Inside the Moon Billish Park A2 Islander of the Week A5 Traveling Moon A9 Fishing A13 Issue 748 The Photo by Christopher Rice Island Free The voiceMoon of The Island since 1996 August 16, 2018 Weekly www.islandmoon.com FREE Around The Construction Island Island Kids Head on Grocery By Dale Rankin The U.S. National Oceanic & Store Begins Within days of receiving a permit to Atmospheric Administration begin construction on a 35,000 square- (NOAA) office this week downgraded Back to School! foot shopping center that will include its prediction for the severity of the an IGA grocery store site work began 2018 Hurricane Season increasing and, according to developer Moshin the likelihood of a below-average Rasheed on Wednesday, is expected season from the original 25 percent to be complete no later than mid- chance to 60 percent; sort of addition September. by subtraction. In May NOAA predicted 10-16 named storms, with 5-9 hurricanes, and 1-4 major hurricanes. Those numbers have now been reduced 9-13 named storms, 4-7 hurricanes, and 0-2 major hurricanes for the entire season. So far there have been four storms. The prediction is Grocery store cont. on A4 based on a stronger than expected El Nino and cooler than average ocean City Council temperatures in the Atlantic and Caribbean. But no one has to remind Moves to us around here that all it takes is one storm as we had into the heart of the Revive Water season. Monthly solid waste pick up Exchange is expected to return to Padre New classrooms under construction at Seashore Charter Schools.. Island in the near future, District Bridge Project 4 City Councilman Greg Smith By Dale Rankin said Wednesday. Smith and The Corpus Christi City Council Councilwoman Paulette Guajardo Seashore Charters Schools Kick off on Tuesday directed city staff to have been pushing to bring a move forward with negotiations with replacement for the now defunct Twenty-Second Year landowners to reach an agreement to Litter Critter to Padre Island. The guarantee construction of bulkheads exact timing of the return and the on canals leading to the Park Road 22 location are still be decided. We will Classroom expansion is underway Water Exchange Bridge. have the information once it becomes By Dale Rankin funds which, due to a change in state available. law, mark the first time state funding The $11.5 million project stalled Seashore Charter schools on Padre has been available for infrastructure earlier this year when land adjacent to Say what?! Island will kick off their twenty- at charter schools in the state. We had a wrong-way Islander last second school year on Wednesday, Bridge cont. on A4 weekend when a wayward visitor August 22, 560 students from pre- “With the change in state law stopped a local in the CVS parking school to eight grade. they are now providing funding Island Star for buildings to charter schools lot and inquired as to the location of The new school year arrives at a that are performing,” Seashore the South Padre Island Inn. dynamic time for the schools as FBHS Superintendent Colleen McIntyre “There is no such thing,” came the $3.1 million of new construction Seashore teachers get ready for is underway funded in part by state Valedictorian reply. Seashore cont. on A4 the school year.. “There must be I have a reservation,” Enjoys Summer said the visitor and produced a Flour Bluff ISD Three Island School Systems printout which showed the address on Before College Padre Blvd, South Padre Island, TX. Kicks Off School By Brent Rourk “You are a few hours north of that,” Get A Ratings Year August 27 Writer’s note: said the local. “This is North Padre Flour Bluff ISD kicks off the By Matt Briscoe “We are extremely proud of our As a teacher of Island.” school district’s ‘A’’ achievement new school year on Monday, A report released Wednesday math and Spanish rating from the Texas Education “But it’s South Padre Island Drive,” August 27 with a couple of new morning by the Texas Education at Seashore Agency,” says Flour Bluff said the visitor pointing at the sign. policies regarding cell phones and Agency has scored, Flour Bluff ISD, Middle School Superintendent Brian Schuss. backpacks at the Junior High and Seashore Charter Schools on Padre I was honored “It’s South Padre Island Drive on “This top rating is a direct North Padre Island.” High School. Island, and Port Aransas Independent to have first reflection on the hard work of our hand experience Students at the Junior High will be School District’s as having an “A” “So how do I get to South Padre staff and students.” with Hallie’s allowed to bring larger back packs rating, the agency’s highest letter Island,” the visitor was starting to determination. into the school and to their lockers, grade. Schuss goes onto say that also that smell a rat. While a 5th grade clear and/or mesh backpacks will the letter grade provides validation According to House Bill 22, which student, Hallie took an accelerated “You go north on South Padre be the only type of backpacks of the great things going at Flour passed during the 2017 legislative and combined 5th, 6th, and 7th grade Island.” permitted in the classrooms, Bluff ISD. session, this year only districts will math class. She might have missed according to district spokesperson “Go north on South Padre Island receive an A-F grade and schools “We continue to strive for one problem all year or maybe that Kimberley Sneed. Drive to get to South Padre Island? will continue to receive a pass/fail academic success, growth in our might have been my mistake. In Why can’t I just go south on South “This is a big change for many of grade of "met standard" or "needs schools’ progress and closing Spanish class she excelled and wrote Padre Island Drive to get to South the students, and parents, therefore, improvement" for one more year. achievement gaps for all students,” a short adventure story in Spanish as Padre Island?” They will also receive a rating from says Schuss. an alternative assignment. 0-100. “You’ll need an amphibious car,” Flour Bluff cont. on A4 Ratings cont. on A4 says the local. “You’ll have to get Island star cont. on A4 across Mansfield Pass.” “That doesn’t make any sense,” said A little Island history the visitor as she gave the local the wary eye. The Founding of the Dunn Ranch on Padre Island “No ma’am it sure doesn’t, but…” “North on South Padre Island Drive Editor’s note: In the last three Catherine and her husband Thomas City. Unionist feared for their lives to get to South Padre Island?” issues we have been writing about journey to South Texas. and many left town for the less hostile events on and around The Island With the outbreak of the Civil War countryside. “Yes ma’am, that’s it.” during the Civil War. This week Corpus Christi had a population The Dunn’s in the most part we move to the years immediately When the local came out of the store of about 2,000 souls; up from 600 supported a free Texas and three: after the war when the Dunn ranch the visitors were poking at their GPS ten short years before. The town Brothers Thomas and Peter and came into existence. It covered the trying to figure out where they were was a thriving and growing seaport, nephew Lawrence joined the ranks entire Island, south past where the in Bizarroland. Anyone who lives on a gateway for area towns, farms, of the Confederacy. Thomas and Mansfield Channel would later The Island long enough will sooner ranches and Laredo. Beef, Salt, Peter enlisted on September 10th be dug. This account comes from or later have this conversation with Cotton and Wool crossed the docks in Company I of Hobby’s Texas Dunn family member Greg Smith a total stranger. The visitors drove bound for New Orleans and other Regiment. In December of 1861 whose grandfather, Burton Dunn, off and pulled into Farah’s no doubt points. the war came to Corpus in earnest was the last member of the family looking for a local to get better with the arrival of Lt. Kittredge and directions. And so it goes. to actively ranch Padre Island. Nueces County, like the rest of Texas had to vote on whether to stay the Union blockading fleet. With Say hello if you see us Around The By Greg Smith a part of the Union or join with the the USS Arthur stopping any ship Island. In 1879 Catherine Dunn and son’s Confederate States. When the vote at the Gulf passes and Kittredge’s Patrick and Tom began ranching was tallied four out of five of the “mosquito fleet” of gun boats and on Padre Island, which later citizens voted to secede. It was an captured schooners controlling the bays, trading and commerce ground would sometimes be called the extremely divisive and passionate Burton Dunn Dunn Ranch. This is the story of issue causing a great rift within the to a halt. History cont. on A4 August 16, 2018 Island Moon A 2 Billish Rises! Work on Billish Park Progressing By Dale Rankin POA when the POA voted to add the $200,000 to the money from the city bonds. Under an Work on the new and improved Billish Park is agreement between the two the park “was leased By the numbers moving forward even as the ribbon cutting for to the POA for the duration of the construction the new playground at the site scheduled for period and on completion the POA will deed Saturday, August 18, has been postponed and the leasehold improvements to the City for an Island Parks will be rescheduled.