Interested in running for one of two open spots on the Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board of Directors? You have until April 5 to get it done.

This year, members will elect directors in District 4 and District 5. Eligible members who live in those districts and are interested in running for a position on the board can do so through the nomination-by-petition process. The details of that can be found here.

The deadline to submit petition forms is April 5. The ballots will be announced on April 19, and members can vote online and by mail starting on May 5. Voting ends on June 11.

The outcome of the election will be announced at the Annual Meeting in Johnson City on June 19.

In addition, members are also being asked to vote on proposed changes to the cooperative’s governing document, the Articles of Incorporation. They include:

—Adding a Member Bill of Rights.

—Adding language allowing Board vacancies to remain open until they can be filled by member election.

—Listing a new registered agent (the entity designated to receive legal notice for the Cooperative).

—Raising from 75 to 5,000 the quorum, or number of members required to vote or be present in person to transact business at a member meeting.

http://www.pec.coop/CorpProfile/Election2010.aspx

A former Elgin police officer has filed a lawsuit in federal court against four parties, including the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office and former Sheriff Rosanna Abreo.
Officer Steve Ou was fired in December 2008 shortly after an incident in which he used a bat to break out a car window while assisting in a traffic stop initially made by deputies with the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident, recorded on a patrol car’s dashboard camera, shows Ou arriving moments after deputies had stopped a car after a high-speed chase that ended within the Elgin city limits.
Although sheriff office officials at the time said the deputies had the situation under control, Ou broke out a window of the stopped car with a bat. The suspects were arrested without resistance.
On Friday, Texas Municipal League attorney Joanna Salinas, who is defending the city of Elgin, said Ou was suing Elgin for violation of due process and suing former Elgin City Manager Jeff Coffee for alleged defamation.
James Gade II, Ou’s Austin attorney, said Ou is also suing the sheriff’s office for alleged violations of his rights of free speech and due process, and is suing Abreo over issues involving free speech, defamation and intentional interference with an existing contract.
Ou worked for the sheriff’s office in 2008 before leaving to work for Elgin, Abreo said on Friday. Abreo served as interim sheriff after former Sheriff Richard Hernandez resigned.
When asked to comment on whether Ou was in good standing when he left the sheriff’s office, Abreo said, “He resigned,” and then added, “I think everything will be fine once the court knows all the facts.”
The case was filed in U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas.
Austin attorney Barbara Lee Quirk, who is representing Bastrop County and Abreo according to the federal court’s Web site, was not available for comment.

With warmer weather and spring approaching, outdoor events are escalating around Bastrop County.
From the tasty food of Cowboys & Caviar, to the gathering of hundreds of motorcyclists at Thunder on The Colorado to the excitement of Yesterfest, there are plenty of activities spread over the coming weeks.

Thunder on Colorado
Motorcycle enthusiasts descend on Smithville for the fourth annual Thunder On The Colorado during the weekend of March 19-21. The three-day event is headquartered at Riverbend Park, astride Texas 71 and along the Colorado River.
Besides a motorcycle parade through downtown Smithville Friday evening, there will be live music in the park, “biker games,” merchandise for sale and tasty food. The event is for adults, age 21 and older.
New this year will be a swap meet for new and used bikes and parts. However, participants must register and pay a small fee to sell items at the swap meet. To register and get rules, call 512-237-2313 or email chamber@smithvilletx.org.

Cowboys & Caviar
Another popular event is the Children’s Advocacy Center’s sixth annual Cowboys & Caviar fundraiser on Saturday, March 27 at 6 p.m.
The event, held at Riverbend Park in Smithville, is a fundraiser to help children who have been the victims of abuse. The annual event offers dinner, drinks, live and silent auctions, event photography and music by Chubby Knuckle Choir.
“Table Sponsorships” are available and range from $75 for individuals up to $5,000 for “Cattle Barons,” with all sponsors being listed in the program brochure for the night.
One of the sure attention grabbers will be a big live auction item for a 14-day stay at a private home in Crete, Greece at Agia Pelegia beach.
Tickets to the event are by pre-sale only and the CAC is still accepting sponsors. Call 321-6161 for more information.

Chili Cook-off
The second annual International Barbecue Cookers Association and Tolbert Chili Cook-off will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 27 at Mayfest Hill and rodeo grounds, behind American Legion Post 533 on Loop 150
The Bastrop County Livestock Show hosts the event.
At 7 p.m. that evening, the Shane Boyd Invitational Bull Riding Benefit will be held at the rodeo grounds to help Boyd, a Red Rock resident, defray medical costs from a bull riding accident he had in 2009.
Bullriders from the World Senior Professional Bullriding Association will compete.
Contact Boyd at 512-718-0715 or Violet John 512-308-2392 for more benefit information, including sponsorship levels.

Road Rally
The 3rd Rotary Club Road Rally at the Bastrop Rodeo Arena on Saturday, April 10 offers a chance to combine a scenic ride in the country with a scavenger hunt.
Rally participants will gather at noon at the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History at 2502 Hwy. 304.
The event is a “rolling scavenger hunt,” according to organizers, with a set of directions and questions to answers over different routes that cover about 65 miles.
Cars or motorcycles may be used and require a minimum two-person team – a driver and navigator. The fee is $70 per team and additional passengers are $30 each.
Fees benefit Rotary Club of Bastrop County’s scholarship program and other programs to benefit youths. Rally participants will also have a chance to win a 2010 Dodge Ram truck and a Caribbean cruise for two.
The event wraps up the day with entertainment at the rodeo arena, behind American Legion Post 533, across from Bastrop State Park.
The Peterson Brothers, Still Rockin’ and Thumbs Up will provide live music.
There will car judging for “best set of wheels, most un-classic, best dressed and most talked about.”

Yesterfest
One of the biggest events of the year for Bastropians is Yesterfest, held this year on Saturday, April 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and centered around Main Street.
During the rollicking event, residents and visitors celebrate the past by defining the pioneer days, the jazz era and the rockabilly time of post-war America through music, costumes and reenactments.
A costume contest will reward the winners in all three era categories.
The Pioneers on South Main will host trick ropers, gunfighters, saloon girls, Native American dancers and chuck wagon cooking.
There will be street gunfights, Native American dancers and a likely holdup of the miniature train running from the children’s area.
Visitors can enjoy the music of the era on a stage in front of city hall and hear stories presented by members of the Bastrop Historical Society.
A fun event will commemorate the great Runaway Scrape during the Texas War for Independence where, after the fall of the Alamo, the women and children left behind as their men fought battles had to escape from the advancing Mexican army led by Santa Ana.
During the Runaway Scrape foot race, runners will start at North Main and Spring streets, run down to Fisherman’s Park, then along the riverwalk and end back up on South Main. There will be prizes for the winners. Participants in costume will be given a headstart handicap.
For family entertainment there will be a Children’s Area at the county courthouse to include animal displays from McKinney Roughs, a petting zoo and pony rides, traveling train rides and Boy Scout Troop 181 pine-car derby races.