May 8, 2008

Poet Daniel T. Dunbar wrote the following poem: “I Saw a Policeman Crying” I saw a policeman crying, on the news the other day; a sheet upon his partner, as they carried him away. Who are these people really, with lights of flashing blue, they’re simply men and women, a lot like me and you.

On Thursday, April 24th, the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce met for their monthly meeting at the LBJ Settlement. “We met over here because we felt like there was more room to accommodate everyone who would like to attend the meeting,” Chamber Director, Chelita Riley stated. For somebody who has never been to the Settlement before, I thought it was a very nice location for the meeting.

In 1967 Johnson City’s most famous and most loved first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, became a charter member of a budding new club. A group of ladies gathered together with one mission, to beautify and serve Johnson City. 41 years later, and the Community Garden Club of Johnson City is not only still meeting – but the group of nature lovers are 70 members strong and spreading like a field of wildflowers after a spring rain.

Blanco County is hit by some fast-moving disease...or terrorists release anthrax again, this time in San Antonio, threatening to spread north...or maybe it’s just a bad flu season. If we have to immunize every resident of the county in a short time, who’s going to do it? Neither the state nor the county has the manpower for that job, but the Blanco County Disaster Response Group has 15 newly-trained volunteers who could go to work right away. “Those incidents would quickly overwhelm ...

The April meeting of the Johnson City Woman’s Civic Club was held Monday evening, April 28, 2008 at the lovely candlelit home of Frana Keith. The evening’s program was presented by Shirley Beck, former member of the Blanco County Water Board, who provided good and timely information concerning water issues, both from a world, as well as a Blanco County, perspective.

Things are still happening here on the porch. We sit and visit on the porch and have a great time just being together. While we visit, we have turkeys and deer just walking around and grazing. This is a beautiful sight. It is like we live out in the country but we live right here in town. I really have to watch my diet since I have returned from the hospital.

As you all probably know, last year Blanco county had a bumper crop of wild mustang grapes. I picked grapes until I was purple all over. When I ran out of grapes here I picked grapes from Sonny and Henrietta’s and Gene and Judy Yentzens’ vines and still there were grapes.

Well, the quilt hop is over and all the passports have been turned in (all 750) and if you read the paper last week, you already know that Louise Paterson won the whole rodeo. Yep, she won that huge basket of goodies. She will not need to come see me at Not Too Shabby for quite a while.

Question: My mother-in-law still receives her benefit in the form of a paper check. She is slowly opening up to the possibility of utilizing direct deposit. Can you can address this subject and help to get her off the fence? Answer: There is no reason to be on the fence about direct deposit.

*****Peggy and Joe Stewart were in Paris, Texas over the weekend to meet their new granddaughter, Lilly, daughter of Joe Bob and Kelli Stewart. She was welcomed by her two sisters, Maggie and Claire. Joe Bob is the son of Joe and Peggy Stewart. *****Larry and Alice Driggers have had company for 2 1/2 weeks.

By Harriett Odiorne (reprinted as submitted from Johnson City Record Courier) Whittier immortalized the “Barefoot Boy” in such a way that nay country reared child can feel the sun once again on his peeling nose or taste the wild fruit’s tangy zip on his tongue, but remembering the stealthy steps taken in following the turkey hen to her nest is reserved to rather few. Since the Indians introduced the Pilgrim Fathers to the savory goodness of turkey, the bird, in domesticated form, ha ...

The Nobel-Prize winning economist Milton Friedman once said, “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” When Congress passed legislation to greatly expand America’s commitment to biofuels, it intended to create energy independence and protect the environment. But the results have been quite different.

Unlike most trials, the moment of judgment elicited no dramatic reaction from the parties or the observers. The judge’s approval of the settlement of the class action was as expected as incumbent re-elections were in the past at the Pedernales Electric Cooperative. On Monday, Judge John K. Dietz certified the class, approved the settlement as fair, reasonable and adequate, approved $4 million in attorneys’ fees and costs, and awarded an “incentive fee” of $15,000 to each of the three ...

Johnson City home schooled seniors Sierra & Sheridan Hodge have been recruited by Vernon College to become members of their collegiate rodeo program this fall. Vernon College is a junior college located in Vernon, Texas which is fifty miles west of Wichita Falls. The twin sisters had many scholarship offers to choose from including: Western Texas College in Snyder, Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, Wharton County Junior College in Wharton and Weatherford College in Weatherford, but c ...

The 8th Annual Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department Fish Fry, Raffle and Auction will get underway once again this Saturday, May 10th at the Fair Grounds in Johnson City. Serving will begin at 5 pm with raffle, silent and live auction to follow. Shortly after the live auction wraps up, The Mike Clifford Band will take the stage and play untill 1AM.

The Fort Griffin Fandangle will once again be performing on the banks of the Pedernales River at the LBJ Ranch. The Fandangle will be the highlight of a May 17 barbecue and the public is invited to attend. The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park and the Friends of LBJNHP are joining forces to re-create a 1967 presidential barbecue held at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall to honor members of the Organization of American States.

If your property value has increased in the last year, you should soon receive a notice of your 2008 appraised value from the Blanco County Appraisal District. About 6,200 notices were mailed on May 1, 2008. Your city, county, school district and other local taxing units will use the appraisal district’s value to set your 2008 property taxes.

Prevention and early detection are keys to disease avoidance Now that the days are longer and warmer, ticks are becoming active. Outdoor enthusiasts should take precautions as ticks can spread several diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis and others. Incidences of each disease vary by region, but the techniques for lowering your chance of contracting any tick-borne disease are the same. The easiest way to prevent a tick bite is to stay out o ...

The simple addition of one word, “all,” and the deletion of two words-navigable waters, in the Clean Water Act could carry serious implications for farmers, ranchers and homeowners in Blanco County, according to Blanco County Farm Bureau Sec./Treasurer Adrian Schulze. “H.R. 2421, currently under consideration in the U.S. House, would enable federal agencies to dole out permits for routine actions by farmers, ranchers and ordinary homeowners because it would expand federal regulation to ...

Florence Irene Weed, 76, passed away Friday, May 2, 2008 in Austin. Mrs. Weed was born in Balmorhea, TX to Charlie Ricketts and Nannie Belle Withers Ricketts. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Arthur Travis Weed and one son, Arthur Weed, Jr. Florence is survived by four sons, Calvin Weed of Wimberley, Jerry Wayne Weed of Tavares, FL, Joe Weed of Lake Jackson, TX, and Jesse Weed of Buda; daughter, Nannie Irene Phillips of Prairie Lee, TX; and sister Pearl Weed of Fredericksburg ...

Robert Wilson Riddell passed away on Wednesday April 23rd at 8:30 AM at the age of 91. He was born September 30, 1916 in Round Mountain, Texas to James Hugh Riddell and Linnie Bell Herrington Riddell. Robert was born into a family of six children, one that died at an early age.

Public records information is compiled by Charles Willgren from reports filed at the Blanco Police Department, Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, Blanco Volunteer Fire Department, Blanco County Clerk, District Clerk, and Justices of the Peace offices. Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Criminal Cases Convictions will not appear this week. Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Criminal Cases Convictions will not appear this week. Johnson City Police Reports These reports were filed between ...

Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 1 Peter 4:7 If you’re trying to pray together regularly as a couple, here’s a very workable outline and some suggestions that you can follow. Perhaps you’ve heard of the ACTS method, using the four letters in that word to frame your prayers for each day: A is for Adoration.

She was but a young girl when she made her first serious vow: “I will never do anything that will hurt my mother.” And, young as she was at the time of her vow, she remembered and kept it throughout her mother’s life. Mutual respect limits regrets. Family loyalty demonstrates love. Keeping promises promotes personal peace. Then, one day, this girl found herself in a vowing mood again.

Pearl Hedlund, (right), presents Leanne Haley, a director of the Johnson City Community Education Foundation, a check from the members of the JC Garden Club for student scholarships and teacher grants for JCISD. The foundation is seeking funds to help every graduate from LBJ High School to get a college or technical school education.

Johnson City ISD, in accordance with the resolution recently passed by the U.S. Senate, would like to recognize the substitute teachers employed by the district and say ‘Thank You’ for their dedication and commitment to our students. The week of May 5-9, 2008 has been designated as the 7th Annual National Substitute Teacher Recognition Week.

Pedernales Electric has awarded $1,000 scholarships to 50 high school seniors whose parents or guardians are PEC members. The scholarships may be used for expenses at any post-secondary institution, including universities, junior colleges and technical schools. “We’re in the business of providing electricity, but we’re also dedicated to community outreach,” said PEC Scholarship Board President Theresa Owens.

The Johnson City Baseball team won the first two games of the 2 of 3 series to win the Bi-District Championship last Friday and Saturday. The Eagles traveled to Sabinal on Friday and defeated the Yellow Jackets 11-4. On Saturday, the Eagles hosted the Jackets and again defeated them by a score of 13-3. In the Friday game at Sabinal, Laramie Blackwell handled the pitching duties for the Eagles.

In what was both an historic and memorable game. The LBJ Lady Eagles claimed the school’s first area softball title last Friday evening, May 2 with a 7-6 victory over Kingsville Academy. Tera Tebben had the winning RBI, knocking in Alex Houston from 3rd base on an infield single with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th inning.

Congress has cut victim assistance funds 22% over the past two federal fiscal years under the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). The Administration’s 2009 budget request would cut another 20% from VOCA victim assistance funding. The VOCA Fund is a separate account generated by federal criminal fines, forfeitures and special assessments, not taxpayer revenues.

Insomnia, the inability to fall asleep at night or to stay asleep, can cause more than tiredness. Dave Rodriguez, registered respiratory therapist and director of the Hill Country Memorial Hospital Diagnostic Sleep Lab, will lead a free Good Health School on insomnia Friday, May 23. “This nighttime sleeping problem can cause serious daytime problems,” he said.

Hill Country Memorial Health System Board of Trustees has named Michael R. Williams, D.O., M.D., as interim chief executive officer. The move is effective immediately. Dr. Williams is head of Anesthesia Consultants of Fredericksburg, the anesthesia group at the hospital, and is one of five physicians currently serving on the board.

With the hot summer months quickly approaching, May is designated as the national melanoma and skin cancer prevention and detection month. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, and the number of new cases diagnosed each year is quickly on the rise in the United States. The good news is that melanoma can be prevented.

Reconnecting children and families with the outdoors seems to be the general theme of programs funded by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Community Outdoor Outreach Program grant. TPWD this month announced recipients of 17 grants totaling $470,000, as well as additional funding that will allow an additional grants round this summer. “Many organizations feel that today’s children are losing touch with nature and the environment, said CO-OP Program Director Darlene Lewis, and the ...