Top vote-getter Tonia Griffin and Jack Mazzola will face each other in runoff election June 7 Residents will have to wait a little longer to see who fills city council District D’s unexpired term unofficial results indicate a June runoff election Tonia Griffin led the six candidates vying to represent District D with 43 percent Griffin will face Jack Mazzola — who had 27 percent or 54 votes — in a runoff election on June 7 Carolyn Small and Melanie Stowe each amassed double-digit percentages of the 199 votes there are no recent results for popular videos Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Start your morning with the top headlines each day Receive email alerts anytime there is breaking news or a severe weather alert Get the latest local and national sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning Receive Laura Elder's Biz 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Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Holly Galvan Posey A man is facing felony assault charges after police say he attacked someone who later showed up at the La Marque Police Department bleeding from the head officers were alerted to an injured person who walked into the department’s lobby around 11:53 p.m Police immediately rendered medical aid to the victim who had suffered significant blunt force trauma to the back of the head and was bleeding heavily La Marque EMS responded to the scene and transported the victim to a nearby hospital for treatment An investigation led officers to identify 54-year-old Shannon Bray as the suspect Officers later found Bray at a home in the 500 block of Elmo Street The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office accepted charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon The condition of the victim has not been released More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved Holly joined the KPRC 2 digital team in March 2024 leveraging her eight years of expertise in blogging and digital content to share her passion for Houston she enjoys exploring the city's vibrant scenes all while balancing her roles as a wife and mother to two toddlers TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us Meet the Team Careers at KPRC Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications Copyright © 2025 Click2Houston.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Martin DeLeon with Diamond Refractory Services and Nick Cronan with AltairStrickland connect at the Texas City La Marque Industrial Trade Show Walter Voigtman of 3S Superior Sealing Services and Kurt Allen of 3S Superior Sealing Services meet at the Texas City La Marque Industrial Trade Show Trey Foret and Amy Rouse with Turner Industries Trina Meekins and Doug Sinitiere with Turner Industries attend the Texas City La Marque Industrial Trade Show Chris Hernandez with Valero at the Texas City La Marque Industrial Trade Show Dennis Findley of Valero and Mark Browne of Custom Air Products & Services connect at the Texas City Industrial Trade Show Des Danos of Valero and Javier Martinez of Teadit attend the Texas City La Marque Industrial Trade Show Ronnie Jones and Dave Godfrey of Sparkling Clear Industries together at the Texas City La Marque Industrial Trade Show Kyle Dunn and Gary Burleson of Dunn Heat Exchangers Inc connect at the Texas City La Marque Industrial Trade Show a Houston-based mini-chain restaurant known for its hand-formed Angus patties and freshly baked buns ABOVE: McNeal’s Tavern and Eatery will open on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston RIGHT: A new restaurant will open in the old Sapori Ristorante building on Stewart Road in Galveston A new McDonald’s location has opened along FM1764 near to the former Gulf Greyhound Park in La Marque The restaurant joins the recent additions of Chipotle and Raising Cane’s in the immediate area A mouthful: The food scene just got a little tastier in La Marque where two burger purveyors and a famous ice cream parlor and cookie chain have set up shop a critically acclaimed 15-restaurant chain founded by Joon Young Jeon began his career as a pâtissier in South Korea and eventually opened Joy Luck Burger The restaurants — there’s one in Friendswood — are famous for hand-formed Angus patties on fresh-baked buns McDonald’s has joined Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurant Chipotle at 2701 FM 1764 on a site at the former Gulf Greyhound Park McDonald’s was founded in 1940 and has more than 40,000 restaurants worldwide with the vast majority operated as franchises by independent local business owners co-branded concepts Marble Slab Creamery and Great American Cookies have opened at 2600 FM 1764 in La Marque Tasty — announced development deals that would open 10 new co-branded Marble Slab Creamery and Great American Cookies stores across Texas in the next five years “Both Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery have become a go-to destination for sweets in Texas,” Taylor Wiederhorn we continue to see strong growth potential for the brands as a co-branded concept offering a one-stop-shop for all things Cookie Cakes Los Angeles-based FAT Brands (NASDAQ: FAT) is a global franchising company that acquires casual and “polished” casual dining restaurant concepts around the world Aside from Marble Slab and Great American Cookies Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses and more Texas City will get a little more fashionable this summer with the opening of a Marc Jacobs store at the 353,000-square-foot Tanger Outlets Houston shopping center will carry a curated collection of handbags “Our goal is to bring sought-after brands like Marc Jacobs to the community,” Tanger Houston General Manager Jay Marmo said “We know shoppers will appreciate the new store’s renowned style with designer offerings at the best value complementing our current roster of brands and further elevating the guest experience.” Marc Jacobs will occupy a 2,706-square-foot space next to Express Factory Outlet and will join more than 75 other stores The city of Kemah and the Kemah Community Development Corp Wednesday groundbreaking ceremony for a new Verizon Wireless store “This groundbreaking is another sign of Kemah’s steady economic momentum,” Mayor Robin Collins said “We welcome Verizon Wireless to our community and look forward to the convenience and connectivity their presence will bring to our residents and visitors.” The store will sell Verizon-branded wireless services members of the Kemah Economic Development Corp. and local business leaders will be attend the ceremony at least in the case of the island building freshly vacated by Sapori Ristorante Sapori owners on March 25 posted to social media: “We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for over 13 years of support it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of our business It has been a true joy to serve the Galveston community by sharing a taste of Italy over the years.” But the building already has new owners who didn’t acquire the Sapori name or business those new building owners have posted a sign alerting passersby a new restaurant soon would replace Sapori But this week they weren’t ready to divulge plans “We are still in the planning phases,” Arun Kali one of the partners who acquired the building Jeremy Douglas of Joe Tramonte Realty was the listing agent in the sale of the building readers are wondering about opening-day status for McNeal’s Tavern + Eatery a restaurant that for several months has been underway at 6612 Seawall Blvd McNeal’s in November posted a sign heralding its arrival and on social media said it would open in late December and then in January A woman answering the phone in the original Plano restaurant Thursday said the Galveston eatery likely would open in the “next two weeks.” Managers didn’t return calls The city this week said McNeal’s hasn’t yet obtained an occupancy permit for the building which opened it popular downtown Plano restaurant in 2021 describes its décor as rugged Texas “balanced with subtle nods to our Irish roots.” The establishment’s Plano breakfast and brunch menu includes such fare as biscuits and gravy and a traditional Irish breakfast that includes pork sausage Also appropriate for a tavern with a happy hour serving cocktails and $4 domestic pints is the McNeal’s Hangover Burger short rib and chuck patty topped with a fried egg and bacon marmalade Inquiring readers want to know about the construction activity at Academy Sports + Outdoors The staging at Academy is for some roofing and mechanical work assistant director of Development Services for the city The Academy property lately has been the subject of several rumors Biz Buzz reported a rumor that Academy had acquired the building it had longed leased from the island’s Druss family Neither officials with the Houston-based sporting goods retailer nor the Druss family returned calls or responded to inquiries Academy didn’t respond to media inquiries about the construction Laura Elder: 409-683-5248; laura.elder@galvnews.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Michael Horton A La Marque man is behind bars after shooting at an officer and a landlord while he was being served an eviction notice the La Marque Police Department responded to a call in the 2300 block of Rosalee in La Marque The Galveston County JP 3 Constable’s Office was attempting to serve an eviction notice at an apartment when a suspect on a bicycle arrived and fired a handgun at a sergeant from the Constable’s Office and the landlord Around five shots were fired before the suspect fled the scene on a bicycle The sergeant involved provided a description to the La Marque Police Department Officers located the suspect in the 500 block of Bayou Road in La Marque the suspect abandoned his bicycle and fled on foot The officers pursued and successfully apprehended the suspect along with the firearm believed to have been used in the shooting The La Marque Police Department’s patrol officers and criminal investigation division responded to the original scene on Rosalee They collected photographs and evidence and conducted multiple interviews with those involved and witnesses The suspect was identified as William Rudd Rudd faces charges of evading arrest with a $2,500 bond aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with a $75,000 bond and aggravated assault of a peace officer with a $75,000 bond The La Marque Police Department expressed gratitude that their law enforcement colleagues from the Galveston County JP 3 Constable’s Office were unharmed and able to return home safely Michael is a Kingwood native who loves visiting local restaurants and overreacting to Houston sports He joined the KPRC 2 family in the spring of 2024 from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his M.A from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023 La Marque’s Mar’Ziah Bell reaches up for a pass as it sails overhead as he fights for possession near Wheatley’s Marquan Elder and Quinton Sanders during the first quarter of the Class 4A-IV state semifinal game at Lamar University’s Montagne Center in Beaumont on Tuesday La Marque's Jorden Lusk braces for impact with Wheatley's Marquan Elder during the first quarter of Tuesday's Class 4A-IV state semifinal game at Lamar University's Montagne Center in Beaumont La Marque's Je'Caryous Oliver (2) fights for a loose ball with Wheatley's Marquan Elder (2) during the first quarter of Tuesday's Class 4A-IV state semifinal game at Lamar University's Montagne Center in Beaumont La Marque's Mar'Ziah Bell (3) drives toward the basket around Wheatley's Marquan Elder (2) during the first quarter of Tuesday's Class 4A-IV state semifinal game at Lamar University's Montagne Center in Beaumont La Marque's Brendan Harris (22) makes his way through the Wheatley defense for a layup during the second quarter of Tuesday's Class 4A-IV state semifinal game at Lamar University's Montagne Center in Beaumont La Marque’s Jasiya Johnson drives the ball up the court against the Wheatley Wildcats in the first half of the Class 4A-IV State Semifinal game at Lamar University’s Montagne Center in Beaumont on Mar La Marque's Mar'Ziah Bell drives around Wheatley’s Herbert Goldsmith in the first half of the Class 4A-IV State Semifinal game at Lamar University's Montagne Center in Beaumont La Marque's Mar’Ziah Bell tries to get through the Wheatley Wildcats defense on his way to the basket in the first half of the Class 4A-IV State Semifinal game at Lamar University's Montagne Center in Beaumont La Marque’s Je’Caryous Oliver goes up for shot against the Wheatley Wildcats during the first half of the Class 4A-IV State Semifinal game at Lamar University’s Montagne Center in Beaumont on March 4 the Houston Wheatley Wildcats got the decisive one scoring eight unanswered points to end Tuesday night’s Class 4A-II boys basketball state semifinal with a 51-44 win over the La Marque Cougars at the Montagne Center on the campus of Lamar University the teams were almost mirror images — trading spirts of quick points to break through extended stretches of stonewall-like defense “Whoever made the final run was going to win the game and they so happened to make the final run,” said La Marque head boys basketball coach Kevin Wilcox whose Cougars finished the season with their fourth-ever UIL state semifinal appearance and a 39-3 overall record “We built this team from scratch; I started working with these kids in the seventh and eighth grades to get them to where they need to be at “We just came a little bit short at the end.” After a pair of made free throws by Jorden Lusk with 30.8 seconds left in the third quarter sent the Coogs into the final frame behind 37-35 the Wildcats got back-to-back big buckets from Marquan Elder and Kobre Dickerson for the largest lead of the game for either team at 41-35 1:35 into the fourth quarter La Marque charged back with a 9-2 run to take a 44-43 lead with 2:39 to play Jasiya Johnson sparked the run with a pair of free throws and an and-1 and that was followed by a strong drive to the hoop by Je’Caryous Oliver and lead-changing put-back basket from Lusk it was Wheatley’s senior guard Elder who emerged in crunch time to lead his team to the win — making two free throws to put the Wildcats back in front followed by a mid-range basket and a fast-break lay-in for a 49-44 lead with 31.2 seconds remaining Quinton Sanders buried a pair of free throws with 7.4 seconds to play for the final tally The Cougars kept Wheatley at arm’s length to start the game with a Mar’Ziah Bell drive giving La Marque a 12-10 lead heading into the second quarter Wheatley picked up its defensive intensity to help start the second period on a 7-0 run but La Marque bounced back from that with a 10-2 run led by nice plays made in the paint by Oliver and Brendan Harris The Wildcats scored the last six points of the quarter Leading La Marque were Johnson (11 points) which makes its first state final appearance since 1978 Elder (10 points) and Dickerson (eight points) The Cougars — whose only other losses of the season both were against Vidor in a tournament — should return a strong core for the 2025-26 campaign “All we can do is go back to the drawing board and start over next year James LaCombe: 409-683-5242, james.lacombe@galvnews.com or on Twitter @JamesAtGalvNews Show Breaking News BarCloseHouston Life Tessa Barrera Thanks to a heartwarming initiative known as The Rachel Project La Marque’s first inclusive Easter egg hunt is set to bring the joy of the season to every child Inspired by a program created by a bomb technician over a decade ago for his blind daughter the event features specially modified Easter eggs equipped with buzzers allowing children to locate them using their sense of hearing rather than sight who helped spearhead the first local project explained how each egg is handmade with simple components: a switch “If we can give just one child the experience of an Easter egg hunt for the first time—that feeling of independence and accomplishment—that’s a win,” he said What’s even more incredible is that not a single taxpayer dollar is funding this event “We didn’t have to go door-to-door asking for help,” Briggs said “The community came together on their own.” Set for April 12 from 1 to 4 PM at La Marque A petting zoo and photo ops with the Easter Bunny are included Firefighters and police officers are volunteering their time to escort each child so parents can relax The event is inclusive not only for visually impaired children but also for their siblings—who will be given blindfolds to walk a few moments in their sibling’s shoes Click here to register. Tessa Barrera was born and raised in Corpus Christi La Marque City Manager Cesar Garcia listens to a staff report during a city council meeting Monday Garcia resigned Monday with city council voting 4-0 in favor of authorizing the mayor to sign his resignation and separation agreement La Marque City Manager Cesar Garcia listens to Vivian Allen before city council voted to accept his resignation City Council in December began the process to terminate his employment La Marque City Manager Cesar Garcia listens to city council comments Monday Garcia resigned during the meeting with the city council voting 4-0 to authorize Mayor Keith Bell to sign his resignation and separation agreement Cesar Garcia resigned Monday night after officials in December began the process to terminate his employment amid wide-ranging accusations of mismanagement of the city Former City Manager Cesar Garcia had kind words Tuesday as he reflected on his work with the city one day after resigning from the position he has held since early 2022 “I will always celebrate the times that we’ve had and the success that we’ve had and the trials and tribulations that we were able to get through,” he said Garcia on Monday night resigned after officials in December began the process to terminate his employment amid wide-ranging accusations of mismanagement. The city council voted 4-0 in favor of authorizing Mayor Keith Bell to sign Garcia’s resignation and separation agreement The agenda item was last in a back-to-back special and regular meeting The council appointed Deputy City Manager J.B Pritchett as acting city manager and will hold a special meeting Jan 28 to appoint an interim city manager and discuss replacing Garcia Garcia described the moment as bittersweet expressing gratitude for the city staff and residents but we gave everything we had and that’s something that I can rest on my pillow gracefully every single night knowing that I did that.” Garcia made about $148,000 in base pay and is responsible for a budget of about $18 million Mayor Keith Bell commended the positive impact Garcia had on the city “There are times in our lives that we have to do what’s necessary to move our city forward and sometimes you can do all you can to the extent of your ability and it still be time for a change,” Bell said “Doesn’t mean that the folks that are making the change are misguided or that the change is bad but certainly all it always means that the change will be hard.” Garcia’s resignation comes after a Dec. 5 special meeting where city council voted 3-2 in favor of moving forward with firing Garcia amid accusations of mismanaging the city since he took the role in March 2022 Bell had asserted Garcia had mismanaged city budgets was prone to miscommunication and had failed at staff supervision “The city of La Marque is a small city with big problems,” Bell said at the Jan when you have a city of our size with the amount of challenges that we have there are times when you need to be able to have folks that have more of a big city experience.” Garcia said the budgets during his tenure weren’t inaccurate but he could’ve done a better job with the presentation “Everything happened on my watch,” Garcia said each council member expressed gratitude for Garcia and his dedication to the city and its residents through his long hours and hard work “I will remember your enthusiasm,” Bell said “I will remember the long hours that you put in to try your best to make our city better because we all knew that our city deserved better Our city is better because you were here.” Councilwoman Kimberley Yancy said Garcia was a unifying force for the council “I remember the times you brought us all together,” Yancy said A handful of residents spoke in support of Garcia and his work as city manager during the public comment portion of the meeting became emotional as she told the council about Garcia’s attendance at each of their meetings “He would come by and see what’s going on,” Allen said I’m gonna miss him and I wanted y’all to know it.” Garcia said he was “humbled” by those who spoke in support of him at the meeting “I’m honored that I was able to make that much of an effect in people’s lives that they’d be willing to take time in their evening to come out and wait that long to speak in support of me,” Garcia said Lauren Frick: 409-683-5230; lauren.frick@galvnews.com and teammates celebrate after defeating the Wimberley Texans in the regional final playoff game Friday at the Katy Independent School District’s Merrell Center La Marque’s Jasiya Johnson (5) and Wimberley’s Gavin Olmer (3) battle for a rebound in the first half of the regional final playoff game Friday La Marque head basketball coach Kevin Wilcox talks to the Cougars during a Wimberley Texans’ timeout in the first half Friday during a regional finals playoff game at the Katy Independent School District’s Merrell Center LEFT: La Marque’s Mar’Ziah Bell (3) and Wimberley’s Paul Gumbert-Mendoza (14) grapple for a loose ball in the first half of the regional final playoff game Friday La Marque guard Mar’Ziah Bell (3) shoots against the Wimberley Texans in the first half of the Cougars’ regional final playoff game Friday La Marque fans cheer on the Cougars as they play the Wimberley Texans in the regional finals Friday The La Marque Cougars had a strong start and made clutch plays when they needed to late for a 74-60 win over a resilient Wimberley Texans team in Friday night’s Region IV-4A Division II boys basketball final at the Merrell Center and we persevered in the end,” said La Marque head boys basketball coach Kevin Wilcox 9 state-ranked Cougars (39-2 overall record this season) are regional champions for the first time since 2016 and face No 8 Houston Wheatley in a Class 4A-II semifinal game next week at a time and place to be finalized While the Coogs’ calling card all season has been their defense it was a hot shooting streak that propelled them to a quick early lead that they’d never lose A 3-pointer apiece from Jasiya Johnson and Je’Caryous Oliver followed by a bucket down low from Brendan Harris put La Marque up 8-0 in the game’s first 1:44 gave the Cougars their largest lead — ahead 17-6 at the 3:30 mark — of the first quarter The Coogs ramped up their defensive intensity even more in the second quarter with a an extended 18-3 run — capped off by the second of back-to-back baskets from Johnson — to swell a 21-12 advantage into a seemingly commanding 39-15 lead A pair of made free throws from King Rob Thomas at the end of the period sent La Marque into halftime on top the Texans stormed back into the second half with determination while La Marque hit a dry spell as Wimberley whittled the Cougars’ 25-point halftime lead into a mere 51-39 edge going into the fourth quarter After Wimberley’s Paul Gumbert-Mendoza drove for a lay-in to make it a 51-41 game to start the final frame Oliver ignited a quick 5-0 run with a free throw a tap-back basket and a big block turned transition layup for a 56-41 lead “(Oliver) was phenomenal when he was on; there was no stopping him but we couldn’t keep him out of foul trouble,” Wilcox said that game would’ve got really out of hand because he’s so dynamic.” The Texans still had some fight left in them chipping away at La Marque’s lead to make it a 63-57 score after an and-1 from Bryson Anderson at the 2:01 mark of the fourth quarter the Cougars landed the final one-two knockout punch with a strong basket inside from Harris followed by an and-1 from Johnson to push the lead back to 68-57 with about 90 seconds remaining and Jasiya Johnson was kind of the glue that held us together tonight — he made big shots With Wimberley forced to put the Cougars on the free throw line to try and close the gap after that La Marque made 6 of 8 tries from the charity stripe down the stretch to clinch the win seven rebounds) and Joshua Minix (nine points) Standouts for Wimberley were Gumbert-Mendoza (17 points) Anderson (14 points) and Gavin Olmer (13 points then remaining overcast and windy overnight The city of La Marque was victim of a $15,000 phishing scam The fraudster appears to also have targeted many other cities and was impersonating a legitimate vendor Police are investigating fraud allegations after city officials came to suspect an employee had been duped into paying a thief more than $15,000 in a phishing scam The suspect transaction occurred in late December was able to convince an employee to change the payment process for a transaction The city’s finance director uncovered the transaction as part of a routine check of city payments The employee still was in a probationary period and has been fired for not following established finance procedures The former employee isn’t suspected to have been involved in the fraud The investigation is ongoing and Pritchett said he hopes police will be able to trace the funds When Pritchett first learned of the fraud he said that his first thought “just like everybody else in the county” was a garbage truck scam in which the city of Galveston was defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars No one at the city of Galveston was fired for their part in allowing that July 2023 fraud to take place A Kentucky woman who helped scam the city out of nearly $700,000 in that trash truck scheme was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison pleaded guilty to money laundering greater than or equal to $300,000 and was sentenced to 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institution Division with a restitution of $695,418 In April last year, a Nigerian national extradited from the United Kingdom pleaded guilty to a wire-fraud conspiracy involving an email compromise scheme that in 2018 swindled Galveston County out of $500,000 and cost U.S Oludayo Kolawole John Adeagbo aka John Edwards and John Dayo arrived in the United States in August 2022 after he was extradited from the United Kingdom to face criminal charges brought against him by federal prosecutors in Charlotte and Houston Although the city of Galveston and the county were hit harder financially by scammers than La Marque any loss of public money was a serious problem even $20 in taxpayer money has to be accounted for,” Pritchett said Managing Editor Laura Elder contributed to this report Jeff Robinson: 409-683-5226: jeff.robinson@galvnews.com denied making the comments that prompted the censure City council late Monday voted 3-0 to censure Councilman Joseph Lowry for making derogatory statements about residents Mayor Keith Bell voted in favor of the censure a formal government statement of disapproval all of whom have been the subjects of social media attacks from Lowry for more than a year Councilman Joe Compian agreed with council’s comments of admonishment denied making the comments and claims made by the rest of council that his behavior during his short tenure has been unbecoming of the position publicly admonished Lowry for making disparaging comments about Councilwoman Kimberley Yancy’s husband other residents in the city and threats he made against a first amendment auditor a council member has routinely attacked my husband Those attacks include claims that Clint Yancy Sr in Dickinson — has fathered children out of wedlock “I didn’t make allegations of her husband having kids out of wedlock,” Lowry said in a statement Lowry was absent but did join portions of the meeting online to speak out against City Attorney Gus Knebel His comments came during a discussion about limiting the number of hours a city council member may use the city attorney’s services and came to light after Lowry has requested hours’ worth of work from the attorney Yancy at the meeting asked Lowry to either start setting a better example as a city councilman and better represent his constituents or step down “I will keep fighting these crooked politicians,” Lowry said in a statement Tuesday and also I have privileges as a journalist with Lowry’s News Network; they are too ignorant to see that Treating me fairly would be allowing me to know what the allegations are prior to a meeting.” Lowry rose to prominence through use of his social media site, which regularly posts attacks on political figures in and around La Marque and has been identified as a leading cause of political turmoil in the city “This is a municipal government that has to do what’s best for the people of La Marque and we don’t have time to be in preschool any longer,” Mayor Keith Bell said about the relationship between Lowry and the rest of council “I have presided in a way that gave him room to maneuver and a way to understand municipal government Facebook bullying and threats he doesn’t carry out La Marque City Council has fielded several formal complaints about Lowry, and at least six have merited closed-door discussions Officials already have discussed formal complaints about Lowry in at least four separate meetings since he took office in May The council talked about complaints at its Aug. 26, Sept. 9, Sept. 23 and Oct. 14 meetings, voting at the second one to censure him Anyone can file a complaint against any elected or appointed official in La Marque The city clerk passes complaints to the city attorney to evaluate whether they put the city in jeopardy or demonstrate a clear ethical violation Previous complaints have centered around Lowry’s eligibility to be a council member and disparaging comments he has made against public leaders B. Scott McLendon: 409-683-5241; scott.mclendon@galvnews.com Mike Anderson shows off his La Marque letter jacket during a reunion of the school’s first-ever integrated football team Saturday LEFT: Larry Bedard shows newspaper clippings about the La Marque Cougar’s 1970 season Saturday during a reunion of the school’s first-ever integrated football team members of the 1970 La Marque Cougars football team look for themselves in an old team photo of the La Marque Cougars football team Saturday which was the first-ever integrated team for the school and closed out their season as District 24-4A Co-Champs gathered at Beyond Burger in Texas City for a reunion A newspaper clipping shows the 1970 La Marque football team which was the first-ever integrated team for the school Members from the team gather in Texas City on Saturday Mike Anderson speaks during a reunion of the first-ever integrated La Marque football team The team went 9-1 in 1970 and were the District 24-4A Co-Champs The La Marque Cougars football program boasts five state championships among countless other trophies but arguably its greatest feat was achieved by its first-ever team With racially segregated schools being ordered to end nationwide the La Marque Tigers and Lincoln Eagles mascots were retired and the new campus was unified under a new mascot — the Cougars — starting in the 1970-71 school year “The first year of Lincoln and La Marque coming together and it was just like in ‘Remember the Titans,’” Gerald Jolly an offensive lineman on the 1970 La Marque Cougars team referencing the 2000 movie about a high school football team in Virginia that was integrated in 1971 a major factor in the La Marque community accepting this change was indeed how it’d be handled by the high school football team Before the inaugural La Marque Cougars football team suited up for the 1970 campaign they were brought together for the first time to participate in offseason practices and scrimmages Adding even more tension to an already anxious situation was that between the Eagles and the Tigers there were more returning starters than available starting positions on the new Cougars team the players’ love of the game proved to be the ultimate unifying force who earned a starting spot on the defensive line as a sophomore baddest dudes on the campus were best friends and the Cougars’ on-field success just about as immediate A blend of size and strength on the front lines and all-around toughness was a winning recipe “It was never really uncomfortable; it was just the way it was,” Mike Anderson an offensive lineman and captain for the 1970 team La Marque finished the season with an impressive 9-1 record and a share of the District 24-4A championship Memorable triumphs included a gritty season-opening win over Beaumont French and rivalry-game victories over both Ball High and Texas City in district play The Cougars’ one defeat came against fellow district co-champ Baytown Lee which resulted in the Ganders securing 24-4A’s sole playoff berth Despite falling just short of being able to compete in the postseason La Marque was consistently ranked among the state’s top 10 teams the 1970 La Marque Cougars held their first formal team reunion meeting for food and fellowship not too far from where they played home games under the Friday night lights —memories from which remain vivid and legends from which have grown with the passage of time and we needed to do this while we still could; it’s long overdue,” Anderson said Teammates went their separate ways after the 1970 season building their lives with families and careers in a variety of places At least seven La Marque players went on to play Division I college football being a part of the 1970 Cougars stayed with them went to the San Francisco 49ers camp in 1977 and that year (at La Marque) was my best year of football I’ve ever had,” Rose said Joseph Lowry was at the center of controversy again Wednesday in a video recorded Monday by a police auditor Some on city council say Councilman Joseph Lowry failed to embody the spirit of his constituents Monday night when he was caught on camera hurling insults obscene gestures and threatening to fight a man who was recording police at a crash scene argued his local government has failed to protect him and his family by allowing all manner of threats to go unchecked The YouTube video had more than 31,000 views as of 5 p.m Lowry was a controversial figure before winning election to council last year He was a leading figure in efforts to rollback La Marque’s tax rate in 2022 and a few failed attempts to recall Mayor Keith Bell Lowry was at the center of controversy again Wednesday in a video recorded Monday by a self-described police auditor was recording at the scene of a crash Monday when Lowry and his wife drove up in a red vehicle Lowry and his wife were driving to a fast food restaurant when they saw La Marque officers at the scene of a wreck on Carolyn Street and pulled over to check out the scene Lowry and Freebird exchanged a few insults on camera before walking together closer to the wreck More comments by both parties as well as threats of violence were made throughout the 55-minute-long video Lowry repeatedly told Freebird “Turn the camera off (expletive),” invited him to mutual combat and made obscene hand gestures at him throughout the 55-minute-long video said the encounter was heated partially because Harvey previously had threatened his wife Freebird didn’t respond to requests for comment Lowry on Wednesday argued Harvey is “a complete fraud hiding behind the First Amendment to harass and provoke public officials and first responders.” Bell and Councilman James Ross said they found Lowry’s conduct unbecoming of a councilman elected to represent the city of about 19,000 people “It’s incumbent on us to embody the spirit of La Marque,” Bell said “What this does is open La Marque for potential liability and it causes chaos and confusion unnecessarily and I think we have had a lifetime of adverse experiences in the span of about four years And it can be disheartening to many members of our community.” Ross agreed Lowry’s on-camera behavior fell short of what he expects from a council member Ross said he had to be careful with his words because he and Councilwoman Kimberley Yancy joined a defamation lawsuit Jan have been the subject of social media attacks from Lowry The two joined businessman Walter Burt in suing Lowry over disparaging comments made about them on his social media account Pritchett was appointed as acting city manager by the council which will reconvene in a special meeting on Jan 28 to appoint an interim city manager and discuss next steps in filling the vacancy The city manager on Monday resigned after officials in December began the process to terminate his employment The city council voted 4-0 in favor of authorizing Mayor Keith Bell to sign Cesar Garcia’s resignation and separation agreement but we gave everything we had and that's something that I can rest on my pillow gracefully every single night knowing that I did that.” The resignation comes after a Dec. 5 special meeting where city council voted 3-2 in favor of moving forward with firing Garcia amid accusations of mismanaging the city since he took the role in March 2022 The 2022 lawsuit alleged the city and its elected officials censored and retaliated against Councilman Joseph Lowry by removing yard signs for political causes he supports and banned him from posting on La Marque’s Facebook page A federal district judge on Thursday ruled in favor of the city and some of its elected officials in a 2022 case filed by current Councilman Joseph Lowry The lawsuit alleged the city and its elected officials censored and retaliated against Lowry by removing yard signs for political causes he supports and banned him from posting on La Marque’s Facebook page The lawsuit — filed by Lowry as a resident in April 2022 in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of Texas — asserted Lowry’s rights under the First Amendment and 14th Amendment which guarantees due process and equal protection under the law Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison ruled against Lowry and in favor of the city Councilwoman Kimberley Yancy and Police Chief Randall Aragon saying Lowry couldn’t show that the defendants violated a clearly established right “I’m not surprised at the decision that we just received in this case,” Bell said Lowry has made a habit to use the judicial system to harass people and he has lost more cases than he has won we continue to move forward in the city of La Marque making life better for the 20,000 residents that we represent.” Lowry and his lawyer are “weighing all options” and he is strongly considering appealing the decision saying he’s “not laying it down anytime soon.” it’ll give any city jurisdiction to go on private property and steal political signs of opponents or anybody whether they agree with them or not,” Lowry said The ruling also set a dangerous precedent for free speech on social media sites “They were blocking anything that I said that could factually argue their tax rollback,” Lowry said “They would delete it or block it or censor me and if citizens can’t get the truth into the public Regarding speech censorship on the city’s Facebook page Edison ruled that “La Marque did not have a pattern or custom of removing and censoring speech,” according to court documents Bell described Lowry’s lawsuit as “frivolous,” saying it’s a tool he uses against governmental entities across the county “This is commonplace for his type of antics and for his type of behavior He has been at this for the better part of four years with no success The reason there is no success is because Mr Lowry’s basic assertion is totally and fundamentally false Showers early then continued cloudy and windy overnight Galveston artist Justin Lopez has been busy transforming the once stark rocky facade of the La Marque Public Library into a vibrant dreamscape of color The massive mural that covers the entire front of the building is part of a project spearheaded by the Keep La Marque Beautiful Commission and incorporates themes of nature Galveston artist Justin Lopez paints a massive mural on the rocky facade of the La Marque Public Library on Wednesday. FOR MORE PHOTOS: www.GalvNews.com Galveston artist Justin Lopez drags a ladder past a section of a large mural he is painting at the La Marque Public Library on Wednesday Galveston artist Justin Lopez surveys his progress while painting a massive mural on the rocky facade of the La Marque Public Library on Wednesday Galveston mural artist Justin Lopez makes sure paint permeates every nook and cranny of the rocky facade of the La Marque Public Library on Tuesday Galveston artist Justin Lopez paints a massive mural on the rocky facade of the La Marque Public Library on Wednesday Councilmen Joseph Lowry and James Ross voted in favor of making a resolution at the regular Monday meeting to terminate Garcia The city council at a special meeting Thursday night voted 3-2 in favor of moving forward with firing City Manager Cesar Garcia amid accusations of mismanaging the city since he took the role in March 2022 Councilmen Joseph Lowry and James Ross voted in favor of making a resolution at the regular Monday meeting to fire Garcia; Councilman Joe Compian and Councilwoman Kimberley Yancy voted against that motion The two had supported a motion to place Garcia on a 60-day probation plan Lowry and Ross voted against that motion and voted in favor of Bell’s motion to part ways with Garcia Bell asserted Garcia had mismanaged the city budget and caused miscommunication in the city and other issues “It is the city manager’s job to present a budget to the council,” Bell said Garcia has been responsible for three budgets They had places and spaces where numbers were supposed to be but weren’t.” It had taken several meeting to correct the disorganized and inaccurate budgets “And it happened three years in a row,” Bell said Garcia declined to respond to Bell’s assertions Thursday saying he’d save his response for the city council’s regular meeting Monday 18 meeting spent about three hours evaluating Garcia in executive session and spent about two more hours upon resuming the discussion Thursday William Lil Dell Rudd remained in the Galveston County Jail on a $101,500 bond Tuesday A bond hearing will be held Wednesday for a 28-year-old La Marque man who is accused of shooting at a deputy constable on Monday He is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon aggravated assault against a public servant and evading arrest The constable had contacted Rudd at an apartment complex in the 2300 block of Rosalee Street about noon to tell him he was being evicted La Marque Deputy Police Chief Chad Waggoner said About an hour later when the constable and the apartment manager were carrying out the eviction Rudd returned on a bicycle and fired four to five shots Both the constable and the apartment manager were able to conceal themselves and neither was injured The constable put out a description of the gunman and one of the police department’s sergeants spotted Rudd Rudd ditched the bike and attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended after a short foot pursuit Rudd was in possession of a gun when he was taken into custody one of the officers chasing Rudd injured himself and could miss some work time “I’m just glad the deputy’s OK and that we were able to get the suspect into custody,” he said Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal News Brittany Taylor LA MARQUE Texas – A Galveston County jury has sentenced a man to 25 years in prison for shooting and killing a teenager during a fight in Texas City when a group of teenagers gathered in a field What began as a girl fight quickly escalated into a deadly shooting Police later identified the victim as 19-year-old Johnathan Rodriguez After reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses authorities arrested 43-year-old Joshua Calvert Blanks Jr prosecutors painted a clear picture of what happened that day They played videos showing Blanks walking into the group testified that Rodriguez had his hands up and empty when Blanks pulled the trigger described the chest wound as “immediately lethal,” saying Rodriguez could only have lived for a few minutes While Rodriguez did have a gun in his waistband Blanks claimed he acted in self-defense when he took the stand he admitted Rodriguez’s hands were raised at the time of the shooting wasn’t even supposed to have a gun due to his criminal record “The only person in real danger was Johnathan Rodriguez The only one entitled to self-defense was Johnathan Rodriguez And the only person guilty of murder is Joshua Blanks.” The jury deliberated for two days before returning a guilty verdict prosecutors highlighted Blanks’ history of criminal behavior including seven prior felony convictions and incidents of violence against deputies while awaiting trial Rinehart called attention to Blanks’ extensive record while Willis reminded the jury of the finality of Rodriguez’s death: “Blanks’ actions stopped Johnathan Rodriguez from ever having the chance to make a decision again.” the minimum allowed due to Blanks’ prior convictions He will be eligible for parole after serving half his sentence—12½ years University of Houston alumna and Houston-native Showers in the evening then continued cloudy and windy overnight Six candidates are vying for a single spot on the La Marque City Council The six candidates looking to fill the impending vacancy are Tonia Griffin Six candidates on the May ballot are vying for the city’s District D council position which became open when James Ross resigned Ross announced his intention to resign at a November city council meeting citing constant infighting with Councilman Joseph Lowry and a lack of concern for the city overall Constant infighting is the reason Parshall who has worked for Marathon Refinery in Texas City for nearly 20 years “I think our city deserves better than the bad name it is getting with the constant altercations between city council members and the current mayor,” Parshall said “I also want to see change and accountability in why certain things are not getting done.” who owns a small business conducting insurance inspections saying there’s been a lack of accountability with the city specifically citing the “eight months it took for the city to collect tree debris following Hurricane Beryl.” A step toward accountability involves conducting a comprehensive review of the city’s finances to ensure an accurate accounting Involvement in the community and various leadership positions held is what makes Stowe stand out soccer coach and committee member for the Texas City Soccer Club,” Stowe said enabling me to effectively collaborate with diverse personalities.” Community service is also a hallmark for Griffin “I am actively involved in community service initiatives including Caring for Seniors and La Marque Kindness Rocks,” Griffin said “I currently serve as vice chair of the La Marque Parks Board and as a board member of the TCISD Foundation for the Future.” continuing to keep the city’s parks a safe place for the community is one of Griffin’s top goals Griffin would work with council members to prioritize the needs of city parks safe access to sidewalks and roadways for pedestrians and identify funding sources to help remedy financial expenditures Mazzola said his construction background and military service has shaped him into a person “that gets things done,” he said the number one priority is a forensic audit “It’s extremely crucial in order to tackle the city’s lack of action on existing grants drainage and waterline replacements,” Mazzola said Prioritizing a forensic audit and infrastructure improvements to sewer drainage and waterlines is crucial for the city moving forward While infrastructure improvements are a priority for all the candidates getting a better police station on the west end of the city is a central goal for Parshall “I would like to bring the current police station into the 21st century totally redoing the interior of the existing police station and a face lift on the outside,” Parshall said “I would push for a bond to accomplish these upgrades so that the voters can approve how our money is being spent.” Small and Yarbrough didn’t respond to requests for comment for this article The final days of early voting are Monday and Tuesday there are no recent results for popular articles there are no recent results for popular images there are no recent results for popular collections are members of the La Marque boys basketball team It’s estimated twins occur naturally in one out of every 250 pregnancies; for La Marque’s boys basketball team three pairs of twins occupy the 14-player varsity roster the La Marque Cougars have their opponents seeing double It’s not from disorientation or dehydration although the Cougars’ withering defense and disciplined offense have worn down every team they’ve faced so far en route to a 20-0 record to start the 2024-25 season so it just makes for a family kind of environment,” La Marque head boys basketball coach Kevin Wilcox said the three sets of twins have played basketball and football together dating back to kindergarten age giving all six of the standout student-athletes a close bond as well as a friendly competitiveness among each other and we’ve bonded and have a lot of chemistry,” said Brendon Harris who along with his elder brother by 59 minutes Brandon Harris form a formidable tandem in the post for the Cougars they’re both great defensive players and great rebounders,” Wilcox said about the Harris twins how they’re different is (Brendan) is going to try to score and (Brandon) is going to try to get somebody else involved.” Also sharing similar playing styles on the court are Jacoby and Jacory Hailey as the shortest of the three sets of twins also play with a bit of a chip on their shoulders so they’ve got bragging rights over that,” Jacoby Hailey said “We have a mindset to want to win and be competitive.” not all of La Marque’s twins look alike — at least when it comes to basketball skills brought into the world just two minutes ahead of brother Julian while his twin is more at home patrolling the paint as a forward “His ball handling and coordination is a lot better than mine but we try to work together as we play,” Julian Minix said One brother being more assertive than the other on the hardwood is a trait that each of the separate pairs of twins seems to have in common while whether one twin can actually predict the actions of the other before they happen is a topic of debate amongst them being uniquely tight-knit as a team is something they all agree has been advantageous “I think it’s mainly because of how we grew up and played together from little league to middle school and now high school,” Joshua Minix said The La Marque Police Department has purchased a Lenco Bearcat G3 armored vehicle like the one shown here Both will be purchased using money from the American Rescue Plan Act a 2021 economic stimulus bill meant to assist in financial recovery following Covid The police department this week got the OK to buy more than $400,000 in equipment meant to improve crime scene investigations and add a new layer of protection for officers The department soon will acquire an armored personnel carrier for $320,067 as well as a 3-D crime scene laser scanner for $80,515 Both will be purchased using federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act a 2021 economic stimulus bill meant to assist in financial recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic The armored personnel carrier will provide the department’s Special Response Team a bullet-proof water-resistant vehicle large enough to hold all 12 team members The department has had to borrow armored vehicles from police departments in Galveston League City and Friendswood to provide hard protection for officers during raids hostage situations and other high-risk operations “Here you have a vehicle that’s bullet-resistant,” Aragon said “My people would definitely be protected from firearms “I had a case once in another state where the state police had an individual who refused to leave his vehicle,” Aragon said stopped somewhere in the city and no one could get him out “They drove up with this APC and it had a bar that poked into the windows He saw this big huge device outside and he just left the vehicle and turned himself in.” The department is drafting mutual aid assistance agreements with police departments in Santa Fe and Hitchcock which will enhance the ability of all three departments to handle special-response situations “I’m very proud of the fact that our SRT is so advanced that Santa Fe has asked to join it and Hitchcock,” he said “Once the mutual assistance agreements are officiated “I remember when I was here many years ago Galveston PD came and brought their armored personnel carrier to assist on a case but we’ll have the newest one and it’s going to be really neat.” The vehicle also will provide the city with a way to perform high-water rescues such as those done throughout the city after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 Some members of the La Marque Police Department will travel to pick up the four-wheeled rubber-tired vehicle from Massachusetts to avoid an $8,000 delivery fee The scanner will digitally recreate indoor and outdoor crime scenes in a three-dimensional format to improve accuracy while cutting down on time needed to investigate “It’s the modern way to work a crime scene,” Aragon said you had to measure it and put chalk down and calculate it and all that and it wasn’t as exact as police services wanted it.” A similar scanner purchased by Galveston Police Department in July 2023 has assisted island officers in the documentation of several homicide scenes “The Trimble Scanner has been an amazing addition to the Investigative Services unit as it allows us to better document scenes and gives investigators the ability to digitally ‘walk-through’ the crime scene seeing it as it was the day of the incident without compromising crime scene integrity,” Dagle “This is invaluable to the community as it allows investigators the opportunity to complete more thorough investigations.” which is purchasing an Allterra Central scanner intends to use the equipment to recreate vehicle wrecks “We might need three people to set that out and it would save you man-hours It’s a service to the law enforcement profession.” Monique Batson: 409-683-5247: monique.batson@galvnews.com Pictured is an artist’s rendering of the exterior entrance of the planned La Marque High School Texas City ISD already has paid about $1.2 million in permitting fees for La Marque High School and still owes the city about $200,000 The city is looking for ways to help Texas City Independent School District save thousands of dollars in permitting costs associated with building a new La Marque High School The district already has paid about $1.2 million in permitting fees and still owes the city about $200,000 Communications Director Melissa Tortorici said school district representatives asked the city council to consider waiving the remaining pre-development permitting fees the council told city staff to review all legal avenues to assist the school district The new La Marque High School building is part of the district’s $158.6 million bond package The district broke ground on the new high school The new high school building will be about 171,294 square feet and includes a new high school building renovation and repurposing of part of the existing high school renovation of the existing auditorium and renovation of the existing gymnasium building The project also includes a new football stadium “Just in these few short years since the bond has passed it appears to have been a significant increase in a lot of costs related to new construction,” Mayor Keith Bell said I think that this is a problem for our entire communities because these are taxpayer dollars and these taxpayer dollars have been directed by the taxpayer to complete certain projects “I believe that it is certainly incumbent upon us as representatives of the city of La Marque to exhaust all options to make sure that the taxpayers’ will has been completed.” The difference in permitting fees between La Marque and Texas City was a key factor in the school district’s decision to engage the city council “With new construction projects underway in both La Marque and Texas City we recognize that permitting rates vary between municipalities,” Duarte said “Our goal is simply to ensure alignment where possible and we are grateful for the city’s openness to this conversation We look forward to continued collaboration as we work toward providing state-of-the-art facilities for our students.” Permitting fees for the new Calvin Vincent Early Childhood Center a Texas City-based bond project under construction at state Highway 3 and Emmett F compared to the new high school’s fees of roughly $1.4 million The early childhood center estimated cost in 2022 was $37 million compared to $79.9 million for the new high school The school district has a contingency in case the project construction costs exceeds the original bond budget District leaders so far aren’t worried about needing to launch the plan “I don’t think there’s any reason to panic at this point,” Tortorici said but we definitely don’t want it to get out of hand.” Waiving the remaining permitting fees for the new high school will “alleviate some pressure” for the school district as it keeps watch of external factors affecting construction costs Bell is “willing to bring any option to council” to assist the school district but will first ensure the option is legal and is in the best interest of the city’s taxpayers these are our children and they certainly deserve to be put in the best position possible to receive education and so we want to make sure that that happens,” Bell said Port of Galveston Police officers and the Galveston Police Department dive team continue searching the harbor near where a vehicle was driven into the water at Pier 20 in Galveston on Friday Authorities are investigating the cause of death and details surrounding the incident Authorities Saturday afternoon identified a 32-year-old La Marque man found dead in a submerged pickup truck that had been driven off the dock at Pier 20 about 2 a.m Port of Galveston police Saturday afternoon identified Cameron Sharman as the driver after notifying next of kin Police have no witnesses to the accident and believe that Sharman was the sole occupant of the 1999 Dodge Ram Port police Friday launched an investigation into the crash and reviewed port security video which showed a Dodge pickup truck driving into the water at 2:14 a.m didn’t capture images of the road from which the truck came Port police used sonar to locate the vehicle at a depth of 29 feet police could not confirm whether anyone was in the cab until the truck was brought to the surface Port of Galveston Police Chief Kenneth Brown said A heavy-duty tow truck removed the vehicle from the water at 7:07 p.m according to the Port of Galveston Police Department Anyone who might have information should call the Port of Galveston Police Department at 409-766-6169 Law enforcement arrived on scene about noon Friday after receiving reports of pier railing damage in a public-access part of the port Cesar Garcia will focus on advancing key infrastructure projects fostering economic development and ensuring the “continued success of Kemah as a premier destination for residents and visitors alike,” the city said The city on Monday named former La Marque City Manager Cesar Garcia as interim city administrator Garcia will replace former City Manager Aaron Smith who accepted a position with the city of Odessa Garcia’s new role comes nearly one month after he resigned under pressure from the top administrative job at the city of La La Marque council members in December had begun the process to terminate Garcia’s employment amid wide-ranging accusations of mismanagement La Marque Mayor Keith Bell during a January meeting asserted Garcia had mismanaged city budgets Garcia at the time said the budgets during his tenure weren’t inaccurate Garcia will focus on advancing key infrastructure projects “Cesar’s track record of effective leadership financial stewardship and commitment to public service makes him an excellent choice to lead Kemah during this transition,” Mayor Robin Collins said “His dedication to community engagement and his strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to enhance the quality of life for our residents and visitors.” Garcia brings a wealth of expertise in municipal leadership infrastructure planning and community engagement “His extensive background includes managing over $100 million in infrastructure projects and implementing fiscal strategies that promote sustainable growth,” Jett said The La Marque Chargers youth football program celebrated a recent Super Bowl championship victory at TDECU Stadium in Houston the La Marque Chargers youth football program has produced a Super Bowl champion after the freshmen team completed an undefeated season with a recent championship game win at the University of Houston’s TDECU Stadium The freshmen Chargers topped the Deer Park Tigers by a final score of 7-0 in the title clash Also making it the to championship game with a runner-up finish was the Chargers’ peewee team It was the second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl game for the freshmen who also reached the title game in the team’s first year of existence Members of the La Marque Chargers undefeated champion freshmen team were Ernest Bell Members of the peewee team were Jaxon Williams The peewee team coaches were Jared Williams (who also serves as president of the program) La Marque City Council has fielded several formal complaints about Joseph Lowry and at least six have merited closed-door discussions The city council is scheduled Monday to discuss a complaint about first-year Councilman Joseph Lowry a controversial figure in municipal politics across the county Lowry rose to prominence through use of his social media site Lowry News Network, which regularly posts attacks on political figures in and around La Marque and has been identified as a leading cause of political turmoil in the city La Marque City Council has fielded several formal complaints about Lowry, and at least six have merited closed-door discussions Lowry said Friday he didn’t know or care what the complaint was about “They’ll take complaints against me but won’t take complaints against other people,” he said Mayor Keith Bell said he wasn’t sure what the complaints were about and couldn’t comment on executive session items even if he did The city council then evaluates all complaints It’s unknown whether the complaint set for discussion Monday is new or a continuation of a previous complaint Previous complaints have centered around Lowry’s eligibility to be a council member and disparaging comments he’s made against public leaders La Marque’s Jorden Lusk hits a shot over El Campo’s Stacy Norman Jr during the first quarter at La Marque High School on Feb The La Marque Cougars are Galveston County’s last team standing in the UIL boys basketball playoffs and following their first regional championship win since 2016 will square off against the Houston Wheatley Wildcats in the Class 4A-II state semifinals 7:30 p.m at Neches Arena on the campus of Lamar University With their overall record now at a mighty 39-2 the Cougars have been absolutely impressive in their 2024-25 campaign and calling them a mismatch for most of their playoff competition faced in the Region IV bracket might be an understatement After a dominant 14-0 run to the District 29-4A championship La Marque’s postseason path to the boys basketball program’s fourth-ever UIL state semifinal started with one-sided games against Ingleside (82-35) in the bi-district round and against Kingsville King (84-44) in the area round In the regional semifinals facing a skilled Pearsall team endurance and explosiveness were too much to handle in an 84-58 final score and in the regional final against a tough Wimberley side La Marque still pulled out a 74-60 win despite being hindered by foul trouble Wheatley has proven it can play at a rapid pace during its playoff run averaging nearly 87 points per game in the postseason with wins over Tarkington (91-63) in bi-district Waco Connally (88-62) in the Region III semifinals and District 20-4A rival Houston Yates (90-84) in the region final 9 state-ranked La Marque rides a 16-game winning streak with no losses in the 2025 calendar year into the state semifinal 8 Wildcats (27-7 overall) are undeniably battle-tested finishing second place in a district that includes No 6 Houston Washington — a Class 4A-I state semifinalist — and No 11 Silsbee along with Yates in the playoffs A win for La Marque would send the Coogs to the state final 5 p.m Friday at San Antonio’s Alamodome against the winner of the other semifinal game between Kennedale and Krum It would be the boys basketball program’s second-ever state final appearance with La Marque’s lone state championship game being in 2011 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Data center developer and operator Dataprana (“Dataprana”) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for their upcoming 30 MW immersion-cooled data center at their site in La Marque Members of the Dataprana team pose for a pre-groundbreaking photo with Texas City-La Marque administrators Among those in attendance were La Marque Mayor Pro Tem Joe Compian Other attendees included members of the La Marque Chamber of Commerce the La Marque Economic Development Corporation The groundbreaking ceremony commemorated the start of a meaningful cooperation between Dataprana and the city of La Marque with short and long term project plans outlining goals for job creation and other means of boosting the local economy Attendees enjoy some shade before the ceremony and speeches begin Due to its robust energy grid and infrastructure and welcoming stance towards new business and alternative industries Texas has positioned itself at the forefront of technological innovation in the United States and is quickly becoming America’s major tech hub Dataprana’s 30 MW facility will add to this growth by creating local employment opportunities and offering its clients a state-of-the-art immersion-cooled data center with stable year-round hardware temperatures and around the clock remote and on-site support Dataprana Co-Founder and CEO Arseniy Grusha shakes hands with Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce President Tim Culp The facility will feature high-end infrastructure from top immersion system manufacturers such as Intelliflex and Arctic Systems ensuring industry-leading cooling and near-silent operation - an important aspect of Dataprana’s commitment to a minimal community impact presence The site will aim to seamlessly integrate with the surrounding environment prioritizing an aesthetic approach without generating noise or other forms of pollution Dataprana Co-Founder and CEO Arseniy Grusha says a few words before the groundbreaking commences “Dataprana strives to go beyond the basics by creating a positive impact in our areas of operation The site you see in progress here today introduces the first state-of-the-art data center in this region and we hope to do our part by empowering further growth through innovation alongside the city of La Marque.” Advanced infrastructure hardware and cooling systems set the La Marque facility apart as a future-proof data center well-equipped to accommodate the growing demand for various needs Dataprana currently has over 140 MW in development for various other projects including its first 1.5 MW AI data center built specifically to accommodate the latest NVIDIA AI hardware The 1.5 MW AI data center will aim to serve as a showcase project targeting interested parties in need of GPU colocation space Dataprana specializes in land and power acquisitions and delivers cutting-edge data centers and supporting infrastructure construction projects for various applications Our dedicated team is made up of industry professionals with decades of relevant experience contributing to our continued growth and development Kristina Karupovic+1 (604) 803-2785info@dataprana.io https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/35a027b6-3b9e-4a97-b424-e3f50d74fc73 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ef5b1590-348d-4787-a1a1-9affb85da2d0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c54fb257-7766-45c5-afcc-2833943e50c0 The council also voted to launch a search for a permanent city manager City council members on Monday selected Deputy City Manager J.B Pritchett as interim city manager until the position is filled later this spring The council also voted in favor of various criteria and procedures for hiring a permanent city manager with the search starting Monday and concluding by May 1 who was promoted from the city’s public information officer to deputy city manager in February 2024 “This can’t be done by sitting behind a desk,” Pritchett said “This has to be done in multifaceted ways to get out and get the work done.” The council voted 3-1 in favor of naming Pritchett interim city manager with Councilman Joe Compian abstaining from the vote Lowry initially called for Police Chief Randall Aragon to serve as interim city manager with Lowry and Compian voting in favor of Aragon Pritchett became acting city manager Jan. 13 when former City Manager Cesar Garcia resigned Officials in December had begun the process to terminate Garcia’s employment amid wide-ranging accusations of mismanagement Pritchett’s compensation will be about $130,000 — the city manager starting salary — while in the interim position Pritchett’s focus is “accountability and efficiency,” he said “We may be in somewhat of uncharted waters but my plan moving forward is to continue the ship in the direction that it needs to go,” Pritchett said “There are a few adjustments that we need to make in order to make sure that that operates with the most efficiency and accountability but the staff will already tell you that.” The council also unanimously voted in favor of searching for a permanent city manager The position will be open to applicants for 45 days A committee of two council members will narrow the pool to at least 10 applicants The entire city council will select three final candidates before naming a new city manager by May 1 The two-member committee will consist of Lowry and Councilwoman Kimberley Yancy “I believe this is a critical time for our city,” Bell said “I believe that we can do a tremendous amount of work moving forward and we can heal a lot of things in our city with just this simple gesture.” Yancy wanted her district to be represented throughout the hiring process and is focused on finding the best candidate for the city regardless of who’s on the committee,” she said “My job is to represent District A and the city and to find the most competent and the most professional person to take us forward,” Yancy said The opportunity could be a chance for common ground “I look forward to serving the community in a different fashion,” Lowry said Yancy is probably about as opposite of me as you can get so I think the good news is that we’re going to have to meet somewhere in the middle and I think it’ll be good for the community.” William Lil Dell Rudd remains in the Galveston County Jail on a $701,500 bond A judge Wednesday increased bond for a 28-year-old man accused of shooting at a deputy constable to more than $700,000 Rudd is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Assistant Criminal District Attorney Casey Kirst on Tuesday filed a motion to increase bond for each aggravated assault from $50,000 to $250,000 arguing Rudd is a risk to both the community and law enforcement Judge Jeth Jones of the 122nd District Court set bond for each charge at $350,000 “My job is to ensure the community is safe and this was a particularly egregious assault of a public servant that’s still part of an ongoing investigation,” Kirst said “I’m thankful that the judge saw the egregious nature of the violent offense and set it at an appropriate bond.” Rudd was arrested Monday and accused of firing several shots at Galveston County Precinct 3 Deputy Constable Sgt when the constable and the apartment manager were carrying out the eviction “He saw him prior to him showing up and he basically warned him and told him that he would be going to that location to do an eviction so that’s why the situation felt a little bit more like an ambush because he knew that the constable was going to be heading over there,” Waggoner said The department is satisfied with the bond increase noting five members of the department attended the hearing we have someone who shot at a police officer and that person that person needs to be confined,” Waggoner said “We just want to make sure that our message is clear if anyone even thinks about pointing a gun or shooting at a police officer we’re going to follow the case all the way through we’re not just going to go and locate the person we’re going to follow it all the way through to make sure this case is worked to its completion.” Following a dominant showing en route to the District 29-4A boys basketball championship it came as no surprise that the La Marque Cougars were well decorated in the all-district awards Headlining La Marque’s all-district honorees were four superlative winners: district most valuable player Jasiya Johnson (senior) sixth man of the year Derrick Edison (junior) and coach of the year Kevin Wilcox All-district first team selections for the Cougars were senior Mar’Ziah Bell junior Joshua Minix and junior Je’Caryous Oliver while senior Jorden Lusk rounded out the awards with a second-team nod is accused of fraudulently attempting to register five vehicles in his name that had been reported stolen from around the country and one from Canada A grand jury this month charged a La Marque man with attempting to obtain registration documents for five stolen vehicles according to an arrest affidavit released Thursday is accused of fraudulently attempting to register five vehicles in his name that had been reported stolen from around the country The vehicles were a 2020 Lexus IS350 that was stolen from Fort Bend County 2019 Jeep Wrangler from Georgia and a 2020 Mercedes Benz AMG G63 from Tampa Bay Galveston County Sheriff’s Office deputies began investigating Bordelon in February when he was driving the 2020 Lexus through Dickinson Deputies pulled the car over and noticed that its vehicle identification number had been altered Deputies searched Bordelon’s two properties in La Marque and found three more vehicles with swapped identification numbers Deputies found a fifth vehicle with the identification number altered May 15 when Bordelon took the 2020 Mercedes to the Galveston County Tax Office “It should be noted that Bordelon has a long history of VIN swapping stolen vehicles and selling them,” according to the affidavit “It should be noted that it is possible that anyone could purchase a stolen VIN-swapped vehicle it is highly unlikely for one person to purchase five.” Bordelon left jail on about $170,000 in bonds Nov Windy...variable clouds with thunderstorms The council didn’t move forward with the motion because member Joseph Lowry was absent and city charter requires a full council to vote on terminating city employees The city council Monday night delayed a vote on whether to fire City Manager Cesar Garcia on wide-ranging accusations of mismanagement because the entire council wasn’t present Bell asserted Garcia had mismanaged the city budget Garcia didn’t respond Tuesday to a request for comment The city manager makes about $148,000 in base pay and is responsible for a budget of about $18 million Garcia has done an adequate job with our city,” Bell said Monday “I’m not happy and have not been happy with the budget process and there are issues with staff supervision.” “There were overriding concerns about a lack of communication from the city manager’s officer to the rank-and-file staff,” Bell said Garcia’s tenure was marked by an overall lack of accountability within the city manager’s office including no employee evaluations for two years Council members and residents also had concerns about money donated to the city for its All American Award La Marque in June was one of 10 cities to win the All-American Award given by the National Civic League that honors cities for their ability to collaborate and solve problems within communities “Council has been asking for an accurate recording of that budget and the donations associated with it,” Bell said Some residents and city officials also worry Garcia won grants the city can’t afford to match That issue could come back to haunt La Marque in the coming years when it comes time to foot the city’s portion “This screams that we need to do something different,” Bell said The council could not consider a motion to terminate Garcia’s employment Monday because Lowry was out of state and couldn’t participate remotely “I believe that we should not even go into executive session without Mr “I believe the right thing to do is locate Mr Lowry and reconvene with the whole council.” Council decided to put the decision on the first agenda in January A La Marque man accused of kidnapping a woman in the parking lot of the La Marque Sam’s Club in September is now facing additional charges related to the sexual assault of a 14-year-old neighbor Edmond Wayne Porter, 53, was arrested on Sept. 20 on charges of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery after allegedly abducting a woman at gunpoint in the Sam’s Club parking lot Porter allegedly forced the woman into her vehicle and drove her to a League City neighborhood where she managed to escape and seek help from a nearby resident The victim was physically unharmed but visibly shaken by the ordeal Authorities said there was no indication of any prior relationship between the woman and Porter SEE ALSO: Authorities offer $10K reward for capture of Giovanni Ornelas in 2021 deadly SE Houston drive-by it was later discovered that Porter was already under investigation for a separate incident involving a teenage girl the father of a 14-year-old girl reported to La Marque police that his daughter had been sexually assaulted by a neighbor The girl told police that she had been lured to Porter’s house under the pretense of meeting his 17-year-old son Records show that investigators didn’t have enough evidence to charge Porter with sexual assault until he was already in jail on the kidnapping charge Investigators wanted to interview Porter first but he was uncooperative during the interview and refused to answer questions It wasn’t until after Porter was arrested on the kidnapping charges that the police were able to interview him again Porter reportedly became angry and cut off the conversation La Marque police are now investigating the kidnapping case as a possible attempted sexual assault and are urging any other potential victims to come forward Anyone with information is asked to contact La Marque Police at 409-938-9269 Stay informed with KPRC 2's Breaking News Alerts Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved Wheatley vs La Marque -7pm - 3/4/2025 - Boys Basketball - State Semi-final- Playoffs - Live from Lamar University (Montagne Center)