April 28, 2021 Issue

A battle is brewing over the proposed location of package store near the historic Catholic Church in Mason. Earlier this month, a St. Joseph Catholic Church parishioner spoke at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in opposition to the owner’s request for a city zoning permit. “I’m not against liquor stores in general; the law has passed, but it’s just not a good location,” Judy Uherek of Mason told the News later.

The Mason High School girls and boys varsity track and field teams competed on April 23-24 at the 2A Region IV Championships meet at Javelina Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. MASON COWGIRLS With another outstanding all-around performance, the Cowgirls finished with 85 points as a team and won the regional meet with 85 points.

By John Pierce The UIL Academics team advanced 12 students to State and placed second at the 2A Region IV Academic Meet. This meet, held during the COVID-19 pandemic, was an especially challenging one. The contest was held virtually--but not from the school’s home campus. Instead, Mason competed from Thrall High School.

The 2020-2021 school year brought many new challenges to the cross examination debate participants. To not put students, teachers and judges at risk, meets were held virtually. The debate team deliberated criminal justice reform. The 2020-2021 resolution for UIL CX Debate was: Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing. This event allows participa ...

By Andrew Salmi, Sports Editor The Mason High School varsity softball squad concluded its regular season on Monday, April 26 on a very high note as the Cowgirls blanked visiting Center Point High School by a score of 15-0 in just three innings. Two seniors, outfielder Aunnecy Elliott and first baseman Kendra Munsell, were honored for Mason’s annual Senior Night game at home. After Center Point left two runners stranded in the top of the first inning, the host Cowgirls went to work on of ...

The Mason High School varsity baseball team continued its strong push towards a District 29-2A championship on Wednesday, April 21 when the Punchers held on for a 12-7 victory on the road against San Saba High School. With San Saba already leading 2-0 after the first inning, Mason took a 3-2 lead in the top of the second inning and never surrendered it the rest of the way after runs batted in by Ty Spencer and Cody McBee. After Mason extended the lead to 4-2 with some heads-up baserunning ...

In past columns, I’ve discussed the many species of animals that have become locally uncommon or extinct within the lifetimes of living Mason County residents. Declines of favorite local species like Bobwhite Quail, Texas Horned Lizards, Collared Lizards, Ornate Box Turtles, and many species of frogs and toads are obvious to anyone who has lived in the area for many decades.

I have mentioned several times in this column over the past months that native grasses are the best thing to have on the ground to capture and hold rainwater. I think it might be useful to elaborate on that a little. The root structure of native bunch grasses looks a lot like the leaf structure above ground, with many roots growing from the area just below the surface and growing down and outward from there.

Storytime is officially back. Our Storytime has moved to Fridays at 10:30 in the Kid Zone. Children ages 2-6 are welcome to attend and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. There will be a story and a craft, so stop by with your child! New to the Library: DVDS Berenstain Bears: Complete Collection Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas The Black Cauldron Crisis Dracula Last Tango in Halifax, Season 4 The Penitent Thief Willy’s Wonderland Fiction: (all quotes from ...

As the name implies, these are the best gingersnap cookies I’ve ever eaten. I do believe that you will agree with me once you make up your first batch! Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup sugar, plus extra for coating 12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, grated (some folks freeze the butter, but I don’t) ¼ cup molasses 1 egg, slightly beaten ...

I love this time of year! The weather is warmer, the days are longer, and everyone seems too cheerier with winter being over. Spending time with friends and family at the river or lake, outdoor cook outs, these activities I really look forward to and they bring back a lot of good memories. Something else that brings back fond memories this time of year is when I see Agarita bushes loaded with Agarita berries.

That great old American tradition of a testimonial dinner has given way to "roasts." When You want to honor someone nowadays you still gather a group of friends, but instead of speak­ing lofty words of praise, they pile heaps of humorous ridicule upon the featured guest. Done in a warm and loving spirit, these can be occasions of great fun for all involved. For example, the following excerpts from a pastor's retirement party. "There were a lot of little incidents that led Pastor Pious ...

April is full of surprises, one day we are running the cooler, and in a few days a cold front is dipping into our region and we are back with the heater. What does this mean for the new plants in the garden? Plants at 39 degrees can feel the chill and will need a cover to be safe.

After reporting about goat yoga a while back I’ve be deluged with messages from readers (3) asking about other strange goat news. Personally, I thought doing yoga with baby goats walking around on your body was strange enough. Actually I thought doing yoga was strange enough. But there you go. As it turns out there’s plenty of goat news to choose from, even if you don’t include the Clay Henry Dynasty, which is a series of actual goats that have been the actual mayors of Lajitas, Texas ...