Duval County Picture (San Diego, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 24, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 14, 1995 Page: 1 of 8
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Pan deCampo dates set for August 4-6
____________ _Top Tejano bands to be featured, Page 1
Wednesday June »4 llHL>
Partly cloudy, lows in the
60’s, highs in the 90%
forecast for weekend
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We tell it like it is!'
Vol. 10 No. 24
San Diego. Texas
F i f t y ( c n t s
Glossbrenner unit mourns for chaplain, resident
30 year-old dies during afternoon ball game
Alfredo E. Cardenas
Duval County Picture
William Bauer will be remem-
bered as a man with a ready smile.
He had two great loves. His family
and his ministry.
He tried desperately to juggle
both from a 300 mile distance and
died trying. Both will miss the
man who “always was smiling.”
Bauer, 50, was the first chap-
lain at the new Glossbrenner Unit
in San Diego. It was the first chap-
laincy for the former corrections
officer and he immersed himself
into his work.
“It was like the old passage
‘Leave everything and follow
me’,” said Rev. Alex Garza, So-
cial Pastor at Corpus Christi’s
Church of Acts and a frequent
visitor to the Glossbrenner Unit.
Garza, along with many other area
ministers, was recruited by Bauer
to help him in meeting the spiri-
tual needs of the residents.
“He left his family behind so
that he could better help the in-
See CHAPLAIN Page 8
Residents at the Glossbrenner
Unit were still mourning the loss
of their beloved chaplain when
they got the news that one of their
own had died at the facility while
playing softball.
“You never know when its
your turn next," said inmate Nicho-
las Womack, expressing the feel-
ing of many of his fellow inmates.
“You can’t take life for granted.”
Randall Pearson was only 30
when he died taking swings at
home plate on Friday, June 9. He
was rushed to Alice P & S Hospi-
tal by the Benavides ambulance
but did not survive, succumbing to
an apparent heart attack.
Only minutes before, the San
Diego ambulance had transferred
another resident complaining of
chest pains.
An autopsy will be performed
to determine the actual cause of
death The Texas Department of
Criminal Justice will also conduct
an internal investigation, said
Warden Madeline Ortiz.
Pearson was remembered as a
friendly person always willing to
share. “He had a gold tooth and it
was always showing,” recalled
Mark Hill an inmate form Dallas
who had known Pearson for three
years while they both did time in
jail.
“He was willing to give up
anything he had,” said Hill who
remembered Pearson often buy-
ing food from the commissary and
sharing it with others.
“He loved to eat and he liked
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State will open
more prison beds
May impede Duval jail expansion
%
More than 18,000new inmates
will enter Texas state prisons in
June and July as completion of
Texas’ $1.5 billion prison expan-
sion program hits lull stride.
That may spell trouble for
Duval County's plans to expand
its county jail. County officials
have been developing plans to add
some 30 beds to the present jail.
Part of the county's plans is to
pay for the additional beds by hous-
ing prisoners from other facilities.
That will become a problem once
the state begins filling its new beds.
The county has already begun
to experience a shortfall from this
revenue source. County commis-
sioners budgeted $44,000 from
" state paper ready inmates. "Those
are inmates that are ready to be
transferred to a state prison but for
which the stale has no room. The
state then pays the county for hous-
ing the prisoners.
So far this year the county has
only received $8,550 from the
state. They received no money in
May and little, if any, can be ex-
pected from now on.
County Judge E. B. Garcia
said that the expanded beds could
be filled by federal prisoners.
The jail has also run into a
potential road block in the form of
the Texas Historical Commission
which has raised objections to the
addition to the county courthouse.
Prisoners from throughout the
state will be moved from county
jails to 13 new state facilities oper-
ated by the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice, ending years of
overcrowding in county lockups
which has cost the state more than
$650 million in fines and pay-
ments tocounties for housing state
prisoners.
These units plus another facil-
ity opening in August will give
TDCJ a total of 104 units with
capacity to hi)use 133,000 regular
prison inmates and state jail con-
fines, by far the largest prison sys-
tem in the free world.
“Finally, thanks to the vision
of the Legislature and the taxpay-
ers who approved the prison con-
struction bonds, Texas is ahead of
the curve,” James A. Collins, ex-
ecutive director of TDCJ said.
“And the citizens of Texas can be
proud that TDCJ accomplished this
massive building program on time
and within budget.”
The June and July openings
involve massive logistical opera-
tions for TDCJ in moving inmates,
staff and supplies.
More than 400 tractor trailer
loads of supplies, from food to
furniture, must be delivered to the
new units by TDCJ’s 160-truck
fleet from agency warehouses and
factories around the state. Mat-
tresses alone will fill 60 trailers
coming out of TDCJ’s mattress
factories in Huntsville and Lamesa.
More than 4,900 personnel,
including 3,400 security officers,
must be put in place to staff the
units opening in June and July.
Among the prison security forces,
officials hope for a mix of half
experienced staff transferred from
other units and half new staff who
have been through one of the
agency’s three training academ-
ics.
Then come the prisoners them-
selves in a series of moves totaling
500 bus loads hauled by the prison
system’s 100 “chain buses.”
The inmates will be marshaled
by county sheriffs at strategic sites
around the state. From those points
the inmates will be bused to one of
See STATE Page 8
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SDISD begins to review
superintendent applicants
San Diego ISD trustees tabled
action, on Thursday, June 8, on
the hiring of a new high school
principal and on what course to
take in issuing bonds for new
schools. The school board also
reviewed three applications for
superintendent.
Board President Tommy Mo-
lina expressed pleasure at the
"quality” of the superintendent
applicants. One, said Molina, is a
former San Diego resident who
now holds a post with the Texas
Education Agency in Austin. An-
other is a Benavides native who is
principal of a 5000 student high
school in the Rio Grande Valley.
The third is a PhD. from Edinburg.
Molina said the district had
See SDISD Page 2
County is in sound condition
Duval County is in "good fi-
nancial condition right now” ac-
cording to independent auditor
Ernest Garza. The auditor cau-
tioned, however, that dropping
property values will press county
commissioners to maintain this
fiscal stability next year.
Garza reviewed the annual
audit, for the period ending Sep-
tember 30, 1994, with commis-
sioners on Monday, June 12. It
was the final audit for the previous
administration headed by former
county judge Gilberto Uresti.
The overall fund balance was
up $33,000 to $383,000, said
Garza. He pointed out, however,
that other hinds were borrowing
from the general fund giving cause
for concern.
All departments came in
within budget, said Garza. One
area of concern was the lack of
information, particularly on state
and federal grants, getting to the
auditor. All this information should
be processed through the auditor,
said Garza.
See COUNTY Page 8
to share,” said Hill.
Pearson, like other inmates at
the unit, was affected by Chaplain
William Bauer who died earlier in
the week in an airplane crash in
Palestine. He was always reading
the Bible, said resident Curtis
Davis.
"The more he got to read the
Bible, the more he wanted,” con-
firmed Hill. “Late at night he was
still up reading the Bible. 1 think
he was prepared.”
Hill said Pearson was “not
feeling good” and was taking medi
cation but his fellow residents en-
couraged him to get in the game.
He agreed and was participating
with his usual smile when struck
down.
County
records
heat
alert
High temperatures and high
humidity led the U.S. Weather
Service to issue two “Special
Weather Statements” for Duval
County last week. Residents were
urged to stay indoors and refrain
from outside activities.
The heat index reached 114°
at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7,
said Chriity Mitchell with the
weather service office in San An-
tonio.
The heat index is “the tem-
perature the body senses,” said
Mitchell. It is determined by the
temperature and humidity.
On Wednesday the tempera-
ture was 96° and die humidity 78.
The following day, the tempera-
ture was again 96°and the humid-
ity 76 for a heat index of 111 °. On
Friday. June 9, the heat index
reached 108° when the tempera-
ture reached 95° and the humidity
stood at 75.
No special weather statement
was issued on Friday because the
overnight temperature was below
80°.
The statements urged those
with chronic respiratory problems
to stay indoors,curtail outside ac-
tivity, stay in the shade, and drink
lots of liquids.
The heat index often reaches
the 105° to 110° temperature dur-
ing summer days, said Mitchell.
For a special weather statement to
be issued,the overnight tempera-
ture must be 80° or higher.
Residents, especially the eld-
erly, infants and those who are
sick, should take extra precautions
to stay cool during there times.
Pan de Campo will feature big name talents
The San Diego Chamber of
Commerce has finalized plans for
this ^fear's Fiesta de San Diego-
Pfcn De Campo. The fiesta will be
held on Aug. 4-6 and will feature
three top Tejano bands.
Responding to citizens’ con-
cerns, the chamber and city have
reworked the logistics of the fiesta
and have realigned the carnival
location. Some 200 community
residents had petitioned the city to
have the event moved to another
location.
Chamber officials met with
petition organizers and reached a
solution to their concerns.
"They are not against the fi-
esta, they just don't want their street
closed," said newly hired Cham-
ber Manager Ada Jimenez.
In response to this concern,
some of the booths will be relo-
cated and Garcia Street will re-
main open in its entirety. Security
guards will be posted at all four
coiners of Plaza Alcala in response
to othercommunity concerns about
the safety of people crossing High-
way 44.
"We are excited about our big
entertainment this year," said Jime-
nez. Friday will open with La
Deferenzia; Stephanie Lynn will
headline on Saturday; and Los
Palominos will close out on Sun-
day. A number of local bands will
also entertain.
Jimenez pointed to other
changes to this year’s fiesta, in-
cluding;
• Pan-de-Campo contestants
will receive additional recogni-
tion. Announcement of winners
will take place during a special
ceremony upon arrival of the trail
nders;
• the pageant will be held in
the Civic Center;
■ • parade awards will be pre-
sented by Miss San Diego during
a "VIP social"; and
• a Three on Three Basketball
Tournament will be added.
Booth prices will be $100 for
nonprofit organizations and $150
for all others. Individuals inter-
ested in renting a booth should
contact Jose H. Jimenez at 279-
3341.
"The Chamber of Commerce
is excited and soliciting assistance
from the entire community," added
Ada Jimenez.. "It will take total
commitment and 100 percent par-
ticipation in order for the fiesta to
be successful."
For additional information
contact Ada Jimenez at 279-3464.
The Chamber of Commerce office
is now located at the San Diego
City Hall.
l
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Cardenas, Alfredo E. Duval County Picture (San Diego, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 24, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 14, 1995, newspaper, June 14, 1995; San Diego, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1117050/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .