December 7, 2017 Issue

Johnson City Police have been working to organize the facilities, infrastructure and equipment of the Police Department since the suspension and administrative leave of former Chief of Police Randy Holland, in November. Johnson City Officer, Marty Corcoran was named Interim Chief until Randy Holland officially enters retirement on June 13, 2018. The most pertinent improvement since Corcoran was assigned as Interim Chief last month was the cataloging and organization of the Johnson City Po ...

The City Council met for their regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The Council agreed to revisit the idea to number their Council places and received reports from city departments. During Public Comments, a Johnson City resident requested the council revisit the topic of assigning place numbers to City Council seats to simplify elections. Currently the candidates run at large.

The Commissioners held their second regular meeting for November on Tuesday, Nov. 28. In the short meeting, they appointed representatives to the South Blanco County Emergency Services District and conducted routine business. Commissioners approved the appointment for the South Blanco County Emergency Services District representatives. Carl Struck and Lynne McKirdy were appointed to two-year terms beginning Jan.

The Johnson City Eagles opened the 2017-2018 basketball season with wins against Llano, Lake Travis JV, and Brackett Christian. Eagles vs. Yellowjackets The Eagles took on the Llano Yellowjackets with just one full practice under their belt. The first quarter was slow for both sides, JC totaling eight points to Llano’s 11.

The lady Eagles hosted the LBJ Basketball Tournament last weekend and made it to the championship round after defeating Heritage, Our Lady of the Hills and Bosqueville teams. The girls beat Heritage 37-34 with a last second 3-pointer hit by Trinity Puckett. Next up was Our Lady of the Hills who we beat 37-22, and Bosqueville who we beat 39-24. This led the lady Eagles to Saturday night in the Championship game against a very talented Faith Academy.

The Junior High boys basketball teams hosted Blanco Monday night for their last home game of the season. The seventh and eighth B team started things off with an intense match up. Joey Smith, who scored a team high six points, led the team back from a deficit. Rafael Ramos also added one point off a free throw to tie things up.

I BLAME MY DAUGHTER FOR MY TATTOO. For her eighteenth birthday she got one and insisted that I get one, too. I thought about it. Then I prayed about it. Here’s what I believe God said…. (Read part 1 here: www.bit.ly/2kp7S1Y ) Tattoo: “A permanent reminder of a temporary feeling.” I did get a tattoo.

I wasn’t quite eight years old when my maternal grandfather passed away. John H. Price was 82. He was found one cold fall morning slumped against a cedar fencepost with a pitchfork in his hand. As usual, he had gone out to tend to his dairy cows and failed to come in for breakfast. After the funeral services, his descendants, including my mother, gathered at the old homestead to discuss the disposition of his property and meager possessions.

Johnson City Library’s Discovery Academy is a popular and educationally enriching after-school program for children in grades 3-5. The fall 2017 session, just completed, featured an exploration of Astronomy, specifically our universe and solar system. The group focused on our moon and on the planet Mars. Another area of study was NASA, the space shuttle and the international space station.

On Oct. 17, Hill Country Memorial was recognized by Healthgrades®, a national health care quality rating institution and leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. This achievement is part of findings released by Healthgrades and is featured in their 2018 Report to the Nation. The report demonstrates how clinical performance continues to differ dramatically between hospitals regionally and nationally. “These recognitions reflect our commitment ...

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to hear some wonderful Christmas music? The Blanco County Community Choir added to the Christmas spirit by giving their 42nd annual program in Johnson City and Blanco. The concert is always well received and this year was no exception. Large and appreciative audiences enjoyed a variety of new and old Christmas songs. The all-volunteer choir is made of singers of all ages from Blanco County and beyond.

Willow City is one of the few communities in Gillespie County settled by English speakers. One of the earliest settlers was a slave-holding preacher with a strong dislike for Germans. The preacher and his neighbors freighted in supplies 90 miles from Austin rather than do business with the Germans in Fredericksburg, just 15 miles away. Willow City, or Willow Creek as the place was first called, was one of the few settlements between Fredericksburg and points west.