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JANUARY— JUNE
Commissioners approve creation of ESD — Jan. 29
Colorado County Commissioners approved the creation of the proposed Colorado County Emergency Services District No.1, additionally approving adding the item to the May 3 election ballot at their recent meeting this past Monday, Jan. 27.
Later, the Colorado County Firefighters Association hosted their first ESD town hall meeting in Weimar, Thursday, Feb. 20, in an effort to raise awareness about why they need the ESD to funct ion. Columbus Volunteer Fire Department Captain Anna Schultz said local firefighters are struggling with “outdated equipment, limited resources, and increasing demands” that critically threaten the success of firefighting.
The memory of #62 lives on, CEF creates Aleks Memorial Scholarship Fund — Feb. 5 The Medrano family, Columbus Cardinals and community at-large experienced the sudden loss of a very extraordinary young man last year on Oct. 2. The outpouring of this love was memorialized by the establishment of an Aleks Memorial Scholarship Fund set up in his name by the Columbus Education Foundation (CEF) CEF raised roughly $17,000 in donations. Medrano’s parents decided that all the initial funds should be paid out this year. These scholarships would go to students that are part of Medrano’s class of 2025. They would like the scholarships to go to graduating seniors that want to pursue careers in coaching athletes, careers in the medical profession as either a nurse or a doctor, or students that will continue their education through trade schools.
Columbus’ sole State Championship appearance ends in loss to Tatum— March 12 The Columbus Cardinals Men’s Basketball team traveled to the Alamodome in San Antonio where they took on the Tatum Eagles for the Class 3A Division I State Championship on Friday, March 7, for the first time ever.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals were defeated by the Eagles, 84-49. The Cardinals finish their season as the State Runner-ups with a 17-3 record to cap off a special season in Columbus.
The Cardinals punched their ticket to the State Championship game a week earlier after defeating the Onalaska Wildcats 8462 Tuesday, March 4, in Houston.
The Cardinals started the historical streak after ending a 45-year wait to head back to the final four. The Cards defeated Crystal City 86-85 in the Regional Championship game on Friday, Feb. 28, to earn a spot in the state semi-finals.
Raiders make playoffs for first time — March 19
The Rice Raiders soccer team has officially made the playoffs for the first time in the school’s history. The Raiders tied the Columbus Cardinals, 1-1, which allowed them to lock up the last playoff spot in the district standings.
It was not smooth sailing for the Raiders though as it came down to the last game to decide if they were going to make playoffs. Head coach David Leist gave a ton of credit to the kids on the roster but also made sure that his assistant coach Hector Lopez got the credit he deserved.
Weimar police chief resigns after 18 months — April 9 Weimar is now looking for a new police chief in addition to a new city manager, following the resignation request put in by former Weimar Police Department Chief Mark Jameson on Thursday, March 27.
After an 18-month stint as Chief of Police for the Weimar PD, Jameson decided to step down and away from the position, citing “recent changes” to both his private and professional life.
The week before, Weimar City Council held a special meeting, March 24, appointing David Mason as interim city manager after failing to reach an agreement for a new contract with former City Manager Richard Whitten. Whitten held his position for nearly a year after accepting the proposal in March 2024, following the resignation of the city manager before him in June 2023.
EL Senior Citizen dance reborn as First Friday Dance — April 9 The Eagle Lake Senior Citizens’ Dance has sprung right back into life under a different name after finding a new home at the East Bernard American Legion Hall, throwing their first dance back in action last Friday night, April 4.
After hosting the very last Eagle Lake Senior Citizens’ Dance at the Eagle Lake Community Center back in December 2024, a tradition which lasted for more than 32 years, the event is finally back and rebranded.
Columbus City Council, $15M grant approved for wastewater system — April 16 A resolution was passed by Columbus city council members at their recent meeting Monday evening, April 14, approving the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) agreement, allowing a more than $15 million dollar grant to be used by Columbus to finance a wastewater system project.
Additionally, three bids for three different projects within the city were awarded by city councilmembers, for the 2025 Industrial Park Elevated Water Storage Tank Rehabilitation project, the Little League Field Electric Panel Improvements project and the Golf Course Irrigation Well project.
Library Mural: Two best friends and a passion for painting — April 30 Dynamic duo Doreen Vail and Robyn Adams completed a beautiful mural on the front wall of the Nesbitt Memorial Library this past month, capturing the essence of reading and the feeling of stepping into the world of libraries.
Vail and Adams said the idea was thrown their way by the previous library director, Susan Chandler, and the two conjured up their vision of creating an almost dreamlike image of books and characters that would entice both adults and children to take a step inside the library.
What’s interesting about the way they work is delegation of responsibility, with Vail the master craftsmen behind the meticulous detail found in their work and Adams the mastermind behind the ideas which are brought to life by Vail’s artistic ability.
ESD fails to pass, new place 5 Weimar city councilman elected — May 7 The unofficial election results for Colorado County are in after the conclusion of the 2025 general election on Saturday, May 3, with a newcomer appointed to the Weimar city council and Eagle Lake being the only municipality in the county to approve the Emergency Services District (ESD).
The ESD was perhaps the most contested item on the bill across the county, with opinions mixed as election day neared. The ESD did not pass county wide, with nearly triple the votes going against the ESD rather than in favor (292-827). Eagle Lake however was the only municipality, alongside its extraterritorial jurisdiction, to vote in favor of the ESD, 137-97 (both city and ETJ votes).
Ronell Wilson beat Stephen Helcamp by seven votes for the Place 5 Weimar City Council position. Eagle Lake City Council incumbents Jim Wood, Rene’ Cooper and Chris D. Parker were reelected. Incumbent Rice CISD Secretary Bridget Belman defeated Athony Johnson for the position with nearly double the votes.
Drinnon joins staff of I-10 group — June 25
Allison Drinnon has joined the staff of the I-10 Group as an area reporter working for both the Colorado County Citizen and The Sealy News. Drinnon steps into the shoes of former reporter Abenezer Yonas who left The Citizen to pursue a career in music and entertainment.
Drinnon was born and raised in Katy and graduated in May with a degree in journalism from Texas State University. She said she has a passion for creative storytelling, rousing photojournalism, and hyperlocal reporting.
