lose 6-2 to Blue Jays

STRUGGLES continued on B6

Page B2 | The Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Brenham, Texas

D E A R ABBY: I am a divorced mother with an 11-year-old daughter.

My boy-friend, “John,” and I have been together for two years and we’re serious.

He is also divorced, with a 13-year-old daughter.

We have tried to be sensitive and understanding about their feelings about our recent divorc-es and our relationship, but both girls are having a difficult time coping with it. We are very lov-ing and inclusive, so it’s not as if they should feel resentful or left out. But this is starting to cause a rift in our relationship.

There comes a point when they need to understand that this is the new norm and get used to it. We try to include each oth-er’s daughter in shared events, but it ends up becoming a forced struggle. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. — THE NEW NORM

DEAR NEW NORM: Wel-come to the world of blended families.

As much as we would wish it, the adjustment isn’t always smooth, because when chil-dren are involved, their world is often torn apart.

A resource that can be help-ful would be the Stepfamily Foundation Inc. (stepfamily.org).

Your former spouses can also ease the adjustment for the girls by remaining actively involved in their lives, curbing their hostility and not pitting the children against either of you.

However, if that’s not in the cards, then enlist the help of a licensed family therapist. Blended family counseling, di-

vorce and remar-riage counseling may be necessary to ease the girls’ transition into “the new norm,” which is anything but normal for them.

****** DEAR ABBY:

My husband, “Alex,” and I are a young couple and have been married for four years.

I recently took a trip with him to visit his uncle and met one of Alex’s cousins for the first time.

I was helping my mother-in-law in the kitchen when Alex called me to come and look at something on his computer. I responded, “Sir?” His cousin immediately strted poking fun at it, and the rest of his family joined in. To me, “Sir” is a ges-ture of respect to my husband.

His family seemed to inter-pret it to mean I think I’m less than an equal in our relation-ship.

This is definitely not the case. Alex and I both make sure to show respect and apprecia-tion to each other in little ways throughout the day.

This isn’t the first instance in which someone heard me ad-dress my husband as “Sir” and criticized my decision to use the word.

Frankly, I have no intention to change the way I interact with my husband.

What I’d like to know is, how do I nicely shut the conversation down when people give their unwelcome opinion? — AN-NOYED IN ROUND ROCK, TEXAS

DEAR ANNOYED: It’s possible these relatives did not grow up with the same for-malities you are used to.

If that’s the case, smile and say, “I consider calling my husband ‘Sir’ a sign of re-spect. That’s how I was raised. Don’t you think he deserves it?” However, if the teasing doesn’t stop, add, “I’m neither downtrodden nor subservient — and what I call him is really not your business.”

******Dear Abby is written by Abi-

gail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was found-ed by her mother, Pauline Phil-lips.

Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

To order “How to Write Let-ters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby -- Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are in-cluded in the price.)

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ASTROGRAPH

FRANK & ERNEST ® BOB THAVES

THE BORN LOSER ® ART AND CHIP SANSOM

ALLEY OOP ® DAVE GRAUE AND JACK BENDER

MONTY ® JIM MEDDICK

THE GRIZWELLS ® BILL SCHORR

GARFIELD ® JIM DAVIS

DEAR ABBY

Children from prior marriages can be slow to accept change

ASK DOCTOR K

Simple self-help measures ease discomfort of hemorrhoids DEAR DOCTOR K: What can

I do to ease the discomfort of hemorrhoids?

DEAR READER: Hemor-rhoids are quite common, and they’re not a “serious” medical problem.

But, figuratively and literally, they’re a real pain in the butt.

Hemorrhoids develop when veins in the anus and rectum swell and widen.

(I’ve put an illustration on my website, AskDoctorK.com.)

They can be extremely painful and uncomfortable, causing bleeding and painful bowel movements.

There are surgical treatments that can help when you have recurrent, painful flare-ups of hemorrhoids. However, most of the time, simple self-help measures can ease the discomfort and allow healing.

Hemorrhoids often are linked to consti-pation.

When a person is constipated, stool piles up in the rectum and hardens.

This can press on the veins that are re-turning blood from the rectum to the rest of the body. As a result, blood builds up in the veins, causing them to stretch. So the treat-ments for hemorrhoids often are treatments

for constipation, as well.I spoke to my colleague

Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, a gastroenterologist and as-sociate professor of medi-cine at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

She suggested some ef-fective steps you can take to help relieve a hemor-rhoid flare-up:

-- STEP UP THE FI-BER. Fiber draws water into stools, making them

softer and easier to pass. Increasing fiber also reduces bleeding.

Increase high-fiber foods (fruits, vegeta-bles, whole grains) in your diet.

Consider taking a psyllium husk fiber supplement, such as Metamucil.

If psyllium causes gas or bloating, try a supplement containing wheat dextrin or methyl-cellulose.

Aim to get 25 grams (women) to 38 grams (men) of fiber a day.

-- TRY MINERAL OIL. Mix 1 table-spoon of mineral oil with applesauce or yo-gurt and eat it at breakfast or lunch. This allows the stool to slide by more easily.

-- WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO, GO.

Don’t delay bowel movements. Putting them off can worsen constipation, which then aggravates the hemorrhoids.

Also, as you sit on the toilet, elevate your feet a bit with a step-stool.

Doing so changes the position of the rec-tum in a way that could allow stools to pass more easily.

-- SOAK IN SITZ. Sitz baths are warm, shallow baths done in a basin that fits un-der the toilet seat. Take sitz baths three or four times a day, for 15-20 minutes each. The water will keep the area clean, and the warmth will reduce inflammation and dis-comfort. Dry the rectal area thoroughly af-ter each bath.

-- SOOTHE YOURSELF. Apply a cold compress or icepack to the anal area. Or try a cool cotton pad soaked in witch hazel.

Many over-the-counter hemorrhoid prod-ucts, like the iconic brand Preparation H soothing cream, are available. You can also ask your doctor about prescription prepara-tions, which contain stronger anti-inflam-matory drugs and numbing medications.

If, despite all of these measures, your hemorrhoids start to bleed, continue to bleed or hurt more, or begin to interfere with bowel movements, talk to your doctor. He or she can tell you about procedures to remove or reduce hemorrhoids.

Your Birthday Monday, June 8

Put the past behind you. This year will be full of new experi-ences and adventures that will result in personal changes and plenty of progress. Adaptability will be the key to your success, along with a positive approach and a resilient attitude.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- In order to save your repu-tation, you will have to resolve any workplace issues quickly. A jealous colleague will spread false information or try to sabo-tage your efforts.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Your intuition will lead to new ideas regarding your career path. Financial troubles will de-crease as you develop additional means of income. A joint ven-ture will pay off.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- A truthful dialogue will iron out any problems with someone you love. Keeping your feelings bot-tled up will lead to anxiety and unhappiness. Clear the air.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Swift action will enable you to take advantage of an opportu-nity. Convert an unconventional idea into a moneymaking enter-prise that fills a niche in your community.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- If you want to find a way to improve your work environ-ment, you should bounce ideas off your peers. Working toward a common goal will garner pos-itive feedback and improve your business relationships.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Interacting with people from diverse cultural backgrounds will increase your desire for

travel. You will become more understanding of others as a result of your newfound knowl-edge.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Stubbornness or a lack of ambition will hold you back. You have to view both sides of every situation if you want to avoid an unnecessary dispute.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You have the ability to mellow even your most ruthless critic. Use your original ideas and knowledge in order to gain allies and potential partners. Present your views with confi-dence.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Legal and financial re-sponsibilities should take prece-dence over other matters. A loss is apparent if you fail to keep your records up to date. Cash will come your way from an un-usual source.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Expect to have your in-tentions misinterpreted. Don’t react emotionally. Unless you have your facts straight and you know what you want, an unfor-tunate disagreement is likely to occur.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Your mind will be full of inspiration and creativity. Don’t disregard any of your daydreams. A moneymaking opportunity will blossom if you nurture one of your ideas.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Your considerate and com-passionate nature will not go unnoticed. Partnering with a charitable agency or group will magnify your good qualities and generate positive interest from others.

ABIGAIL VAN BUREN

ANTHONY L.KOMAROFF, M.D.

ClassifiedsThe Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Page B3

www.brenhambanner.com/classifiedsphone: 979.836.7956 | fax: 979.836.0727

email: classified@brenhambanner.comClassifieds Phone: 979.836.7956 • Fax: 979.836.0727Email: classifi ed@brenhambanner.com

The Banner-Press • Sunday, June 7, 2015 • Page 3B

Help Wanted

Real Estate Offi ce AssistantWe are a growing real estate offi ce seeking a full time offi ce assistant to join our team located in the Brenham area! The role requires an energetic and self-motivated individual who thrives in rapidly changing environment.

Roles & Responsibilities: • Coordinate with broker and agents in the creation and dissemination of marketing materials such as fl yers, maps, presentation booklets, website updates and listings. • Providing clerical support to agents and broker during the sales process. This involves photocopying sales documents, scheduling closing dates and securing public information about a property. • Updating and maintaining social media sites. • Answering telephones & handling incoming and outgoing mail. • Creating documents & spreadsheets, including preparing weekly listing reports. • Performing additional marketing tasks to help sell homes and fi ll vacant rental properties. These tasks include creating advertisements, posting photos and videos of available properties, producing brochures and fl iers, planning open house events, and scheduling property tours. • Scheduling and organizing basic calendar activities such as meetings, agendas, luncheon arrangements. • Maintaining fi ling system and/or fi les. • Undertaking project work assigned from time to time by agents and broker. • Performing additional assigned clerical and administrative projects as requested by team.

Required Skills: • Profi cient in Microsoft Offi ce (Excel, Word, Power Point). • Experience is real estate preferred. • Excellent writing skills. • Strong organizational and communication skills. • Previous administrative support experience is desired.

Real Estate AgentsWe are also looking for highly energetic and motivated real estate agents to join our team!

To apply please email resumes to matt@searchersrealty.com.

Hiring Real Estate Offi ce Assistant

and Agents

Help Wanted

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Help Wanted

SEEKING FULL-TIME PERSONFor Retail Advertising Outside Sales

Position requires extensive face-to-face selling and cold calling on new customers.

Must be organized and dependable with good transportation.

No Phone Calls PleaseMail resume to - Attn: Helen

E-mail to: helen@brenhambanner.com

THE BANNER-PRESS

Help Wanted

Dos Brisas a Luxury Ranch Resort is currently seeking skilled persons in general maintenance, with carpentry,

electrical, and plumbing experience to join our maintenance team.

Previous maintenance experience is required. Open availability is required; ������������� �������������������������� ��������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������

is a must.

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Card of Thanks

Thank You!Words can not express our appreciation to all who

reached out to us and are still reaching out, in the loss of our loved one. Whether you were able to attend his

service, spoke works of comfort, sent flowers, remembered us in prayer, gave us a hug, brought food, sent a

card or called us, your sympathy and compassion will be remembered always. You have all encouraged and

strengthened us more than you will ever know. May God Bless each of you in a very special way.

Bobby M. McKinzie Family

Help Wanted

is accepting applications for a

LOAN OPERATIONSGENERALIST

Bank of Brenham

Provides loan servicing support in various areas of Loan Operations, including collateral tracking, document imaging, search requests, paid loan processing, insurance monitoring, customer notices, quality and assurance, and customer service.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:������������������������������������������������������������������������������� multi-tasking skills. �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Each depositor insured to $100,000

EEOC

Bank of BrenhamAttn: Human Resources

501 South Austin St.Brenham, TX 77833Fax: 979-836-3334

Help Wanted

* SHIPPING MANAGER *Provide leadership and direction to the Shipping & Quality Department in Areas of Administration, Shipping & Receiving, Scheduling Employees, Product Inspection, and Safety to manage a team of 6-10.

* URETHANE CASTING *Casting of Polyurethane Rollers, Rods, Wheels, etc… Breakout & Trim

* WELDER *Fabricate Custom Parts According to Blueprint Specs, Geometrical Toler-ances, Quality Standards, and ensure production deadlines

�����������������www.precisionurethane.com Please e-mail your resume to

kbaker@precisionurethane.com,Fax to 979.826.6040 or apply in person.

Precision Urethane���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Help Wanted

Health Care Professionals

We offer an excellent wage scale and benefits are available. If you are a person dedicated to providing quality care, please apply in person or email resume.

Special Notices

“We Invite You To Take TheBlue Bell Challenge Today

Blue Bell will match yourgifts, up to a total of $13,500

This is your opportunity tomake an important differencein our community. ThroughJAM over 220 kids will stayengaged in Gospel, Educa-tion, & Fun! Blue Bell stillbelieves in our JAM (Jesusand Me) Program and Mis-

sion Brenham still believes in Blue Bell! Please send yourgift today to: Mission Bren-

ham, 305 East Academy St.,Brenham, TX 77833 or do-nate on-line to www.mission-

brenhamtx.org/Donate.”

Want To Buy Wrecked Or non-running cars w/titles.Also, equipment. Will pay

top $$$. 979-277-8420

Recreational Vehicles

FOR SALE: 2008 Bloomer 3 Horse Live in Quarters

Trailer. Immaculate condi-tion, low mileage. OversizeAC with Onan generator.

Call 281-734-5943

Recreational Vehicles

2013 MONTANA 3900FBFifth wheel. Fully loaded incl.

self-leveling, dual climatecontrol air, 4 door ref., 1.5

bath, king bed, island kitchen& living area. Set up for

gooseneck or regular fifthwheel. Used 2 times, less

than 1,000 miles. Priced tosell. 979-277-5164

GULFSTREAM 28THbumper pull TTs $6850 Re-modled with new matteressetc. www.txtraveltrailers.com

979-561-6323

STORAGE TRAILERS$2950 ready to halul or store

www.txtraveltrailers.com979-561-6323

Trucks

2015 FORD 150 Eco BoostCrew Cab 76,000 miles.Tan in color. $19,500. Call

979-203-6930

Help Wanted

ELECTRICIAN’S HELPERWanted. For MoreInformation Call979-836-4179

Help Wanted

ASSISTANT MANAGERNeeded by the Brenhambranch of World Finance.

Valid driver license and autorequired. This is a Manager

Trainee position and a careeropportunity that offers excel-lent salary and a completefringe benefit package. Pro-motion to Manager possiblewithin 15 months. No experi-

ence necessary. Apply inperson at 207 S. St. Charles

St., Brenham. EOE/MF

Cook Needed With LongTerm facility experiencedpreferred. Email resume toStephani.golie@highhope-brenham.com or come by

401 East Blue Bell Rd, Bren-ham. No phone calls please.

HIGH HOPE CARE CENTERIs hiring CNAs, multiple

shifts, Weekend RNs, andLVNs. Benefits Included.Apply online at www.high-hopecarecenter.org, or inperson at 401 East Blue

Bell Road, Brenham

Help Wanted

RESIDENTIALTREATMENT CENTER

In New Ulm, TX is now hiringApplicants must have a cur-rent valid Texas DL or ID &diploma or GED. 4 overnightdays on & 4 days off. Great

pay & Insurance Benefits. Goonline to our website

www.fiveoaksac.com, tothe “Contact Us” tab & scroll

down, print & completeemployment application.

Fax to 979-992-2828

*MAKE UP TO $3,000 INONLY 11 days!! managingfirework stand NO INVEST-MENT REQUIRED! June 24- July 4, mrwfireworks.com tosubmit app, or 830-429-3808

mon-thurs

Poultry Houses NeededHy-Line North America LLCis looking to expand our con-tract grower profile. Hy-Lineis the nation’s leader in egglayer breeders. Anyone in-terested in building poultryhouses please call or email

for more information. (979) 822-3781

psandel@hylinena.com

Help Wanted

VOLARE ITALIANRESTAURANT

Hiring waiters. Apply in person, 10 A ~11 A or

4 P~ 5 P at 102 S. Ross St. Brenham 979-836-1514

Bellville Rent-All Hiring1)Small Engine Repair Mechanic(knowledge of heavy equipment helpful)

2)Shop Helper/Delivery3)Counter/Office Clerk

Strong customer serviceskills required Please call 979-865-1520 or come by

our location at 726 E Mill St.Bellville, Tx 77418.

INSURANCE AGENCY In Brenham looking for anAdministrative Assistant.Please send resume to:

Insurance OfficePO Box 1256

Brenham, TX 77834

Part Time MaintenanceWorker wanted for smallranch north of Brenham.Lawn work, filling feeders,general maintenance, etc.Must speak English. CallNorm at 979-551-1330.

Help Wanted

QUESTVAPCO CorporationIs currently hiring for a recep-

tionist in Brenham area.Sarting pay $10/hr. Positionis fulltime Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm, fast paced and

interacts with other depart-ments and the public. Quali-

fied applicants will havephone reception, possible

customer service andaccounting experience

with the ability to multi-task.. All applicants must passabilities test, backgroundcheck and drug test. Com-pany offers medical and

401K benefits and vacationafter allotted time. Additional

info listed at www.quest-vapco.com and click on

employment page.Interested applicants

please send resume toshaym@questvapco.com

PORTER NEEDED FOR Apartment Community. Sixmonths of stable employ-

ment but skills can belearned on the job. responsi-ble for light maintenance andapartment make-ready du-

ties. $10-$12 per hour. Greatbenefits, 401k Send resumes

to brenhamoaks@allied-orion.com

CLASSROOM TEACHERS,Assistant Teachers, and

Floaters NEEDED at HeadStart Brenham Center. Visitwww.bvcaa.org for more de-tails! Submit application & re-sume to shohlt@bvcaa.org.

EOE/AA

Assistant Manager &Caregivers Needed

Immediately. Please ContactRight At Home-Brenham

979-488-9115

QUESTVAPCO In Brenham, TX is currentlyhiring for AM and PM shift

aerosol and liquid productionline (start at $9/hr), and anightshift stager w/ forklift

(start at $9.50/hr). Additionalinfo on website www.quest-vapco.com and click on em-ployment tab. Apply online or

in person at 2001 E. TomGreen St weekdays 8a - 5p.

All applicants must passbackground and drug test

for employment.

Looking for QualifiedMaintenance Personnel for a property managementcompany. Must be able to

perform plumbing, electricaland general repairs to

houses and apartments.Experience a must. Cleandriving record. Competitivepay plus full health benefits.

Call 832-967-7272

Help Wanted

NOW HIRINGFull-time warehouse person

wanted for delivery andfurniture assembly. Good

pay and benefits. Must haveclean driving record. Applyin person Monday-Friday At Schleider Furniture307 S. Austin, Brenham.

Immediate Opening For F/T or P/T LVN or Medical

Assistant(exp preferred,but not required). FlexibleSchedule. Send resumes

to: P O Box 585-MBrenham, Tx 77834

BRENHAM SONICAccepting applications forall positions. Apply online atSONICDRIVEIN.COM/JOBS

Gazebo Terrace SkilledCare & Rehabilitaion

Is Seeking The Following:CNA’s 6 P - 6 A & 6 A - 6 P

No phone calls please.Apply in person at

1303 Hwy 290 E, Brenham

Seeking Full TimeExperienced Ranch Hand

In Washington, TXResponsibilities:The ranchhand will be responsible forthe care of livestock, cattle &horses, must have generalknowledge of farm equip-ment including, tractors &implements, mowing, tree

trimming, weed eating,shredding, maintenance ofbuildings and properties,mending fences, painting& general construction.

Job requirements: AI certifieda plus but not required.We offer an excellent

compensation and benefitspackage.• Great opportunityto move up into a managerial

position.• Contact phone#281-854-1318 or fax resume& references to Raelene at281-854-1368 or email to

rmcginley@diligentusa.comHousing and relocation

not provided.

HAIR STYLIST OPENINGAt A Cut Above979-836-4540

Bluebonnet Center

Help Wanted

CABINET SHOP SEEKINGMachine operators / assem-blers for commercial millwork

projects in the BrenhamArea. Send resume to:

scabaccang@rlnindustries.com or fax resume to:

409-316-0551

PART TIME MAINTENANCEMan needed at Apt Complexin Brenham Tx. Applicants

must have some knowledgeof AC & Plumbing and basic

hand tools.Experience in'Make Ready' duties.Reliabletransportation needed. FaxResume to 281-689-0103

Attn Janet or Email tojmorgan@lcjcompanies.com

Livestock & Supplies

HERD SELLOUTFOUR COUNTY AUCTION

CENTER, INC,INDUSTRY,TX

June 16, 2015 AT 12 Noon40 Hereford Cows With20 Calves Running WithBrangus & Hereford Bulls60 Crossbred Cows With45 Calves Running WithBrangus Bulls, 3 BrangusBulls. For More Information

Call Don Dreyer at979-830-3959 or

979-357-2545

For Lease

BEAUTY SALONFully Equipped. For Lease.Two months FREE RENTwith 3 year lease. 2300

square feet. Located in primelocation in Sealy. High traffic

count. Call 979-885-6262for more information.

ClassifiedsThe Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Page B4

www.brenhambanner.com/classifiedsphone: 979.836.7956 | fax: 979.836.0727

email: classified@brenhambanner.com

The Banner-Press • Sunday, June 7, 2015 • Page 4BClassifieds

Real Estate

Business & Professional Directory

Auto Services

QUICK LANE TIRE & AUTO CENTER1730 Highway 290 WestBrenham, Texas 77833

(979) 836-TIRE(979) 836-2772 Fax

Ask for Mary, Nikki or Jared

Auto Services

Joanne HollingsworthCertified Sales Consultant

joanne_hollingsworth@tegelertoyota.com

Dealership: (979) 836-1615Cellular: (979) 421-0269

Fax: (979) 836-2175

Tegeler Toyota1515 Highway 290 WestBrenham, TX 77833

Audio Services

Installation, Consultation& Custom Sales

Professional, Church, Business & Home Audio SystemsMichael Brinkmeyer - Owner

michael@solutionsinsound.com

www.SolutionsInSound.com

Insurance Services

farmersagent.com/pschmid

Toll Free (888) 357-3773 Fax (979) 865-1640

Schmid Insurance AgencyAUTO • HOME • LIFEBUSINESS • HEALTH RV • MOTORCYCLE

Iron Gate Services

Gates and More of Texas

gatesandmore@att.net

979-530-8126 or 281-610-6641 Free

Estimates

281-610-6641or 979-530-8126

Landscaping

979-353-0955

Real Estate Services Signs & Graphics

936-825-8044

Plumbing ServicesMonument Services

Foundation Repair

1st CHOICEHouse Leveling

SeniorDiscounts

FREEInspection

*Slab Repair*Pier & Beam

*No Job Too Small*Lifetime Guarantee

979.203.1647

Remodeling

Free Estimates • ReferencesAustin & Washington County

Home & Building ServicesRepairsRestorationRemodel

CarpentryMasonryMetal Roofing

***

979-251-0521

Floors Make Old Floors Look Like New

Beautiful WOOD FLOORS

Hardwood Floor SpecialistInstall • Sand & Finish • Repair

Brazilian Cherry, Oak, Heart Pine, Pecan, Mesquite, Maple, Etc.

Juan Martinez • Cell: (979) 277-2373Fax: (979) 836-1275

E-mail: jm_flooring@att.net

JM

Legal Services

GEORGE BISHOP Attorney At Law

with over 400 trials in state and federal court is available by appointment

only in Chappell Hill!

979-530-2784

Lawn Service

Alan BeckendorfOWNER

Beckendorf Lawn Service & Repair2430 HWY 290 E

BRENHAM, TX 77833979-277-0447

Work on all major brands!Authorized Dealer For Murray, MTD, AYP & Poulan

Custom Woodwork

Kulow's Woodworks218 East Main St.

Brenham, Texas 77833 979-421-9858Curtis Kulow - Owner Christopher Kulow - Operations Manager

Furniture Refinishing and RepairCustom Made Furniture and Toys,Picture Frames and Shadow Boxes

Cedar Chest and Jewelry BoxesChair Caning and Rushing

ConstructionLone Star Excavating &

Concrete Construction, Inc.(30 Years Experience)

Dirt Work • Concrete Paving • Building Foundation • Soil StabilizationFoundation Drilling • Roads • Ranch Work • Culverts

LOUISIANA LICENSE # 43120

Dieter SchuhknechtPresident

1504 Kleihege Road • New Ulm, Texas 78950Tel: (979) 732-2019 • Fax: (979) 733-8949 • Mobile: (979) 277-2452

Email: lstarexc@yahoo.com

Real Estate Services

Improving business productivity for busy Brenham area Realtors

* Introductory Low RatesFor a Limited Time Only

VACATION COVERAGE AVAILABLEThyRoyalRealtyServices@gmail.com

Rebecca Queen . . . atThy Royal Realty Services

Transaction Management, Etc.512-767-5733

Miscellaneous

WE DELIVER(to surrounding areas)

11AM - 7PM

Tuesday - Saturday936.661.7152

All e-juice made fresh in house118 E. Washington Ave; Navasota, TX 77868

E-Cigs, Vapors, Games,Movies and Electronics

Advertise Your Business Here

GET SPOTTED! Advertise your business

card here for only $18.00 per week!

Help Wanted

www.daybreakventure.com Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Help Wanted

has immediate positions available:Quality Control, Production,

QA, Maintenance, Supervisor Positions as well as Hourly Positions at both our Burton

& Lufkin Locations. Please fax resume to: 979-289-9942 or

email to: atrinidad@burtonsausage.com.Walk-In applications accepted as well!

Required

Help Wanted

CHAPPELL HILLCONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC.is still hiring experienced construction

personnel. If you have construction experience and want a job with good

salary, 100% company paid insurance, paid vacation and sick leave then please contact CHAPPELL HILL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY at

P.O. Box 602, Brenham, Texas 77834.

Real Estate

MaLisa Hampton 979-830-3497

No-Cost Tools to a Faster Home Sale For More Money go to

www.malisa.7sellertips.com

For Lease

Apartments

2 BDRM, 1 1/2 BATH Apt. $650 mth., $650 dep.

Shown by appointment only Call 979-203-3889

Apartments

ALL BILLS PAID! Cable TVpool table, washer & dryer

and DSL available.$400-$450/month.Call 281-960-9178

EFFICIENCY FURNISHEDSmall. $600-$650/monthIncludes Utilities & CableTV.Security Deposit and

References Required.979-830-1472

Apartments

1 Bdrm, 1 Bath, Living RmDuplex apt for rent. $600per month + $600 deposit.

Utilities NOT Included.App. required. 512-577-0706

Apartments

APTS FOR RENT2/1 $625 mth, $450 dep

979-830-8715

Homes for Rent

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Brenham, Texas | The Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Page B5

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MARILYNN MARCHIONEAP Chief Medical Writer

Opening a new frontier in transplant surgery, Texas doctors have done the world’s first partial skull and scalp transplant to help a man who suffered a large head wound from cancer treat-ment.

Doctors from Houston Methodist Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center did the operation two weeks ago.

The recipient — Jim Boysen, a 55-year-old software developer from Austin, Texas — expects to leave the hospital Thursday with a new kidney and pancreas along with the scalp and skull grafts. He said he was stunned at how well doctors matched him to a do-nor with similar skin and hair coloring.

“It’s kind of shocking, really, how good they got it. I will have way more hair than when I was 21,” Boysen joked in an interview with The Associated Press.

Last year, doctors in the Netherlands said they replaced most of a woman’s skull with a 3-D printed plastic one.

The Texas operation is thought to be the first skull-scalp transplant from a human donor, as opposed to an artifi-cial implant or a simple bone graft.

Boysen had a kidney-pancreas trans-plant in 1992 to treat diabetes he has had since age 5 and has been on drugs to prevent organ rejection. The im-mune suppression drugs raise the risk of cancer, and he developed a rare type — leiomyosarcoma.

It can affect many types of smooth muscles but in his case, it was the ones under the scalp that make your hair stand on end when something gives you the creeps.

Radiation therapy for the cancer destroyed part of his head, immune suppression drugs kept his body from repairing the damage, and his trans-planted organs were starting to fail — “a perfect storm that made the wound not heal,” Boysen said.

Yet doctors could not perform a new kidney-pancreas transplant as long as he had an open wound. That’s when Dr. Jesse Selber, a reconstruc-tive plastic surgeon at MD Anderson, thought of giving him a new partial

skull and scalp at the same time as new organs as a solution to all of his problems.

Houston Methodist, which has transplant expertise, partnered on the venture. It took 18 months for the or-gan-procurement organization, Life-Gift, to find the right donor, who pro-vided all organs for Boysen and was not identified.

Boysen’s wound extended through his skull to his brain, Selber said.

In a 15-hour operation by about a dozen doctors and 40 other health workers, Boysen was given a cap-shaped, 10-by-10-inch skull graft, and a 15-inch-wide scalp graft starting above his forehead, extending across the top of his head and over its crown. It ends an inch above one ear and 2 inches above the other.

Any surgery around the brain is dif-ficult, and this one required delicate work to remove and replace a large part of the skull and re-establish a blood supply to keep the transplant viable.

“We had to connect small blood vessels about one-sixteenth of an inch thick. It’s done under an operating mi-

croscope with little stitches about half the thickness of a human hair, using tools like a jeweler would use to make a fine Swiss watch,” said Dr. Michael Klebuc, who led the Houston Method-ist plastic surgery team.

The pancreas and kidney were trans-planted after the head surgery was done.

“It’s a very ingenious solution” to the patient’s problems, said one indepen-dent expert, Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, a re-constructive surgeon at Harvard-affil-iated Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. His hospital has done seven face transplants and three double-hand transplants and has plans to do arm and leg ones in the future.

Boysen said he already has sensation in the new scalp.

“That kind of shocked the doctor. He was doing a test yesterday and I said, ‘Ouch I feel that.’ He kind of jumped back,” Boysen said.

The new scalp also was sweating in the hot room — another surprise so soon after the operation, he said.

“I’m still kind of in awe of it,” Boy-sen said Thursday at a news conference

at Houston Methodist. He will remain in Houston for two to three weeks for follow-up. He will need to keep his head covered because sunlight increas-es the chance of rejection, his doctors said.

“I’m glad the donor family had the generosity and insight to approve us doing this ... to get through their grief and approve the donation of this tissue besides the organs,” said Dr. A. Osa-ma Gaber, transplant chief at Houston Methodist.

Over the last decade, transplants once considered impossible have be-come a reality. More than two dozen face transplants have been done since the first one in France in 2005; the first one in the U.S. was done in Cleveland in 2008.

More than 70 hand transplants have been done around the world.

Last October, a Swedish woman be-came the first in the world to give birth after a womb transplant.

A host of patients have received transplants or implants of 3-D printed body parts, ranging from blood vessels to windpipes.

Texas doctors do world’s first skull-scalp transplant

ROBERT CADWALLADER and GORDON DICKSONFort Worth Star-Telegram

FORT WORTH, Texas — Buster Tuggle was atop his house, reaching into the long branches of a cottonwood with a trimmer, unaware of a water moccasin wrapped around a nearby branch.

Tuggle, 61, owner of Hare’s Nursery in Arlington, also didn’t see the snake when he sawed it in two, along with an armful of tree limbs.

His sister Joyce was the first to see it when it smacked on the ground next to her.

“His head was attached to the end I was at, and he was still trying to bite,” Joyce, who quickly grabbed a hoe to finish off the intruder, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The almost 17 inches of rain last month may not have produced that kind of drama in every encounter, but a lot of people have found an array of crit-ters in their yards, garages and homes that have never visited before.

Snakes. Wildfires. Allergies. West Nile virus.

Summer could bring its own men-acing, pesky problems as North Texas dries out. Grass is already extremely tall along highways and in parks and other public spaces. And the vegeta-tion, fed by moisture-rich soil, likely will continue to grow for weeks.

As spring turns to summer, the grass could become a serious fire hazard if the region experiences a prolonged dry spell, officials said.

And health care officials are warning that the tall grass and large pockets of standing water could cause havoc for sufferers of grass and mold allergies and also create a spike in West Nile vi-rus and other mosquito-borne illnesses.

Area cities and other governments say they likely won’t be able to cut the grass quick enough to eliminate the hazards.

No rain is in the Dallas-Fort Worth forecast for the next week or so, and temperatures are expected to climb into the 90s.

Turtles, frogs, earthworms, rabbits

and many others, along with the preda-tors — snakes, bobcats, coyotes — that follow them have been in unusually close proximity to homeowners.

Experts say the appearance of snakes and other wildlife will be temporary. Of course, be cautious, they say, but it’s not a Planet of the Snakes invasion due to deep-sea atomic testing.

“When floodwaters rise, you’re go-ing to see a lot of animals,” said Misty Wellner, a former naturalist with the River Legacy Living Science Center in Arlington and now its volunteer man-ager. “When you have a disaster like this, they’re going to move to dry land, just like we are.”

Residential areas are typically well drained with modern storm sewer sys-tems, and animals may look for tempo-rary homes in those areas while their usual habitat is under water, said Derek Broman, Texas Parks and Wildlife urban wildlife biologist based at Joe Pool Lake.

“This is a 500-year flood, so none of the current generation of animals is used to this,” he said. “As things start to recede, a lot of the animals should go

back into hiding. A lot of the animals don’t want to be out in the open. Some of the higher grasses might be provid-ing cover for some of those animals for the time being.”

Snakes are showing up with great-er frequency in Haslet, Mayor Bob Golden said. “Typically, they are being swept downstream in the floodplain ar-eas of the city, so most of the increased activity is in those locations. We have no reported bites.”

The animal services department that serves Colleyville, Keller and Southlake “is answering about four snake calls a day in the three-city area,” Colleyville spokeswoman Mona Gandy said. “Typi-cally they would get two a day.”

Roanoke police warned residents that it has taken several calls recently about snakes.

Water moccasins, or cottonmouths, prefer to live near water, not in it, said herpetologist Diane Barber, curator of ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) at the Fort Worth Zoo. They might climb to a low branch to get out of water.

Rat snakes and other harmless vari-

eties will climb a tree when they think a bird egg meal awaits, she said.

The Western cottonmouth is among the four most dangerously poisonous, along with the Western diamondback rattlesnake, the copperhead and the coral snake — the smallest, most col-orful of the lot, with the most potent venom, Barber said.

Dr. Ketan Trivedi, emergency de-partment medical director at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, which has treated two snake bites in recent days, reminds people to wear boots and long pants and be careful around bushes when reaching for things.

If bitten, he said, don’t waste time going online to try to identify the snake. Instead, go to the emergency room of a full-service hospital. You likely would be put on painkillers and kept overnight.

Even if bitten by a harmless snake, go to an emergency room to have the wound cleaned and to get antibiotics, as well as a tetanus shot. Both the snake’s teeth and your skin have bacteria that can cause infection.

Recent rains bring more than floods: Watch for snakes

DIANE SMITHFort Worth Star-Telegram

ARLINGTON, Texas — La-mar High School is usually known for its blue-and-gold Vi-king logo and its football prow-ess, but this year it has a new niche: graduates who are twins and triplets.

Of about 600 students in this year’s class, 19 are multiples — eight sets of twins and one set of triplets.

“For all of our kids, it is ob-viously a momentous time and a line of demarcation from their childhood going into adulthood, but for the twins, it is especial-ly important,” Principal Andy Hagman told the Fort Worth

Star-Telegram. “For many, it is going to be a point of separation in the coming months when they go off to college. It’s the begin-ning of their future apart, so I am sure it is very bittersweet for them.”

Several of the multiples con-firmed that they are trying to prepare for their first extended separation from a very close sibling.

“Being a twin, you are born with a best friend,” said Jernia Ross, 17, who has a twin sister. “You grow up with her or him. You are together with them, and then after high school, when you go to different colleges or do different things, to me that is so sad.”

The multiples have shared an unusual chemistry on the cam-pus of about 2,900 students.

“They can all relate to each other,” Hagman said. “It’s their own special club. It has been a unique experience.”

The Lamar community will miss its multiples, Hagman said, adding that getting to know one twin or triplet meant meeting an entire family.

Some of Lamar’s multiples are accustomed to media atten-tion.

In 2004, the Star-Telegram wrote a multiples story that included Jason and Jennifer Murray; Connor and Sydney January; and Tori, Jansen and Brett Russell when they were

at Butler Elementary School. At the time, Butler had two sets of twins and two set of triplets.

“Most people heard about us through the paper,” said Jason Murray, now 18.

Several of the multiples also attended Shackleford Junior High, which is several blocks away.

The Murrays, Januarys and Russells are joined in gradua-tion by twins Jernia and Jernay-ia Ross, Micah and Darah Jones, Alicia and Calisha Mayhugh, Andrew and Allyson Guinn, Diontez and Tae Champion, and Teresita and Mauricio Ortiz.

Lamar isn’t the only Arling-ton high school with multiples

at this year’s commencement. Bowie and Sam Houston high schools each have five sets of twins. Arlington High has four, Martin has three, and Seguin has one, according to the school district.

On the surface, it appears that Lamar has so many multiples by happenstance, said Dr. G. Sealy Massingill, an associate profes-sor of obstetrics-gynecology at the Texas College of Osteopath-ic Medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.

“It’s like flipping a coin and having it come up heads 10 times in a row,” he said.

Massingill said three deliv-eries in every 100 are twins.

Triplets or higher sets of mul-tiples are delivered 1½ times per 1,000 deliveries, he said. Generally, twin births have increased since the onset of advanced reproductive care, he said. And mothers are start-ing their families later in life, slightly increasing the chances for twins, he said.

The multiples just get one an-other in ways other kids can’t.

“It’s cool to know that we can relate to people having the same issues as triplets or twins,” said Brett Russell, 18, a triplet.

The Ross twins have attended classes at Lamar for about three years. They said they like being part of an extended community of multiples.

Graduating class boasts loads of twins, triplets

Page B6 | The Banner-Press | Sunday, June 7, 2015 | Brenham, Texas

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STEPHEN HAWKINSAssociated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas — There have been those special first-time moments for TCU under coach Jim Schlossnagle.

The Horned Frogs played an NCAA regional at home for the first time in 2009 and won it. They went to the Col-lege World Series for the first time in 2010 and got back to Omaha last season after their first time as a super regional host.

Now the Big 12 regular-season champion Frogs (47-12), the No. 7 na-tional seed, are hosting a best-of-three super regional for the second year in a row. Game 1 against Texas A&M (49-12) is Saturday.

“It’s definitely not the same, because nothing is as special as the first time,” Schlossnagle said. “This one is going to be unique because instead of us like in ‘09 and ‘10, where we had to go to Texas, it’s going to be unique to have

one of those big state universities on our campus for a super regional.”

TCU and Texas A&M passed on the way in and out of the Big 12 Confer-ence. The Aggies left for the SEC three years ago, the same time the Horned Frogs moved to the Big 12.

Texas A&M felt it had a re-sume worthy of a national seed, but is on the road for its sixth super regional appear-ance. The last one was in 2011, when they won in three games at Florida State to make their fifth College World Series.

In their game notes for this weekend’s series, the Aggies point out “they post superior numbers to TCU” in RPI (A&M is 5th, TCU 10th), strength of schedule (39 to 72) and re-cord for top 50 RPI teams (A&M 17-8, TCU 9-6).

The Aggies had to get through a pair of extra-inning games at California before eliminating Cal in the winner-

take-all regional final game.“I’m excited for this team. It’s a very

talented team. It’s a close a team and as fun a team as I’ve ever been a part

of,” 10th-year Aggies coach Rob Chil-dress said. “They’re earned it, and I’m certain their attitude is they’re not done yet. There’s work to be taken care of.”

Some things to watch when the former Southwest Conference rivals play this weekend. Texas A&M has a 160-88-4

series advantage, but TCU won 10-2 at the 2012 College Station regional:

BEFORE THE DRAFTTCU junior closer Riley Ferrell, ex-

pected to be a high pick in next week’s draft, has struggled of late. Ferrell’s

only blown saves came in the Big 12 tournament last month and the winner’s bracket game last week against North Carolina State. Ferrell also allowed four runs facing only five batters Monday in the regional final.

“He’s the best pitcher that’s ever stepped on this campus in

that role,” Schlossnagle said. “But nobody’s perfect, and everybody

goes through slumps. ... Whenever we play again, if the game’s on the line, you can be Riley Ferrell’s going to be pitching.”

GOING DEEPTexas A&M has 68 home runs, al-

ready 43 more than last season. The Aggies have 20 homers in their last 13

games, but most of their long balls have come at home — 52 homers in 41 home games. Logan Taylor, tied with Nick Banks for the team lead with 10 hom-ers, has hit all of his at home.

EXTRA, EXTRATexas A&M played two extra-inning

games against Cal in its regional, los-ing 2-1 in 14 innings to drop into the loser’s bracket and winning 4-3 in 12 innings to force the deciding game the Aggies won 3-1. TCU won its regional clincher 9-8 in 10 innings after trail-ing 8-1 in the eighth. The Frogs won a 22-inning game in the Fort Worth re-gional last year, the night after playing 11 innings.

PLENTY OF PURPLEThe series is sold out, with a record

crowd of about 6,800 expected for Game 1. TCU officials said most of those tickets got in the hands of their fans, despite social media claims that Aggie maroon would be more promi-nent than Horned Frog purple.

Old rivals TCU, A&M meet in super regionalPurple and maroon: After all firsts for TCU, Frogs get 2nd home super regional vs old foe A&M

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers fin-ished off Chicago and swept past Atlanta, even when Kyrie Irving wasn’t available.

Now they have to find their way past the Golden State War-riors in the NBA Fi-nals without him.

Irving has a frac-tured left kneecap and will have surgery that could sideline him for three to four months, the Cavaliers said Fri-day.

Already without Kevin Love, the Cavaliers are now without their All-Star point guard, who had been playing in pain for most of the postseason and was injured again in the final min-utes of Game 1 on Thursday night.

“As far as how we prepare, we’ve been through this. We’ve played games without Kevin, without Kyrie,” coach David Blatt said Friday, be-fore the team announced Ir-ving’s diagnosis. “We know how we want to play when they’re not in there. From that standpoint, we can prepare.

Our main concern right now though is just Kyrie’s health. That’s all.”

The Cavaliers said an MRI exam Friday at Stanford Sports

Medicine Clinic re-vealed the injury and that surgery will be performed at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland by Cava-liers head team phy-sician Dr. Richard Parker.

“Saddened by the way I had to go out but it doesn’t take away

from being (a part) of a special playoff run with my brothers,” Irving wrote in a Twitter post-ing. “Truly means a lot for all the support and love. I Gave it everything I had and have no re-grets. I love this game no matter what and I’ll be back soon.”

Irving limped off the court during overtime of Cleveland’s 108-100 loss on Thursday night and left the arena on crutches. He has been bothered by foot and then knee pain for most of his first postseason, sitting out the second half of the se-ries-clinching victory over Chi-cago in the second round.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The next run Chi Chi Gonzalez gives up in the majors will be his first.

“It is going to be sad,” Gonza-lez said, then laughed.

Gonzalez threw a three-hit shutout in his second major league start as the Texas Rang-ers beat the skidding Kansas City Royals 4-0 Friday night.

The Royals lost for the eighth time in 10 games, while the Rangers have won six of seven and 14 of 18 to move into second place in the AL West behind Houston.

Gonzalez (2-0), the Rangers’ 2013 first-round draft pick out of Oral Roberts, has not allowed a run and yielded only five hits in 14 2-3 innings in his first two starts. He checked the Royals on three singles, walked two and struck out two.

“I had the same jitters just because it was my first away start,” said Gonzalez, but he kept the sellout crowd at Kauff-man Stadium quiet.

Gonzalez worked around five walks in 5 2-3 innings to top Boston 8-0 on May 30 in his big league debut.

“I threw more strikes and got ahead of a lot more hitters than in my last outing, which is what

I was hoping to do,” Gonzalez said.

He threw 102 pitches in eight innings, and pitching coach Mike Maddux visited him in the dugout.

“I sat down and got a drink of water, Mike came up to me and asked how I was feeling,” Gon-zalez said. “I said I felt strong, I felt good. He said ‘all right, go get ‘em.” That was the end of that conversation.”

Manager Jeff Banister said it “was not an easy decision” to send him out for the ninth.

“This is a young man that’s fresh in the big leagues, second major league start,” Banister said. “I’m very conscious of where he is. I felt like there was

not a lot of stress on any of the innings. I felt he was in still in control, the velocity and pitch-ability was still there. We had a pitch count we weren’t going beyond.

“We had (Shawn) Tolleson ready if he got into any trouble. He didn’t get into any trouble.”

Mitch Moreland led off the Rangers’ three-run sixth with a homer. Robinson Chirinos celebrated his 31st birthday with a two-run single to finish right-hander Edinson Volquez’s night.

Volquez (4-4) gave up four runs and six hits, while striking out six and walking three in 5 1-3 innings.

Gonzalez, who retired 12 in

a row after walking Lorenzo Cain in the first, did not allow a Royal to reach second base until the seventh. Eric Hosmer had a bunt single and Kendrys Mo-rales walked, but Alex Gordon grounded into an inning-ending double play.

“We went through him four times today and still couldn’t solve him,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Gonzalez.

Delino DeShields led off the game with a triple and scored on Shin-Soo Choo’s groundout.

PHENOM TAMEDJoey Gallo, who hit .417 with

two homers and five RBIs in his first three Rangers games, struck out four times, three looking.

Tuesday’s doubleheader, and Mark Buehrle tossed a six-hit-ter in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over the Nationals.

Castro’s homer was the first off a Toronto pitcher in 36 innings.

Reyes hit his first homer of the season in Toronto’s five-run third. Donaldson followed with a single and scored when Bau-tista homered off the facing of the third deck in left.

Edwin Encarnacion doubled and scored on an RBI single by Chris Colabello, Toronto’s fifth straight hit off Roberto Hernan-dez.

Hernandez (2-5) allowed six runs, five earned, and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings. The right-hander is winless in three starts and has given up 18 runs during that span.

“The big inning is getting him,” Hinch said. “Minimiz-ing damage has been hard for him.”

Houston’s Chris Carter went 0 for 3, ending his hitting streak at 12 games.

THE GRADUATEAstros bench coach Trey Hill-

man was away Friday attending his daughter’s high school grad-uation. He’s expected to rejoin the team Saturday.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARYFriday marked the 26th an-

niversary of the first game at Rogers Centre, which opened as SkyDome in 1989. Toronto beat Milwaukee in the inaugural game. The first big league sta-dium with a retractable roof, it’s now the seventh-oldest facility in the majors.

TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: RHP Will Harris,

who limped off the mound af-ter being hit in the left foot by a broken bat Thursday, was feel-ing fine Friday despite minor bruising and swelling.

Blue Jays: 2B Devon Tra-vis (left shoulder), who hasn’t played since May 29 after feel-ing sore in a rehab game at Tri-ple-A, will be reevaluated Mon-day. “He’s moving in the right direction,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said.

StrugglesContinued from B1

Rangers rookie shuts out Royals on 3 hits

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carlos Martinez over-came an early bout of wildness before straight-ening himself out. After that, the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn’t straighten out any of the pitches he threw over the plate.

Martinez outpitched Brett Anderson again during their second low-scoring duel in six days, and the St. Louis Cardinals scratched across a pair of runs in the eighth inning to beat the Dodgers 2-1 Friday night.

“Both guys were on their game tonight,” Car-dinals right fielder Jason Heyward said. “Carlos kept us in the game the whole way, and that’s huge. Our pitching has been awesome for us. And when your pitcher’s throwing well, you feel like you can come back and win.”

Martinez (6-2) allowed his only run in the sec-ond on a bases-loaded walk to power-hitting rook-ie Joc Pederson. The right-hander gave up three hits and had a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings while helping the Cardinals lower their major league-best ERA to 2.57.

“Our hitters aren’t going to have their best games every night, so it definitely helps when your pitch-er’s throwing like this in this type of environment against this type of team,” Heyward said.

Last Sunday, Martinez held the Dodgers to

one hit over seven innings and struck out eight in a 3-1 victory over Anderson, which followed an emotional pregame tribute to Martinez’s late teammate and best friend Oscar Taveras, who was killed in a car accident in October.

This time, Anderson (2-4) allowed two runs and four hits in 7 2-3 innings.

“I’m just giving us a chance with quality starts,” Anderson said. “I did a good job until the eighth. There were some kind of fluky plays there. We expect these games to be close and competitive. So far they have been, we just haven’t been on the right side.”

The Cardinals, with the best record in the ma-jors at 37-18, were held to a pair of harmless sin-gles over the first seven innings and failed to get a runner in scoring position until everything unrav-eled for Anderson in the eighth.

Yadier Molina drew a leadoff walk, Heyward followed with an infield single and Tony Cruz ad-vanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt while batting for Martinez.

Kolten Wong was credited with a tying RBI sin-gle when Anderson failed to cover first base on a grounder to Adrian Gonzalez wide of the bag. Matt Carpenter drove in Heyward with a sacrifice fly on Anderson’s 88th and final pitch.

Cardinals use small ball to grab late victory

Cavs’ Irving has fractured kneecap, out for 3-4 months

IRVING