July 23, 2008

At the second of two special meetings held July 15 and 17, trustees elected Dr. Buck Ford as the new BISD superintendent. Dr. David Behrends moved for the appointment, and MaryAnn Weaver seconded. The vote was not unanimous, however, reflecting a continuing split among trustees. Bernie San Miguel and Troy Immel abstained.

On Tuesday, July 22, police were called to the Blanco Middle School to investigate a break in. According to reports, vandals broke a window and spray painted walls in the school, reportedly with the same symbols that were found painted on the vehicles and building at Verizon and the Bowling Alley last week. Dr.

June 6-July 18 • Blanco Library Summer Reading Program: Texas Summer Reading Club Jubilee! 1958-2008. The library will host entertainers and storytellers every Friday @10 am for Blanco children to come and enjoy! In addition, if your child reads 5 books, they will earn a free ticket to The Ringling Bros.

Caring host families (with or without children) as well as single parents are urgently needed to provide food, a bed and a loving home for one or two semesters starting in late August. EMF High School students are between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, have medical insurance, spending money for their personal expenses and expect to share their host family’s daily life including household responsibilities.

Unless Tropical Storm Dolly does something unexpected, the First Aid, CPR and AED training sponsored by the American Red Cross and Blanco County Disaster Response Group will go on as scheduled on Saturday. The training will cover Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to keep blood flowing when a heart can’t work on its own, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to bring an out-of-control heart back into rhythm, and first aid. The CPR training will include adult, child and infant victims. The all-day training will be held in the Activity Building of the First United Methodist Church in Johnson City. Cost for the training is $45, plus $5 for lunch.

Blanco County Sheriff’s Office and Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers are asking for the public’s assistance for any information on a burglary which occurred July 10, 2008. Unknown suspect or suspects entered a residence at 4505 Old Spicewood Road in Northern Blanco County and took a large amount of custom made Western furniture and three Polaris 4 wheeler camouflage in color.

If the lead actor looks familiar to patrons of the Wimberley Players’ current production, Rose’s Dilemma, it’s because he’s a teacher about town as well as a veteran of many a theatrical production here and elsewhere. Lee Stubbs, Theatre Arts Instructor and lead teacher for the 21st Century after school program at the Katherine Anne Porter School (KAPS) in Wimberley, plays the role of Walsh McLaren in the comedy by Pulitzer Prize winner Neil Simon, being presented at the Wimberley Playhouse July 25-August 10.

The Tejanitos art classes group is having an art display at the old courthouse in Blanco throughout the month of July. Please come and see the aspiring work of this talented and dedicated kids. The Tejas Art Club is having an art display in the Blanco Library conference room during the month of August 2008.

Adult Grief Support Group - No one needs to suffer grief alone; everyone can benefit from care and support. CTMC Hospice Care provides a safe and comfortable environment through its grief support groups to express the feelings you may experience due to the death of a loved one. These services are available free of charge.

At Pedernales Electric’s July 21 Board meeting the PEC Board approved decreasing its compensation package even further than initially proposed by the Compensation Committee last week. The approved compensation package is more than 40 percent less than 2007 levels based on an estimated 12 regular meetings and four committee meetings per year. After a thorough discussion, the plan approved unanimously by the Board includes a monthly fee of $1,500, in addition to fees of $750 per regular meeting and $500 per committee meeting.

Jim Stanley, retired chemist from Kerrville, will speak on “Hill Country Native Grasses” to the Fredericksburg Chapter of the Native Plant Society on July29 at the Gillespie County Historical Society Building, 312 West San Antonio Street in Fredericksburg beginning at 7:00PM. The free program is open to the public. Stanley grew up in the “oil patch” in West Texas and studied chemistry at Texas Tech and Indiana universities.

Enjoy mindless entertainment? Crave molasses thick-southern accents, mangled grammar, dramatic music and a camo-clad cast befitting a Deliverance sequel? Then sit back, relax and check your brain at the door. TV deer hunting – it’s the real deal. Each year, as deer season approaches and outdoor networks trade rod and reel for barrel and bullet, I attempt a jump for the bandwagon.

Keith- The Spiderwick Chronicles is another movie in a long line of kid’s fairy tale movies that has come out and while skeptical, I found myself enjoying this story. An exceptionally talented Freddie Highmore (August Rush, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) plays twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, caught up in the shock from their parents’ divorce and coping with a decision by their mother to uproot the boys and their sister, from New York City to a small town.

Gentle Readers: I have been scouring the woods for news but haven’t found much as we have been busy working on the house for my mother. She has arrived! I am hoping all of you will be able to meet her in the course of the weeks to come. She is a law unto herself :) In the meantime, I will keep my eye out for interesting tidbits.

Blanco Cemetery Annual Meeting July 19, 1968 The annual general meeting of the Blanco Cemetery Association will be held Tuesday, July 23, at 8:00 a.m. at the Blanco High School Cafetorium. All members are urged to attend. Millie Retzlaff July 21, 1978 Blanco - - The home of Millie Retzlaff was the scene of this month’s Friendship 42 meeting with Polly Stone as hostess. Eleven members and one guests attended.

AUSTIN - The Public Utility Commission of Texas on July 17 approved a large-scale plan to transmit a high quantity of wind-generated power on new lines from West Texas and the Panhandle to metropolitan areas of the state. The $5 billion plan would add about $4 a month to residential electric bills.

Word to Weiss is a new feature column that will allow readers to seek advice anonymously. Readers may write in for advice on family, love, relationship, career or just life in general. A letter or two will be chosen each week to be answered and featured in Blanco County News.

Despite reports that morale is high at the Blanco Volunteer Ambulance Corps (BVAC), the band of volunteers are still anxiously awaiting the results of the investigations currently underway from the Texas Department of Health Services, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Blanco County Sheriff’s Department. Rumors about the future of BVAC have been running rampant since the story broke in January of this year in regards to local hero, and BVAC Director, Mark McMain.

Phoenix, a four and a half pound schnauzer mix, is recovering, slowly, from injuries he sustained from the brutal torture that occurred not once, but twice, on June 28 and July 4 of this year. He is currently being treated at the Austin Pets Alive! clinic in Austin, where he is continuing to make progress, however, he still has a long road ahead of him. On July 4, Phoenix was taken to Kendalia Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation by his owner, presented with severe injuries consistent with a beating.

On May 29, Grant Taylor Eickenloff was baptized followed by newlyweds Word and Tori Sherrill and Bo Goodman on June 5th. Nancy Spillman was baptized by her husband, Pastor Frank Spillman on June 12th. The next week, June 26th, Austin Newcomb, Shannon Sutherland, Attila Farkas and Jeanne Burgess followed them in baptism. Other recent baptisms were Natalie, Dru, and David Ramirez, Cody Lindsey and Susie Sorriero.

Following a delicious cowboy supper on Thursday night, June 17th, Blanco Cowboy Church was honored to have Youth Guest Ministers Hannah and Savannah Still join Youth Praise and Worship Leader, Hesston Krause, to lead the Church in praise and worship. The gifted and talented sisters were assisted by cowboy guitar player David Hartwig. Following Pastor Frank Spillman preaching the Word, all the young cowboys and cowgirls gathered at the arena to enjoy horseback rides under the skilled hands of Tom and Mary Ayers and their gentle horses.

Trinity Lutheran Church, Blanco, TX will again host a free concert for the community of Blanco. This time it will be one of the best Country and Southern Gospel artists you will ever hear. David Patillo, based in Texarkana, Arkansas, joins us Saturday evening, July 26th, to share the Gospel through his original award winning Country and Southern Gospel music.

Last week, we began to look into the subject of marriage and family. We discussed how the family is the bedrock of society: so goes the family, so goes the nation. We started to discuss the different roles of the family members - specifically wives. We saw clearly in The Word of God what the basic roles of wives are to be.

For nearly a year, our church had been preparing for a week-long youth outreach headed by a well known speaker. Then, shortly before the kick-off date, I discovered there was an event scheduled in our community on the same dates as our planned meetings. Concerned that this conflict would slash attendance and reduce the impact on youth we wanted to reach, I called the speaker to alert him to the problem.

“Getting there is half the fun” was an oft-heard expression over the course of several decades. Sadly, these words rarely come to mind these days; gasoline prices make highway and airway travel “unfunlike” indeed. In fact, it often is downright painful. Airlines are minimizing schedules and hacking away at employment numbers.

I woke up this morning, complaining in my mind, and I had to ask God to help me not complain about things I have to do. It reminded me of a scripture I read, about accepting my lot. Ecclesiastes 5:19 “Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.” Phillipians 2:14-18 – “14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

Dorothy M. Beckmann Wood of Spring Branch, Texas passed away Sunday, July 13, 2008. She and her late husband started and operated their own company, Ray Wood Real Estate, for 44 years. She was well known as a “Super Salesperson”. She grew the business into what it is today. Dorothy was the ultimate caregiver to the very end.

Nettie Coffee (Hilliard) Robinson passed away July 16, 2008 at her home in Round Rock at the age of 80 years. Nettie was born on October 22, 1927 in Blanco. She was a nurse’s aid with Home Health Care. Nettie is survived by two sons Robert Hilliard of Taylor and Rodney Hilliard of Austin.

Olan Fred Kneupper, 86, of Kendalia passed away July 15, 2008. Olan was a heavy equipment operator for Kendall County and farmed and ranched all his life. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and operating a dozer. He was born July 26, 1921 in Kendalia to Herman and Lillian (Acker) Kneupper. He is survived by his wife Dolly Mae (Richter), a son, Wray Kneupper of New Braunfels, daughter, Nola Mae Kneupper of Johnson City, and a son-in-law, David Lee Jahnsen of Bryan; 2 grandchildren: Justin Wray Kneupper and James Fulkerson and one great granddaughter, Kayleigh Kneupper.

Dear Editor, I take exception to the headline in the July 16 paper about the spray painting at Verizon and the bowling alley. These two places were _not_ “targets of tagging” as you stated. “Tag” is a game that children play. Spray painting private property under the cover of darkness isn’t a child’s game.

This past week found the Blanco FFA Chapter recognized 12 different times at the annual State FFA Convention. This year’s convention was held on the Texas Tech University Campus in Lubbock. Overall, more than 10,000 FFA members from across the state were in attendance. On Tuesday, the first members to be honored on stage were those receiving their State FFA Degrees.

July 21, 2008- The BHS Panther Band Flag Corps came home with the Grand Champion Trophy after being judged best in competition performance at their Dallas team clinic. The five member troupe competed with other Texas high school flag teams achieving Superior ratings and winning a team “Rising Star” award in addition to grand prize.

Several local FFA members spent this past weekend participating in the Kendall County Classic Prospect Steer Show in Boerne. Overall, five members of the Blanco FFA did very well. Leading the way would be Katie Baker, as she exhibited the Champion Red Angus, along with a third place Santa Gertrudis. Kaleigh Anderson would also do well, taking home two second place ribbons with her Limousin and Maine Anjou steers, along with a fifth place ribbon in the Charolais division.

(CENTRAL TEXAS) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning asking consumers to avoid eating raw jalapeno peppers or foods made from raw jalapenos to prevent additional cases of Salmonella illnesses. H-E-B is issuing a precautionary recall of all fresh jalapenos, fresh pico de gallo and prepared items containing raw jalapenos. The recall by H-E-B is voluntary and only a precaution.

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. Blanco Police Reports These reports were filed between Jun 5 and Jun 14. Jun 5 • Minor Traffic Accident.