LOOKING BACK: KWHI’S TOP NEWS STORIES OF 2020
With 2021 having officially arrived, it is time now to take a look back at some of the biggest stories of 2020.
KWHI based this list of top stories on how much interest they garnered online, as well as how long their storylines played out through the year.
Here are our top stories of 2020, in no particular order:
COVID-19: Undoubtedly the event that affected 2020 the most, the COVID-19 pandemic quickly changed the world and how people go about their everyday lives. The first case of the virus in Washington County was reported March 25th, and as of today (Friday), the county has reported 1,186 confirmed cases. Businesses and schools were shut down, and many events were cancelled, including sporting events and Brenham’s historic Maifest celebration, which had not been cancelled since World War II. Despite their best efforts, local nursing homes were all eventually affected by the virus, including the Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which received assistance from the state at the request of State Senator Lois Kolkhorst. Graduation ceremonies for schools were postponed and altered to accommodate new health guidelines, and campuses, along with businesses, continue to operate using new procedures. Over the past few weeks, vaccines have been approved for use, but it will likely be several months before the general public has access to them.
Brannon Industrial Group Trash Transfer: While this storyline began in late 2019, the City of Brenham’s sanitation agreement with Brannon Industrial Group (BIG) did not finalize until the spring of 2020. The city began looking into outsourcing sanitation services, including trash and recycling pickup, after officials determined it would be too costly to keep them in-house while keeping the same level of service for citizens. Many residents expressed their discontent with the transfer of services, with some feeling their input was not considered as the city pursued the agreement. Others were frustrated that pickup services would be going to once-a-week from twice-a-week, but the cost of services would increase. The city finalized all aspects of the agreement with BIG in April, and services fully transitioned over to the company in May.
Medical Director Switch-up at Washington Co. Jail: In March, KWHI learned that Washington County Sheriff Otto Hanak was no longer allowing Jail Medical Director Dr. Robert Stark inside the jail to treat prisoners. Hanak stated he was forced to ban Dr. Stark from the jail after county commissioners took too long to investigate complaints against him presented as far back as November; the nature of those complaints has yet to be revealed. In the meantime, Washington County EMS was dispatched to the jail whenever an inmate had a medical problem, and would either treat them at the jail or take them to the emergency room at Baylor Scott and White in Brenham. The situation cost Washington County taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. After county commissioners spent several meetings discussing the issue, they approved former Jail Medical Director Dr. Stuart Yoffe to serve at the jail again on an interim basis.
Paul Kruse Charged in Blue Bell Listeria Outbreak, Company Fined: Former Blue Bell President and CEO Paul Kruse was charged in May with six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection to a deadly listeria outbreak in 2015. The charges came after federal prosecutors said he and other company executives knew of unsanitary conditions at Blue Bell’s manufacturing facilities from as far back as 2010 and did nothing to rectify them. While the charges were dropped in July after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the empaneling of a grand jury, Kruse was charged again in October, and has made his first court appearance. At the time Kruse was charged in May, Blue Bell pleaded guilty in a related case to two counts of distributing adulterated ice cream products. The company was ordered to pay a total of $19.35 million in fine, forfeiture, and civil settlement payments, the second largest-ever amount paid to resolve a food safety matter.
Four Killed in Accident Near Lake Somerville, Brenham Man Charged with Murder: Four people, including a six-year-old child, were killed in an accident in May near Lake Somerville. Investigators said the victims were all in a vehicle driving on LBJ Drive in Washington County just after 11 p.m. on May 9th, when they were struck head-on by a truck that had careened off a guardrail into their path. The victims were identified as 37-year-old Justin Richard of Houston, and 18-year-old Chase Sowders, 18-year-old Jasmine Maxwell, and six-year-old Payton Francis, all of Somerville. In July, the driver of the truck, 37-year-old Ignacio Reyes Aviles, who was hospitalized after the accident, was indicted on four counts of murder and one count of injury to a child, after investigators determined he was intoxicated at the time of the crash and driving too fast on the wrong side of the road. Aviles remains in the Washington County Jail and is awaiting sentencing.
New Brenham ISD Superintendent: As the 2019-20 school year came to a close, so did Dr. Walter Jackson’s time as Brenham ISD Superintendent. Dr. Jackson announced in May that he had been selected as the lone finalist for the superintendent position in La Porte ISD, after serving in Brenham since 2015. After naming former Tomball ISD Superintendent Huey Kinchen as an interim, the Brenham School Board spent the next two months considering applications and interviewing candidates before choosing former Burkburnett ISD Superintendent Dr. Tylor Chaplin for the position in July and officially hiring him in August. Brenham ISD received 48 applications for the position and narrowed that down to six finalists.
Suspect in Burton Bank Robbery Arrested: Nearly two years after Burton State Bank was robbed at gunpoint, Washington County investigators announced an arrest in the case on May 29th. 53-year-old Shawn Patrick Childers of La Grange was indicted and arrested for Aggravated Robbery in connection with the incident on June 7, 2018. The arrest came after investigation by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, and the Texas Rangers. According to the District Attorney’s Office, the bank was robbed of approximately $12,000. Childers was developed as a suspect after numerous interview and investigations into his financial history. According to District Attorney Julie Renken, his total bonds have been set at $90,000, and a judge has denied any reduction of that bond. No trial date or timeline has been set, but his next court date, according to Renken, is early this month.
Protests: Following the death of Houston-native George Floyd in Minneapolis, a wave of demonstrations swept through the country, protesting racial inequality and police brutality. Several small-scale protests occurred in Brenham and the surrounding area. While many demonstrations across the nation resulted in violence, the ones seen locally largely remained peaceful. However, tensions were raised at a protest in Somerville in June when several armed men arrived and walked directly through a group of demonstrators. The protestors called the action one of intimidation, and claimed police did not intervene or check on them when it happened.
Changes to Local County Fairs: The new health procedures prompted by COVID-19 extended to the county fairs in the region, and many of them saw sweeping changes that made them unlike any other in previous years. While some fairs were able to host entertainment and queens contests, many were reduced to holding only livestock events. That being the case, many fairs, including the Washington County Fair, embraced new virtual elements such as broadcasting youth livestock auctions online and allowing online bidders.
Elections: Intrigue for the general election of 2020 began in March with the primary elections and continued with several runoff elections in July. Those set the stage for a November election that drew record turnout. While interest was primarily in the presidential race between President Donald Trump and now President-elect Joe Biden, there were also several races in the region that grabbed the attention of voters, including races for Washington County Commissioner of Precinct One and the Burton School Board; mayoral races in Caldwell, Hempstead, Giddings, Prairie View, Round Top, and Sealy; and Sheriff’s races in Brazos and Waller counties, along with numerous other commissioner, city council and school board races.
290 Cloverleaf Improvements: After talks began in 2019 to make changes to the Highway 290 cloverleaf interchange with Highway 36, discussions picked up in late 2020. In September, the TxDOT – Bryan District Engineer spoke at a luncheon hosted by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, where he announced that TxDOT had increased the number of concepts it was considering for the project. In November, TxDOT held a virtual public hearing to gauge input from the public on the five concepts. In December, the Brenham City Council and Washington County Commissioners met in a joint workshop to discuss each of the concepts and give their recommendation to TxDOT on which one it should pursue. The council chose a revised version of Concept B, which is a direct connection placing new lanes for Highway 290 just south of the current interchange. While commissioners have not yet given their official recommendation, most officials seemed to be in favor of Concept B at the workshop. Construction will begin at the cloverleaf in 2026.
KWHI invites you to join in on the conversation and tell us what you think were the biggest topics of 2020 in the comment section below.