January 27, 2010

The Hill Country 100 Club paid honors to area Law Enforcement, Firefighters and Emergency Medical Service Personnel of Blanco, Burnet and Llano Counties at their annual membership and awards banquet Thursday, January 21, at the Lakeside Pavilion in Marble Falls, Texas. Just under 400 members, honorees, colleagues, family, and friends were present to recognize 36 area Emergency First Responders for their service and contributions to their respective agencies and communities. The event ...

AUSTIN – Texas Secretary of State Esperanza “Hope” Andrade is reminding Texans that February 1 is the deadline to register to vote in the 2010 Primary Elections. Secretary Andrade says the registration process is simple: “Registering to vote is easy; Texans may find a voter registration application at their county elections offices, some post offices and libraries, or online at: www.votexas.org,” said Andrade. Individuals may also check online to d ...

The Board of Directors of the Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District has terminated the drought conditions for all Blanco County groundwater users. This declaration went into effect Thursday, January 21, 2010. There are no restrictions on groundwater usage for Blanco County well owners at this time. According to Ron Fieseler, General Manager for the District, due to the recent heavy rains, water levels in District’s monitor wells have risen to near-normal conditions ...

The Blanco Chamber of Commerce has set its annual banquet this year for Thursday, the 25th of February at the Blanco Courthouse. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate another successful year for Blanco,” said Marcy Westcott, President of the Blanco Chamber. “Its always a great moment when we can all gather together and recognize our members and volunteers for the time and commitment that they provide to our community.” The banquet ...

Linda Howard and Becky Greathouse delivered a delightful and informative presentation Thursday evening at the Blanco Library on historic architecture in Blanco. After enjoying a variety of delicious dishes, the participants helped themselves to apple pie, hot tea, and coffee while Ms. Howard and Ms. Greathouse fascinated their listeners with archival photos and architectural facts about buildings on the square as well as homes built in the 1850s.

PFC Thomas Broyles, a 2009 graduate of Blanco High School, has been called up for mobilization to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He will be with the 806th Engineer Company of the 489th Engineer Battalion and will be deployed for a period of 400 days. Starting April 13, 2010, he will first go to Ft.

March 2, 2010 the Republican and Democrat parties will both hold primary elections. The Republicans have several candidates running for county positions and two of those positions are being sought by more than one person. On the Republican ballot, the office of County Judge is being sought by the incumbent, Bill Guthrie and an opponent, Thomas Maultsby of Johnson City.

Jesus tells a parable about a man having a big dinner and extending invitations to that dinner. In the parable, the people that were invited, "all alike began to make excuses" (Luke 14:16-24). One said, "I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused."

The Redbud Cafe, which opened in September, serves delicious healthy soups, salads, and sandwiches. Chef Nan Hanus specializes in a variety of baked goodies including cinnamon rolls, cookies, and cakes. Winter hours are Monday - Thursday 10:30 - 3:30 and Friday - Saturday 10:30 - 9:00pm, with a weekend evening menu including gourmet Black Angus burgers and other special entrees. Redbud Cafe has the largest selection of Blanco’s own Real Ale beers on tap (seven at l ...

Mike and Trish Cohn held their ribbon cutting for their new pet store, Bird Dog & Cat Fish, January 9. “I have been in the pet business all my life,” Mike said. Trish is a retired school teacher of 32 years. The store is located at 115 Old Boerne Rd., Ste. D, Bulverde.

Sanctity of life means the holiness or sacredness of life. Our God is a God of life. In Acts 17:25, it says that God is the giver of life. In Revelation 4:11, it says that God created all things for His pleasure. Jesus has many titles, some of which are: the Light of life, the Resurrection and the life, the Bread of life, The Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the giver of Abundant Life.

January 30, 2010 •Trail Rider’s Dance at Twin Sisters Dance Hall on Saturday, January 30 from 8:00pm to midnight. Admission is $6.00 per person and children under twelve are free. Music is by Bimbo and Borderline. February 6, 2010 •Blanco County Democratic Party - You are invited to attend a candidates' forum at the Old Blanco Courthouse in Blanco, Texas, on Saturday, February 6, 2010, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, hosted by the B ...

What happens when you bring Mardi Gras to the Cowboy Capital of the world? One of the wildest, craziest, and fastest growing celebrations in Texas! Cowboy Mardi Gras, held each year for the past six years the week before the official celebration in Louisiana and throughout East Texas, is sure to make you wish you were Cajun!

I do not claim to be a scholar, in fact, I’m glad I’m not. A person doesn’t have to be to understand what Jesus said in order to be saved. But there are some who are teaching false doctrine, and some are scholars and some are regular people like me.

After sending a Mustard Seeds column to friends in Australia, I received a query from their ten year-old granddaughter, Jema: “Why are you called Mustard Seeds? Please let me know.” My response to Jema was, “In the Bible, in Matthew 13:31-32, it says, ‘Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: “‘Which indeed is the least of all see ...

Nile Lynn Morris of Blanco, Texas passed away on January 23, 2010 after a lengthy illness. Nile was born July 30, 1932 in Orange County, California. He was a resident of Holtville for 18 years and graduated from Holtville High School. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo in California and was a member of the University football and rodeo teams.

Dear Editor, This letter is in regards to the renaming of Blanco Avenue to Ron Houston Avenue. First of all, I wish to make it clear that my family and I feel that Ron Houston should be remembered for his friendliness and concern for Blanco’s well-being. Ron’s generosity with his time and effort supporting events and addressing issues in Blanco is well-known.

Dear Editor, The admonitions of Sherlock Holmes to his sophomoric friend seem especially pertinent today. Holmes would say, “Assemble the facts, and examine them with an open mind. The solution becomes clear unless you are a party to the crime.” The terrorists have hijacked the religion of Islam. Concurrently, there is an attempt to hijack the government of the USA by Socialists disguised as Democrats.

Dear Editor, A new year has arrived and I want to make a wish for the people of Blanco who I have come to love as surely as my own family. May 2010 be a wellspring of prosperity and generosity May you have good health and renewed strength May this be the year you discover your deep greatness Without suffering, may you realize your freedom May you judge less and discern more with compassion May you smile from your heart knowin ...

The Panthers lost a rough battle against the Cole Cougars on Tuesday, January 19; 34-67. The teams district record is now 2-4. Leading scorer was sophomore Zach Barnes; Tanner Rogers, Matt Pepper and Clayton Green each added five points and Sam Isenberg made four. Matt Pepper jumped high for 13 rebounds, while Zach added 8 rebounds and 8 blocked shots. On Friday, January 22, the Panther team rallied for a victory against Fredericksburg Heritage; leading 20-15 at halftime and finishing ...

The Lady Panthers secured another district win Tuesday, January 19 over the Cole Lady Cougars, 50-42. Following two district losses to Harper and Johnson City, this victory keeps the Panthers on pace for a playoff spot with their district record of 5-2. At the end of the first quarter the score was tied at 11.

Time to get ready for spring cleaning! On Saturday, April 10, 2010, City of Blanco residents and those living in the adjacent rural areas will have a wonderful opportunity to "tidy" up their homes, garages, well house, barn, yards, and other areas where junk, trash, and other undesirable material end up. This year, two events will run concurrently.

This is quite possibly one of the worst movie I have seen in a very long time; it's just not my type/style of movie, but I'm sure some people really enjoyed it or would. I found it disgusting and just plain gross! There is a ton of blood and guts and just inappropriate things that were just disturbing. The story of the movie is that someone creates a computer program that will allow people to control other people in a Sims type environment.

Blanco School Reunion will be June 19, 2010. Mark your calendar, and there will be more news to come! I wrote last week about Judy Brewer, not having heard from or seen her in quite a while. She popped up finally, and sent me a little note to let me know how thrilled she was with her 15-year award!

Births January 23, 1961 Mr. and Mrs. Bill Atkins announce the birth of Patricia Ruth Atkins who was born on January 6, 1961 at Texas City. She is being welcomed by two sisters and her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Lowe of Houston and Mr. and Mrs. Wm. J. Kretzer of Blanco. Mr.

If you've been out in the early evening lately, perhaps you've noticed Jupiter, which has been dominating the evening sky the past several months, now sinking closer to the setting Sun in the west. And if you turned around and looked behind you, perhaps you've also noticed another star rising after dark and dominating the sky in the east, that "star"

AUSTIN -- A state district judge has ruled that Sharon Keller, presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, should not be punished for her part in refusing an appeal from a death row inmate in September 2007. Although defense attorneys for Michael Richard had tried to file an appeal after hours, Keller said the court closed at 5 p.m.