Dan Wilkerson says his last official day is June 30th but has offered to stay as long as needed during the staff transition.

Wilkerson joined BTU in 1978 and became general manager in 1984.  During the last 28 years, Wilkeerson says cash on hand has grown from $2.5 million to $42 million dollars while electric rates fell from 9.7 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh) to 9.6 cents/kwh.

The timing comes three weeks after the city council returned responsibility of BTU operations to the city manager and the resignations of four of the seven members of the BTU board.

Wilkerson says “I am at a retirement age and need to be able to step aside, and as those changes come about that I am not in any way impeding where anybody wants to go.  I don’t think I would be but it’s really time for me (to go) and I’m happy to be doing this.” “Change is wearing and taxing sometimes, and sometimes does not always seems to add to the job, but it’s inevitable.”

Wilkerson’s future plans includes consulting work with Dr. A.D. Patton of College Station.

WTAW’s Bill Oliver visits with Dan Wilkerson.

Click HERE to read Dan Wilkerson’s resignation letter.

As for the resignation of four BTU board members, city spokesman Allen Bruggman says the effective dates are staggered from June 30 through September 30. 

Those leaving are Emanuel Glockzin, Jr. who was appointed January 24, 2007 and will leave June 30, 2012,

Ronnie Craig; appointed August 11, 2010 and will leave June 30,

Hank McQuaide; appointed August 31, 2001 and will leave August 13, and

Ralph Davila; appointed September 1, 2009 and will leave September 30.

The vote was 6-1, with Kimberly McAdams voting no. McAdams says “I would love to be able to give a raise, but I feel that with the 9% revenue cuts from the state that the district is already facing, a 1.5% increase only adds to our problems.  To me, it means we’ll now have to find more ways to cut elsewhere, generally meaning more of a burden on the teachers.  I didn’t think the 1.5% was worth that burden. The underlying problem continues to be the cuts to public education from Austin!”

The board awarded no pay raise for this year and one percent the year before.

And as part of $1.8 million in budget reductions planned for next year, some elementary teachers will have more students next year and high school instructors in core subjects will teach six period.

CSISD Superintendent Eddie Coulson says “it seemed to be a middle ground for the board to come to in terms of what’s the best use of our resources in light of all of the other issues that we have working with the budget.”

Coulson says there are no plans to increase the district’s share of paying employee health insurance next year.

WTAW’s Bill Oliver visits with CSISD Superintendent Eddie Coulson.

In other business at Tuesday night’s board meeting, courtesy of CSISD:

Dr. Clark Ealy, Deputy Superintendent for Administrative Services, gave a presentation on the upcoming renovations to A&M Consolidated High School.  The renovations will be paid for with 2009 bond funds.  Phase 1 of the renovations will take place this summer, while Phase 2 will happen next summer.  The renovations include CATE and special education classroom improvements, creation of a multi-use gathering area outside of the library, enhancement to the exterior entrance, library renovations, and the creation of an opened=space gathering and seating area at the entrance of the building. More information, complete with architectural renderings and a video fly-through, can be found at the following link:  AMCHS Renovations.

Since 2012-13 budget discussions began, there has been a focus on the responsible use of three areas: (1) taxpayer resources, (2) budget reductions, and (3) the CSISD fund balance, or savings account.

Taxpayer Resources (Tax rate):  The 2012-13 proposed budget includes raising the maintenance and operations tax rate $.04 per $100 or evaluation, while reducing the interest and sinking tax rate by $.04.  It is expected that CSISD taxpayers will not see an overall tax rate increase.

• Budget Reductions:  The 2012-13 budget will be reduced by $1.8 million via operational efficiencies and reducing staffing, both at central office and on campuses.  All staff reductions will be realized through attrition and reassignment.  Proposed reductions for the 2012-13 school year include:  some central office vacancies will not be filled, elementary schools will be staffed as close to the 22:1 teacher-student ratio as possible, high school core teachers will teach six-out-of-seven classes instead of five-out-of-seven, operational efficiencies through a managed printing and copying system, and the elimination of the Jump Start program.
• Fund Balance (Savings Account):  The 2012-13 proposed budget has a planned $4.6 million deficit for the opening of College Station High School.  The deficit will be offset by using a portion of the district’s $33 million fund balance.

Organization of the Board Executive Committee:  The board unanimously decided to change the selection of its executive committee from May to November. Previously, the board president, vice-president and secretary have been selected at the meeting immediately following elections in May.  CSISD recently changed its school board elections from May to November.

REGULAR MEETING

Employee Recognitions:  More than 50 CSISD employees were recognized as campus or department employees of the year or for retiring.

Each campus and department nominated employees for the different award categories and the following individuals were selected as district-level winners.

• Auxiliary Employee of the Year:  Mavis Idehai, Child Nutrition at Southwood Valley
• Paraprofessional of the Year:  Melissa Guerrero, Special Education Aide, Creek View
• Elementary Teacher of the Year:  Jennifer Luther, Creek View
• Secondary Teacher of the Year:  Laura Scott, College Station Middle

Luther and Scott will represent  CSISD in the Region IV Teachers of the Year competition.

District Improvement Plan:  The board unanimously approved the 2012-2013 District Improvement Plan.  Prior to board approval, the plan was unanimously approved by the Districtwide Educational Improvement Council (DEIC), which consists of parents, community members, teachers and administrators.  The plan will guide the district in regards to students performance, educational practices, parental involvement, and providing safe learning environment for the upcoming school year.  The plan can be read in its entirety by clicking the following link:  District Improvement Plan.

Resolution for Paying Employees for Missed Instructional Day:  The board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing payment to employees for work time missed caused by a power outage on April 4 at A&M Consolidated High School.

Purchases:  The board unanimously approved the following purchases.

• CSHS athletic trainer equipment from Alert Services, Inc. for $89,181.80 from 2009 bond funds.
• CSHS library books from Follett Services for the amount not to exceed $350,000 from 2009 bond funds.

Parks and Recreation Director Darrell Lovelette reported the number of rounds played this fiscal year is projected to be 3,000 fewer than FY 2011, which was 31,256.  And that is down from FY 2010, when 40,011 rounds were played.

Lovelette says FY 2009 was the last year of net revenue, at $209,945.  There was a net loss in FY 2010 of $66,262, growing to a loss of $125,703 in FY 2011 and the projection for FY 2012 is a loss of $200,576.

Lovelette noted several promotional efforts that have generated new players and brought back others who had left. 

Darrell Lovelette gives examples of the “Enjoy the Game” initiative.

Darrell Lovelette gives examples of promotional efforts.

Lovelette also plans to submit new fees for council consideration at next Tuesday’s meeting.

Click HERE to see the Travis B. Bryan Municipal Golf Course website.

Final city council approval for homes with three or fewer residents came Tuesday night after defeating a motion to ask voters in November to require state licensing.

Among supporters of the referendum was Debbie Alsipp, who says in her 30 years of working in health care she says unlicensed homes scares her.

Comments from Debbie Alsipp.

Another opponent of unlicensed homes, Linda Birdwell, told the council of first-hand experiences she has seen as a former employee.

Comments from Linda Birdwell.

Unlicensed care homes will not be allowed in residential conservation districts. Owners will be required to register their business with the area agency on aging.

Andrew Blomberg was the first of four fired police officers to stand trial for their roles in the alleged March 2010 beating of Chad Holley.

The verdict Wednesday outraged black community leaders. Blomberg, who is white, said his actions to subdue the black teenager were not racially motivated and those who disagree weren’t there.

Defense attorney Dick DeGuerin praised the jury’s verdict and called Blomberg “a hero.”

But Houston Mayor Annise Parker said the officers will never work in Houston as police no matter their criminal trial verdicts.    

    
     (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Killeen police spokeswoman Carroll Smith said Wednesday that nobody was hurt and the missile fell harmlessly into a field. She says Fort Hood has taken over the investigation.

Smith says a witness saw something fall from a military helicopter around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Ordinance technicians from Fort Hood examined the missile and determined it was not active. The equipment left a hole, several feet deep, in the ground.

Smith says evacuees were allowed back into their homes within an hour of the incident.

A spokesman for the post did not immediately return a message Wednesday from The Associated Press.
         
     (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

WOAI-TV reported Wednesday that police do not plan to file charges over the 2-year-old boy’s accident.

The incident happened Tuesday night at an apartment complex. Police say the boy apparently crawled over a sofa and fell out a window.

Officials say the boy was transported to a San Antonio hospital and is expected to recover. His name and further details on his condition were not immediately available.
     
     (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Click below to hear the full interview with Berry and WTAW’s Scott DeLucia.

Nancy Berry, May 16

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A-Sports5-16-12

“I’m really proud of our team,” Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “This was a game that would’ve been really easy for us to show up and just go through the motions. I thought we played really well, maybe better than we played all weekend.

Texas A&M (38-14) took control of the contest early by plating three runs against Bobcat starter Taylor Black (2-3) in the bottom of the second.

Freshman catcher Cole Lankford got the scoring started as he followed a double by Brandon Wood with an RBI single to center.

All-American right fielder Tyler Naquin came through at the plate later in the frame with a two-run single to give the Aggies a 3-0 advantage.

Rookie Daniel Mengden (2-3) continued his hot streak on the mound as he picked up the win by scattering seven hits and just one run while striking out five and walking none during seven innings of work.

It marked the third straight quality start for Mengden, who made his debut as a starting pitcher for the Aggies on April 24 at TCU.

“He’s had three great performances in a row,” Childress said of Mendgen. “I couldn’t feel any better about him than I do right now. Heading into the postseason, I feel we have a solid number four starter and there are not many teams that can say that right now.”

Sophomore catcher Troy Stein made it 4-0 Aggies during the bottom of the fifth when he connected on his second home run of the season, a solo shot over the wall in left field.

After the Bobcats (29-21) scored their lone run of the night during the top of the seventh, Lankford added an insurance run for the Aggies in the bottom half of the inning by scoring Stein with a run-scoring base hit to center.

“It feels great,” Lankford said. “I’m just doing whatever I can to help the team. We all have certain roles and we all do our job. It’s not about one individual, it’s about the team. Everyone bought into it and we’re going to get it rolling right now.”

Freshman Blake Allemand made his third straight start at shortstop during the contest and tied his career high with three hits during a 3-for-4 effort at the plate.

Relievers Estevan Uriegas and Jason Freeman combined to pitch a scoreless eighth inning before Kyle Martin recorded the final three outs of the contest.

The Aggies are back in action this weekend when they travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face Oklahoma State in a three-game series at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

—-

 Sports Script

  The 6^th ranked Aggie baseball tam stayed on the path to getting their coach those 40 regular-season win he wants as they beat the Texas State Bobcats, 5-1, last night in the last regular-season home game at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The whole idea is to make sure it’s not the final game of the season at home.

 We will know that on May 27^th when the NCAA selection Committee divulges the 16 Regional sites for the path the Omaha.

 A&M’s numbers seem to be in order now, with unanimous top 10 ranking and an RPI ranking of 14 going into this week’s series with Oklahoma State that starts tomorrow night in Stillwater.

 Last night, the Aggies got a solid pitching performance from Daniel Menghen, who will likely be A&M’s 4^th starter for the upcoming tournament play that demands sometimes four or five games in a four-day span.

 Menghen walked none and gave up one late run to get just his second win of the year.

 Cole Lankford got the first and last RBI for the Aggies and Troy Stein added a solo home run in the fifth. The Aggies win 30 of their 40 home games in the 1^st year at the renovated Olsen Field at Blue Bell park.

Coach Ross Rogers’ Bryan Vikings will put his team on display this afternoon for the Vikes’ Spring Game that will end their Spring drills. It will be at Stephen F. Austin Middle School. The freshmen will go at 4:30 and the varsity at 5:30.

 ********

In the NBA last night, San Antonio took the Western Conference semi-final opener over the Clippers 108-92 with Tim Duncan scoring 26 points and getting 10 rebounds to lead the Spurs to their 15^th straight win. Game two is tomorrow night.

 Also the Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat 78-75 in Miami to tie that series at 1-1. Game 3 is tomorrow night in Indianapolis.

 Tonight, the 76ers host the Celtics in Philadelphia with the series tied 1-1. The Lakers are at Oklahoma City with the Thunder up 1-0.

 ***************

Astros and Rangers both lose again. Houston fell to the Phillies 4-3 in 10 innings. Texas lost at home to Kansas City 7-4.

 Houston brings in Milwaukee tonight while Texas brings in Oakland

  Former trainer Brian McNamee testified Tuesday

that he saved medical waste after injecting Roger Clemens with

steroids because his wife complained that McNamee was going to be

the fall guy.

     McNamee has testified he injected the seven-time Cy Young Award

winner multiple times with steroids and human growth hormone.

     He said he wanted to do something that would make his wife stop

giving him a “hard time every single day,” so he took a swab and

cotton ball from a Clemens’ steroid injection in 2001, put it in a

beer can, and brought it home.

     He said his wife approved of his actions.

Photo of Kendrick Tates courtesy of Brazos County's Judicial Records Search at: http://justiceweb.co.brazos.tx.us

A Bryan man picked the wrong time and the wrong pickup to steal items.

Monday morning between St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and Heritage Park, an off-duty Bryan policeman who had just left his truck to take clothes to his apartment saw someone get into his pickup.

After Lt. Buck Rogers identified himself, 21 year old Kendrick Tates ran away. During the foot chase, Rogers says Tates tried to stab him with a screwdriver taken from the truck.

Officer Jon Agnew says Rogers, who was on his day off, literally ran out of his shoes during the pursuit.

Comments from Officer Jon Agnew, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.

Along the way a motorist stopped, Rogers got in, and borrowed a cell phone to call 9-1-1. With the assistance of a second witness and four other officers, Tates was caught on Haswell Street and taken to jail.

Rogers says a pair of binoculars and a flashlight that were inside the center console had been moved to the driver’s seat. The screwdriver was found in a yard at 32nd and Haswell.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Tates remained jailed in lieu of bonds totaling $16,000 following his arrest for aggravated assault of a public servant and burglary.

Blinn College has won a grant from the Texas Comptroller worth almost $300,000 that will be used to create the most realistic simulation experience possible for tomorrow’s health care professionals.

Blinn was awarded $292,177 from the state’s Job Building Fund, which was designed by the Texas Legislature to fund training in high-demand occupations. The College is required to fund 5 percent of the project, totaling $15,390. Toward that end, College Station Medical Center has pledged a $2,500 donation.

Blinn was previously awarded a $350,000 JET grant in 2010. The funding furthered Blinn’s efforts to purchase more sophisticated “high fidelity” simulation mannequins, a significant step up from the College’s older, “medium fidelity” mannequins. 

These more expensive and advanced mannequins represent the leading edge of simulation technology and boost Blinn’s nursing and allied health endeavors into the realm of the elite programs with such capabilities nationwide.

The grant will allow Blinn to continue upgrading its simulation mannequins and populate more patient beds in its simulated hospital. The advanced mannequins have considerably more “human” functions than older models, from blood pressure, pulse and urination to almost any bodily function a health practitioner could encounter in the real world.

Blinn’s Thena Parrott visits with WTAW’s Chelsea Reber, May 15, 2012

The council learned Monday night the amount of overdue accounts College Station Utilities (CSU) sent to collection agencies grew from $587,499 in fiscal year 2008 to $1.038,759 in FY 09.  And the amount written off by CSU has grown from $550,000 in FY 10 to $623,000 in FY 11 and in the first half of FY 12 to $554,000.

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Kersten asked for final action during the council’s May 24th meeting in order to implement the changes in June.  Kersten says that would be ahead of the traditional move-in period associated with the fall semester at Texas A&M University.

Jeff Kersten comments on implementing changes in June.

Currently, a residential deposit of $135 is required only when late payments are made twice in a 12 month period.  The proposal calls for a deposit one and a half times the average monthly bill, which is estimated at $350.

The proposal calls for no deposit when customers enroll in automatic payment. However, the first time there is an autopay returned for lack of funds, customers will be charged a deposit in their next bill.  Homeowners could also have deposits waived unless two late payments are made in a 12 month period.

Councilman Dave Ruesink & Mayor Nancy Berry endorse autopayment.

The deposit for commercial customers would continue to be twice the estimated monthly bill unless an exemption is granted.

If CSU disconnects a residential customer, the reconnect charge remains unchanged at $25. And CSU could increase the deposit of an account that was disconnected.

If CSU disconnects a commercial customer, the reconnect charge would increase from $25 to $150.

 Click HERE to read the background information that was part of the council agenda.

Click HERE to see the powerpoint presentation shown to the council.

R.C. Slocum

R.C. Slocum, the all-time winningest head football coach in Texas A&M history, has been named to the 2012 National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame today.

“I am very humbled by this honor,” Slocum said from his ranch just north of College Station. “This great game of college football has meant so much to me through the years. To be able to join a group of coaches that I looked up to and admired during my career, and now to be associated with them is an unbelievable honor. This is validation of the players, the assistant coaches and the entire staffs I was so fortunate to work with here at Texas A&M. The 12th Man, our awesome student body and the former students, created an atmosphere at Kyle Field that was also crucial to our success.”

Slocum finished his head coaching career at Texas A&M with an overall record of 123-47-2 in his 14 years. The 123 wins in his first 14 seasons ranked eighth all-time at the close of his career joining the likes of Barry Switzer (137), Tom Osborne (137), Steve Spurrier (132), Joe Paterno (131), LaVell Edwards (129), Amos Alonzo Stagg (128) and Bud Wilkinson (124). At the time of his 100th win, Slocum had reached that milestone quicker than any other active head coach. Slocum reached the mark in his eighth game of his 11th season, while Joe Paterno had reached 100 wins in the ninth game of his 11th year. The 14 years as an Aggie head coach tied Slocum with Homer Norton, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, for the longest head coaching rein in A&M history and Slocum’s combined 30 years (16 as an assistant coach at Texas A&M) is the longest football coaching tenure in school history.

Slocum stocked the trophy case with six championships which included three consecutive Southwest Conference crowns (1991-92-93), two Big 12 South Championships (1997-98) in the first three years of the league’s existence, as well as hoisting the 1998 Big 12 Championship banner by defeating the nation’s top-ranked team, Kansas State, in double overtime. The 1997 Big 12 Championship Game in San Antonio pitted the Aggies against a Nebraska squad that would go on to win the national championship.

In the decade of the 1990’s, Slocum compiled 94 victories which was the most by any Division I football program in the state of Texas at that time. The Aggies compiled an undefeated record of 10-0-1 for the best record in the SWC in 1994 despite not being eligible for another title. It marked the first Aggie unbeaten season since Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and the Texas A&M football team of 1956 finished 9-0-1.
Slocum was a finalist for National Coach of the Year in 1994 and was the league Coach of the Year on four occasions. Texas A&M played in 11 bowl games in Slocum’s 14 years and five of those were New Year’s Day bowl games. The Aggies would finish in the Associated Press Top 25 on 10 occasions and finished among the nation’s Top 10 three times.

The Aggies were especially tough to beat at Kyle Field winning 85 percent of the games played in College Station accumulating a 67-11-1 (.854) home record. During Slocum’s tenure, the Aggies compiled a 29-game unbeaten streak (1990-95) as well as a 22-game unbeaten streak (1996-2000) at Kyle Field.

As Texas A&M closed out the Southwest Conference football era, Slocum’s SWC winning percentage of .865 (44-6-2) stands atop the record books ahead of legendary Texas head coach Darrell Royal’s .797 percentage.  Royal and the Longhorns won 21 straight league games from 1968-71 to establish a record, but Slocum’s Aggie teams from 1991-93 broke that mark by winning 22 straight including the record-breaker against Texas, 18-9, in 1993.

A member of the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Slocum had 64 players drafted by the NFL including eight first-round selections.

As his victory totals increased, Slocum surpassed former Texas A&M head coaches and Hall of Fame coaching legends such as Homer Norton, D.X. Bible and Paul “Bear” Bryant.

“More important than the individual coaching records are the championships and the accomplishments of the team,” Slocum stated. “The true rewards in coaching are seeing young men grow and mature into successful men and leaders in their respective communities.”

Making his coaching numbers even more impressive is the fact that of his 47 career losses, 23 were by seven points or less, and all but five of the losses came at the hands of teams that were ranked in the Top 25 at some point of their respective season.

In Slocum’s final season (2002) as head coach in Aggieland, the Aggies defeated the Associated Press top-ranked team, the Oklahoma Sooners, 30-26, with Aggie offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin calling the plays. Sumlin, a two-time finalist for national Coach of the Year honors, is the current head coach at Texas A&M.

One of Slocum’s shining moments as a true gentleman came during a period of tragedy at Texas A&M. The annual Bonfire collapsed in 1999 and Slocum and his players went to the scene to assist in any way possible which included moving logs from the stack. At the Thanksgiving night memorial service at an overflowing Kyle Field, Slocum’s words and the actions of his players helped some deal with their pain. The following day, the Aggies gave everything they had on the gridiron and upset Texas, 20-16, to continue with the healing process.

Before becoming the head coach at Texas A&M on Dec. 12, 1988, Slocum served 19 years as a collegiate assistant coach in three major conferences with 16 years at Texas A&M, two seasons at Kansas State and one season under John Robinson at USC.

Under Slocum’s defensive tutelage, the Aggies would be known for their defensive style of play. As the Aggies won the 1985 SWC title, the birth of the “Wrecking Crew” defense was coined by Chet Brooks as the defense led by coordinator Slocum wrecked everything in sight including making four goal line stops against Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson of Auburn in the 1986 Aggie Cotton Bowl victory.

Born in Louisiana and raised in Orange, Texas, Slocum was a tight end at McNeese State University and was honored by his alma mater as a Distinguished Alumnus.

Slocum is currently a Special Assistant to Texas A&M President Dr. R. Bowen Loftin and he continues to be active in many community affairs having served as Chairman of the Children’s Miracle Network in Central Texas, has been the grand marshal at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade which helps raise money for young people pursuing education in agriculture. In addition to his work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Slocum also is a major supporter of the Scotty’s House, a home for abused children and their families in the Bryan-College Station community.

Slocum is married to the former Nel Jennings. Slocum has two sons, Shawn and John Harvey. Both are Aggie graduates and Shawn is currently an assistant coach on the Green Bay Packers staff with a Super Bowl Championship ring, and John Harvey works in the oil industry in Houston.
Slocum will be honored at the National Football Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner in New York City at the Waldorf=Astoria on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012.

TEXAS A&M PLAYER & COACHES IN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
Dana X. Bible
Madison Bell
Paul “Bear” Bryant
Ray Childress
John David Crow
Dave Elmendorf
Joel Hunt
John Kimbrough
Charlie Krueger
Jack Pardee
Joe Routt
R.C. Slocum
Gene Stallings
Joe Utay

Perry said Tuesday that UT regents will decide the performance of Bill Powers, who recently criticized the board for freezing tuition at the state’s flagship campus for most students the next two years.

Asked whether he was satisfied with Powers, Perry said “I got a state to run” and added that he isn’t focused on one campus. 

Perry did say the tuition freeze sent a “good message” about not raising college costs. He made the remarks while praising a $10,000 bachelor’s degree offered at Texas A&M University-San
Antonio.

The UT system chancellor has denied that regents told him to fire Powers.
    

    
     (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)