May 5, 2021 Issue

Ray Bible’s roots run deep in Johnson City, and he’s lived here all of his life. “My family and I love being part of this community. My kids all graduated from LBJ High, and it’s been a great adventure.” Ray has been a Blanco County Fair Director for the past seven years, has coached all of his kids’ sports teams, has served with the Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department (JCVFD) for the past 29 years, and is the current JCVFD President. When asked what he likes best about the ...

By Tricia Hartmann The Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department conducted their monthly business meeting on April 28, 2021. President Ray Bible called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. In addition to Bible, those present included: Treasurer Orlando Ibanez, Vice President and Lieutenant Kemp Elliott, Captain and Secretary Chris Welch, Justin Kohner, Justin David, Reed Moore, Sam Richardson, Jeremy Petersma, Jed Felps, and Assistant Chief Whitney Liesmann who joined by phone.

The City Council held a special meeting to review and discuss several matters: approval of the 2019 FYE Annual Financial Report; renovations to the Johnson City Community Pool, and Resolution for the appropriation of Interest & Sinking Funds for replacement of three Police Department vehicles. Mayor Rhonda Stell called the meeting to order at 3 p.m.

A local man’s new book, published by the University of Oklahoma Press, brings the Guadalupe River Basin in the 19th century into vivid focus for history lovers. In “Texas Rangers, Ranchers, and Realtors,” author Thomas O. McDonald uses historical documents to tell the story of seven real families, including his own ancestors, pioneers James Hughes Callahan (1812-1856) and Sarah Day (1822-1856). “I think they would be surprised there was a book written about them, because I’m su ...

Texas stands to gain two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after results of the 2020 census released last week show the state had the largest numerical gain of any state since the 2010 census The population increased by nearly 4 million in the past decade, to 29.14 million. That’s a population increase of 15.9% in 10 years — third highest by percentage in the nation, behind Utah and Idaho.

Being a lifelong little brother myself I understand that big brothers and little brothers have a complicated relationship. Little brothers can be a pain to big brothers, especially if little brother is a free spirit and big brother is someone important – like president of the United States. One of the more famous presidential little brothers was Billy Carter.

This is the week of spontaneous easels, poignant splatters of paint, and beautiful canvases as Paint the Town infiltrates the Highland Lakes area. Painters gather in the Texas Hill Country on to take part in the 14th Annual Paint the Town Event. Nearly 30 artists will participate in the Plein Air competition, charged with the assignment of capturing outdoor scenes in Marble Falls, Horseshoe Bay, or anywhere in-between. On Sunday, painters brought in canvases to be stamped with the Arts logo ...

It is a well-known fact that we are allowed to chew out the people we care about. Most recently, this came to mind when I gave my old friend, Andrew, a serious tongue-lashing. Andrew is a lifelong bachelor, and a committed curmudgeon. He is better than most curmudgeons at being curmudgeonly because he started young.

Blanco Non-Profit Coalition (BNPC) announces applications are available for its second annual Giving Goddesses Grant Award. 2020 was the inaugural rollout of the new format created by the energetic and visionary volunteers who successfully ran Wild Woman Weekend. $10,000 was granted to Blanco County Emergency Services Auxiliary for the purchase of additional protective equipment for first responders.

Last month, I was watching a herd of deer gathered around a feeding station where feed had apparently just been dispersed (a practice I don’t recommend). Then all of a sudden, the entire herd bounded off in one direction, tail flags up, clearly having been spooked by something. Then a few seconds later I saw a lone coyote trotting up from the opposite direction.

Rockin’ For CJ, a benefit concert for CJ Cluck, a seven year old Hill Country boy with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and deadly form of bone cancer, will be held at Pecan Street Brewing in Johnson City, Texas on Sunday, May 23 2021 from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. C.

The Thrall Lady Tigers scored four runs in the top of the first inning on Friday and rode the lead to an 11-1 victory over the Lady Eagles in the Bi-District round of the UIL State Softball Playoffs. The Lady Eagle defense committed just one error and Pitcher Bethany Scott gave up a single walk, striking out three, but the Thrall bats hit the gaps for seventeen hits to take the six inning victory by the 10-run rule. The Lady Eagles finished the season with an xx-xx overall record and x-x in ...

The Eagles closed out the 2021 regular season with a no-hit shutout at Center Point and look to take the momentum into their best-of-three Bi-District Playoff against xx. After dropping a disappointing  8-5 decision to the eventual District Champion Harper Longhorns last Tuesday the Eagles found their rhythm in the four-run second inning on Monday to take the lead, adding one run each in the 4th and 5th before breaking it open in the sixth with four runs to cover the 10-rum rule.

LBJMS 8th grade students formed an assembly line on Monday to make fifty breakfast tacos and cinnamon rolls for school staff. (Left to right) Jackie Earley, Zac Haley, Laurel Gatlin, Josie Gilliam, Robin Quick, Katie Hacker. BELOW: Assistant Band Director, Mrs. Hoffman pauses to enjoy the hot breakfast. This event kicked off a week of showing appreciation to JCISD teachers and staff.

Coach Tina Tresselt beamed with pride as she was introduced to an Eagle Track legend last week. The huge smile had not left her face since the previous Friday when she became only the second coach in Johnson City history to take a pair of athletes in the same field event to Austin to compete against the top performers in the State for the coveted gold medal.

Homeschool Day: Coding Plug into creative ways to learn the basics of computer coding at the Science Mill’s last Homeschool Days of the 2020-21 school year. Make fire flow and pumpkins grow with Harry Potter-inspired coding games and design a binary bracelet with a secret message in computer code. To see what’s really happening behind the code, combine gears, switches and marbles to build a mechanical computer!

Kenneth Dale “Kenny Dale” Shotwell, 71, of Johnson City, Texas passed away on Friday, April 23, 2021. He was born on August 3, 1949, in Houston, Texas to the late James Howard and Betty Jo Shotwell. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife Cecilia “CeCe” Mathews and his older brother Jimmy Shotwell. Kenny Dale grew up in Humble, Texas where he went to school and played little league and football.

There are many swans out there working under cover as ugly ducklings. Some time ago I attended the annual convention of Mannatech, Inc., a research and development company that markets patented nutritional supplements along with weight loss and skin care products. During the course of the convention we were introduced to a skinny, non-descript but vivacious, feisty, young dark-haired girl by the name of Tzu-chun Lin, of Taiwan. In order to study at the university level in Taiwan, it is ne ...

The recent elections of mayors, City Council, and Groundwater District directors was tainted when the Blanco Republican Party broke long and important tradition that regards local elections as non-partisan. Instead they endorsed selected candidates and changed the atmosphere of the election causing friends and neighbors to find themselves as adversaries on opposite sides of a political divide. Although it’s not illegal, it is inappropriate.

Blanco Non-Profit Coalition (BNPC) announces applications are available for its second annual Giving Goddesses Grant Award. 2020 was the inaugural rollout of the new format created by the energetic and visionary volunteers who successfully ran Wild Woman Weekend. $10,000 was granted to Blanco County Emergency Services Auxiliary for the purchase of additional protective equipment for first responders.

Last month, I was watching a herd of deer gathered around a feeding station where feed had apparently just been dispersed (a practice I don’t recommend). Then all of a sudden, the entire herd bounded off in one direction, tail flags up, clearly having been spooked by something. Then a few seconds later I saw a lone coyote trotting up from the opposite direction.

Rockin’ For CJ, a benefit concert for CJ Cluck, a seven year old Hill Country boy with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and deadly form of bone cancer, will be held at Pecan Street Brewing in Johnson City, Texas on Sunday, May 23 2021 from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. C.