May 13, 2020 Issue

The Blanco County Commission Court was called to order at 9 a.m. by Judge Brett Bray with Commissioners: Tommy Weir, Emil Uecker, Chris Liesmann and Paul Granberg. Public comments were heard and limited to three minutes. First, D’Anne Welch spoke in regards to the updates of the “Rules of Procedure, Conduct and Decorum at Meetings of the Blanco County Commissioners Court.” She said,”...I am at a loss to understand why you believe it is necessary to amend the ‘Rules’ again, les ...

The good news was negative. Each of the 94 people who tested at the first mobile COVID-19 testing site in Blanco County came back with negative results, meaning they do not have the virus, the county’s emergency management reported last Friday. The first mobile testing in the county was held May 2 in Johnson City.

Allen Fore, vice president of public relations for Kinder Morgan, and Greg Neal, a consultant for Kinder Morgan presented, a check for $172,000 to Blanco County Emergency Services District No. 2 on May 6. The check was part of the Blanco County Investment Agreement negotiated by Judge Brett Bray in November 2019 for eight entities within Blanco County, which would be most impacted by the increased population from Kinder Morgan workers, increased utilization of schools, and increased use of ...

Austin– The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) today launched its new TSLAC CARES Grant Program to help libraries statewide respond to COVID-19. This emergency funding comes from the federal appropriation made to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the CARES Act. “Libraries are essential to their communities at all times, and especially in times of crisis,” said TSLAC Director and State Librarian Mark Smith.

The Blanco County Elections Commission regular meeting was called to order by Judge Brett Bray at 2:37 p.m. through Zoom, an online video conference program, with Laura Walla, County Clerk; Kristen Spies, County Tax Assessor Collector; Carlette Lewis, Republican Party Chair; Terry Casparis, Democratic Party Chair; and Kim Ashby, assistant County Attorney, present. The minutes were approved from the previous meeting. Casparis moved to approve the resolution appointing Robert Sense as Elect ...

Each May, National Foster Care Month, we take the time to raise awareness of the children and families involved in the foster care system and the need for more people to step up to help them. In April, there were 260 children in foster care. Included in the April number are 45 children who were removed from their homes, as a result of abuse/neglect, since the beginning of the COVID-19 mandated emergency orders.

My Fellow Texans, Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is a day for Americans to offer tribute and honor to the heroes who laid down their lives to preserve our freedoms. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War.

With the shutdown of everything non- essential and social distancing becoming the new normal, one area of concern is voting. At the very heart of our democracy is the ability to vote. However, if we eliminate gatherings, as we have been instructed to do, voting is problematic. As of now the presidential vote hopefully will go forward as planned, but we have seen a disruption in primary voting.

We have been talking about medications. We have discussed about taking more of them as we age, and the importance of maintaining a healthy life style. By taking these medications we can continue to have a healthy life style. Last week we discussed how to stage your pills, and the importance of not running out.

The Rotary Club of Blanco County recently announced the award of $1000 scholarships to four deserving high school seniors, two from Blanco High School and two from Johnson City High School. Each school will publically announce the recipients at an appropriate ceremony of their choosing. The student will further their education at a university or technical training school.

Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation naming May as Older Texans Month. From the official proclamation:  “There are more than 3.6 million Texans over the age of 65, and these people create the strong and prosperous foundation upon which our state is built.” Sadly, of those 3.6 million Texans over the age of 65, around 400,000 are living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, with a Medicaid cost of over $3 billion. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that caus ...

AUSTIN — Texas, along with the rest of the nation and the world, continued to battle the COVID-19 pandemic last week as cases and deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus increased. Gov. Greg Abbott on May 7 met with President Trump in the White House. The president praised Abbott’s leadership in handling the months-long medical emergency and in managing the resulting slowdown of the economy in the Lone Star State. Abbott said Texas has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the ...

The Johnson City FFA “Keep Your Distance” Online Wildlife Contest is in the books and the results are as follows: Sixteen teams and 60 individuals from across the State of Texas competed in this event with Ingram finishing as the High Scoring team.  Taylor Bossley from Pearland was the High Individual.  From the LBJ High School Student Division, Brett Sultemeier scored the highest.

By Julie Storer This week our spotlight starts with the Eagle and Lady Eagle Tennis Seniors who had limited time on the court - two dual meets and two tournaments - before their season was cancelled. "This group of Seniors had both talent and leadership - I was so disappointed for them that their last season at LBJHS - and my first as Head Coach - was cut short,"

When my grandmother, Almeda Day, married my grandfather little did she realize that she would end up living in Mexico in a little Latter-day Saint settlement that banned the drinking of coffee. Well, she drank it anyway. My father said that when he was a little boy, he would find her brewing coffee early each morning and never failed to warn her: “Grandma, that coffee will kill you!” “Well, she just wouldn’t listen,” he said.

We’re at the stage where everyone is complaining about their hair. I am not complaining. As I have frequently bragged, my husband, Peter, cuts my hair and this has continued while the beauty parlors are closed and everyone is growing increasingly cranky. We were talking to our friends, Mary and Wolfgang, about this and Mary was expressing a bit of envy that I had gotten a haircut the previous day.

Fredericksburg, Texas in the early 20th century was believed to be the largest unincorporated village in the country. It was a community of 2,000 people, clustered along and a few blocks either side of Main Street, with no city government and no city services. Each home and business owner supplied his own water and took care of his own sewage.

AUSTIN — Texas, along with the rest of the nation and the world, continued to battle the COVID-19 pandemic last week as cases and deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus increased. Gov. Greg Abbott on May 7 met with President Trump in the White House. The president praised Abbott’s leadership in handling the months-long medical emergency and in managing the resulting slowdown of the economy in the Lone Star State. Abbott said Texas has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the ...