News

Two young Yoemen Macade Patzke (left) and Steven Marquez III (center) helped with the coin toss during Friday’s game against Gatesville. A Gold Out was held during the game to promote awareness of childhood cancer and raise funds for research. Patzke, son of Chad and Mallory Patzke, was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor-type of kidney cancer at the age of 6, in January 2015. He had his left kidney removed along with a 4.5 pound tumor. He then went through six months of chemotherapy.  He is two years post-treatment and doing very well. He is now a third grader at Cameron Elementary School. Steven Marquez III is  7 years old. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was two. He completed three full years of chemotherapy. He continues to have lab work monthly but he is doing well and in remission. Steven will be considered cured at the age of 13 without a relapse or recurrence.

History will come to life at the Milam County Courthouse this Saturday.

Come be a part of a truly historical, patriotic event as the Masons of Milam County sponsor a public reading of the United States Constitution on the steps of the Milam County Courthouse on Saturday, Sept. 16, beginning at 9:30 a.m.  

This event kicks off Constitution Week and is a first for Milam County.  

The United States Constitution will be read aloud without interruption by 22 community leaders and students to remind us of the its importance to our Democracy.  

The Milam County Veterans will present and retire the flags, music will be provided by the Community in Concert Band and the Milam County 4-H will lead the pledges.  

The entire event is expected to last about one hour and is open to the public. 

For information, please contact Steve Young – 713 253 9600 – syoung1088@gmail.com

Cameron finally has a new police chief.

The Cameron City Council gave City Manager Rhett Parker the authority to offer the position to Shane Snider after a special meeting held Tuesday, Sept. 12. 

Snider accepted the offer and his first day will be Oct. 2.

Snider has spent the past nine years working for the Harris County Constable Office Precinct One in Houston.  His current rank was lieutenant where his administrative duties consisted of managing law enforcement personnel in downtown Houston and the Courthouse Complex.

Snider has a total of 26 years in law enforcement and will be retiring from Harris County to come to Cameron. He is a Master Peace Officer, TCOLE Instructor and TCOLE Special Investigator. Past duties include being the Chief of Police for the City of Lone Star Police Department, Senior Deputy with Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Chief Deputy/Undersheriff with San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado.

The Cameron City Council accepted the resignation of Ward 3 Councilmember Robert Davis and discussed replacing him during its meeting Sept. 5.

Davis’s term will expire in 2019. The council has the ability to appoint someone to fill the position until the election in 2018. If anyone is interested in filling the spot for the interim, please contact city hall at 254-697-6646. If someone is appointed they will have to run for election in May of 2018 to fill the spot for the remainder of the term.

City Manager Rhett Parker said council will interview two candidates for the police chief position next week. 

Council also approved change orders for the Texas Water Development Board Project to rehabilitate the clarifiers. Tommy Valle with KDP said the project is expected to begin soon.

In an effort to raise funds for pediatric cancer research there are plans to Gold Out the game against Gatesville this Friday at Yoe Field.

According to fundraiser organizer Brad Vaculin, the fundraiser was originally organized by two ladies - one of them being Angel Miller from Rockdale whose husband is the athletic director at RISD. 

“They started it two years ago and raised $54,000 the first year and $63,000 last year all of which went toward pediatric cancer research,” Vaculin said. “This years goal is $100,000.”

The shirts cost $10 with $7 of that being donated to research. Shirts went on sale last week at each CISD campus.

The Cameron Police Department would like to remind Cameron residents that school is back in session and school zones are also back in effect. 

CPD Sgt. Anthony Maskunas said that school zones are active from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays that school is in session. 

He reminds everyone that all traffic laws will be enforced in the school zones during these times and days. Cell phone use in school zones is prohibited and will be enforced. 

“Please be mindful of children walking and riding bicycles to and from school in the mornings and afternoons,” he said.

Several new bills took effect on Sept. 1 including a statewide texting-while-driving ban.

Sgt. D. L. Wilson, Waco Area Texas DPS - Safety Education said the new law on no texting while driving will be in effect beginning Sept. 1.  

Cameron Independent School District will hold a series of community meetings as part of Cameron Connection over the next few months.

CISD invites all parents and community members to give input to help them better understand and reach youth in the community to help them achieve the Cameron ISD mission.

CISD Superintendent Allan Sapp said he hopes the initiative will give parents a chance to tell the district what their son or daughter needs to be successful academically.

“We want to build on the great community we have here in Cameron,” he said. “We hope everyone can make one meeting.”

He said the meetings will be held out in the community in efforts for a relaxed sense and that all community members are invited, not just parents.

Sapp along with staff from each campus and school board members will be on hand for the discussions.

The 2017 football season kicked off a little late on Saturday morning at Yoe Field. Participants in Cheerleader Mini Camp cheered during the first quarter. The Yoemen defeated Bellville 40-14.

By Lindsey Vaculin

General Manager

A Buckholts family that lost everything in a fire this month still needs help. 

A friend has set up a Go Fund Me page for the West family who lost their home and everything in it in a fire on Aug. 15.

The family of six was not harmed in the fire.

Tina West said she, her husband and her oldest daughter Alanna had already left when the fire broke out.

“She had rode with us to work,” West said. “Austin called and told us the house was on fire and he had gotten everyone out.”

Austin, 20, got his 12-year-old sister Akayla and cousin 15-year-old Hayden out of the house before it was engulfed in flames.

She said the house was engulfed in flames and four fire trucks responded including the Buckholts and Cameron Fire Departments.

Cameron ISD students returned to class on Monday for the 2017-18 school year. Cameron Junior High Assistant Principal James Henderson and CISD Board President James Burks greet a student at the entrance to CJH. CISD started out the new year with 1,750 students, but that figure is expected to grow after the Labor Day holiday. The CISD board approved the tax rate and budget for the new year during a meeting Aug. 28. The tax rate did not change for the new year.