News

Domestic Disturbance Leads to Hostage Situation, Exchange of Gunfire

By Jessica Domel

(Cibolo) -- An estranged couple from Austin exchanged gunfire in the Cibolo area early Monday morning during what police say was a domestic dispute.

Cibolo Police Chief Gary Cox says over half a dozen area law enforcement agencies were called to the Heights of Cibolo around 4 a.m. after neighbors heard shots being fired.

"It appears that it was a domestic situation involving a woman who had moved in with her father in the neighborhood and an estranged husband who had come to the resident. The husband had attempted to make entry into the house, and the woman had discharged a firearm at him because he was trying to come into the house. He was armed and apparently did exchange gunfire with her. When officers arrived, he grabbed the woman and an infant child and ushered them into a back bedroom where he barricaded himself in," said Cox.

Cox says officers were able to secure the scene and go into the house, where they found another infant child in a front room. That child was then brought to safety before the Guadadalupe County SWAT and Negotiations Teams made entry into the home.

"After approximately six hours of negotiations, the male subject did release the wife and the child. Then through subsequent negotiation, he gave himself up, and he was taken into custody without any further incident," said Cox.

Cox says the two children in the home were the children of the estranged couple. He says he believes the argument may have stemmed from an issue over custody of the two small children.

The children and their mother were not injured during the incident.

Cox says the children's father, Lamar Lyman, 38 of Austin, was hospitalized in San Antonio after he turned himself into police.

"Apparently he was struck by several rounds of buckshot, or birdshot, from a shotgun that was fired by the wife," said Cox.

Lyman has since been released from the hospital and booked into the Guadalupe County Jail. He faces several charges including: burglary of a habitation, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, violation of a protective order and two counts of endangering a child.

Cox said today he was glad the SWAT and negotiations teams were able to find a peaceful resolution to the situation.

A number of area agencies assisted during the hostage situation including: Cibolo PD, Schertz PD, Seguin PD, Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office, New Braunfels PD, Schertz EMS, Cibolo Volunteer Fire Department, the Guadalupe County SWAT team, the Guadalupe County negotiations team and the Schertz Cibolo Univeral City ISD Police Department.

Former Seguin mayor dies at 81

Longtime resident and former Seguin Mayor Ed Gotthardt died Saturday. He was 81. Gotthardt served as mayor from 1990 to 1996. After his years of service on the council, Gotthardt went on to become instrumental in the effort to get the Veterans Memorial built in front of the Guadalupe County Courthouse. Services are pending at Tres Hewell Mortuary.

Prominent Seguinite dies; Wife of Senator Traeger dies at the age of 86

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Friends and family are mourning the loss of a local woman known for her years of service to the Seguin community. Bernice Vivroux Traeger, the wife of the late Texas State Senator John A. Traeger, died Thursday. Seguin Mayor Betty Ann Matthies says Traeger is best remembered for being the center of a family that contributed hours of service to not only Seguin but to those throughout the state of Texas.

"I did know Bernice as well as her late husband John. They both were very involved in the community. I knew them also as members of the Methodist church. I attended church with them. She was quite involved, of course, in the community with her family. I know she always loved to play bridge. She was certainly a very, very lovely lady. I think the community has many kind and wonderful memories of her - I do too. I know the last few years she has not been in very good health and so has been limited in the amount of time that she's out in the community, but she certainly contributed a great deal to this community during her lifetime," said Matthies.

Matthies says much of Senator Trageger's success falls in the hands of Bernice who provided a large source of support during her husband's political career.

"I think one thing that I remember is that Bernice was always very supportive of John's political career, both locally and then also when he was elected to a state position - state representative and later as state senator. He served for quite a few years, and she was a very good representative of our community also," said Matthies.

The funeral for Mrs. Traeger is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at First United Methodist Church. Visitation will be held today beginning at 1 p.m. at Tres Hewell Mortuary. Traeger leaves behind three children Camille Schwab, Jeanne Schnuriger and John A. (Drew) Traeger, Jr.

Traeger was 86.

Guadalupe County now hiring election workers for March primaries

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- The Guadalupe County Elections Office is now sticking out the "Now Hiring" sign. The elections office is currently seeking Guadalupe County residents to work as judges or clerks during the March 2 Republican and Democratic primaries.

Sue Basham, Guadalupe County elections administrator, says election workers will earn $8.50 per hour to help the elections office during the primaries.

"I'm looking for judges and clerks. The judge has the responsibility of delegating the work to the clerks and the other people in the polling place so that everyone has their own job - setting up the equipment, qualifying the voters at the table or working the floor (or) whatever needs to be done. It's the judge's responsibility to make sure that it gets done. The judge also will pick up the supplies and take it to the polling place and return it on election night after the election or after the polls have closed," said Basham.

The responsibility of the clerks, according to Basham, is to take care of whatever the judge asks them to do.

"That could be anywhere from qualifying the voter, which (means they) sit there and make sure they they're on our list of registered voters at that polling place, or signing them in and making sure that the voter gets signed in or assisting the voter at the voting booth," said Basham.

Those who have been selected to be an election worker will need to attend a mandatory two hour training session. Basham says the workers will be compensated for the training time.

To be eligible to become an election worker, Basham says applicants must first meet a few requirements.

"They need to live in Guadalupe County. At this point, if they're not a registered voter, if we can get them registered to vote so that they'll be registered for the next election, I'm accepting that as well. Normally you need to be a registered voter of the county, but at this point, I'm looking for people, and if I can get them registered to vote, I will accept them," said Basham.

In addition to being a Guadalupe County resident, Basham says applicants should also not hold an elected office or be an employee of an elected official. Applicants should also enjoy interaction with people and be able to take direction well and not get easily distracted.

"They'll need to complete the paperwork. You have to make sure you dot all I's and cross all T's when it comes to elections. Everything has to be accurate. There's no grey area and 'this is good enough.' We don't have that attitude. So it's very important that they're detail-oriented. Also, I say they need to have a good sense of humor because you get a lot of people who come in with a chip on their shoulder. You have to be able to kind-of smile and put up with that," said Basham.

The election worker application is available online at www.guadalupe-elections.com. Applications can also be picked up at the elections office, which is lovated at 215 S. Milam St. Applicants are encouraged to apply before Wednesday.

Orders now being taken for singing Valentines

Quartets from the Hill Country Chorus will again be delivering singing Valentines in Seguin on Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13. The cost is $35 each and includes two sons, a long stemmed rose and card. Bookings are limited. To place an order call 830-401-0164 or 830-372-1589.

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Forget the box of chocolates this Valentine's Day. Cupids instead are being encouraged to sign up their loved one for a singing Valentine courtesy of quartets from the Hill Country Chorus.

Group member Tom Wright says the delivery of singing Valentines is a growing tradition for many and is a great alternative to those dozen red roses.

"The most memorable one recently was done in a dentist office. We sang to a man who was in a chair with his mouth full of stuff and it's kind of neat because I know the man and it was nice for him not to talk," said Wright.

Wright says since Valentine's Day is on a Sunday, expect to see the quartets out and about that Friday and Saturday. He says songs are not just designated for lovers. He says they are a great hit with your friends, co-workers, your child's teacher, or favorite health professional.

"Our biggest reason for continuing it is we have lots of fun singing. We love singing to people and making them happy. We've been doing this for a number of years now and Seguin is one of our better markets," said Wright.

Wright says in addition to being a priceless memory, the cost for the singing Valentine is one of the best values around.

"That charge is $35. It'll include a nice rose, a nice card with lyrics of one of our songs on it and we'll put any message on it that that purchaser wants us to include to their lover," said Wright.

Those interested in placing a singing Valentine are asked to call Wright at 830-401-0164 or Walter Lenz at 830-372-1589.

Sheriff invites residents to join Sheriff's Association of Texas

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- Guadalupe County residents are again being invited to become members of Sheriff's Association of Texas. Guadalupe County Sheriff Arnold Zwicke announced recently that membership invitations will soon be arriving in mailboxes across the county inviting residents to become associate members of the non-profit professional and educational association that supports law enforcement agencies across the state.

The associate membership program with the Sheriff's Association of Texas was created to provide residents with an opportunity to lend their support to local law enforcement agencies. Zwicke says the funds that are given to the association each year are used to help local sheriffs with their crime prevention and awareness programs.

"People in the community want to support law enforcement, and we certainly appreciate that. This is one of the ways that they can support law enforcement and also be to see what we're doing. They give out a quarterly magazine that lets you know what's going on," said Zwicke. "What the Sheriff's Association of Texas does for us is provides us a lot of training, a lot of literature and stuff that we can pass to our kids in schools for the drugs and the gangs. It promotes public safety as part of the crime prevention and awareness programs."

In addition to promoting public programs that fight drug abuse, Zwicke says the funds are also used to provide additional training for deputies and scholarships for the children of law enforcement officers.

Zwicke says that during these tough economic times, the need for public-private law enforcement partnerships continues to escalate, and programs such as these continue to grow in importance. He says he encourages every citizen to consider joining forces with the sheriff's office by becoming associate members because it is a valuable investment in the future.

"I appreciate all the support in the past. It's been a great response from our citizens. It allows us to stay in touch with our citizens and our citizens that want to help. It builds a stronger partnership in the fight against crime," said Zwicke.

The Associate Membership Drive is currently underway. Zwicke says most residents will simply receive a membership appeal in the mail with the information on it.

"They'll be receiving a letter, and you simply either 'Yes, I want to join' or just disregard it and don't do anything with it. There'll be no phone calls. It's just a simple way of asking for continued community support," said Zwicke.

As Zwicke mentioned, the Sheriff's Association of Texas does not solicit for donations via telephone. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to represent the association, you are asked to report it to sheriff's office at 379-1224.

If you do not receive a letter from the Sheriff's Association of Texas and would like to become an associate member, you may contact the association online at www.txsheriffs.org.

American Paint Horse from Seguin wins world championship title

This paint horse, CS Awesome in White, recently captured a World Championship title at the 2009 Fall World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth. The American Paint Horse is owned by Charlie and Cathy Sasser, of Seguin. Cathy Sasser is pictured here with CS Awesome in White.

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- A mare from Seguin has captured the spotlight in the American Paint Horse community. CS Awesome in White, owned by Charlie and Cathy Sasser, was recently honored with a World Championship title at the 2009 Fall World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth.

Cathy Sasser, who showed the mare at the championship, says this isn't CS Awesome in White's first big award.

"She has 13 World and Reserve World Champion Pinto Horse Association buckles. She's a four-time APHA Superior Halter mare with over 500 APHA halter points," said Sasser. "This mare's been in training ever since she was about six months old."

CS Awesome in White was shown in the tobiano 3-year-old and older mares class at the world championship. In that class, event organizers say that the horses are shown in-hand and judged based on their physical qualities.

Training a horse to compete for a world championship title isn't an easy thing. Sasser says there's a lot of hard-work and maintenance involved in raising and preparing a horse for show.

"There's lots of brushing and lots of conditioning. We had treadmill, hot walker, round pen and lots of exercise because what the halter horses are is basically muscle builders," said Sasser.

Right now their horses, according to Sasser, are kept in blankets to keep their hair slick for a future show. Sasser says you have to really enjoy doing what you do because there is really no vacation when it comes to raising horses for show.

CS Awesome in White is not the only horse the Sassers own that has gained recognition. The mare's father, Awesome Mr. Conclusion, is one of the top three or four stallions in the nation. In fact, Sasser says the mare was named after the prize-winning stallion. Sasser says the "CS" stands for Charlie and Cathy Sasser. The "Awesome" is derived from the stallion's name, and "White" is for the beautiful white coat on the horse.

Charlie Sasser says the American Paint Horse's win at the show in Fort Worth helps both the standing or the horse and the Sassers.

"It's a win-win situation because it makes the mare more valuable. It makes the stallion valuable, and we do own the stallion - her daddy, and we own her momma also. It also makes a great deal of difference for our business because we train and show halter horses," said Charlie Sasser.

Following her win, CS Awesome in White won't be resting on her laurels. Cathy Sasser says the mare will be starting the year all over again at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

"Each person can win an individual title on her. So she starts over this year with my son on amateur. Last year was his last year in youth, so he's starting over this year in amateur. She'll be his first amateur horse," said Cathy Sasser. "He's had 19 different superior APHA halter horses. It takes 50 points for a superior, and he's had 19 as a youth."

The 2009 Fall World Championship Paint Horse Show, where CS Awesome in White was awarded the World Championship title, is one of the American Paint Horse Association's premier events. The championship was held Nov. 5 through Nov. 14.

The event is held each year to allow Paint Horse owners from around the globe the opportunity to showcase the talents of their horses.

Main Street artists supporting Haiti fundraiser

By Mary Jo Filip, Main Street Program Director

(Seguin) -- Sometimes, things that seem very remote and far away from our own personal reality hit home in an unusual way. The Seguin Main Street Program has had the benefit of having Marika Bordes serve on the board for the past several years. As an artist, Marika was instrumental in moving one of the Main Street Advisory Board goals forward during the past year: the development of an Arts Commission in Seguin. She and her husband, Dennis Martin, are also friends of Seguin’s efforts to preserve and tell the story of its rich history, having renovated their home and received approval for placement of a Texas Historical Marker on the property.

So, when disaster struck Haiti, Seguin was struck by just how close to home Haiti seemed since Marika is from Haiti. Her artist friends wanted to show how much they value her and agreed to host an Art Auction to benefit Haiti. The Seguin Oakwood Art League contacted members and artist friends from surrounding communities including San Antonio, Austin and Staples and organized the Haiti Benefit Art Auction which is being held on Saturday, February 13 at the Silver Center located at 510 E. Court Street. There is a reception with refreshments from 5-6 p.m. and Texas State Representative Edmund Kuempel will then serve as auctioneer for the event.

Art from the MJC Gallery located downtown will be included in the auction. Photographer Matt Chase is donating two photographs taken in Central Park. One features the bandstand and fountain and one the statue of Juan Seguin. Both are framed and ready to be hung. Kris Kelso, also with MJC Gallery, has donated a colorful painting of a girl in traditional Mexican dance wear. Other art that has been displayed by members of the Seguin Oakwood Art League in the downtown vacant window “Phantom Galleries” is also being donated for the auction.

A crowning jewel of the auction will be a wood sculpture created by our Haitian-born Main Street friend, Marika Bordes.

All proceeds will go to Save the Children, Doctors without Borders, or The American Red Cross.

The public is encouraged to attend what should be a lovely evening in Seguin and help send a message of love and support from our community to those who are in desperate need in Haiti.

Additional artwork is welcome. For more information call 401-4231 or go to seguinartleague.blogspot.com.

City delays bond election; Council, city manager concerned with outcome of civil service initiative

By Darren Dunn

(Seguin) -- There will not be a May eighth "streets and drainage" bond election in the city of Seguin after all.

The Seguin City Council voted Tuesday night to delay the bond election for at least several months, while the city tries to sort out another issue that has popped up recently.

The decision to delay was based on the recommendation of City Manager Doug Faseler, who says the recent attempts to have a firefighters' civil service initiative placed on the ballot changes the game for the city when it comes to planning for future projects.

"We discussed last week in a workshop our street drainage projects that we were discussing. The discussion was around whether or not to put it on the ballot as a issue or possibly issue certificates of obligation. Over the last week, I think everyone's learned that there is a movement to put on the ballot a proposition for a fire/ems civil service. The impact of that will be significant for the city of Seguin as far as our budget and our budget process. I think that's important enough and it's a large enough factor that maybe we ought to wait a couple of months and see if it is placed on the ballot and if it's successful or not before we pursue financing," said Faseler.

Members of the Seguin Professional Firefighters Association have been gathering signatures on a petition to have the item placed on the ballot in May. The association claimed last week that the civil service initiative would not have an impact on the city's budget, but Faseler says that is likely not to be true.

"We're putting together a fact sheet and our fiscal impact and basically just factual information on what the impact would be if civil service was successful in passage. At this point, and I think it's a conservative estimate that the impact would be between $600,000 and $700,000 in costs and liability to the city. So that's significant and that's important. It would have a great impact on our tax rate as would if we issued debt for our street and drainage improvements. So I think we kind-of need to know where we're sitting before we take that next step on a capital improvement project," said Faseler.

The council unanimously voted to delay approximately $10.2 million in drainage and street improvements. The council had been considering placing a proposition on the ballot that would have allowed big improvements to be made along River, San Marcos and Heideke streets. The city wants to make the changes in an attempt to begin working to restore a healthy street and drainage network. They say several streets have failed because of overuse and drainage problems.

Faseler says they will revisit the issue after the election, and determine if it will be possible to move ahead with those projects - either by calling for another election or issuing certificates of obligation to pay for the work.

UPDATE:

The city of Seguin has released its fact sheet regarding the civil service initiative and its proposed impact on the city's operation and budget. Click here to read the report.

Here's the Seguin Professional Firefighters Association summary about the creation of civil service. Click here to read this report.

Seguin City Council thanks Bauer for service on SSLGC Board

Seguin Mayor Betty Ann Matthies presents a special award to local resident Sydney Bauer for his many years of service on the Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation Board of Directors. The SSLGC is responsible for the alternative water project that brought water from the Carrizo Aquifer in Gonzales County over to the cities of Seguin and Schertz. Bauer, who served on the board for 11 years, says he was glad to be able to lend a hand to the board. Mayor Matthies says Bauer represented the city's interest well on the board, and his services will be missed. The award was presented during Tuesday's Seguin City Council meeting. Photo by Darren Dunn

IRS to offer immediate tax relief for donors to Haiti

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that it will be helping people across the United States who opened up their wallets to help the thousands of people left homeless in earthquake ravaged Haiti.

IRS spokesperson Lea Crusberg says a new tax law now allows Americans who have made donations to relief efforts in Haiti to claim those donations on their 2009 tax returns.

"A special law now allows cash donations to be deducted on the 2009 tax returns that people are filing right now. Usually only donations that are made by the end of 2009 would be allowed on your current tax return," said Crusberg. "Essentially the new law will allow you to deduct donations made to charities helping the Haiti earthquake victims on your 2009 return as long as they're made by Feb. 28. There are a few rules to qualify. First you must itemize deductions on your federal return. You must make the donation by Feb. 28 of this year, and the money must go to a qualified charity. You also need to have a receipt for your donation, and this also applies to donations made by text message."

Crusberg says only donations made between Jan. 11 and March 1 are eligible for the tax relief on their 2009 tax return.

Donations made by cash, check, credit card, debit card or via text message are all eligible for the tax relief from the IRS.

For those who sent donations to the American Red Cross via text message, Crusberg says there is one thing you need to do in order to prove that you made the donation to a qualifying agency.

"Just keep a copy of the phone bill with your tax records. When I mention it needs to go to a qualified charity or a qualified organization, most organizations that are eligible to receive tax-deductible donations are listed in the searchable database at irs.gov. You can just put in search for charities. Some organizations such as churches or governments may be qualified even if they're not listed on irs.gov," said Crusberg.

The special tax relief provision was enacted Jan. 22 to allow immediate tax relief to those who have made donations to Haiti relief efforts.

Crusberg says taxpayers have the option of deducting their contribution on the 2009 or 2010 tax returns, but not both.

"This year's special Haiti relief provision is modeled after a 2005 tax law that in wake of the Dec. 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami allowed taxpayers to deduct donations they made during Jan. 2005 if they were made in 2004. So it's modeled off that same law. Again, it gives taxpayers an option if they are opening their wallets to help with the Haiti relief fund to get a charitable contribution for that," said Crusberg.

To receive the tax benefit, taxpayers must itemize their deductions on Schedule A. Those who claim the standard deduction are not eligible.

A special "Tax Tips" section, including "Ten Facts About Claiming Donations Made to Haiti" has been added to the IRS' Web site, www.irs.gov for those taxpayers who are interested in claiming their donation to Haiti. Crusberg says all you have to do is type in "Haiti" in the search bar on the IRS' Web site to find that information. That information is available online in both English and Spanish.