The Facts (Newspaper) - December 18, 1997, Clute, Texas RECRUITS Area football players being courted by college scouts Sports Page IB I THURSDAY Vol 84 No 286 Copyright 1997 Probe of s chief turned over to DA County Page 6A Facts DO YOU BELEEVe Residents witness strange lights in the sky outside Brazoria County Page 3A DECEMBER 1 8 1 997 Clute Texas 77 531 Covering Brazoria County Where Texas Began Freeport slogan contest winner The Port of Possibilities By STEVE SCHEIBAL The Facts FREEPORT After much hand wringing over how to pick the citys slo gan Freeport officials are weighing the future of The Port of Those four words were chosen by the Freeport League a group of prominent citizens and businesses as the slogan for the city FREEPORT SLOGAN CONTEST WINNERS First prize Freeport The Port of Possibilities by Paul Campbell Second The Best Little Seaport fn Texas by Brian Garrison Third prize Star of the Gulf by Mary Richter I Fourth prize Like the Sun Were on the Rise by Leah Owens But while the league plans to push the expression on everything from bumper stickers to Tshirts city officials have not The Port of Possibilities as an official city slogan Part of the problem stems from the contest that elicited the slogan The first place winner won a gift certificate at the WalMart in Lake Jackson and city officials bristled at the fact that a prize in a Freeport contest would neces sarily have to be spent outside the city Contest planners refused to change the prize and City Council in turn refused to endorse the contest But now that a winning slogan has been cho sen neither league officials or council members seem particularly eager to get The Port of Possibilities on Freeport seals and stationary Judy Worrell vice president of league directors said the group has not decided whether it will ask for the slo gan to get another hearing before the council It was more of a courtesy on our part to offer Worrell said If they reject the See FREEPORT Page 2A Hit run motorist sought By STEVE SCHEIBAL The Facts BRAZORIA The Texas Department of Safety is asking for help finding a motorist who crashed a car into a deaf and mute Brazoria man and later dumped him in a ditch Thomas Ross 55 was listed in fair condition Wednesday after noon at in Galveston after suffering a broken leg broken arm and back in the accident Tuesday morning Friends said he underwent surgery Wednesday because of the injuries A car hit Ross on CR 310 around 6 Tuesday as he walked from his house to Brazoria said DPS trooper Glen Aaron The driver then allegedly loaded Ross into the car drove into town and dumped him in a ditch at the corner of Third Street and Elm near Brazoria Elementary School A passing bus driver spotted Ross minutes later and notified authorities Other witnesses saw Ross being dumped but at the time did not realize what was See HIT RUN Page 3A Hes has gotten away with murder Man found guilty of misdemeanor in fatal shooting More than six years after the fatal shoot ing in the Sweeny Funeral Home Jay H Johnson above was found guilty of crimi nally negligent homicide a meanor in the death of Edwina At right the victims oldest son Philip is comforted by employees of the district attorneys office after the verdict Facts photos Todd Yates Jay H Johnson will be sentenced Monday By JASON SPENCER The Facts ANGLETON Jay H Johnson will serve no prison time for his role in the 1991 shooting death of his com wife Edwina at the Sweeny Funeral Home a jury decided Wednesday The jury deliberated about five hours before convicting Johnson 65 of criminally negligent homicide a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine up to Johnsons sentence will be decided Monday by 300th District Court Judge Ogden Bass Hes gotten away with said an angry Robert one of the victims sons after the verdict Johnson was accused of killing in a ploy to cash in on her life insurance policies The criminally negligent homicide conviction means jurors believed Johnson accidentally shot See TRIAL Page 2A El Nacimiento Sergio De La Fuente left and Acuna both at Velasco Elementary School in Freeport have a look at their class El Nacimiento Facts photo Dwight C Andrews or nativity scene Wednesday Their bilingual class is studying Christmas around the world and their dis play depicts Christmas in Mexico Dont drink the safe water Residents puzzled by report By JAMES A BERNSEN The Facts ALVIN The Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission says contaminated well water just across the Galveston County line does not pose a threat to residents as long as the water is vented But some residents are discouraged with the and Galveston County which have given mixed signals about the problem since the beginning In a memorandum dated Oct 11 J Torin McCoy of the commissions Toxicology and Risk Assessment Section wrote that the water contained a grocery list of volatile organic compounds but that the gasses would filter out when the water was exposed to air During the test the gasses escaped to a area above the water None of the gasses remained in the water The report did not say how long the water had to sit before the gasses escaped With respect to VOCs dissolved in the well water none of the analyzed compounds were measured above detection limits at either sampling the report said Based on these reported levels adverse health effects would not be expected in association with con sumption of the The gasses found in the water included 64 Im still concerned that my water will still flame They told me its all right but when I see fumes coming up from the grass I dont know what to JOY BEYER Galveston County resident methane ethane ethylene 1burin isoprene 2methylpentane hexane toluene xylene styrene nonane isopropyl benzene decane and trimethylbenzene Terry Hadley a spokesman said that while the investigation into the contamina tion will go on the results are a positive sign Theyre still looking at that but obviously its not as Hadley said The chemicals were tested in two places one a residence and another at a local nursery The samples were analyzed at a Texas Department of Health laboratory But Joy Beyer a Galveston County resident who lives near the Brazoria County line whose FIREWATER Page 2A HOLIDAY HELP Area charities service organizations in need County Page 5A INDEX Dear 12A 9A FORECAST Sunny warm Weather Page 9A HOLIDAY TALES Area school children write Christmas stories County Page 7A
