November 18, 2020 Issue

Johnson City Mayor Rhonda Stell called the regular meeting of Johnson City City Council to order at 6 p.m. on November 10. The meeting was held at City Hall, and all members were present. Pastor Steve Sanchez gave the Invocation and everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Stell introduced and welcomed the new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)/City Secretary, Rick Schroder, “We are so happy to have Rick here and he is doing a fabulous job.” There were no public comments. Reports ...

As of Tuesday, there have been 204 cases of COVID-19 in Blanco County and four people have died. Thirty-two cases are active and 168 people have recovered, according to Blanco County Emergency Management. “Cases are on the rise, which is consistent with other parts of the state and the U.S.,” said Ben Oakley, Blanco County infectious disease control officer.

The Johnson City Quilt Guild honored local veterans with quilts last Wednesday at Proof and Cooper’s in Johnson City. Receiving the unique and patriotic designs were, from left: Patrick Fisher, Zeb Miller, Roger Estes, Paul Jenkins, Donald Broyles, Wes Waugh, Carlette Lewis, Robbie Penick. Also receiving quilts but not pictured were Mike Bacon and Bill Haynes.

This piece of equipment is called a backhaul and it’s required for tower to tower data communication. The Hill Country Wireless & Techonolgy crew was busy installing this 120 feet in the air on the tower located on 2766 (A Robinson). Left to Right: Darrian Smith, Corey Koewers, Tyrel McCrory, and David McCullough.

By Marty Garcia 16-year-old Johnson City teen Maura Ibanez will be lacing up her shoes on Saturday for the final challenge of her journey raising money and awareness about Lyme disease. Ibanez was diagnosed with the disease two years ago, which affects over 400,000 people a year. Expensive medical bills and debilitating symptoms make this disease especially hard to bear. After reaching several fundraising goals posted on Lyme Warrior foundation’s website, Ibanez will now run 5K for re ...

Local art galleries regularly host exhibitions by outside artists alongside locals. Art Beat is currently hosting award-winning fantasy artist Kiri Leonard’s latest works. Kiri Leonard hales from Denmark, the oldest kingdom in Europe.  Kiri immigrated to the US in 2010 to study art at Pratt Institute in New York City.  She currently resides in Austin, Texas with her family and cats. Kiri finds her inspiration in folklore, history, philosophy, nature, and life around us which she conco ...

Fredericksburg— Hill Country Memorial’s (HCM) Give Wellness campaign to renovate its Wellness Center has $428,953 left to raise of its $5,100,000 goal. As HCM looks to complete funding for this project, it is excited to announce that the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation has offered a challenge grant of $1,000,000, to be awarded if the balance is raised before the spring of 2021. The HCM Wellness Center focuses on the full continuum of healthcare by keeping community members out of the hos ...

I have heard it said that dirt is what you get under your fingernails, but soil is what your trees and grass and flowers grow in. It is probably true that when people look to buy a piece of property, they may look at what trees or other vegetation is growing on the property, the view, whether or not there is surface water, etc., but they seldom even think about what is probably the most valuable thing on the property; the soil.

The smiles on the faces of Lady Eagle State Cross Country qualifiers Lydia White and sister, Clare, as they headed to their afternoon workout on Monday belied the earliest memories of running in their brief but decorated careers. “Our first meet in 7th Grade was at Harper and it was awful!” Lydia grimaced in the telling and elaborated, “We had one practice before that meet so just getting through the course was so hard!” Clare recalled her first practice in the 7th Grade: “I can r ...

Lights Spectacular Johnson City’s Lights Spectacular season will begin November 27 and end January 3, 2021. Modifications to the annual event are being made to follow CDC guidelines. For more information, visit johnsoncitytexas.info Chamber Board Meeting The Chamber of Commerce will meet on November 17 over Zoom videoconference at 5:30 p.m. Contact the Chamber for details if you wish to attend. Civil War Roundtable The Johnson City Library will host this roundtable on November 2 ...

Imagine wanting to be foster parents to a child in need and then getting a call that your wish had come true. A 3-month-old-boy needed care and was ready to be brought home, but with a complication: The young child was infected with COVID-19. Jonathan’s Place, a child-serving organization based in the Dallas area, made that call earlier this year.

Family, traditions, travel and festivities are hallmarks of the holiday season. Managing the holidays may also mean coping with stress, worry and conflict along with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It can be tempting to prioritize the happiness of others during the holidays but taking time for yourself is more important than ever, particularly this year.

Texas topped 1 million COVID-19 cases as some counties reimposed restrictions that had been loosened after this summer’s spike. Particularly hard-hit El Paso extended its temporary shutdown of nonessential businesses, but the Texas Eighth Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Friday to block County Judge Ricardo Samaniego’s order. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Gov.

At 3:05 p.m. on Monday November 16, the special meeting of the Blanco Commissioners Court was called to order by Judge Brett Bray. All commissioners were present. Kenneth Welch took the floor during public comments addressing concerns regarding the cyber assessment of county election systems. He claimed that in Nov. of 2019, Judge Bray signed the contract which authorized the cyber security assessment, but was advised by a public information officer that the assessment had not been complete ...

By Marty Garcia 16-year-old Johnson City teen Maura Ibanez will be lacing up her shoes on Saturday for the final challenge of her journey raising money and awareness about Lyme disease. Ibanez was diagnosed with the disease two years ago, which affects over 400,000 people a year. Expensive medical bills and debilitating symptoms make this disease especially hard to bear. After reaching several fundraising goals posted on Lyme Warrior foundation’s website, Ibanez will now run 5K for re ...

The smiles on the faces of Lady Eagle State Cross Country qualifiers Lydia White and sister, Clare, as they headed to their afternoon workout on Monday belied the earliest memories of running in their brief but decorated careers. “Our first meet in 7th Grade was at Harper and it was awful!” Lydia grimaced in the telling and elaborated, “We had one practice before that meet so just getting through the course was so hard!” Clare recalled her first practice in the 7th Grade: “I can r ...

Battling to the final point the Johnson City Lady Eagles lost a five-set heartbreaker to the Thrall Lady Tigers in a UIL Region IV-2A semifinal match last Tuesday at Cedar Park High School. The loss ended a streak of wins that included thirteen consecutive three-set romps against 2A opponents. The 2020 squad’s record (10-0 District/20-9 season) was not the program’s most wins due to the COVID restrictions placed on tournament play by the UIL, but it was the deepest run in the playoffs for ...

The Eagle Varsity Football season came to a close Thursday night with a 55-14 loss to Ganado in the Bi-District round of the UIL 2A Division Playoffs. The Indians allowed only 60 yards rushing so with the ground attack shut down the Eagles took to the air. Quarterback Cade Boyer completed 11 of 31 passing attempts for 203 yards.

The JV Lady Eagles opened the 2020-2021 Basketball season with a 21-9 victory over Cherokee on Friday. Check out the Eagle/Lady Eagle Basketball Preview in next week’s edition of the Record Courier. Courtesy photo.

The Johnson City 5th/6th Grade boys went 3-0 on Saturday to win the Championship for their division at the Premier Athletic Complex (PAC) in Leander. Front row (from left): Tyler Early, Reese Odiorne, Preston Craig, Jaxon McKennis, Braxton Birck; Back row: Truett Fry, Tripp Crownover, Collin Corpus, Jadyn Jenkins, Dan Flores.

JCISD Board members held a special meeting in the LBJ High School Library on November 17, 2020 at 12 p.m. Board President Shelly Wenmohs called the special meeting to order at 12:06 p.m, and a quorum was established. There were no public comments, and a motion was given to canvass the Election Results from the November 3, 2020 School Board Election certifying candidates Cristol Corpus, Place 7, and Sarah Allen, Place 6, as the winners.

Lights Spectacular Johnson City’s Lights Spectacular season will begin November 27 and end January 3, 2021. Modifications to the annual event are being made to follow CDC guidelines. For more information, visit johnsoncitytexas.info Chamber Board Meeting The Chamber of Commerce will meet on November 17 over Zoom videoconference at 5:30 p.m. Contact the Chamber for details if you wish to attend. Civil War Roundtable The Johnson City Library will host this roundtable on November 2 ...

On November 10th the Blanco County Commissioners Court heard a presentation from the Conservative Texans for Charitable Bingo. They explained a proposal that would have the Blanco County Attorney work with neighboring counties to draft regulations covering gaming establishments that may be operating illegally. By requiring registration, permits, fees, ownership disclosure, and inspection protocols the counties would work together to stop all illegal gambling. Bingo games, lottery and charit ...

I’ve always been a shovel kind of guy as opposed to a mustard seed guy.  Yes, mountains can be moved, but somebody has to get off his duff, grab a shovel and start digging.  So, why is it, you might ask, that I believe in the authenticity of livestock faith-healers.  I have no firsthand knowledge of the practice.  However, I’m convinced of the sincerity and honesty of the ones who do, some of whom I’ve known many, many years.  Then, the most compelling factor is when humans are tak ...

“I’m going to bake bread!” my husband, Peter, announced. Inwardly, I said, “Oh, no.” Baking bread is not easy—until it is. Every person I know who bakes bread will agree. If there’s someone out there who tried baking bread for the first time and it was a great success, I would like to hear about it because, in my experience, you have to bake a lot of bad bread before you bake anything close to edible.

Dear Editor, This is a continuation of expressing my opinion to a very big problem I see among us. The assault on Truth has brought about so much of the vitriol and division in our nation, it only stands to reason that we understand how, where, when and why it is happening.

Fredericksburg— Hill Country Memorial’s (HCM) Give Wellness campaign to renovate its Wellness Center has $428,953 left to raise of its $5,100,000 goal. As HCM looks to complete funding for this project, it is excited to announce that the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation has offered a challenge grant of $1,000,000, to be awarded if the balance is raised before the spring of 2021. The HCM Wellness Center focuses on the full continuum of healthcare by keeping community members out of the hos ...

I have heard it said that dirt is what you get under your fingernails, but soil is what your trees and grass and flowers grow in. It is probably true that when people look to buy a piece of property, they may look at what trees or other vegetation is growing on the property, the view, whether or not there is surface water, etc., but they seldom even think about what is probably the most valuable thing on the property; the soil.

Imagine wanting to be foster parents to a child in need and then getting a call that your wish had come true. A 3-month-old-boy needed care and was ready to be brought home, but with a complication: The young child was infected with COVID-19. Jonathan’s Place, a child-serving organization based in the Dallas area, made that call earlier this year.

Family, traditions, travel and festivities are hallmarks of the holiday season. Managing the holidays may also mean coping with stress, worry and conflict along with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It can be tempting to prioritize the happiness of others during the holidays but taking time for yourself is more important than ever, particularly this year.

“I’m going to bake bread!” my husband, Peter, announced. Inwardly, I said, “Oh, no.” Baking bread is not easy—until it is. Every person I know who bakes bread will agree. If there’s someone out there who tried baking bread for the first time and it was a great success, I would like to hear about it because, in my experience, you have to bake a lot of bad bread before you bake anything close to edible.

Texas topped 1 million COVID-19 cases as some counties reimposed restrictions that had been loosened after this summer’s spike. Particularly hard-hit El Paso extended its temporary shutdown of nonessential businesses, but the Texas Eighth Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Friday to block County Judge Ricardo Samaniego’s order. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Gov.

I’ve always been a shovel kind of guy as opposed to a mustard seed guy.  Yes, mountains can be moved, but somebody has to get off his duff, grab a shovel and start digging.  So, why is it, you might ask, that I believe in the authenticity of livestock faith-healers.  I have no firsthand knowledge of the practice.  However, I’m convinced of the sincerity and honesty of the ones who do, some of whom I’ve known many, many years.  Then, the most compelling factor is when humans are tak ...