3:10 to Yuma Keith–3:10 to Yuma lives up to the hype this week with some great acting & great roles played by some of the best in the business, including Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Although I don't remember the original, I've heard this adaptation is a little different in areas, but overall it’s a great movie that I recommend.

Nellie and Elmer Luckenbach of Fredericksburg visited T.D. and Leona Smylie of Blanco on Thursday, January 10. They celebrated Nellie’s 85th birthday with a special dinner. Nellie is Leona’s cousin. Phillip and Cydney Schwartzlose of Blanco (Dr. Phillip is one of the vets working with Dr. Behrends) have a new baby boy, Logan Ray, which made their son, Noah, a big brother.

As of January 1, 2008, any person obtaining or renewing a broker or salesperson license in Texas is now required to provide their fingerprints for an FBI criminal background check. An essential part of the future of Texas real estate safety, this law is working to protect Texas citizens. Putting safety first This new law will help enhance your safety while you are selling your home.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Jan. 10 lauded adoption of rules to conduct mandatory, random steroid testing for Texas high school athletes. "I'm pleased the University Interscholastic League has taken a giant step forward to save lives by adopting fair and balanced testing rules ...," he said. Students who wish to participate in UIL athletics must sign a statement saying they are aware of the health dangers of taking anabolic steroids and promise not to take them. Parents and guardians will hav ...

Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Rifleman …when I was a kid you couldn’t throw a TV dinner without hitting a good western. Westerns had it all: action, suspense, good versus evil; and all set in the great outdoors. Hunting and fishing shows notwithstanding, for outdoor adventure, the western was king. While wetting a line, a friend and I reminisced of old westerns, debating which was best.

Blanco County Relay for Life will be Saturday April 19th, in Johnson City. The motto this year is Celebrate – Remember – Fight Back; and that is exactly what we do! We CELEBRATE by honoring cancer survivors with a meal, t-shirt, and walking of the opening survivor lap of Relay. We REMEMBER by having a luminaria ceremony in which a candle is lit to remember those who have lost their battle to cancer and to honor those who are still fighting.

January 17 • Two Step Lessons-Thursdays, 17th, 24th, 31st. 6:30-8 pm at Gem of the Hills. Lessons compliments of Gem of the Hills. January 19 • Blanco Masonic Lodge # 216 will celebrate its 150th birthday in a special Sesquicentennial celebration on January 19. Activities are scheduled from 11:30 – 2:00 PM, with a meal served at noon.

At their first meeting of the new year, members of the Blanco Woman’s Club met at the home of Bonnie Holmes. The program, sponsored by the music department, consisted of a performance by Ron Roberts, a well-respected local classical guitarist. Roberts, who has performed at many local venues, including the Blanco Community Chorus’s Christmas program, was introduced by Vicki Pautz, who characterized him as "always striving for excellence and changing whatever is necessary to achieve it." He ...

In April, 1990, as the story unfolds, the records and minutes of meetings held during the organizational period of what we know, today, as The Blanco Good Samaritan Center, reveals that the Ministerial Fellowship suggested that an interim organization be established “...as a unified program in Blanco to help those in need; line up volunteer officers who would serve through the growing pains; choose a name for the organization; elect officers; and line up necessary financial sources and food s ...

Local Boy Scout Kenny Standridge, of Troop #58 in Bulverde, is Number 2 in the United States in popcorn sales. The Boy Scouts sell popcorn every year, and Kenny has reached $26,200 in sales. He’s ranked #1 in this region, which includes 11 states. Another Boy Scout in California is at $30,000 and Kenny has two additional weeks to catch up and be #1.

With the recent hire of Mary Alice Partain as Interpretive Ranger and Volunteer Coordinator, Blanco State Park is poised to begin new outreach and educational programming for all visitors to the park this spring and summer. Programs will highlight the natural and cultural resources of Blanco State Park on subjects such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, early pioneer use of the Blanco River, animal habitats of the river, native plant ecosystems and much more. This will be an opportunity for ...

Post Publicity Officer The Ring out the Old–Ring in the New Chili Cook-Off (Tolbert Qualifier) was held on Doug Higgins ranch on RR 32 about 2.7 miles east of US Hwy 281 on Dec 31 and Jan 1. The sponsored, non-profit organization for this event was our local American Legion Memorial Highway Post 352.

Deny yourself. That’s what Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-26; “Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be my disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].

Most hunters are so gung-ho, they’ll hunt anything that’ll run from ‘em. Similarly, TV news folks salivate at the prospect of all-out chases to pluck credible opinions on controversial topics. That was the case recently when a neurosurgeon was questioned by a Dallas TV reporter. The query concerned the ongoing debate about whether a helmet law should be enacted for motorcyclists.

Philippians 3:8c-9 says “that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” There are two different types of righteousness. There is righteousness that comes from self effort, which is based on a person keeping the Law of God.

Dr. Kenneth Wuest, who taught Greek, was my favorite college professor because he always brought something beyond the day’s lesson to the classroom to inspire his students; some insight that could change the day and leave a lasting and enlightening impression. He called these day brighteners “golden nuggets” and authored a book by that title, a copy of which still occupies a prominent place in my library.

Funeral services for Mrs. Merle Biggers Gray of Wimberley, Texas, formerly of Winona, are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15, at Moore Memorial United Methodist Church in Winona, with burial to follow in Oakwood Cemetery in Winona. Rev. David Carroll will officiate the services. Visitation will be Monday, January 14, from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m., at Oliver Funeral Home.

Ray J. Murphy of Converse, passed away January 11 in San Antonio at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife, Roberta (Waxler) Murphy of Converse, a son, Matthew Murphy of Houston, and a brother, Vernon Murphy of Gulfport, MS. Visitation will be at Crofts Funeral Home, Johnson City from 5:00 to 8:00 PM Monday.

Ruby Reyes Ortiz, 73, passed away Sunday, December 30, 2007 in San Antonio, TX. She was born in Yorktown, TX to Rufus and Mercedes Reyes. Ruby was preceded in death by her husband, Juan L. Ortiz and one son, Alberto Ortiz. She is survived by her sons, Roy Ortiz and Edward Ortiz; grandson, Dustin Guy Albert Ortiz; seven sisters, Dominga R.

Dear Editor I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our Blanco ISD teachers and administration for their vigilance and concern for the safety of our children. On December 12, 2007 at 7:45 a.m. a car attempted to drive around the barricade of the Elementary school’s bus lane while our buses had their safety red lights flashing indicating that children were in the process of unloading .

Austin, Texas, January 9—In addition to being brought to patrons via traditional door-to-door residential sales, Girl Scout cookies can now be found by hungry consumers through an online booth locator. The Girl Scouts of Central Texas, which begins selling cookies on Saturday, January 19 at 9 a.m., is one of 16 councils nationwide piloting the online locator this year. Every year, service units and troops establish cookie booths in front of local businesses to bolster their sales.

Pedernales Electric will award $1,000 scholarships to 50 graduating seniors whose parents or legal guardians are PEC members. The scholarships may be used for tuition, books and expenses at any accredited university, college, junior college, technical or trade school. PEC’s Scholarship Committee selects judges, who evaluate applicants based on financial need, academic performance and standardized test results.

We've been hearing so much about the threat of a bird flu pandemic for so long that it almost seems old news -- a non-issue. The fact, however, is that it is very much a current issue. The H5N1 virus has evolved to a more dangerous form, although still almost entirely in birds.

Taylor Ann Holden, Blanco High School junior, won the 10th District level of the annual American Legion High School Oratorical Contest. Her 10 minute prepared speech was on the duties and obligations of the citizens to the Constitution and she made a three minute extemporaneous speech on a particular article of the Constitution.

Each year, the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo recognizes twenty students throughout the state for their outstanding leadership and community service contributions. This year, three members of the Blanco FFA Chapter were selected to receive this prestigious award which comes with a $1,000 Scholarship. Carrie Lockwood, Alisa Guler and Sarah Isenberg will all be recognized at a formal banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the Riverwalk on Friday, January 25, 2008.

The Lady Panthers took to the road on a schedule change as they headed up to Mason to face the Cowgirls. The Lady Panthers took to the court hard and fast and they out scored the Cowgirls in the first period by only three points, leaving the score 10-7 at the buzzer. As the teams returned to the court for the second period, the Cowgirls stepped it up just a bit as they sank nine points and held the Panthers to only two points.

Lucky Leaf 4-H Club is selling raffle tickets for their club fundraiser. The tickets are one dollar each and gives you (2) two changes to win a one half processed hog (approximately 180 pounds). The raffle drawing will be on Saturday, January 26th during the Blanco County Stock Show sale at the Blanco County Show Barn in Johnson City.

The Blanco County 4-H and FFA Youth Show to be held at the Blanco County Show Barn in Johnson City begins Thursday, Jan. 24th. Doug Townsend will begin judging the 19 Shop Projects entered in this year’s show at 8:00 a.m. Rodney Green is Shop Project Superintendent. The grand champion and reserve grand champion Shop Projects will be sold through the sale on Saturday.

The Blanco Track records show as follows, but Coach Danny Rogers is asking that if anyone knows of a record that was broken in a district, regional, or state track meet, then please email or call him. There must be proof, (newspaper article) that the record is legitimate. Blanco Varsity Track Records Event Record Holder Time/Distance Year 100 Jason Cox 11.12 2000 Jessica Tomlin 12.85 2003 200 Chris San Miguel 22.92 2006 Jessica Tomlin 25.57 2003 400 Chris Corte ...

The Lady Panthers took on the Comfort Deer in Comfort on Friday, January 11. The Panthers, who went into this game 2-0 were hoping to gain another win for their district record. The game started ugly as the Panthers missed more than half of their shots and turned over the ball and were unable to get rebounds, while the Comfort Deer who were 0-2 seemed to have everything go their way.

The seventh grade boys traveled to Mason on January 10 and split the wins with the Punchers. The seventh grade boys took to the court and easily earned a 30-3 victory. Ian Ray took rank as high scorer with seven points followed by Darren White who had six points. Sam Isenberg and James Leaihman both finished with four points followed by T.J.

The Varsity Panthers took on the Comfort Bobcats on Friday, January 11 for their first district game. The Panthers had a hard start to this game as the Bobcats took an early lead in the game. By the end of the first period, the Panthers were trailing by 13 points. During the second period of the game, the Panthers struggled as they only put two points up on the board while the Bobcats put a total of 10 points making the scoring going into half time Blanco 11, Comfort 32. The teams returned ...

The Blanco Panther varsity team took to the road for their final non-district game as they headed off to Luling. The Panthers started strong and held the score tight with the Eagles as the buzzer went off to end the first period. The score was tied 9-9. The Eagles pulled out in the lead by half time with a score 22-15. Though the Panthers had an early lead, they fell short in the end.

If you are planning to have your children participate this year in the Blanco Little League season, the registration deadline is nearing. You can register your child by either going online to the Blanco Little League website at www.blancolittleleague.org or by going to KIMS Printing Monday – Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m.

What does Downtown Revitalization and Keep Blanco Beautiful have in common. It is the Downtown Historic Square! Keep Blanco Beautiful began their environment and beautification work in May, 1999. The Comprehensive Master Plan and Visionaries in Preservation work started in 2004. The preservation and beautification of our beautiful downtown historic district were at the heart of both groups. This week, the oldest building on the square ",The Byars Building,"

Public records information is compiled by Charles Willgren from reports filed at the Blanco Police Department, Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, Blanco Volunteer Fire Department, Blanco County Clerk, District Clerk, and Justices of the Peace offices. Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Criminal Cases Convictions will not appear this week. Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Criminal Cases Convictions will not appear this week. Blanco Police Reports These reports were filed between Jan 5 ...

Friday is school holiday January 13, 1988 Friday is a school holiday for students in the Blanco ISD, so they can attend and participate in the Blanco county Youth Fair. This will be a teacher work day but the administrative offices will be closed. 6 teams vie in tournament January 13, 1978 The annual Junior High Tournament in the Blanco gym will be going on all day Saturday, starting at 9:00 a.m.

If you are considering selling your home, it’s critical that you know how to do it successfully in today’s market. New neighborhoods and communities are springing up all over the place, creating an extremely competitive housing market. Homeowners looking to sell their property need to know what it takes to beat out the competition.