January 8, 2020 Issue

A confirmed positive report of rabies has been made for Blanco County. According to Blanco Veterinary Clinic, a fox attacked a family’s dog and the clinic confirmed the case. A post on the clinic’s Facebook page stated the family is “having to take drastic steps with the Texas Department of Health on dealing with the case.” The attack is reported to have occured west of Blanco. The clinic urges those with pets to make sure they are up to date with rabies vaccines in order to pro ...

Three members of the Blanco County North Library District Board were sworn into office on January 6, 2020, by Judge Brett Bray. They are Alan Dean, Debbie Burkhard, and Ginger McCullough. Courtesy photos.

Citizens of Blanco County- if you have not gotten your EMS “Save-a-Life Kit"  please contact the Rotary Club of Blanco County, project chairperson Sandy Switzer at (410) 463-4076.  The Club wants every citizen to have the medical forms needed to provide EMS information if they are called to your home. This kit's forms may just save a life.  •If you are a President of a local organization and know members of your club need these kits: •If you are a Pastor of a church and need t ...

FREDERICKSBURG—On Saturday, January 25, the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center will offer a presentation about the hows and whys of bluebirds, and their housing wants and needs. The presenter will be Kevin Pillow from Wildbirds Unlimited. After the presentation, there will be a hands-on activity involving making bird houses from gourds.

By Sophia Kalish, L/COTA What’s in a word? The word Hospice tends to bring some very somber thoughts for most folks and not without reason. Someone who requires hospice services is not in good health and no one really wants to be in that position. However, hospice need not be a scary word.

Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Blanco The Friends of the Texas Historical Commission's Preservation Scholars Program offers students from underrepresented ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as well as those from non-traditional academic backgrounds, exposure to the wide variety of specializations and careers within the field of historic preservation. Whether studying history, architecture, material sciences, graphic design, literature, or economics, students interested in learn ...

The Hondo National Bank has named Olen Thompson as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Thompson is a veteran banker, having joined the HNB family in 1999 serving in various positions, including Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer since 2009. Prior to joining HNB, he worked 19 years in the Houston area for Guaranty Bank. Olen was born in Uvalde and graduated from Utopia High School.

AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick released statements following a deadly shooting on Dec. 29 at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, a city of 16,000 people on the west side of Fort Worth. Two church members were killed in the shooting, which occurred during Sunday services.

The Lady Eagles Varsity led from start to finish after jumping to an early 9-2 lead in their first District 25-3A victory on Friday at Manor New Tech. “We struggled offensively in the 2nd and 3rd quarters,” said Head Coach Corine Baker, “but down the stretch we made some key shots and free throws.

Homeschool Day This month’s Homeschool Day at the Science Mill focuses on careers in Nanotechnology. Macro, micro, nano, and atomic scales will be taught. Homeschool activities will run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on January 9. See more info at sciencemill.org Cooking Demo: Vegan Tacos The Library will host a Vegan Taco cooking demo at 5 p.m.

Jayne Sparkman was born in Jayton, Texas August 2, 1935 and went to be with the Lord on December 31, 2019 surrounded by family. Jayne is preceded in death by her parents Fred and Clara Jones. She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Dennis A. Sparkman of Round Rock, Texas, brother Fred Jones and wife Shirley of Jonestown, Texas.

Dolores Fasel Bozeman passed away peacefully with her family at her side on Tuesday morning, December 31, 2019, at the age of 88 years. She was born on August 24, 1931 in Cypress Mill, Texas, the only child of Walter and Minnie Fasel. She was predeceased by her parents and her husband, David.

When I was but a lad, the Cheshire’s lived across the street from us. I don’t recall the name of the man of the family but his wife was one of  my mom’s very best friends. Her name was Maude. She was a pleasantly plump woman who was seldom seen without an apron and always wore a  broad smile. He was a retired postal worker and a veteran of the War to End All Wars.

People in the Texas Hill Country had been listening to radio for a quarter century before Elbert Hahne’s television set turned invisible signals into squiggly images on a 10 inch screen. The ability to send live images through the air had been around since the early 20th century, but in the beginning the technology had no practical purpose.

Unusual town names are proof that frontier Texans were not short on humor and imagination. A few of the more interesting place names are Gunsight (Stephens County), Lick Skillet (Fayette County), Topsey (Coryell County) and Ding Dong (Bell County). Blowout, 15 miles northwest of Johnson City in Blanco County, is a personal favorite. In 1854 about two dozen homesteaders from Kentucky settled near Comanche Creek about three miles below its source at Comanche Springs.

Writing this weekly outdoors column has always been one of the highlights of my week. After 30 years of sharing the outdoors with you, this column never seems like work. But some weeks, I have to ‘dig deep’ to settle on a topic that I think you will be interested in. If you’ve read this column long, you are aware that it’s not filled with news from Texas Parks and Wildlife; TPWD news releases are widely available on the internet.

Morning Toni: I am turning 65 in March and am searching for the right Medicare Supplement to cover my health needs. I have been told from patients at the cancer center where I go to receive my cancer treatment that Plan F is the plan to choose. I have been “Googling” enrolling in Plan “F” and discovered that it is not available for me.