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Island Life January 3, 2008  RSS feed
Book discussion slated Tuesday
      Book aficionados will meet for the Bill Ellis Memorial Library book club discussion Tuesday, Jan. 8. On the slate will be "Kafka on the Shore" at 6:30 p.m. at the library meeting room, 710 W. Ave. A. The book club is open to the public, and everyone is invited to share their views.
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Out with the old …
      The old shower building at I.B. Magee Beach Park comes down under the attack of a crane on Thursday, Dec. 27. A new multi-purpose building at the park now houses offices, the showers and a laundry facility available to campers using the park. Demolition of the old building is part of a long-range plan to upgrade the park and increase the number of camping spots.
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A last look at 2007
     The past twelve months in Port Aransas have seen progress and setbacks, controversy and unity, joy and sorrow, victory and defeat. Following is a reflection of the events that served to move Port Aransas forward, make a difference in its future or take a place in the community's history.
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Painting, pottery, jewelry at First Friday
      Adult students will "show their stuff" at the First Friday Reception tomorrow, Jan. 4. The work was done at various classes and workshops that were held at the Art Center for the Islands. The reception will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at the art center, 323 N. Alister St.
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'Cat' cruise set
      If you hurry, you may find a space on the Catamaran cruise set for Tuesday, Jan. 8, from 1 to 4 p.m. Sailing aboard the S/V Isla with Capt. Tom Doran is a City of Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Department sponsored event. The cost is $10 per person, and preregistration is required due to limited space aboard the boat.
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PASTOR'S PEN
Make your time count
      I was driving around Port Aransas on Christmas Eve, and it looked like the city could have rolled up the streets. It seemed as if I had been taken back to another time. That is interesting, because as we embark on another year, it is about time.
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Whoo-hoo!
      A dolphin enjoys a leap through the air while riding the swell pushed ahead of a tanker ship's bow in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel off the Port Aransas Nature Preserve on Wednesday, Dec. 26.
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Sign up now to make JELM trip
BROOKS AND DUNN AT SAN ANTONIO RODEO
      Those who sign up now will be able to enjoy the San Antonio Rodeo and Livestock show and country music superstars Brooks and Dunn on Tuesday, Feb. 5.
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JELM Center January Calendar
      10:45 a.m. 1 p.m. 10 a.m. 9 a.m. 1 p.m. 4 p.m. 9 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. 10:30 a.m. JELM Center, 113 S. Alister St. next to Community Presbyterian Church. www.jelmcenter.com jelmcenter@yahoo.
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Variety of JELM activities set
      No need to sit and twiddle your thumbs this winter in Port Aransas, the Joint Effort Leisure Ministry Center (JELM) has a long lineup of scheduled activities to keep you busy. Hands-on Workshops offer a variety of activities and take place each Wednesday at 2 p.m. in the Pollock Center, 129 S. Alister St., behind the JELM Center.
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Churches add more services
EARLY SERVICE 8:30
      To accommodate the influx of Winter Texans, two churches in Port Aransas have added additional worship services on Sundays. Community Presbyterian Church, 113 S. Alister St. and the First Baptist Church, 200 N. Station St., each will add an 8:30 a.m. worship service on Sundays beginning Sunday, Jan. 6. At both churches, the 11 a.m. service will remain the same.
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Art Center sets dates for variety of classes
      Workshops and classes for making jewelry, pottery and baskets and painting in watercolor, acrylic and oil have been scheduled at the Art Center for the Islands. All events will be held at the art center, 323 N. Alister St. Pre-registration and prepayment is required for most classes, and supply lists are available at the front desk.
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ArtFest booth space now available
      Artists: Sign up now to reserve booth space at the 2008 ArtFest in the courtyard of the historic Tarpon Inn in Port Aransas. The event is sponsored by the Art Center for the Islands. The third annual ArtFest will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 17- 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Tickets on sale for Computer Club laptop
      The Port Aransas Computer Club began raffle ticket sales Wednesday, Jan. 2, to raise funds for the high school scholarship program. Raffle tickets are available at the Computer Center, 430 North Alister St., during normal hours of operation. Tickets will also be sold on some Saturdays at the Family Center IGA - in January, those dates are Jan.
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Relay for Life meeting set Jan. 10
      Team captains in the 2008 Relay for Life Cancer Walk should make plans to attend a meeting Thursday, Jan. 10. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the JELM Center next to Community Presbyterian Church, 113 S. Alister St. Teams that have not registered can learn how to do so then and learn more about the relay.
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Just passing by
      The Overseas Luxmar, right, passes the Federal Fuji near the ferry landings as it heads into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, Dec. 26.
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OUTDOORS WITH PETER YOUNG
Looks like a good year for duck hunting
      During the break in this year's duck season, I was able to catch up with Capt. Brian Cody, an avid outdoor enthusiast, and ask him some questions about some of his experiences working at the Port Bay Hunting and Fishing Club, and as a lifetime duck hunter. Cody is one of the captains of the pilot boat here in Port Aransas.
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Two gentlemen from Ozona -- and the weather
      They say, "If you don't like the weather in Port Aransas, wait 10 minutes!" They say that about many other places, too. I heard it decades ago when I first went to sea to study the Antarctic Ocean. There it is often literally true, but when I came here, also decades ago, now I come to think about it, I thought that the weather was monotonously similar.
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An English Christmas is -- different
      I had Christmas with Nick and his family in England this year. Nick and his mother and I began preparations on Christmas Eve. The first big difference I noticed was that a lot of the food had been ordered out. This wasn't because Nick's mom can't cook; it's because some of the traditional English Christmas food is impossible for a normal human being to bake.
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POLICE BLOTTER
CITY OF PORT ARANSAS POLICE DEPARTMENT
     WEDNESDAY, DEC. 26 • 1 p.m. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) workers went to the 100 block of Gulf Wind Drive and took a sick person from there to a Corpus Christi hospital. • 5:01 p.m. A sick person was taken by EMS crews from the 400 block of East Roberts Street to a Corpus Christi hospital.
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Unconcerned
      Beachcombers under the tutelage of Steve Zarych during the monthly beach walk on Friday, Dec. 28, aren't having much effect on a laughing gull that was there first in any case. The beach walks are held the fourth Friday of each month; the December walk starts the season when beachcombing is at its best on Mustang Island beaches.
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Trash or treasure
Tony Amos to speak at KPAB meeting
      Trash and treasures from the beach is the title for the program at the next Keep Port Aransas Beautiful (KPAB) meeting. The meeting, set for Tuesday, Jan. 15, will feature a presentation by Tony Amos, a research fellow at The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas.
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Two charged in sex assault
      A Port Aransas couple is in jail, both charged with aggravated sexual assault on a child and aggravated assault on a child. Benjamin Richard Curcura, 30, was arrested in Port Aransas on Saturday, Dec. 22. The child's mother, Erica Lynn Friesenhahn, 23, was arrested Wednesday, Jan. 2, in Bolivar, Mo., where she was reportedly visiting friends.
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Sharp eye
      These youngsters find that keeping a sharp eye on the beach while you're strolling along the water's edge can pay off with some interesting discoveries, especially at this time of year.
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Pitch in: Help restore Community Center
BOATMEN SET WORK DAY JAN. 12
      Attention community members: Your help is being requested. Members of the Port Aransas Boatmen Inc. have scheduled a day to work on the Community Center building, and anyone willing to help is encouraged to pitch in. Slated as a barn raising like in days of old, Boatmen will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, on restoring the building.
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CONSTABLE'S BEAT
NUECES COUNTY, PRECINCT 4
     WEDNESDAY, DEC. 26 • 8 a.m. A deputy issued a citation on State Hwy. 361 for speeding. THURSDAY, DEC. 27 • 4:30 p.m. Two people were charged on State Hwy. 361 with minor in possession of alcohol and public intoxication (PI).
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Woman is airlifted after major accident
      A 32-year-old Port Aransas woman was taken to a Corpus Christi hospital by Halo Flight medical evacuation helicopter Sunday evening, Dec. 30, after a two-vehicle accident at State Hwy. 361 and Piper Boulevard. Kristi Marie Green was reportedly conscious but not responsive when she was taken to the hospital.
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FOR THE BIRDS
A Christmas Bird Count day
      Christmas Bird Counts are "counting down" everywhere. The Mad Island Marsh count looks very good so far, with 236 species reported. The fourth Guadalupe River Delta count stands at 220 at the countdown. The Port Aransas count was 160, a little down from the last several years.
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