City Council Approves Rate Change Ordinance

City Manager Cody Thompson reports at yesterday's City Council meeting.

At its monthly meeting in City Hall yesterday evening, the City Council approved an ordinance establishing water, sewer, and garbage rate changes. It also received a public works update, approved the quarterly investment report, approved an ordinance denying a proposed change in Oncor Electric rates, canceled the City Election of May 2, and approved advertising for swimming pool bids for this summer. 

Following the rate changes proposed for the City’s water and wastewater study to pay for the $2,130,000 loan from the TWDB (Texas Water Development Board) for City water and wastewater line improvements, the Council approved an ordinance incorporating the necessary adjustments that need to be made to cover the debt payments. The new system of payment will no longer be based on the number of bathrooms in a residence but on the number of gallons used. The rates will be increased for both water and sewer while trash pickup remains the same. The increased rates will begin with next month’s (May 2020) bill.

City Manager Cody Thompson reported that the City’s Spring Clean-Up went well with tons of debris collected. City workers are waiting for a new pump to be installed in the Main Lift Station, and a final clean up of the area will begin soon. 

There have been some complaints about the sewer smell at the sewer plant, most of which are related to the cloudy, humid weather. Workers are now rotating the inflow from lagoon to lagoon for maintenance. These actions are mandated by the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality).

Streets will once again be the focus when they dry up for a sufficiently extended period of time.

The Council approved the Quarterly Investment Report and canceled the previously scheduled May 2 City election since none of the Council seats up for election this year were contested. The Council also denied the proposed change in rates of Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC.

Finally, the Council approved advertising for swimming pool bids for the City Swimming Pool this summer.

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KIM ALEXANDER INTERVIEWED ON NATIONAL PODCAST

Roscoe School superintendent and Edu-Nation Chancellor Kim Alexander is the latest leading educator to be interviewed on “The Rural Scoop,” a national education podcast focusing on rural school issues. In a 45-minute interview, he explains Roscoe’s P-20 program, its evolution and attainments, as well as its goals for the future.

The interview provides a comprehensive view of Roscoe's program and how it works on many levels. It is conducted by Melissa Sadorf, who is also the superintendent of Stanfield Elementary School District in Tucson, Arizona.

In the podcast series, Dr. Sadorf covers in-depth interviews with educators who are bringing new ideas, innovative curriculum, and current rural school issues to the table and highlight what is working in rural communities nationwide. “The Rural Scoop” is now in its third season and her interview with Kim Alexander about Roscoe’s program is the most recent episode.

It is available for listening by clicking here.

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EDU-MAKE IT STUDENTS STILL BUSY MAKING MASKS

by Dan Boren

Mask makers Caleb Boren, Veronica Cuellar, and Esperanza Sanchez.

Operation: Mask the Big Country continues to plow along as participating students delivered their first 10 masks to Cate-Spencer and Trent funeral home in Sweetwater on Monday. Edu-Make It (EMI) plans to deliver a total of 75 masks to Mitchell County Hospital, Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital, and Abilene Regional Hospital by Friday. In total they have 500 requests for their 3-D printed N-95 equivalent masks.

The EMI team is honored to be able to help the Big Country community in this small way. EMI has teamed up with Westbrook ISD and ATEMS (Academy of Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Science) in Abilene to make the masks.

If you would like to contribute to help cover the costs of materials, you can do so at the GoFundMe page established for that purpose by clicking here.

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A camera has been installed near the Water Treatment Plant to identify illegal dumpers.

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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE FOR ROSCOE, BIG COUNTRY

Another week has gone by under the Texas Governor’s and Nolan County Judge’s executive orders with schools closed along with all but essential businesses. People are trying to be mindful of social distancing, and the federal CDC (Center for Disease Control) is urging people to wear masks in public situations.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Abilene grows daily and was up to 74 confirmed positive with 6 of those new as of yesterday and 137 tests awaiting results. Age groups of those testing positive are as follows:

•   0-19:  3
• 20-29: 20
• 30-39: 15
• 40-49: 11
• 50-59: 10
• 60-69: 6
• 70-plus: 9

Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater announced yesterday that they began treating their first positive case Sunday. The patient is not a resident of Nolan County but was just passing through on I-20.

According to health officials, he stopped at the TA Truck Stop on Sunday between 2:30 and 3:30pm, used the restroom, and bought some food at Popeye’s, went out to his car to eat it, got to feeling bad, and called paramedics. He was admitted directly into isolation, where he remains. Health officials notified the TA staff to monitor themselves for signs of COVID-19 and urge TA customers at that time to take precautions.  

Other Big Country counties reporting confirmed COVID-19 cases as of yesterday: Brown, 11; Comanche 3, Eastland, 3; Jones, 2; Scurry, 2; Callahan, 1; Howard, 1; Knox, 1; Mitchell, 1; Stephens, 1.

Other select West Texas counties: Lubbock, 317; Tom Green (San Angelo) 39; Midland 32; Ector (Odessa) 45.

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Roscoe in Years Gone By: Hugo Zetzman's Mysterious Death

The Zetzman blacksmith shop, ca. 1910. Left to right: John Zetzman, Willie Zetzman, and an unidentified carpenter.

Editor’s note: Let me say at the outset that this is not the Hugo Zetzman that most people think of when they hear that name but his father, whose name was also Hugo Zetzman.

Hugo Zetzman was a blacksmith and farmer who lived with his family west of town in the German community near Champion. Born in Germany in 1860, he was raised east of San Antonio and lived in Shiner before moving to west Texas after the death of his first wife.

On March 18, 1915, when he was 54, his mother, Elizabeth Zetzmann, 86, died in Shiner. He bought a train ticket to go to her funeral and went on the T&P passenger train to Fort Worth, where he had a layover before catching the train that would take him to Shiner. It was during that time that he mysteriously met his death.

Because his body was found in a downtown alley behind a bar at 2 a. m., an autopsy was performed with the verdict being heart failure, according to the autopsy doctors, T. G. Rumph and L. A. Barber. This finding contradicted the original suspicion that foul play was involved and that he might have died in a nearby bar or saloon. Police had inquired at the nearby saloons, restaurants, and boarding houses, but none of the employees reported having seen him. His body being found in the alley also raised suspicions.

An article that appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on March 20 explained the situation:

Stretched out full length, with face downward and with the left hand extended, the body had every evidence that it had been dragged into the alley. The toes of both shoes had been scraped in the dirt, and Zetzman’s vest and coat front were soiled with dirt and sawdust. The body was stiff when found and had evidently been without life for two hours or more. The patrolman had passed that spot on his rounds before, and he did not see the body then, he said.

The surgeons believed, however, that he had pulled himself along in his death struggle. As Zetzman appeared robust and healthy, they said they didn’t suspect heart failure until they performed the autopsy.

With this verdict of death by natural causes, the body was placed in a casket and put on a baggage car of a Texas & Pacific train for shipment back to Roscoe. However, a second article appearing the next day said that Justice Emmiett Moore was not satisfied that foul play had not been involved and ordered that the stomach be examined. Suspicions of robbery were supported by the fact that no money, valuables, or train ticket were found on Zetzman’s body, and detectives also thought it unlikely that if he was having a heart attack, he would have gone up the alley as far as where he was found. Police surmised that he had stopped over between trains and wandered uptown to spend the time.

So, the body was taken from the railway station back to the morgue and the operation performed. On March 23, the Star-Telegram published a third article revealing the results of the stomach examination.  Both chloral and whisky were found, suggesting that he had been drugged with a mickey, or “knockout drop,” as they called it. Chloral is a drug, which when mixed with water produces chloral hydrate, a fast-acting and long-lasting sedative that slows the activity of the central nervous system, sometimes referred to today as the “date-rape drug.” Prof. R. H. Needham of the T.C.U. Medical College, who performed the examination, declared the cause of death as the administration of chloral combined with the victim’s diseased heart.

Patrolman Ike Boyd, who found the body said, “It had been dragged from this little alley. I took my searchlight and traced it. Next morning at daybreak, I went over the ground again. The tracks were plain where it had been dragged. The man had been dragged on his stomach, with the toes of his shoes scraping the ground. The marks of the shoes led from this little alley. The body was stiff then, and I knew it had been lifeless for hours.”

The police then declared their intention to canvass every store, restaurant, saloon, pool room, and rooming house in the area in an effort to find out who Zetzman’s companions were on Friday night.

However, no other reports on the topic appeared in the Star-Telegram after that, and the person or persons who performed the deed were apparently never found.

At the time he died, Mr. Zetzman was reported to have ten children, five from his first marriage, three belonging to his second wife, and two with her.

References

“Dies on Way to Funeral of Mother.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 20, 1915.
“Body Taken from Train to Probe Theory of Murder.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 21, 1915.
“Search for Zetzman’s Companions,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram. March 23, 1915.

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WEATHER REPORT: MORE MIXED WEATHER

Cloud in the northeast sky on Friday.

This past week was another week of mixed weather, ranging from sunny and hot to freezing cold with wind chill. There was even thunder, lightning, and rain early Saturday morning, not a lot of rain, though. My rain gauge had .28” in it, and it was enough to make puddles here and there. In east Roscoe, Kenny Landfried recorded an official .20".

High for the week was last Wednesday’s 89°F, and low was Monday’s 31°. Yesterday morning’s 34° combined with a sharp, north breeze brought the wind chill down to 25°—that’s too cold for April, if you ask me. So was yesterday’s high of only 48°, although the sun did come out in the late afternoon.

Today’s high will climb to 68°, which is an improvement, and tomorrow it will increase to 78°, but so will the south wind at 23mph with gusts that are higher. Friday's wind will shift to the north, and the high will drop to about 57°. Saturday will be much warmer, however, with a high of 79° along with cloudy skies and a 40% chance of rain.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday will all be cloudy but warm with highs of 77°, 82°, and 87° respectively.

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