Early rally puts DP one win from state berth
DP's Alana Tinker (17) scores just ahead of the tag to give the Lady Deer a 5-2 edge in Thursday's first game of the Region 3 softball final. Deer Park will attempt to sweep Brazoswood tonight at the University of Houston at 7 p.m. Photo by Deer Park Photos.
A four-run first inning was enough for the Lady Deer to take Game 1 of a best-of-three 5-2 Regional Final series against Brazoswood Thursday night.
Freshman pitcher Payton McBride went the distance and was part of a first inning where all nine Deer Park hitters came to the plate. Haley Harrison led the game off with a single and later scored on a fielder's choice by Rhonda Jarvis, who was safe at first. Jarvis and Caitlin Plocheck, who also singled in the inning came home on Lexi Fryar's single to centerfield, gave the Lady Deer a 3-0 edge. Fryer later scored on Shelby Garnhum RBI single to give Deer Park the early 4-0 lead.
Deer Park received a scare in the second inning when Plocheck, who started at first, lined a single to leftfield, but stepped on first base awkwardly. Although she was removed from the game with a mild ankle sprain, she later returned to leave her mark on the game. Garnhum, in the lineup as the designated player, played at first the remainder of the game.
Rotary awards scholarships to DPHS students
The Deer Park Rotary awarded $12,200 in scholarships to Deer Park High School students on Wednesday. Click on the image to see the students who were honored by the club.
The Deer Park Rotary Club awarded more than $12,000 in scholarships to Deer Park High School students at its weekly luncheon on Wednesday.
"This is what we work for all year," said Ed Mills, club president. "For Rotarians, this is one of our finest hours. It's our favorite meeting of the year because of what we are able to give back to deserving students."
This year's honorees started with Ashley Borchers, who earned the Chris Williams Memorial Scholarship. She said she will attend San Jacinto College. She was awarded the scholarship by Michael and Linda Williams, whose son Chris died following a car accident just months after his 1997 DPHS graduation.
Also honored were Garrett Kneese and Lauren Allen, who were honored with the Charles Dorris and Mary Munroe Dorris Memorial Scholarships. Kneese will attend the University of Texas – San Antonio while Allen is attending the University of St. Thomas.
American Legion to host Memorial Day ceremony
The American Legion 319 will hold a Memorial Day Ceremony for the city of Deer Park at the Fallen Soldiers Memorial at the Theatre Courts building at noon. The ceremony is open to the public and it is recommended attendees bring a chair as the city will be closed in observance of the holiday.
"On Memorial Day, the flag is to start at half-mast at sunrise then come to the top of the pole at 12 noon. The ceremony starts at 12 when the flag is at full mast to symbolize the fallen soldiers of this great country," said Bill Hutson of American Legion 319.
Memorial Day originally started as a day of remembrance, Decoration Day, for the North and South after the civil war to remember the fallen confederates lost in the war. However as times changed, it has turned into Memorial Day, a day to remember all fallen soldiers on May 5, 1868 as proclaimed by Gen. John Logan.
New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday in 1873. Taps or a moment of remembrance is typically reserved for this day of respect. The holiday always falls on the last Monday of May.
San Jacinto Times news staff earns TIPA awards
Six San Jacinto Times staff members were recently honored for excellence in collegiate journalism at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) annual convention in Fort Worth.
Award recipients won recognition across several categories for content generated in 2012.
Edith Manzanares secured a first place win in the news story category for her compelling story of slain San Jacinto College graduate Michelle Leigh Warner, a North Campus alumna brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend.
Current editor-in-chief Leif Hayman won third place in the feature photo category for his stylish photography of the colony of cats that call Central Campus home. Right out of the gate, first semester journalism student Monica Davila earned an Honorable Mention in the news feature story category for her retrospective on pole dancing, from an ancient ritual to a legitimate contemporary fitness activity.
DPISD approves across-the-board pay raise
The Deer Park ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved an across-the-board pay raise for its employees Monday night. The increase, which amounts to a 4 percent from midpoint for each pay classification, is the first raise in the district in three years.
The increase is for all certified, non-certified staff and extracurricular sponsors. The total financial implication to the district is $3,029,151, said Peaches McCroskey, assistant superintendent for human resources.
"It was past time. The three years we have gone without giving a raise was the longest we have ever gone. With insurance and cost-of-living expenses rising, we couldn't continue to ask our teachers to wait," she said. "It's not as large of a raise as we would like to give, but we had to do something."
District employees will begin seeing the raise on their paychecks depending on their classification between July and September. For classroom teachers with a bachelor's degree, the raise will be about $2,252.
New-look council begins work tonight
A new era of Deer Park leadership begins tonight when Mayor-elect Jerry Mouton and Councilwoman-elect Sherry Garrison are sworn in to take their seats. They will join non-contested incumbents Thane Harrison and Chris Richey.
Before the elected members of council are sworn in, there will be a workshop that begins at 6:30 p.m., with an executive session. Following the session, Council will hear a report from the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce the second quarter update on advertising and promotion of Deer Park, per the Visitor Promotion and Advertising Services contract between the City and the Chamber. This will cover the second quarter of FY 2012-2013. The Chamber will also give its final report on the Totally Texas 2013 festival.