Port Aransas, TX

PDF of print edition Easter Bunny to stop at egg hunt YOUNGSTERS INVITED TO EVENT AT 2 P.M. SUNDAY       This year's Rotary Club Easter Egg hunt will take place by the pool at the Community Park, 700 Clark Pkwy., off Ross Avenue. Festivities will start at 2 p.m., on Sunday, March 23. The Easter Bunny will stop off in Port Aransas to supervise the hunt. More ... Last Schweppe lecture slated 'SOCIAL DOMINANCE, TEMPERATURE AND SEX CHANGE'       Dr. John Godwin will present the last of the Laura Randall Schweppe Endowed Lecture Series in Marine Science tonight, Thursday, March 20. The title of his lecture is "Social Dominance, Temperature and Sex Change: Fish Tales from Coral Reefs and Salt Marshes. More ... Public to choose PAPHA meeting topic March 27       People, tarpon, visiting ships, building the jetties or the Lydia Ann Lighthouse will be the topic of the Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association (PAPHA) meeting. Set for Thursday, March 27, moderator Mark Creighton will allow those present to decide on the meeting topic. It will be ... More ... Volunteers sought SandFest organizers gearing up       Love the beach and want to help in one of the biggest island events of the year? If so, SandFest could use your help. A meeting for all those interested in volunteering will be held Thursday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the J.E.L.M. Center. More ... PACTheads schedule musical variety show PROCEEDS BENEFIT RELAY FOR LIFE       Enjoy an evening's entertainment and benefit the American Cancer Society on Friday, March 28. The Port Aransas Community Theater Relay for Life Team (PACTheads) will present the musical variety show "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening…" featuring celebrity impersonator Joey B., and benefitin... More ... Easter services set for Sunday       Three Port Aransas churches plan special Holy Week services, in addition to the non-denominational community wide Easter sunrise service (see related story). Community Presbyterian Church, 113 S. Alister St., will hold a Maundy Thursday and Tenebrae service tonight, Thursday, March 20, at 7 p.m. More ... PASTOR'S PEN He gave his blood       In his book "Written in Blood," Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor had explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previousl... More ... Palm Sunday procession       Parishioner Harold Gage leads a Palm Sunday procession at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Port Aransas on Saturday, March 15. More ... Sunday is egg hunt at Worship Center       Children ages 2-10 are invited to hunt Easter eggs on Easter Sunday, March 23 The Island Worship Center will conduct the egg hunt at approximately 11:45 a.m., as soon as the 10 a.m. service ends. The entire family is invited to watch the kids hunt. Plastic eggs filled with individually wrapped h... More ... Carrots: From entrees to desserts BILL SLINGERLAND       With the arrival of spring and Easter upon us, the use of vegetables in our dishes is part of the celebration of the season. One of my favorite vegetables is also a favorite of Peter Cottontail's: That bright orange root vegetable- the carrot. I love carrots raw, in soups, with roast, in salads an... More ... JELM Center March Calendar       8 a.m. 10: a.m. 1 p.m. 9:30 a.m. 1 p.m. 9 a.m. 4 p.m. 9 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. 10 a.m. 6 p.m. JELM Center, 113 S. Alister St. next to Community Presbyterian Church. www.jelmcenter.com jelmcenter@yahoo. More ... Church selling tickets to win hand-made quilt       An opportunity to win a hand-made quilt is available through a drawing being held by the Island Worship Center. The Women's Ministries group from the church will be selling tickets for the quilt Tuesday, March 25. Members will be at the Family Center IGA, 418 S. Alister St., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.... More ... Scraping due       Cotter Avenue near the beach will offer passing motorists like these a bit more room after Nueces County Parks and Recreation Department crews finish scraping some sand to widen the shoulders of the roadway. More ... Cotter at beach improvements due       Don't expect to see vast numbers of bulldozers and graders when Nueces County Parks and Recreation crews begin scraping the shoulders of beach access roads. Parks and Recreation Department Director Blake Pettis said his people will only work on one road in the Port Aransas area - Cotter Avenue, ... More ... Dinner, auction to benefit ARK       Enjoy a night of entertainment while helping raise money at the annual Spring for the ARK. The fundraiser for the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) is set for Saturday, March 29, at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center, 710 W. Ave. A. More ... Happy times       The new multi-purpose building at I.B. Magee Beach Park, background, looms over Dianne and Don Steinhagen and Millie Spring (from left) as the trio enjoys an evening at the park during Spring Break. The park was jammed with recreational vehicles and tents the first weekend of Spring Break. More ... Drinking hours clarified       While the Port Aransas City Council declared public consumption of alcohol on the beach illegal during March from the hours of midnight to 2 a.m., the council didn't tell people when they could begin drinking again. Since the city ordinance, passed on Thursday, Feb. 21, didn't address that, the m... More ... 'Memory Keeper's Daughter' next for book club discussion       "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards will be the library Book Club topic of discussion in April. The discussion, led by Joyce Williams, will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, at the Bill Ellis Memorial Library, 710 W. Ave. A. More ... Beach walk is scheduled March 28       Looking to add to your collection of sea treasures? Join other beach lovers and comb the beaches of Port Aransas on Friday, March 28. The beach walk, guided by Capt. Steve Zarych, will begin at 9 a.m., from Horace Caldwell Pier at the end of Beach Street. More ... Jeepers!       You'd better believe this bunch gets stares wherever it goes - including to Port Aransas for Spring Break. No, it's not a club, it's just some folks who all drive Jeeps, though not all the same year or model or color. More ... FOR THE BIRDS Spring has sprung!       The Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocols Workshop that I attended in Alabama was informative. It was designed to teach the standardized techniques of counting and recording marsh birds in order to monitor their numbers and determine how stable or in many cases, how unstable the population is. More ... Bustin' loose Out of classrooms and offices, it's time to head for the beach       Good weather brought an estimated 60,000 to 75,000 revelers to the beach in Port Aransas March 14-16, the first major weekend of Spring Break 2008, according to law enforcement. Police made 148 arrests, all for minor offenses, in Port Aransas during that period. More ... Ferry shuttle opens for Spring Break with promise of summer service MEMORIAL DAY REOPENING SCHEDULED       The Port Aransas Ferry Shuttle is back in service - at least through Spring Break. More ... Winners announced in Laughing Gull contest       The results of the fifth annual Texas Laughing Gull Writing Contest are in. The contest, sponsored by the Art Center for the Islands, solicited submissions of fiction, More ... St. Patrick's Day paraders       Enjoying St. Patrick's Day brews under the Irish flag at The Gaff were, top, from left, Cindy and Joe Marek of Cheyenne, Wyo.; Diane and Rick Kaysen of Cheyenne; Tony Duckworth of Port Aransas, Mary and Neil Carroll of Cheyenne; and Mary Lou Duckworth of Port Aransas. More ... Pedestrian injured       Spring Breakers and law enforcement officers carry an injured victim to an ambulance on the beach just south of Access Road 1A on Saturday, March 15. The man suffered a broken leg after being run over by a car. More ... No break for first responders BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER       Port Aransas police are enthusiastic about a new city ordinance that bans drinking in public on the beach during March between midnight and 2 a.m. "We got a lot of cooperation," said Police Chief Sam Russell. Sgt. Terry Syler agreed. "Most of the time, we'd tell them about the ordinance and they... More ... Belly flopped Pilot okay after rough landing       The pilot of a single-engine plane was uninjured on Monday, March 17, after he belly-landed the plane at Mustang Beach Airport in Port Aransas. Police Sgt. Terry Syler said the pilot, Dr. John Lasher, of Amarillo, landed the plane with its landing gear up at about 6:51 p.m. More ... POLICE BLOTTER CITY OF PORT ARANSAS POLICE DEPARTMENT       MONDAY, MARCH 10 • 8:24 A.M . Two men were charged on Turtle Cove Drive with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The vehicle, a golf cart, was recovered. TUESDAY, MARCH 11 • 7:52 A.M . Emergency Medical Service (EMS) crews took a sick person from the 700 block of Beach Access R... More ... CONSTABLE'S BEAT NUECES COUNTY, PRECINCT 4       SUNDAY, MARCH 9 • 1:30 A.M . Deputies arrested a person in the 700 block of Trout Street on outstanding warrants. • 11:30 a.m. A driver was charged on the beach with willful and wanton disregard for persons and property. More ... Thwarted theft ends with assault charge       A man is charged with aggravated assault after being accused of trying to take another man's backpack on the beach early on Tuesday, March 18. Police say Christopher Kornegay, 18, whose hometown wasn't available, demanded another Spring Breaker's backpack just after midnight near Pole 10. More ... Relay For Life fundraisers       • PACTheads will have a "one night only" entertainment event Friday, March 28, at the Port Aransas Community Theatre, 2327 State Hwy. 361. Tickets available at the door for open seating. (See related story.) • Shapes Women Fighting Back teams drawing Monday, March 31, Dinner for four ... More ... Fundraising fun       Relay for Life teams were conducting fundraisers all over Port Aransas Saturday, March 15. In the photo above, Tessa Gates, left, and Ashley Hendricks hold up signs advertising a bake sale for the Shapes Women and Teens Fighting Back teams. More ... Coastal Bend Law Enforcement Chili Cook-off slated for April 12       The Coastal Bend Peace Officers Association has scheduled the third annual Coastal Bend Law Enforcement Chili Cook-off for Saturday, April 12. The event will be held at Roberts Point Park in Port Aransas and is open to any entries. More ... Council will examine beach cleaning policies at meeting tonight BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER       City council members have plenty of sand to wade through when they meet tonight, Thursday, March 20 - five separate beachfront construction permit applications, augmented by five other zoning-related requests. However, they'll also face decisions about beach maintenance, police computers and imp... More ... AGENDA PORT ARANSAS CITY COUNCIL MARCH 20, 2008       PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Discussion on final plat application #FPLT2008-1, 215 Sixth Street. B. Discussion of final replat application #FRP2008-3, 5525 State Hwy. 361. C. Discussion on final plat application #FPLT2008-2, 3035 S. More ... Redstart is a rare bird here; A pair of Texas cardinals TONY AMOS       Redstart As I drove my truck into the Amos "driveway" one evening a couple of weeks ago, I heard a warbler chirping. Warblers often make a series of a high pitched chirps while foraging that is not exactly a song, but can identify the species by sound even if the bird remains unseen. More ...