January 6, 2021 Issue

As Blanco County officials are laying the groundwork for the arrival of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines, countywide case statistics show that the virus is not letting up. As of Jan. 3, the county has 313 total confirmed COVID-19 cases, including five deaths, according to Blanco County Emergency Management. Seventy-four positive tests, accounting for nearly 24 percent of the total number of confirmed cases, have occurred just in the past two weeks. The county’s current overall test ...

The Blanco City Council special meeting was opened by Mayor Pro Tem Martin Sauceda at 2:07 p.m. Monday with all council members present; Council member Matt Lewis joined the meeting via GoToMeeting while the others met in person while masked in the Byars Building. The pledge of allegiance was recited. No public comments were made at this time.

Julianne Compere has always had a passion for animals. She is now living her dream of owning and running an animal sanctuary. The Texas Heartland Animal Sanctuary (THAS) became a non-profit in 2010 with the mission to “rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome, every dog, cat and farm animal we can.” Compere moved the sanctuary from San Antonio to Blanco in 2011, and in 2017, she quit her full-time job to focus solely on the sanctuary.

Lucky Leaf 4-H club had a busy holiday season. We spent a week gathering coats and had our 3rd annual Coats and Cocoa sharing day in December. Lucky Leaf gathered 275 coats and distributed all but 48 coats. The remainder of the coats were donated to a crisis center in the area.

Saturday, Jan. 16, is the date for the 12th Annual Blanco County Youth Show Salsa Contest. Winner will have year-long bragging rights as the best Salsa maker in Blanco County and will receive an engraved BOSS Mug by Creative Awards in Fredericksburg. The winner of the 11th Annual BCYS Salsa contest was Justin DeBusk. You must live in Blanco County, or have a child who qualifies to show in the Blanco County Youth Show, to enter.

The Blanco varsity girls basketball team posted a 2-1 record last week. The Lady Panthers defeated Gonzales by a 56-41 score on Dec. 28, dropped a 53-37 contest to Burnet Dec. 28 and rebounded with a 38-12 win Dec. 31 against Davenport. Blanco holds a 10-3 season record. Against the Gonzales Apaches, the Lady Panthers led 26-18 at the half.

The Panther basketball team added three to the win column over the holiday break, and suffered their first loss of the season to hold a 9-1 season record. The Panthers defeated the San Marcos Home School Panthers 80-77 Monday, Dec. 21. The SMHS Panthers led 19-17 at the end of the first quarter and outscored Blanco 24 to 19 to lead at the half 43-36.

Mr. Thomas Joe Ware, 80, of Onalaska, Texas, was born May 3, 1940 in Corpus Christi to Thomas Leonard Ware and Agnes Marie (Rackley) Ware. He passed away Dec. 27, 2020 in Livingston. He is preceded in death by his parents, and brother, Richard Ware. He is survived by his wife, Leona Ware of Onalaska; son, Chad Ware and wife, Kimberly of Sargent; son, Todd Ware and wife, Dana of Montgomery; and son, Chris Ware of Onalaska; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a brother, Harry Ware ...

Lyndon Nelson Heimer was born on July 15, 1939 to Edgar and Erna Heimer at their family ranch in Blanco. He died on Jan. 2, 2021 at the age of 81 in Cleburne. As a third generation Texan, Lyn grew up with German as the primary language among his family members during his childhood.

Jose Luis Garcia Jr. (Joe)., 73, a beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, passed away peacefully at Audie Murphy Hospital in San Antonio on Dec. 26, 2020, after a bravely fought battle with COVID. Born Jan. 5, 1947 in Santurce, Puerto Rico to Jose Luis Garcia y Rosario and Andrea Adalaida Melendez, Chaplain Garcia graduated with a BBA from the University of Oklahoma in 1968, and a MA in Divinity in 1977 from Wartburg Theological Seminary, Iowa.