July 16, 2009

KERRVILLE, TX July 10, 2009 – The Hill Country Chapter of the American Red Cross is having a Rummage and Bake Sale on Thursday and Friday July 24th and 25th from 9am-4pm. Shoppers can find their “treasures” in air conditioned comfort and support the local chapter’s services and programs! If you would like to donate to this event, please call 830-257-4677.

Live pari-mutuel horse racing returns to the Gillespie County Fair Grounds in Fredericksburg on Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19. Sponsored by the Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association, the Fredericksburg Texas Fest Race Meet will again feature quarter horse and thoroughbred horses running at the Class III track. Gates open at 11 a.m.

LBJ HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERS meets the 1st Thursday of each month at 6 pm at the LBJ Middle School Band Hall. For more information contact 512-924-5881 or send email to lbjbandboosters@live.com. EARLY BIRD 4-H CLUB meets second Tuesday, Pleasant Hill School. Call Texas Cooperative Extension, Blanco County for more information, 868-7167. HILL COUNTRY SPURS 4-H CLUB meets third Tuesday, Blanco County Fairgrounds Riding Arena, 6:30 pm and focuses on the 4-H Horse Project.

In the last six weeks Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers has paid out rewards totaling $3,400 for burglary, armed robbery and fugitives in Burnet, Llano, and Blanco counties and in the cities of Llano and Granite Shoals. You too can collect a cash reward up to $2,000 simply by calling, e-mailing or texting to Crime Stoppers with information of any crime leading to an arrest.

John Wayne’s “The Green Berets” To Be Shown at Movies Under the Stars on the LBJ Ranch Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park invites the public to view a Hollywood version of the war in Vietnam on Saturday, July 18 at 9 p.m. by attending a screening of The Green Berets, co-directed by and starring John Wayne. Wayne plays Colonel Mike Kirby, who handpicks two crack teams of expert Green Berets for a very tough mission that includes kidnapping a North Vietnamese general.

Beginning Aug. 1, 2009, PEC’s E. Babe Smith Headquarters Building lobby hours will change. The lobby will open weekdays at 7:30 a.m. and close at 5:30 p.m. Most PEC business, such as starting or stopping service, billing information or making payments, can be conducted seven days a week, 24 hours a day, by phone toll-free through our 24-hour call center or on our web site.

STONEWALL, TEXAS – ON June 15, the Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park accepted $25,000 from the Lower Colorado River Authority to offset the cost of replacing the heating and cooling system in the famed “Texas White House” on the LBJ Ranch, which is now open for public touring.

Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park Board President Bob Keith (far right) accepting the award from Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board Chairman R.B. Felps (far left), as park Superintendent Russ Whitlock (left) and Lower Colorado River Authority Board member Tom Martine (right) look

Blanco County retired educators have been without a voice at the state level for several years since the local chapter folded less than a decade ago. To address this lack, a handful of Blanco County educators have been at work behind the scenes gathering names of other retired educators living within the county with hopes of forming a new local chapter.

What to do with that cute little cup you bought at that last yard sale you went to. Depending on the size of your cup cut a circle from fabric about 1 inch larger than the lip of the cup. Press under the edges about ¼ inch and gather with a needle and thread as though you were making a yo-yo.

Wednesday, July 16, 1969, we watched with keen interest as Apollo 11 blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on what we hoped would be a historic mission to the Moon. We already had a Sunday night party planned to watch the lunar landing with friends. Just 15 years before, my scout troop camped at the old West Ranch near Clear Lake, the future home of Johnson Space Center’s Mission Control.

Let me count the ways to know when one is ‘losing it’. Where to start? Back in my youth while still living at home, my mother would hand me some money saying, “Cynthia, pick up an empty carton of cokes and go to the store and get us some cokes and some steak for dinner.” Simple instructions, but by the time I got down the steps and out the door, she’d be hollering for me to come back because I had forgotten the empty carton.

*****Johnny & Bonnie Slawinski spent the weekend at the coast with their family this past weekend. Their daughter along with son Johnny Jr., Tabitha and the boys joined them for some fun in the sun. Jordan thought he found a diamond ring in the sand but a jellyfish found him instead! *****The Alton Moreland family attended a wedding reception on Saturday in Horseshoe Bay.

On Tuesday, the Johnson City City Council met in regular session. Led by Johnson City Mayor, Kermit Roeder, the council began the meeting by discussing the possibility of taking action on charges on the recent vandals who released well over 182,000 gallons of water from area fire hydrants on July 4th.

The Blanco County Commissioners Court on July 14 appointed Kelly Carper Polden of Round Mountain to the Blanco County Child Welfare and Family Advocacy Board. The Court accepted the low bid of $26,000 submitted by BES Demolition of San Marcos for the demolition and removal of the buildings and slabs once used by the Sheriff’s Department in Johnson City.

Summer is a time to enjoy the outdoors, but fun can quickly turn to tragedy when encountering a poisonous snake. Cindy Loeffler, RN, is the trauma nurse coordinator for Hill Country Memorial Hospital. She said emergency room employees are well aware of poisonous snake dangers. “Medical science has enabled effective treatments depending on the snake and the location of the bite, but much depends on a person’s response after getting bitten,” Ms.

The Texas Legislature, in House Bill 8, gave Texas Comptroller Susan Combs the responsibility of reviewing the performance of each county appraisal district at least once every other year. In the off years, the Comptroller’s office will conduct a property value study to determine the taxable value in each school district.

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park and their educational partner Western National Parks Association are featuring two sale weekends of July 18 and 19 and August 15 and 16 throughout the park. During these two weekends, all merchandise sold in the national historical park bookstores or gift shops will be 20% off.

Lakes Buchanan and Travis, the drinking water source for about 1.1 million Central Texans, are noticeably lower this summer because the sources that feed into the lakes have all but dried up. So far this year, the amount of water flowing into the Highland Lakes is less than 23 percent of average. “If the current trends continue, then we could set a new record low for how much water flows into the Highland Lakes this year,” said Mark Jordan, LCRA manager of River Management.

By Dawn Capra Have you ever wondered what to do with your old analog TV after you’ve bought that brand new digital one? If you threw it away, would it become toxic to the environment? The Johnson City Recycle Center does not accept analog TV sets for recycling. So where do you take them to be recycled?

The Blanco County 4-H Shooting Education BB Gun Team competed at the International BB Gun Championship Match (IBBGCM) held July 3-5, 2009 at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The event, sponsored by Daisy has become a tradition of excellence in shooting sports. The team consisted of Chelsea Dowdy, Ryan Sultemeier, Layne Lassberg, Cliff Jones, Colton Barrow, Caleb Dowdy, and Ross Sultemeier.

The Agriculture Department’s recent release of funding for biofuels initiatives could offer local farmers an all new cash crop, Blanco County Farm Bureau S & T, Adrian Schulze said. “Our organization has always supported the development of renewable energy, but what’s great about the current round of funding from USDA is that it targets the development of cellulosic technologies,” said Schulze.

Barbara Jean Swierc passed away in Fredericksburg after a long illness on July 9, 2009. She was born on Sept. 5, 1933 in San Antonio to Alfred and Frances Slavin. Barbara was a bookkeeper for music instrumental sales for many years. She had a love for children and had many friends.

J.W. “Dub” Wells, 76, passed away July 14, 2009 at his home in Johnson City. He was born in Rocky Creek, TX to Virgil Wells and Clara Felps Wells. Dub was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Nancy Tilley; and brothers, Ray and Henry Wells. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sally Moreland Wells; daughter, Dianne Brussel and husband Terry of Johnson City; two grandchildren, Brandi and Tyson Brussel; sisters, Loetta Wilson of Johnson City, Florine Stanford of Euless, TX, A ...

Dear Editor, It is with a sickened heart that I write this letter, in regards to the crimes committed against our community, our state and our precious natural resources by Dustin Garrett and Stephen Howells of Blanco County on July 4th weekend. Having just elevated Blanco County’s drought stages to level two for the northern half and level three for the southern half, it can be described no less as a bitter bile that sits in the back of my throat over the loss of hundreds of thousands of ...

Through her tears, a woman told me about how negatively her life had been affected because she had been unwilling to forgive. Once she had been one of the most active members of her church. Then she had become bitter toward another woman and her service for God had come to a standstill.

This is an important notice to all athletes that plan on participating in athletics for the 2008-2009 school year and their parents. There will be a Parent Meeting on Saturday, August 1st at 10:00am in the High School cafeteria. Along with the information concerning the athletic school year, there will be a series of items that will be handed out and need to be returned.