May 22, 2008

The Johnson City Civic Woman’s Club held the final meeting of the 2007-2008 year on Monday, May 19, at the home of Peggy Stewart. Members were welcomed by Peggy and her co-hostesses Donna Booth, Gail Booher, Pam Bonn and Natalie Voron dressed in typical 1950s costume of jeans, white shirts, bobby socks, and sneakers.

The Blanco County Master Gardeners’ Association will be conducting a Plant Propagation Workshop on June 5th. The workshop will be held in Blanco at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. The workshop will run from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. The workshop will cover several aspects of plant propogation and will be a hands-on event with materials for propagating plants provided to the participants.

It has been rather quiet this past week. We did have some rain and some wind. I got to go out to eat at Tamale King in Buchanan Dam this past weekend. I enjoyed the food and I enjoyed just getting out for a drive. The CAFB (Capital Area Food Bank) was here on May 19th, 2008.

I don’t know about you but I can tell what’s up with my grown kids just by the tone of their voice, and calling them ‘kids’ is stretching it a bit as the youngest is 46. If it’s one of our daughters, I’ll hear, “MUTHER” spoken in an exasperated tone, usually by one of them having to do with some faux pas they have heard that I made.

Quilters, get to the starting gate………there is another quilt hop going to start. The Texas Trail Ride Shop Hop is June 19,20, &21 from 9:00am to 8:00 pm each day. There will be 8 shops in this hop covering San Antonio, Bandera, Kerrville, Kingsland, Salado, and Georgetown. I know this is a lot of driving and with gas prices soaring, you may want to get a group together and go in one vehicle.

*****Jerry Ann Buck had knee surgery at Seton Southwest Hospital in Austin on Friday, May 16th. She was recovering so well that she attended daughter Taylor’s baseball games on Saturday – wheelchair and all! *****Charlie Tremper has been accepted to the Austin Community College Fire Academy. Charlie is a member of the Johnson City Volunteer Department.

The Johnson City Council met in regular session for a short meeting on Tuesday, May 20th. The first order of business was to swear in the council members who recently ran opposed in the city election. Alyce Duncan joined the team at this meeting for the first time. Following the swearing in of council members, Keith Neffendorf of Neffendorf, Klien, Knopp, and Horry went through an audit report with the council members.

In 2006 a rather controversial film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This film made $40 million at the box office worldwide. Its narrator was praised as a genius – and was also ridiculed as an idiot. No matter where you stand on the issue, the movie An Inconvenient Truth, as presented by Al Gore certainly sparked conversation on the issue of Global Warming and since then – with ever increasing fuel prices, and the media’s consistent dooms day warnings that the polar ice caps ...

Veterans from all wars will be recognized and their sacrifices commemorated at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park Visitor Center, 100 Ladybird Lane, Johnson City, TX, on May 26, as park staff and the community focus on military service during the Vietnam War. Special activities including an American Indian Flag ceremony, veterans’ addresses, and the showing of a Vietnam documentary based on a Pulitzer Prize nominated book.

The Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department 8th annual Fish Fry was a huge success again this year. The VFD raised over $47,000.00 before bills are paid and those are expected to be around $15,000.00. This is a new record for the Fire Department. “This will make a great difference in the things we are able to do,” Chief Shane Buck stated.

During a one hour special workshop, the Blanco County Commissioners learned about the most cost effective ways to pave roads throughout Blanco County. Citing many facts and giving specific examples, Terry Brussel, the District Maintenance Forman from TxDot, answered questions and educated the Commissioners. Before the meeting ended, and with Brussel’s guidance, the Commissioners established county-wide specs as a standard for all precincts. Specs for paving within the county: -Single pas ...

A “Free Sportfishing Day” will highlight National Fishing and Boating Week, allowing anglers to fish any public waters in Texas without a fishing license on Saturday, June 7. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials said the special day in this state, authorized by the Texas Legislature, is intended to promote fishing and encourage people to enjoy the state’s fishing resources.

Kris Heavner, the grandson of Maria and the late Leon Barrientes, has graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in political science with a minor in sociology. Kristopher Heavner will continue his education at the U of A working toward a masters in teaching and teacher education. He has also accepted a position as a graduate assistant coach for the University of Arizona football team.

There is no better way to beat the heat this summer than a family outing to the beach or swimming pool. Yet it only takes minutes for a child to drown when adults aren’t paying close attention. And as temperatures rise, so does the danger to children left unattended in cars.

Throughout the country there will be many events taking place to show appreciation for the men and women in the field of Emergency Medical Services. These individuals spend many hours helping people and also spend many more hours in continuing education training in order to stay proficient in their skills.

When pioneers made their way to Texas generations ago, many helped establish towns. From Abbott to Zorn, these smaller communities safeguard the Texas ethic, the values that have made our state great. If you exit the major highways, you can travel to places such as Cee Vee, Tarzan, Tigertown, Ropesville, Petrolia and Notrees.

“Good people are running. Find them and vote for them.” That is General Manager Juan Garza’s advice to members who ask him who to vote for in the ongoing election for five new Pedernales Electric Cooperative board members. Garza opened the Pedernales Electric Cooperative monthly board meeting Monday with a recap of the recent forums held throughout the utility’s service area.

In 2008, it is projected that 1.43 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer. Nearly 96,000 Texans will receive this sobering news. And 35,000 Texas patients will lose their battle against cancer this year. Since the War on Cancer was declared in 1971, we have amassed a wealth of knowledge on the disease.

Several photographers and digital artists participating in the current exhibition titled “Urban Ambience “ at Watson Studio Gallery will be auctioning their images during an upcoming Silent Auction. The auction will run from 3:00pm to 7:00pm on Saturday, May 24, 2008 (Memorial Day Weekend) at the gallery located at 105 N.

Question: Can a working Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipient lose his or her Medicaid coverage? Answer: One of the biggest concerns SSI recipients have about going to work is the possibility of losing Medicaid coverage. Section 1619(b) of the Social Security Act provides some protection for these recipients. In most cases, a person can keep their Medicaid even if they earn too much from their employment to receive a monthly SSI benefit.

(Reprinted from the Johnson City Record Courier) …Captain Dan Roberts, the Texas Ranger who was the key figure in the battle, was interviewed many times in later life and his recollections over the years varied very little from his original statements, and they correspond with the reminiscences of the other survivors. So that you may …understand our history a little better, the following is an exact (typed verbatim with no spelling or punctuation errors corrected) copy of an excerpt fro ...

Bryanna Gonzalez, daughter of Tony Jr. and Laurie Gonzalez of Johnson City cut and donated her hair to Locks of Love. She cut off enough hair to make two donations to the worthy cause. Donated hair is evaluated for its usefulness according to the following guidelines: •The donated hair must be at least 10 inches (preferably 12") in length •It must be bundled in a pony tail or braid •Hair must be free of bleach.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and more than a million new cases will be diagnosed nationwide this year, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. As a community service, Hill Country Memorial Wellness Center and local dermatologists are joining forces to provide a free skin cancer screening at the Wellness Center Friday, June 6, from 8 a.m.

Bernice was 92 and went to be with Jesus on May 9, 2008. She was born February 5, 1916 in Edna, Texas to Frank Robert and Beatrice Gasch. Oldest of 7 children, she is survived by her husband, Mike Micheli and daughter, Patty Carpenter and husband, Harry Carpenter of Johnson City.

Dear Editor: I am writing on behalf of the Hill Country 100 Club Board of Directors and myself as Director in charge of Club expansion into Blanco County to express the Club’s appreciation for your Thursday, May 8, 2008 front page article describing the purpose of the Hill Country 100 Club.

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 ...

Your adornment must not be merely external ... but let it be the hidden person of the heart. 1 Peter 3:3-4 I’ll never forget that spring Sunday when our church was honoring our graduating high-school seniors during the service. A couple of the students had been asked to speak to the congregation.

Ada and Percy Smerek, Pastor Trinity Lutheran Church in Stonewall, will be singing in concert at the Stonewall Baptist Church at 6 PM Sunday evening June 1st. Some of the songs to be sung will be compositions they have written and arranged themselves. Both are accomplished musicians, but Ada is past phenomenal on the piano!

The Johnson City FFA wildlife team made history recently by placing 4th at the State contest. A total of 145 teams competed in this event in their respective areas with only 50 advancing to the State contest which was held May 13 at the San Angelo State Park. The JC team placed 3rd in our area contest held April 15th, outscored by Ingram and Marion.

Wyatt Zoeller, son of Troy and Linette Zoeller and a student at Lyndon Baines Johnson Middle School in the Johnson City Independent School District, has been selected to travel to the Austin area as a participant in Education in Action’s Lone Star Leadership Academy, July 14-18, 2008. Wyatt’s selection for the Academy was based on his outstanding academic success, demonstrated leadership ability, successful completion of a previous Lone Star Leadership Academy program and his involvement in ...

The Johnson City baseball team defeated Brackett this past week-end to advance to the Regional Semi-Finals (16 teams left in 1A—4 in each region). The teams left in our region are JC, Flatonia, Granger and D’Hanis. Johnson City defeated Brackett in 2 games 9-0 and 4-3 (in 8 innings). See more on the game on page A8.

The Johnson City Baseball team defeated Brackett (Brackettville) in 2 games this past weekend by scores of 9-0 and 4-3. Johnson City will now face Flatonia for the regional semi finals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The games will be played at Burger Center in Austin. The Thursday and Friday games will be at 7 P.M.

The LBJ Lady Eagle softball team had 10 players selected to the 2008 29-1A All District squad. Junior Haylee Jernigan, the Lady Eagle shortstop was selected as defensive player of the year while freshman Alex Houston, one of LBJ’s pitchers and 3rd baseman was chosen as the Newcomer of the Year.