Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 72, Ed. 1 Saturday, September 7, 2013 Page: 2 of 14
fourteen pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
A2
Wharton Journal-Spectator, Saturday, September 7, 2013
journal-spectator.com
Sat
9/7
Sun
9/8
Mon
9/9
Tue
9/10
Wed
9/11
/
94/73
Sunny in the
morning with
isolated thun-
derstorms de-
veloping later
in the da.
/V
93/72
Afternoon
thunder-
storms. lliglis
in the low
90s and lows
in the low
70s.
/
V\Vrt^\\\
92/73
Partly
cloudy,
chance of a
thunder-
storm,
/ v%
90/73
Isolated thun-
derstorms,
Highs in the
low 90s and
lows in the
low 70s.
7
89/73
Scattered
thunder-
storms ptissi -
He.
— County's Health Fair set
!ounty s Probate Court explained
Continued from Page A1
last Thursday. “Of those we
have about 12 non-profits
that we are allowing to par-
ticipate in our health fair at
no cost (2-11 Texas / United
Way Helpline; El Campo
EMS; MEHOP; Partner’s
Resources Network—TEAM
Project; Texas A&M AgriL-
ife Extension; Texas Depart-
ment of Transportation;
WCJC Senior Citizen’s Pro-
gram; Texas Health Steps/
Medicaid; Department
of State Health Services;
Matagorda County United
Way; Wharton County Child
Fatality Review Team; and
Wharton Crisis Center). I am
sure there will be a few more
added to this list by the time
the health fair actually gets
here.”
Many of the non-profit
organizations would not be
able to participate if organiz-
ers didn’t allow them to come
at no cost, Mikeska said.
“Due to their organiza-
tional regulations, funding
issues or other regulations
they are not allowed to pay
for booth spaces. Neverthe-
less, their information and
resources are essential to
all citizens in our county. If
not for our local community
health fair, many individuals
would not have access to this
information,” Mikeska said.
The “ask the doctor” booth
will feature many physicians
and physician assistants
from the area, who will be
there throughout the day
to answer your health care
questions. As of presstime,
the following will be partici-
pating: Dr. Lori Warzecki, pe-
diatrician; Dr. John Saglime,
clinical psychology intern;
and Missy Lister, WHNP —
all with MEHOP. Dr. Patrick
Johnson, family practice,
Laura Williams, PA-C; Dana
Foster, PA-C all with Mid
Coast Medical Clinic, and Dr.
Toussaint Smith, cardiologist
who is a visiting physician
at Mid Coast Medical Clinic,
will also be on hand.
In order to be eligible for
the door prize, attendees
have to get a health fair card
signed by at least 30 booth
vendors. Last year the prize
was a glider rocker and this
year could be a flat screen
TV. The committee is still
shopping.
The location for the health
fair alternates between El
Campo and Wharton every
year, and money raised from
booth rentals and sponsor-
ships goes toward purchas-
ing needed medical and safe-
ty equipment.
“The funds raised from
this event over the past years
and funds from this year’s
event will purchase needed
equipment for the local Fire
and EMS Departments in
Wharton County. Last year
we gave over $6,000 towards
fire suits for departments in
El Campo, Wharton, Lou-
ise, Danevang, Glen Flora,
Boling, East Bernard and
Hungerford. In the past we
provided AEDs to the depart-
ments and this year some
requests have been for CPR
training mannequins, emer-
gency pagers systems and
general funds towards their
specific goals. The funds
raised from this year’s event
will go towards those needed
items,” Mikeska said.
The Health Fair will be
held Thursday from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. at the El Clampo Civic
Center, 2350 N. Mechanic.
Interested booth participants
should call the El Campo
Chamber at 543-2713.
Your county judge presides
over our Wharton Comity
Probate Court. Probate is the
legal process by which a court
recognizes a person’s death
and authorizes the adminis-
tration of that person’s estate,
including the paying of claims
and proper distribution of
assets as set forth by will and
statutory law.
Key definitions: Testate
denotes there is a will. The
will generally names a fam-
ily member to serve as the
Executor in charge of admin-
istering decedent’s estate and
ensuring final wishes are
respected. Intestate signifies
there is no will, so the court
must appoint an Adminis-
trator to execute duties of
probate.
In Texas, there are four
basic categories of probate:
• Testate Administrations:
Decedent died with a will
and named an executor to
independently (without court
supervision) manage his final
affairs.
• Independent Intestate
Administration: Decedent left
no will, but all heirs agree
to the appointment of an
Administrator to handle the
final affairs.
• Dependent Intestate Ad-
ministrations: Decedent left
no will, but because there may
be issues concerning heirship
or asset distribution; the court
directly supervises the ap-
pointed administrator and all
aspects of probate.
• The probate of a will as a
Muniment of Title: Decedent
left a valid will, but there is
no need to appoint an admin-
istrator because the estate is
debt free and there is simply a
need to transfer chain of title
in property to persons named
in the will.
Testate Administrations
make up the majority of our
local probate docket as most
decedents leave a valid will,
name an executor, and clearly
outline their final wishes.
As a general rule, a will
has no legal effect until after
the death of the person mak-
ing it and it must have been
properly executed by a compe-
tent person — the testator —
as required by law.
Fifing: The person with
possession of the will, usually
the personal representative or
the decedent’s attorney, must
produce the original signed
will and file an Application for
Administration within four
years after the date of dece-
dent’s death. Probate filings
are usually held in the state in
which the decedent had domi-
cile or permanent residence at
the time of death. If, however,
the decedent owned real prop-
erty in another state, the Will
disposing of these assets must
also be probated in that state.
Upon fifing of the applica-
tion, the county clerk posts
a notice at our Courthouse
Annex that an application for
probate has been filed thereby
notifying anyone who might
want to contest the will or ad-
ministration. Hearing: After
an approximate three week
waiting period, the probate
judge schedules a hearing
to review the application,
recognize that decedent has
died, confirm our court has
jurisdiction of the case, ensure
the person applying to be the
executor is qualified to serve,
and determine if the decedent
died with or without a valid
will.
If the application is ap-
proved, the appointed ex-
ecutor/administrator will be
bonded and take an oath to
legally dispose of the testator’s
assets in the manner specified
in the will.
If there is not a valid will,
the probate judge appoints an
independent attorney ad litem
to ensure that all of decedent’s
heirs (known and possibly un-
known) received proper notice
of the probate.
Inventory, Appraisement
and List of Claims: The execu-
tor must collect and safeguard
estate assets until it’s time
to transfer them to their new
owners. As part of his duties,
the executor must publish no-
tice to potential creditors and
file an inventory of assets with
the court within 90 days after
probating the will. Creditors
must file their claims against
the estate before it closes.
Closing the Estate: After all
debts are paid and remaining
assets distributed according
to the provisions of decedent’s
will, the executor, through
his attorney, will file a formal
order closing the estate.
My fellow citizens, the
entire probate process can be
an overwhelming experience
for those who have never been
through it before. Our local
Wharton County Probate
Court requires that any
person applying to administer
an estate or admit a will to
probate must be represented
by an attorney. Because the
executor has important duties
to all of the beneficiaries and
heirs of the estate, our court
wants to ensure they are
properly advised as to their
obligations and duties as the
executor.
As your county judge, my
primary objective continues to
be preparing Wharton County
for the fixture while always
maintaining our unique
small-town way of fife.
Phillip Spenrath is the
county judge of Wharton
County. His column appears
once a month. He can he
reached at judge, spenrath @
co. wharton. tx. us.
— Woman pleads guilty to stealing nearly $60,000
Continued from Page A1
which had been damaged in an auto-pe-
destrian crash occurring two months ear-
lier. Douglas’ daughter — Kirstyn Marie
Douglas, 19, of Boling — was later ar-
rested for leaving the scene of that crash,
which claimed the fife of 74-year-old Wal-
ter Daniel Wingo.
Kurtz stressed that the car repairs
were not handled by Wharton Collision.
“She (Douglas) used her position at
Wharton Collision to buy parts for the
car,” he said. “It was not fixed there.”
Douglas was initially charged with
felony theft and money laundering. She
bonded out the day she was booked in.
Kurtz said his office attempted to
work out a plea agreement with Douglas
on the Wharton Collision charges that
would allow her to be credited with time
served provided she pay full restitution of
$27,554. That offer was later withdrawn,
however, after Douglas failed to show up
for a scheduled meeting.
She was later arrested again — this
time for attempting to do the same thing
she had done at Wharton Collision. Kurtz
said Douglas, while employed with Hap-
py Hen Farms in Boling, wrote a check to
herself for roughly $27,000 — the exact
amount needed to make the full restitu-
tion on the Wharton Collision charge.
She was arrested on July 7 and
charged with third degree felony theft, in
addition to having her bond revoked. Be-
tween then and her sentencing on Aug.
27, she was held in Wharton County Jail.
As part of the plea agreement, Doug-
las will now have to make monthly pay-
ments to cover the restitution to Whar-
ton Collision.
Kurtz noted that the original money
laundering charge was set aside as part
of the agreement.
Attempts to obtain a comment from
Douglas’ court appointed attorney, Ken
Lipscombe, were unsuccessful.
LJateline Wharton
Upcoming events in and around our community
Continued from Page A1
■ S.P.O.T. Meeting
Debbie Folks of Wolf Run Design will
be the guest speaker at the next Wharton
County Stray Pet Outreach Team (S.P.O.T.)
meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at Mi-
lam Street Coffee Shop, 200 W. Milam St.
in Wharton. The meeting is open to all ani-
mal lovers. Folks will share tips about how to
help homeless pets through social media like
Facebook. For more information, call S.P.O.T.
at 979-253-3446.
■ Garden Club Meets
Wharton Garden Club begins a new
program year at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 12,
at the Wharton County FHistorical Museum.
Fort Bend County Master Gardener Eliza-
beth Barrow will speak on Shade Gardening.
Anyone from the area with an interest in gar-
dening is invited to attend.
■ Dementia Group Meets
Dementia Support Group of Wharton
will host its next meeting at 6 p.m. Thurs-
day, Sept. 12, at Wharton Nursing & Rehab
Center, 1220 Sunny Lane, in the facility cha-
pel area. Guest speaker will be Rev. Robert
Knippenberg of Floly Family Catholic Church.
Learn and share about living with Dementia
and its effects on loved ones. This meeting
is open to anyone in the Wharton area. Re-
freshments will be served. For information,
Call Kaitlyn Flumberson at 532-5020.
■ Judging Team Meeting
If anyone has a son or daughter who
would like to be a part of the 2013/2014
Wharton County 4-FH Livestock Judging
Teams training for the district and state
contests, a meeting has been scheduled
for Thursday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the
Wharton County Extension Office. Informa-
tion and dates for upcoming contests will be
given, discuss gualifications for the District
4-FH Livestock Judging Contest and meet our
new livestock judging volunteer for the year,
Andrew Kmiec. If anyone plans to attend,
contact Lynn Plough at 532-3310, or email
her at lahough@ag.tamu.edu.
■ Women's Conference
Seven Star Baptist Church, 7506 Flawes
St. in Plungerford, will host Seven Star Wom-
en's Conference 2013 at 9 a.m. Saturday,
Sept. 14, Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
On Sunday, Sept. 15, the church will hold
its 2013 Women's Conference Annual Day
at the 10 a.m. morning worship service. The
public is invited to both events.
■ Book Signing
A book signing will be held at Milam
Street Coffee from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday,
Sept. 14. Retired General John FI. Bailey will
be signing his book Up From the Fields. As
a Vietnam veteran, he has a unigue story to
tell. Visit with Gen. Bailey and grab a copy of
his book while supplies last.
■ S.P.O.T. Fundraiser
Wharton County Stray Pet Outreach
Team (S.P.O.T.) will hold two Bow Wow Ben-
efit Dinners to help Wharton County's aban-
doned animals. The first event will be from
5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17 at the K.C.
Flail in El Campo. For tickets to that event,
call Cindy Cerny at 979-541-6848. Wharton's
event will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednes-
day, Sept. 18, at the K.C. Flail in Wharton.
For tickets to the event, call Kathleen Toomes
at 533-1828.
■ 1983 Class Reunion
Wharton High School Class of 1983 will
hold its 30-year reunion Saturday, Sept. 21,
at the Wharton Country Club, 126 Country
Club Drive in Wharton. The cost is $25 per
person. An RSVP is reguired. Contact Leah
Wittig at lwittig@stlukeshealth.org or go to
the class Facebook page for additional infor-
mation.
■ Community Center Golf Event
The Boling District Improvement Asso-
ciation will hold its 15th annual Benefit Golf
Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the
Newgulf Golf Club. All proceeds will ben-
efit the Boling Community Center's mainte-
nance and capital improvement fund. There
will be various contests and prizes, including
day money, skins, longest drive, closest to
the hole and a casino hole. Cash prizes will
also be awarded to the top three teams. The
tournament starts at 8 a.m. and will have
one flight with a limit of 18 teams. The for-
mat is a four person scramble. Entry fee is
$240 per team, $20 per cart needed and
$5 per mulligan, limit two per player. Lunch,
snacks, drinks and door prizes will be provid-
ed. Tax deductible sponsorship opportunities
for businesses and individuals are also avail-
able ranging in amounts from $25 to $500.
For additional information, an entry form, or
sponsorship application, call Pete Kucera at
657-2639 or 531-9838; Gay Joines at 657-
4924 or 531-9734; or the Newgulf Golf Club
at 6574639.
■ Business Seminar
A free seminar for people interested in
starting or expanding their small business
will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
on Saturday, Sept. 21, in the boardroom of
the Wharton Economic Development Corpo-
ration, 1944 N. Fulton in the Wharton Civic
Center. The seminar is called Exploring Busi-
ness Opportunities.
It is geared toward entrepreneurs, as well
as those who are already in business but are
wanting to take it to the next level. Irwin
Miller, a long-time volunteer with SCORE of
Flouston, will lead the seminar session in dis-
cussions concerning preparation of a written
business and marketing plan, the importance
of good cash management and accounting
practices, including cash flow and forecast-
ing upcoming business reguirements. Mike
Price, another SCORE volunteer/consultant
will lead the afternoon session focusing pri-
marily on marketing and advertising, includ-
ing the use of various social media platforms.
■ Ondrias 5K Run
A 5K Run for Katie will be held Saturday,
Oct. 5, at Wharton's Riverfront Park. Regis-
tration begins at 7 a.m. and the run begins
at 9 a.m. Early packet pick up begins Satur-
day, Sept. 28, at Anytime Fitness, 2407 N.
Richmond Road in Wharton from 10 a.m.
until 1 p.m.
Register today at runforkatie.com. Cost is
$30 before Sunday, Sept. 15, and $40 after
that date. Checks will be accepted to the Ka-
tie Ondrias Supplemental Needs Trust. On
July 3, 2010 Katie Ondrias was diagnosed
with viral encephalitis of the brain. Katie
was taken to Memorial Flermann Hospital
in Flouston where she underwent a craniec-
tomy to relieve the extreme swelling of her
brain.
Due to the swelling of her brain, Katie
was in a coma for about six months. The
doctors still have not determined what
caused the infection and they are unsure of
what the future may hold for Katie. All of
Katie's friends and family are praying for a
full and total recovery.
■ Class of 1978 Reunion
Wharton High School Class of 1978 will
host its 35th class reuion on Friday, Oct. 4,
at The Lodge, located at 1521 FM 1301 by
Tiger Stadium in Wharton. A social will be
held from 4 to 6 p.m. Dinner is at 6 p.m.
and the game begins at 7:30 p.m. For infor-
mationo or to RSVP, contact Addie Edwards
at Please contact Addie Edwards, PO. Box
412, Fresno, TX 77545; call 832-884-6183;
or email addie2703@gmaii.com.
■ St. John's Bazaar
St. John's Catholic Church in Flungerford
will host its annual Bazaar Sunday, Oct. 6, at
Flungeford Flail. A menu of barbecued beef,
chicken and sausage with all the trimmings
will be served starting at 10:30 a.m. for
drive-through or dine-in. An auction begins
at noon. A Grand Drawing will be held after
the auction. There will be entertainment for
all ages.
■ EB Church Bazaar
East Bernard's Riverside Flail will be the
site of the annual Floly Cross Parish Bazaar
Sunday, Oct. 13. Lunch will be served at 11
a.m. The menu will consist of barbecued
beef, chicken and sausage with homemade
dressing and all the trimmings. Flamburgers
will be available at 3 p.m. Czech pastries, re-
freshments and country store items will be
available for purchase during the day.
The Grand Auction will begin at 12:30
p.m. All kinds of games from noon until 5
p.m. will be available. Attractions include a
Bounce Flouse, Velcro Wall and pony rides.
Live music performances by The Dujka
Brothers will be from noon until 3 p.m., The
Red Ravens from 3 to 6 p.m. and No Limit
from 6 p.m. until closing.
Raffle tickets will be available for pur-
chase throughout the day. The raffle draw-
ing will be at 8 p.m. for 98 prizes, including
a $3,500 Visa gift card and other gift cards
totalling $12,750. Masses at Floly Cross on
Sunday, Oct. 13, will be at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
The public is invited.
■ Class of 1973 Reunion
Wharton High School Class of 1973 will
hold its 40-year reunion in Wharton Friday,
Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19. They invite,
as their guests, all former teachers, coaches,
staff and administration associated with
WFIS Class of '73 to attend.
On Friday there will be a party at 6:30
p.m. at Pam and Timmy Barker's Barn, CR
4616 in Wharton. If planning to attend,
contact the reunion committee by Oct. 1 at
one of the following: Regular mail: Class of
1973, c/o Terri Scheller Youngblood, 22450
Wetherburn Lane, Katy, TX. 77449; Lisa Wil-
liams Wilson at whs.tigers.73@gmail.com;
or Tom Joines at 532-2636, Ross Arth at
979-255-9412, Lisa Williams Wilson at 713-
877-1056 or Terri Scheller Youngblood st
281-347-8430.
■ Mother/Son Dance
Wharton High School Theatre Depart-
ment will host a Mother/Son Masguerade
Ball Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Wharton
County Junior College Pioneer Student Cen-
ter. The event will be for boys up to eighth
grade. It will be an evening of mystery and
masguerade for these boys and their dates
— mothers, grandmothers, etc. Tickets for
the dance are $20 per couple. Additional
son tickets are $10. Dust off those dancing
shoes, it will be a night to remember forever.
Dress for the occasion is nice. There will be a
dee jay, cookies, punch and a photographer
on hand. For more information call Casey
Killough or Scott Tipton at 532-0866.
Dateline Wharton is a free listing for
nonprofit events and fundraisers open to
the public. We encourage local civic groups,
organizations and groups with activities
that will benefit local residents to submit
information. Submissions must be in our of-
fice three weeks prior to the event, deadline
for registration or ticket sales. Submissions
subject to editing. The listing will publish
in up to four issues. Send listings to bpar-
sons@journal-spectator.com or 115 W. Bur-
leson St. TX 77488. Please include contact
information.
Wharton Journal-Spectator
Established 1889
USPS #681400
Volume 124, Issue No. 72
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Periodicals Postage Paid at Whar-
ton, Texas 77488. Annual subscrip-
tion price 45.00* per year in Wharton
County, Eagle Lake, and Pledger;
$60.00 per year elsewhere in Texas;
$85.00 per year out of state.
‘Carrier delivery extra
The Wharton Journal-Spectator is
published semiweekly by Wharton
County Newspapers, Inc., PO. Box
111, Wharton, TX 77488. Postmaster:
Send Change of Address Notices to:
PO. Box 111, Wharton, TX 77488.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Wallace, Bill. Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 72, Ed. 1 Saturday, September 7, 2013, newspaper, September 7, 2013; Wharton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth659858/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Wharton County Library.