August 29, 2018 Issue

By Staff Reports Emergency crews were dispatched at 8:48 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 in response to an accident involving a tractor-trailer and a pick-up truck colliding with the Rain Bird Gallery at 103 Main St./U.S. Hwy., which left the highway closed for nearly 12 hours. Chief Michael Ritchey said that a pick-up truck stopped in the center turn-lane waiting to turn left was rear ended by a tractor-trailer carrying 8,700 gallons of fuel that failed to maintain his lane.

More than 150 people were at the Old Blanco County Courthouse Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 for a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) public hearing on an increased discharge permit request from the city of Blanco. The first phase of the permit represents 225,000 gallons of treated discharged wastewater per day, associated with the new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) under construction and nearly complete at 289 Waters Edge Rd.

The August meeting of the Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater District was called to order at 7 p.m. Aug. 23, 2018, by Jimmy Klepac, chair. Jim Aldredge, Stephen and Barbara Porter attended the meeting. The public comments were moved to later in the meeting. A motion was made by board member Lanny Counts to approve the minutes, Tom Murrah seconded, and the motion carried. “The audit was completed on Monday and Tuesday,” Ron Fiesler, BPGCD regional manager said.

Blanco County Pioneers Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas attended the DRT workshop last weekend in Waco, Texas. The quilt shown in the above photo was donated by Linda and Judge Bray and the quilt top was made by Ruby Waters. Pictured from left: Julie Swofford, Chapter V.P.; Carolyn Gully, President; Sharon Hudson, Secretary; and Sherry Smith Jenkins, District V Representative and founding Chapter President 2012-15.

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Ann Hall at the EMS building. Board members present included: Becky Greathouse, Ann Hall, Lynne McKirdy, Mike Rieken and Carl Struck. The first item under consent agenda was to approve the July 1 meeting minutes. The next component was the treasurer’s report.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) was scheduled to consider selling a 3.2-acre tract that a recent boundary survey determined was disconnected from the rest of the Blanco State Park. The park was acquired from local ranchers in the 1930s. It services more than 100,000 visitors annually. Staff had recommended that the department sell the land, and it was to be approved at the Aug.

Members of nine area Order of the Eastern Star Chapters recently visited the inmates of the Kyle Correctional Center in Kyle, Texas to deliver yarn. About two years ago, Allen Swicegood, member of the Seguin Chapter #555 in Seguin, Texas heard of the “Stich A Smile” program that Warden Deanna Branham started with the inmates in November of 2016.

Blanco hosted a football scrimmage against the Mason Punchers on Thursday, August 23. According to Dave Campbell’s 2018 Texas Football magazine, Blanco is predicted to finish 2nd in District 13-3A Division II. Sonora is picked to finish 1st and Johnson City is predicted to finish 3rd. Other teams in District 13-3A Division II are Comfort, Brady, and Ingram.

Looking for free family-friendly event to attend here in Blanco? You won’t want to miss the Second Annual Safe and Drug Free Wellness Fair from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12. The Blanco Coalition on Awareness, Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse (CoAPT) is hosting the fair in the Blanco High School cafeteria.

The Blanco Lady Panther volleyball team defeated the Geneva School of Boerne 3-0 in a home game on Monday, August 20 and then won 2nd place in the St. Mary’s Hall Tournament in San Antonio in games played on Thursday, August 23 and Saturday, August 25. The Panthers posted a 4-2 record in the tournament. On Monday Blanco beat Geneva 25-12, 25-15, and 25-20.

Blanco High School is named as one of the nation’s best high schools according to U.S. News and World Report for the second year in a row. Data gathered from more than 22,000 public high schools from all fifty states and the District of Columbia; Blanco High School ranked as the 244th best school in the state of Texas and nationally recognized with the bronze medal. The U.S.

Blanco Elementary opened its pre-kindergarten program to tuition-paying students for the 2018-19 school year. Children who are four years old on or before Sept. 1 of the current school year and who do not qualify for either the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) or the state-mandated pre-kindergarten program provided for qualifying students, are eligible to enroll. The school district first invited children of BISD staff members and then opened the program to the public ...

Happy Birthday to our handsome, amazing, talented, 18-year-old Tristan!! We could not be prouder of the young man you have become! We love you more than you will ever know! Never stop chasing the stars, son! Love, Mom, Dad, Hunter, Kyleigh and all the rest of your crazy family!

Hill Country Astronomers (HCA) will meet at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 4, in the HEB Activity Room at Hill Country University Center in Fredericksburg. Charter HCA member and club Astronomical League correspondent, Jack Petersen, will present a program on collimation – optical alignment – of the various types of telescopes reviewed in last month’s meeting.

The 41st Annual Wilhelm and Elisa De Cloudt Schaeferkoeter Family Reunion, hosted by the Monroe Schaeferkoeter family, will be held Saturday, Sept. 22, beginning at 11 a.m. The covered dish meal will begin around 12:30 p.m. Each family is asked to bring a meat, vegetable and / or dessert to share.

Benjamin Maurice Copeland, Jr. of Blanco peacefully passed away on Monday, August 27, 2018, at his residence surrounded in the love of his wife and his LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was comforted by many family and friends in the community the days prior as he surrendered his battle to cancer. Benjamin was born on February 3, 1941, in Laredo, Texas to Geraldine “Jerry” Candlin Copeland and Benjamin Maurice Copeland, Sr.

Anita Carvajal, 70, passed away on Saturday, August 11, 2018, at her home in Blanco. Anita was born on March 10, 1948, in San Antonio, Texas, to Annie E. Flores Carvajal and Alfred Z. Carvajal. She retired after a career as a technician with AT&T and with Sprint. Anita was a member of St.

Continuing his theme of putting off the old and putting on the new from verse 22, we will look at these final words in chapter four of Ephesians – beginning with verses 31-32, we will end with verse 30. Eph 4:31 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:” We are to “put away” all bitterness (harshness, deep-seated resentment), wrath (rage, violent outbreaks), anger (internalized hostility), clamor (out-crying, s ...

Mondays were wash days when I was growing up. Mom had an old wringer washing machine in the basement where she would spend an entire morning washing clothes and putting each item through the wringer. She had to be careful to avoid popping the buttons off the shirts when she put them through those rollers.

Many people believe in Jesus Christ, but some people believe He has not come yet. Because of what is written in GOD’S Word, I believe He did come, was crucified, died and arose from the dead and appeared to 500 people for 40 days (see Acts 1:3 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-10). In Mark 16:16-18 “16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

This city is blessed to have an incredible emergency services team, who worked tirelessly to secure the scene and ensure public safety after a major traffic accident along U.S. Hwy. 281/Main St. last week. Our emergency services, fire and police departments responded within seconds to the scene of a horrific crash scene, which posed may challenges and had many complexities.

“I’m breathing, and I’m sweating.” Those words are always music to my ears, but when Becky shouted them during SWEAT class recently, they were particularly meaningful. Because my neck has been giving me fits, I’m careful when I move, most especially during exercise. Over the last few years, I’ve gradually cut back on high impact exercises.

A while back, I was watching a herd of deer gathered around a feeding station where feed had apparently just been dispersed (a practice I don’t recommend). Then all of a sudden, the entire herd bounded off in one direction, tail flags up, clearly having been spooked by something. Then a few seconds later I saw a lone coyote trotting up from the opposite direction.

Rough Diamond Brewery celebrated its grand opening Saturday, Aug. 25 with an afternoon of live music food trucks Old 300 and Goldstone Pizza, along with several varieties of beer on tap. “We had 250 to 300 people at the grand opening,” Costa Synodinos said. “There were two bands, JR Herrera and Rockey.

More than 150 people were at the Old Blanco County Courthouse Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 for a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) public hearing on an increased discharge permit request from the city of Blanco. The first phase of the permit represents 225,000 gallons of treated discharged wastewater per day, associated with the new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) under construction and nearly complete at 289 Waters Edge Rd.

Harvey Anniversary August 25 marked one year since Hurricane Harvey’s battering winds and torrential rains brought death and destruction to coastal and inland counties of Texas. Repairs and rebuilding in the region continue to this day, and the U.S. Office of Coastal Management has estimated the cost of the storm at $125 billion. Mortality, Morbidity Studied The Texas Department of State Health Services announced the release of case reviews by its Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbid ...

HCA received over 500 entries to the 2018 photo contest from amateur and professional photographers alike. Submissions, ranging from a bolt of lightning cutting across a star-filled sky, to a stately windmill on a sprawling ranch and an evening paddle through Blue Hole, beautifully captured this year’s theme: The Texas Hill Country: The Place and its People. The four winning photographs were selected by a panel of judges and will be featured in HCA’s popular 2019 Texas Hill Country Cale ...

Gem of the Hills Activity Center Board of Directors is requesting community input. Since its inception Gem of the Hills has offered a facility to reflect the needs of its members and the community at large. In 1984 visionary citizens of Blanco County gathered with the purpose of establishing a place where the adult community could gather to enrich their lives through programs and activities in recreation, health and wellbeing and fellowship.