October 7, 2020 Issue

With Election Day less than a month away, local Democrats and Republicans seem ready to bust down the doors to the polling places. Early voting for the Nov. 3 election starts next Tuesday. “We’re really busy but happy; we’re working hard to get out the vote,” said Terry Casparis, chairman of the Blanco County Democratic Party.

There are 29 active COVID-19 cases present in Blanco County, the county’s office of emergency management announced Monday night. The 29 active cases are two more than last reported by BCOEM Sept. 18, but fewer than the 40 the office reported Sept. 2. Overall, there have been 143 total confirmed cases in Blanco County since the pandemic began this spring.

By Tricia Hartmann Mayor Rhonda Stell called to order the special meeting of the Johnson City City Council held at City Hall to at 5:30 p.m. on September 29. A quorum was established with all members present, and members recited the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by the Invocation given by Pastor Steve Sanchez. 2017 Audit City Auditor Keith Neffendorf of Neffendorf & Knopp P.C.

Results of the 2019-2020 Blanco County 4-H awards were released recently with winners from all over the county. Each year, 4-H members who complete a project form showing their learning experiences earn a pin for every project completed and a display ribbon. Winners from the Early Bird 4-H Club included: Blaze Welch-Poultry, Swine and Shooting Sports; Dusti Welch-Poultry, Swine and Shooting Sports; and Rylee Welch-Poultry, Swine and Shooting Sports. Winners from the Hill Country Spurs ...

Vistra, an energy powerhouse based in Irving, announced plans to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. A key part of that plan is a capital investment of  $1.15 billion by 2022 on solar and storage projects in California and Texas. The company also plans to close coal-fire energy plants in Illinois and Ohio by 2027. “Vistra’s commitment to our transformation to a low-to-no-carbon future is unequivocal and offers unique opportunities for growth and innovation,”  Presid ...

The Area Agency on Aging provides services for older adults and their caregivers in coordination with the Blanco County Community Resource Center (CRC). “We serve ten counties, so we’re glad to be in a partnership with the CRC,” said Rhonda Thompson, program specialist. “We serve adults age 60 and over and grandparents age 55 and older raising grandchildren.

The Johnson City Public Library will host several events during October, Earth Science Month. On Thursday, October 8 at noon, the STEM Book Club will meet to discuss the four books planned for this month, based on the theme of birds, bees, butterflies and trees. The books are: “What It’s Like to Be a Bird,” by David Allen Sibley; “The Good Bee,” by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum; “The Hidden Life of Trees,” by Peter Wohlleben; and “The Language of Butterflies,” by ...

Ladies of the Rotary Club of Blanco County safely put hygiene kits together for our Blanco County outreach organizations. Participants donned facemasks and followed social distancing during the workshop. Sandy Switzer, who is the hygiene kit project team leader, and Connie Cox, Pat Clewell, Dixie Van Eynde, Jan Gass, and Leta Garcia participated.

The Kerrville Folk Festival, the longest continuously running music festival in North America will host its first KFF 2020 October Virtual Celebration on October 10-11 and October 17-18, 2020. According to Mary Muse, Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation Executive Director, this virtual event is the result of rescheduling the 49th Kerrville Folk Festival, traditionally held in May and June. “This has been a challenging year due to COVID, but I am deeply grateful for how our festival commun ...

The Science Mill is focused on one thing: inspiring students to see themselves in a future STEM workforce. In this strange “in-between” time, new realities call for creative solutions. The Science Mill is bringing the wonder and excitement of a science museum to you, allowing you to explore the museum in a totally new way during this 4-day fundraising event. The Science Mill’s annual benefit, Navigating the In-Between: The Future of Science, is a virtual experience that invites you to ...

Eagle Antonio Perez raced to the Championship and established a course record in the LBJMS Eagle Nation Cross Country Invitational on the LBJ High School campus last Wednesday. Courtesy photo.

Elnora Kneese, a long-time resident of Johnson City, celebrated her 99th birthday last week at the Granite Mesa Health care facility in Marble Falls. The fire truck visited with flashing lights, and a cake was also presented to Kneese. Family and friends visited her with through the window.

Eagle Antonio Perez clocked the fastest time in the Boys’ Division (12:33.0) to establish the course record in last Wednesday’s inaugural LBJMS Eagle Nation Cross Country Invitational on the LBJ High School campus. Lady Eagle Jackie Earley (12:43.0) finished second in the Girls’ Division with teammate Riley Birck (14:42.0) joining her in the top ten with an 8th Place finish.

With JC and Ozona sidelined on Friday the rest of District 14-2A D1 began to sort itself out with Harper and perennial powerhouse Mason each picking up their second win after 0-4 starts. Harper bested Brackett 34-6; Mason topped Center Point 48-7. The wins put the two teams at the top of the district standings as they prepare to face off on Friday in Harper with one team destined to have their winning streak cut short. The JC Eagles make the long haul to Brackettville looking to get a win i ...

The Varsity Lady Eagles picked up two significant wins on the road last week in back-to-back three set victories. At Medina on Tuesday Ivy Swafford had eight aces and 20 assists to lead JC to a 25-10, 25-5, 25-10 victory closing out the first round of district play. Paige Dalland had eleven kills and 1 block; Morgan Cowsert added 6 kills, 6 aces and 1 block.

Results of the 2019-2020 Blanco County 4-H awards were released recently with winners from all over the county. Each year, 4-H members who complete a project form showing their learning experiences earn a pin for every project completed and a display ribbon. Winners from the Early Bird 4-H Club included: Blaze Welch-Poultry, Swine and Shooting Sports; Dusti Welch-Poultry, Swine and Shooting Sports; and Rylee Welch-Poultry, Swine and Shooting Sports. Winners from the Hill Country Spurs ...

We are beset on all sides by a multitude of problems and anxieties. An insidious virus that has caused untold grief. A toxic political climate that is tearing the country apart. A roller coaster economy that gives us motion sickness. A school year start that has many of us reeling with doubt and frustration.

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.

Vistra, an energy powerhouse based in Irving, announced plans to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. A key part of that plan is a capital investment of  $1.15 billion by 2022 on solar and storage projects in California and Texas. The company also plans to close coal-fire energy plants in Illinois and Ohio by 2027. “Vistra’s commitment to our transformation to a low-to-no-carbon future is unequivocal and offers unique opportunities for growth and innovation,”  Presid ...

The Area Agency on Aging provides services for older adults and their caregivers in coordination with the Blanco County Community Resource Center (CRC). “We serve ten counties, so we’re glad to be in a partnership with the CRC,” said Rhonda Thompson, program specialist. “We serve adults age 60 and over and grandparents age 55 and older raising grandchildren.

The Kerrville Folk Festival, the longest continuously running music festival in North America will host its first KFF 2020 October Virtual Celebration on October 10-11 and October 17-18, 2020. According to Mary Muse, Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation Executive Director, this virtual event is the result of rescheduling the 49th Kerrville Folk Festival, traditionally held in May and June. “This has been a challenging year due to COVID, but I am deeply grateful for how our festival commun ...

By Luke Clayton Like many mature (aka OLD) hunters of my generation, I am sometimes a bit slow on incorporating new ideas into the way I hunt. After all, hunting methods that have worked during the past half century need no improvement; or do they? There is always something new to be learned about any topic and especially so when we consider reclusive wild critters such as whitetail deer or wild hogs.

I get stomachaches. I get them with regularity and always have. “It’s just gas!” my mother says, and of course, she’s right. My mother tells me I get stomachaches because I have the “Benson stomach,” by which she means that I have the same stomach she has, which is the same stomach her mother had, which my grandmother inherited from her mother—who was a Benson. It seems a little sad that the only time the Benson family comes to mind is when I have a stomachache.

I first started reading the writings of early Texans in order to get a better understanding of what Texas looked like in the 1800s and early 1900s. The more I read, the more fascinated I am at the lives of early explorers and settlers—how they lived, the hardships they endured, and in some cases, how they died. The notion of the “Good Old Days”, at least to my 20th and 21st century eyes, certainly does not apply to life in early Texas.

For those of us old enough to remember, hearing the word “polio” brings back major discomfort. It brings the vision of young children being crippled for life or crying in agony while living in iron lungs. It was certainly a time of celebration when the Salk vaccine was developed and then widely dispersed.