The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 16, 2007 Page: 1 of 18
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2007
500
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Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper Since March 1, 1853 Semi-Weekly Since Sept. 5, 1977
Volume 154, Number 49
Bastrop, Texas
20 pages in two sections
The Bastrop Advertiser photoATerry Hagerty
Courtney Scharf, from San Antonio, uses a fan to cool off in 90-degree temperatures
while working in a booth during Pine Street's Market Days last Saturday. See page 6B
for more photos.
Capital murder
trial ordered
in chi d death
By Davis McAuley
Editor
ounty opens M talks
By Davis McAuley
Editor
In a sometimes emotion-
al session Monday, Bastrop
County commissioners heard
pleas to retain the services of
Guardian EMS, which holds a
service contract with the coun-
ty. At the same time, com-
missioners heard a recommen-
dation from a study panel to
begin negotiating for a new
contract with rival American
Medical Response, the larg-
est ambulance company in the
U.S.
The study group was asked
to solicit and evaluate competi-
tive proposals for ambulance
service. The Guardian contract
expires early next year.
Mallissa Jackson, the coun-
ty's purchasing agent who
served on the review panel, said
25 firms were invited to submit
proposals, but only Guardian
and AMR responded. Jackson
described the AMR proposal as
"more responsive" but declined
to divulge further details.
"The next step is negotia-
tion," said Pet. 2 Commissioner
Clara Beckett. "There's no con-
tract on the table."
The county sought propos-
als which included a number of
alternative approaches in terms
of response times, number of
ambulances to be staged in the
county and the level of subsidy
needed, but details of what the
firms proposed were not imme-
diately available.
•Tin a little disappointed
with the process," said Guardian
president Ricky Powell. "We
did not put in a zero subsidy bid
(as the county requested). That
would put people at risk."
He said there's no rush to
make a final decision.
Gary Hicks, a volunteer fire-
fighter employed by Guardian,
presented commissioners peti-
tions signed, he said, by 2,300
people asking the county to
See COUNTY, Page 2A
A Paige area resident faces a capi-
tal murder charge in the death of a
2-year-old in June. A state grand jury
for Bastrop County returned the two-
count indictment Tuesday.
If convicted, Christopher Lee
Murray, 29, could be sentenced to
death or life in prison.
Murray has been held in Bastrop
County Jail under $1 million bail since
his June 13 arrest.
District Attorney Bryan Goertz
said he has asked the Texas Attorney
General's office for help in prosecut-
ing the case. No decision has been
made on whether to seek the death
penalty, said Goertz.
It will be the first capital case in
Bastrop County since the 1998 convic-
tion of Rodney Reed for the 1996 rape
and strangulation of a H-E-B grocery
worker in Bastrop. Reed was sen-
tenced to death, and he is awaiting the
outcome of appeals on death row.
Murray initially told investigators
that Robert Faske had fallen on his
head from a chair in a residence on
Old Pin Oak Road near Paige on June
11. An autopsy said the child had
sustained fractures to the skull, neck
and ribs as well as bruises and inter-
nal organ damage, according to court
documents.
Authorities were first alerted June
11 by a 9-1-1 call shortly before 2 p.m.
saying a child on Old Pin Oak Road
was "turning blue and not breathing."
That call was soon followed by a sec-
ond, saying Murray was leaving with
the child. Yet another call reported a
traffic accident as U.S. 290 and Old
Pin Oak Road "and that there was
a possible fatality of a small child,"
according to a sworn statement by a
criminal investigator.
The Travis County Medical
Examiner's office conducted an
autopsy the next day, and Murray
was arrested and charged with murder
early the following morning.
Elgin reorganization
debate continuing
By Terry Hagerty
Staff Writer
Jury assesses seven years
in gin agravated assault
By Davis McAuley
Editor
Jurors deliberated about
two hours Monday in Bastrop
before sentencing an Elgin man
to seven years in prison for an
aggravated assault and two less
serious charges.
Gerald D. Penson faced as
much as 20 years in prison
after the same jury in 335th
District Court found him guilty
last week of aggravated assault
with a small bat, retaliation
and reckless injury to a child.
Jurors found him not guilty of
a second alleged aggravated
assault.
Trial testimony indicated
that Penson became embroiled
in an argument with a girl-
friend in Elgin last Aug. 21,
before her mother and a sister
intervened. In the fracas which
followed the mother was struck
with a bat, the sister was threat-
ened with death if she called
police and the child was struck
in the face while being held by
the girlfriend, witnesses said.
Prosecutors urged a long
sentence for Penson because
of a history of prior assault
convictions.
The proposed reshuffling of Elgin
city government touched on the person-
nel involved — and the "personal" — at
a joint meeting Monday night of the
Elgin Main Street Board and the city
council.
The reorganization, proposed by
City Manager Jeff Coffee, would split
up the dual duties currently held by Amy
Miller — economic development and
community development.
At Monday's meeting, Coffee reiter-
ated the double duties were "too much"
for one person and had nothing to do
with job performance.
"There is a tremendous amount
pressure on (being) both the Economic
Development and Community Director,"
Coffee said.
Anew position would focus solely on
economic development, which involves
attracting new businesses to Elgin.
A second new position would be a
Parks and Community Development
Director, which would involve such
programs as the nationally affiliated
Main Street program and writing grants
as well as directing parks operations.
In a related move, the current Parks
and Recreation Dept., headed by Dock
Jackson, would be dissolved as a sepa-
rate city department. The city's Public
Works Dept. would assume mainte-
nance of parks facilities.
Council member Joey Miller said,
"The reorganization is personal. You're
talking about two people who might
lose their jobs."
Both Miller and Jackson would
have to reapply for the positions, if
they were interested. Neither has said
whether they would reapply.
Aid at one point it appeared that
Miller, who has held her post for a
decade, was somewhat affected by the
proposed changes and the evening's
discussion.
Mark Holm, a member of the Main
Street Board, asked Miller the equiva-
lent of "can it work?"
Holm had praise for Miller but said
she had been reserved and "circum-
See ELGIN, Page 3A
inside
12)
special section in this issue
weather! index
■ Thursday's forecast:
Cloudy
High: 92°
Low: 77°
Rain: 70%
■ Last week:
High Low Prec.
Saturday 97 77 none
Sunday 100 78 none
Monday 99 80 none
Tuesday 100 78 none
■ Provided by the KXAN School Weather Network.
7 65668 78602 3
Classified ads...
3B
Commentary
4A
Community
9A
Education
5A
Food
...13A
Sports
1B
AUSTIN COMMUNITY
This newspaper
is recyclable
Teachers drawn back to Bastrop
By Terry Hagerty
Staff Writer
The love of pine trees,
fond high school memo-
ries and the hard reality of
real estate prices in Austin
brought Rose Goldfarb back
to Bastrop.
The second grade teacher
at Mina Elementary says she
is glad to be back in town.
At last week's welcome
breakfast for the 115 new
teachers for the school
district, Superintendent
Roderick Emanuel kidded
about the returning faces he
recognized.
Some were former stu-
dents as well as teachers
and administrators who had
worked elsewhere profes-
sionally and decided to come
back to Bastrop.
"I see another face out
there coming back home,"
Emanuel told the group in the
cafeteria of the Ninth Grade
Academy. "I know you just
had to find out it just doesn't
get any better than here in
Bastrop."
For Goldfarb, the time was
ripe to head back to Bastrop,
where she graduated in 1996.
"My husband and I were
living in Austin and were
looking to buy a house,"
Goldfarb said. "We wanted
to have a little bit of space
and to not deal with rash hour
traffic anymore.
"Plus we both have family
still here and just love liv-
ing in the pines. I worked in
another district before, but I
really wanted to work in my
community so that I could
be more involved here,"
Goldfarb said.
The Bastrop Advertiser photo/Terry Hagerty
See TEACHERS, Page 2A Rose Goldfarb returned to Bastrop to teach.
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 16, 2007, newspaper, August 16, 2007; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth252399/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.