August 13, 2009

Happy Birthday!!!! Jewel Sultemeier, 97, and Ima Hobbs, 96, were treated to a birthday celebration at the First Baptist Church this past Sunday. Their family and friends were on hand to celebrate with these two wonderful ladies.

In an effort to gather all known facts regarding the Johnson City Eagle Varsity Football team, Athletic Director, Coach Tom Braden is asking all information be directed to Dennis Phillips at the Johnson City T-Shirt office. “We are looking for playoff stats, district championships, state playoff stats and state championships.

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Andrews of Weatherford announce the engagement of their daughter, Kendall Leighton to Thomas “Chance” Mazurek of Fort Worth. The prospective groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mazurek of Comanche and Mr. and Mrs. Dell Mellette of Pagosa Springs, CO. He is the grandson of Shirley Mazurek of Sidney. The Bride is a graduate of Texas Tech University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Merchandising and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.

•TUESDAY, August 18th Shot Clinic at the Elementary School Cafeteria from 9:00 am-3:00 pm. 8 a.m. till 4 p.m.: HS Student registration and schedule pick-up. All required student information forms must be completed to pick up schedules; forms available on LBJHS webpage and in the High School office. •August 21st-23rd Tax-free shopping for school supplies and clothing.

*August 13 & 27* – Blanco State Park – *Toddler Time in the Park* - Early exposure to and good experiences in nature are key to a child’s future relationship and stewardship of our natural resources. This class is a relaxed and inviting experience for parents and toddlers, ages 1-3, to enjoy nature together.

Wyatt Zoeller, son of Troy and Linette Zoeller and a student at Lyndon Baines Johnson Middle School in the JCISD, has been selected to travel to the Houston/Galveston area as a participant in Education in Action’s Lone Star Leadership Academy, August 10-14, 2009. Wyatt’s selection for the Academy was based on his outstanding academic success, demonstrated leadership ability, involvement in school and community activities, and his successful completion of previous Lone Star Leadership Academ ...

Shoppers will save more than ever before during the annual sales tax holiday — which now includes more than two dozen school supply items in addition to clothing and backpacks. Families will save an estimated $65.7 million in state and local sales taxes, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said today. The annual sales tax holiday weekend is coming up Aug.

With drought conditions continuing to persist, and water costs rising throughout much of Texas, consumers are looking for ways to save both water and money. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is offering several tips to help Texans conserve water, and lower costly water bills. Taking advantage of a few simple tips can help you save thousands of gallons of water, and hundreds of dollars, each year.

For all those who claim they are not creative, they may wish to talk with Sue Biddle. The artist has 40 years of experience teaching people to develop their creativity, and she’ll teach a free lesson Wednesday, Aug. 26, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Hill Country Memorial Health, Hope & Healing Cancer Resource Center (CRC) on how to tap your creative side. The class is being offered for cancer patients and other adults at the CRC as a means to express themselves, learn about the CRC and netwo ...

Believe it or not, but we still have our deer and turkey out and about. They are a pretty sight to see. We have had a great week so far with Bingo and Game Day. This weekend is the 79th Blanco County Fair and Rodeo. This is on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of August 2009.

Well, Charlotte and I have found a wonderful shop very close to home. Charlotte found it first and called to share with me. I visited the shop last week and had a great time. It is appropriately called Dream On. It is a shop filled with quilts and pillows and patterns.

Are we alone, or are “they” out there somewhere? While we can only guess how long humans have wondered about life beyond Earth, such curiosity surely predates recorded history. In 1994 Terence Dickinson and Adolph Schaller published *Extraterrestrials: A Field Guide for Earthlings* which features amateur astronomer Dickinson’s fascinating text and artist Schaller’s dazzling illustrations.

Cosmetics for women are now ‘over the moon’. What will they think of next? Seeing hand held but battery powered mascara wand just the other day nearly blew my mind. It seems there is always something new lurking in the cosmetic world and if its not a better product it could be an easier product.

*****Sherrie Hudson Varrichio, a 1969 graduate of LBJ High School, is being honored August 20th as one of the Top Ten Women of Collin County who has influenced the community with outstanding charitable causes. Sherrie and her husband, Tony Varrichio, live in Plano and work tirelessly for the Plano Symphony and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as well as other charitable causes in the community.

At the regular meeting of the Blanco County Commissioners Court on August 11, the court considered a revised resolution to approve the Blanco County Appraisal District’s purchase, construction and financing of a new Appraisal Office facility. Property has already been purchased for the facility on the Spur Road. Blanco County resident Milton Hawkins asked to address the Court prior to its voting on the matter.

Q: How do you know it’s summer in Texas? A: The birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground. Here in the nation’s second hottest state — we’re just behind Arizona — a sense of humor goes a long way toward dealing with summer. But with this August shaping up as one of the hottest and driest in recent memory, it’ll take more than jokes to deal with our triple-digit heat. Here are a few suggestions from the Centers for Disease Control and the Texas Department of ...

Healthcare providers to Blanco County residents have begun their preparations for the swine flu pandemic expected this fall, perhaps as soon as this month. At the Texas Department of State Health Services, Assistant Press Officer Emily Palmer said they expect regular seasonal flu vaccine clinics to begin immunizing people by the end of September, and selected priority groups to start getting swine flu vaccine in mid-October.

Last Thursday twenty five plus people gathered at the Library to view one of the Oral History DVD’s that is being gathered by volunteers. Joel Honeycutt had interviewed Mae Hernlund about the history of her home in Round Mountain. Mae lives in the historic ole Stage Stop site in Round Mountain and has gathered all the history about the buildings and early settlers in the area. The interview was done outside of Mae’s home and the sites and existing buildings were shown and their history to ...

What do you know about the criminal justice system in Blanco County? On August 18th at 7:00 PM at the Pedernales Electric Auditorium in Johnson City, Sheriff Bill Elsbury will speak and present a law enforcement training video about terrorism. The evening is being sponsored by the Blanco County Republican Club and is open to all citizens in Blanco.

Come on down, your pills are ready Being that I am several years older than the invention of rope, I require a handful of pills each day to keep my body functioning well enough to have an enjoyable life. When I got all the prescriptions written several years ago, I carried them down to the local big chain supermarket’s pharmacy.

Developing one’s spirituality and learning how it can provide stress relief and hope during a time of illness seems most relevant to those who are currently sick and injured. However, Alan Matthies, Director of Pastoral Care at Hill Country Memorial Hospital, will teach why it’s important to develop a strong spirituality before sickness and injuries occur. The class will be Tuesday, Aug.

More than a decade has passed since a young minister friend posed the following question to me: “What are we going to do about the president?” My answer surprised him. “I don’t know of anything I can do about the president except pray for him,” I replied. And my response to his question was drawn from Paul’s advice to another young minister regarding his responsibility concerning government officials at a time when world political leaders persecuted people of faith and the sur ...

The Johnson City Independent School Board met in regular session Monday, August 10th, 2009. After passing the consent agenda, the board heard from Milton Hawkins regarding the Blanco County Central Appraisal District’s (BCCAD) purchase of property on the Spur. Mr. Hawkins stated that the BCCAD never received the approval to purchase the property required by the Property Tax Code by five of the six governing bodies that oversee its operations.

Johnson City Independent School District today announced its policy for providing free and reduced-price meals for children served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The Administration Office has a copy of the policy which may be reviewed by any interested party. The household size and income criteria identified below will be used to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price benefits.

LBJ Eagle athletes are back in full swing with Football and Volleyball practices which kicked off on August 3rd. The Fighting Eagle Band spent the week at Lady Bird Park in Fredericksburg for Band Camp which culminated in the first annual Band Camp-a-Palooza featuring guest artists John Arthur Martinez and the Lone Star Swing Orchestra.

LBJ Eagle football team will take on Leakey this Saturday afternoon at 12:30 in Johnson City. Entry fee will be a donation of laundry soap, bleach, towels, etc. The Cheerleaders are asking for donations of bag candy to throw out to the fans after the Eagles score touchdowns this season.

Our nation faces a growing threat from crime syndicates and other dangerous felons that operate inside the very facilities meant to keep them and their illicit activities off our streets and out of our communities. Imprisoned convicts coordinate murders, plot extortion schemes, and run drug trafficking, credit card fraud, and identity theft enterprises.