James and Amy Sierra proudly announce the birth of their son, Hunter Patrick. He was born in Austin on February 6th at 9:13am and weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 18.5 inches long. Welcoming grandparents are: Mary Pevoto of Blanco, Roberto and Lyn Sierra of Kyle, Rosie Botello of Austin and Richard Botello of Dripping Springs.

The IRS sent taxpayers nearly 119 million economic stimulus payments last year. When filing a 2008 federal tax return, taxpayers will need to know the amount of their stimulus payment to properly determine if they are eligible for a recovery rebate credit. Here are six tips for finding how much you received and correctly claiming the credit on your return. 1.

“Dad, I want a tent!” broke Tom’s television-induced trance just as the show’s host smoked his forty-eighth trophy buck of the season. “I want to camp like on TV!” blurted TJ, Tom’s six-year old son as he climbed aboard Dad’s lap. “Can I have one? Please?” “Don’t look at me,” said Tom’s wife Cathy, smiling.

Noel- City of Ember is a tale about a world that has been demolished and how the people had to dig underground to form a new city. The people who built the city, called The Builders, decided that after 200 years of being underground, it should be safe enough to go back to the top.

AUSTIN - Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Feb. 12 exercised one of his most important duties in naming standing House committees. Straus, R-San Antonio, assigned leadership roles and responsibilities in an egalitarian fashion, reflecting a near balance of 76 Republican seats to the Democrats' 74. Straus said 15 of his 34 new chairs have not chaired standing committees in prior sessions, and of the 34, 18 are Republicans and 16 are Democrats. Here are just a few committees and chairs: Appropria ...

Cash on Hand: $10,948.11 Total Face Value of Certificates of Deposit: $245,409.70 Total Assets: $256,357.81 Income Plots sold and plot payments made: $11,685.00 Interest from Certificates of Deposit: $11,233.83 Stone Placement Fees: $25.00 Total Income: $22,943.83 Expenses Liability Insurance: $250.00 Utilities - Water, Garbage, Electric: $1,057.62 Cemetery Maintenance: $12,564.00 Cemetery Maintenance Supplies: $2,012.41 Post Office Box Renewal & Postage: $104.14 Total Expenses: $15,988.17

What an evening of excitement, good food, great entertainment, recognition of special guests, Above & Beyond Volunteers & celebration of The New Executive Board Officers for 2009. They are: Debbie Homeier, President, Marcy Westcott, Vice President, John Stults, Secretary, Pat Caufield, Treasurer, Jon Brieger, Past President The prior Board Members, Carolyn Zbytovsky, Trudy Adams, D’Lynn Elrod, Greg Wessels, Fred VanAken & Ralph DeLeon, were recognized for their services and presented custom M ...

February 21, 2009 •Mr. Miss Pageant, Blanco High School: 6:30pm, $5 admission. Complimentary desserts. Vote for your favorite couple–18 competing for title! Proceeds benefit 2009 Project Graduation. February 21, 2009 •Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc. will be conducting a Volunteer Orientation Class Saturday, February 21 at 10:00am. For further info and directions, contact Lori at 830-336-2725 ext 304 or email your RSVP to lorih@wildlife-rescue.org.

The Blanco Cub Scout pack 497 had their annual Pinewood Derby on Friday, February 13th at the United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Friends and family watched as the boys raced against each other in the exciting, fast-paced race. Since our group is small, each Scout was able to race against every other scout.

For many of our neighbors, a household pet is a member of the family. Whatever the danger, they would no more evacuate without their pet than they would leave a child behind alone. That makes a problem for disaster response planners. How do you get people into a shelter if the rules say their pets have to stay outside? In Blanco County, the solution to that problem begins Saturday morning, when state and local groups and interested individuals meet at 9 am at the Johnson City First United Metho ...

The Father/Daughter Valentine’s Dance was a huge success this year, raising over $1,000 that will go to help find a cure for cancer because of this fundraiser! Over 125 young ladies and their dates attended, and were beautiful, dressed up with corsages, escorted by their father, grandfather, or friend. The dance was held at Gem of the Hills, and the tables were decorated with purple ribbons, the signature color for Relay For Life, Valentine cards and candy.

The Master Gardener Association of Blanco County with the AgriLife Extension Service is pleased to present a program on Herbs and Earth-Kind Roses. Mary Nell Jackson, herb expert from Dallas, author and member of the Herb Society of America will be presenting, ‘A - Z Herbs for Your Garden’. Mary Nell will share her gardening expertise to help you create the herb garden you’ve always wanted.

Austin – Get your cameras ready to capture the treasures of the Hill Country. It is time to enter your best photographs in the Hill Country Alliance’s (HCA) third annual photo contest. “We hold this contest each year to help raise awareness of the beauty, heritage and the natural resources that make the Hill Country unique,” says Christy Muse, HCA executive director.

Hearing a concert played on a beautiful historical instrument becomes even more enjoyable when listened to in a home built in the early 1800’s. On February 11th, members of the Blanco Women’s Club learned about the history of the dulcimer, enjoyed a concert given by accomplished musician Carol Neely Harrington, and were graciously welcomed into the delightfully decorated home of member Linda Lyons. Harrington entertained the BWC members with a medley of tunes from early America, Yellow Bird ...

Pedernales Electric’s Partners in Learning program has awarded $1,000 to the Johnson City Community Education Foundation, which serves students enrolled in the Johnson City Independent School District. “Students deserve to have engaging programs that cultivate a desire to excel in and out of the classroom,” said PEC Assistant General Manager Jeanell Davis.

The public is invited to attend and participate in the Texas Men’s State Chili and Barbecue Championships at the Blanco County Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 28. This will be the official Texas men’s championship for chili, ribs, brisket, and chicken. There will be lots of good food and drink, vendors, live music, and fun activities for children.

SAN ANTONIO – Families with kids are encouraged to take advantage of discounted pricing and experience outdoor activities like learning to cast, archery, rock climbing and more on Sunday, February 22, the last day of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. For the first time, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is bringing its Life’s Better Outside Experience to the stock show and rodeo.

Celebrating her 75th birthday in January, popular author and Trinity English Professor Coleen Grissom is apparently just hitting her stride. She’s made headlines over the past few months in San Antonio Woman and San Antonio Express-News, and she’ll be a headliner once again for the Friends of the Bulverde/Spring Branch Library Book and Author Luncheon next month. Book and Author Chair Bev Lemes met Grissom in 2005 at a luncheon in San Antonio.

When a local charity was forced out of its building a couple years ago and the contents offered up to the public, Connie Mehler of Blanco went to sift through the massive piles to see if there was anything of interest. Among the 8-foot piles, she discovered a beautiful Victorian-style gown.

The story is told of a lawyer that had a doctor on the stand in a court room and was trying to discredit his testimony concerning the death of an individual. The lawyer asked if the doctor had checked the man’s pulse, blood pressure, or even checked to see if the man was breathing?

Everyone in the Blanco community is invited to "come-as-you-are" and worship with the folks of New Hope Lutheran in a quiet, candlelight setting on the evening of "Ash Wednesday", February 25th. "Ash Wednesday" marks the beginning of the 40-day time period before Easter referred to as "Lent." The Service, which begins at 7:00pm, will be held at New Hope, located at the corner of 9th and Elm Streets, Blanco, {in the All-Faiths Chapel building.} We sincerely hope that you will be able to come and ...

North Shore United Methodist Church, at 23880 North Cranes Mill Road in Canyon Lake, will begin “Outrageous Church,” a Praise Service at 9:00am on Sunday March 1st, according to Interim Pastor Sharon Freeto. “We will be singing a lot of praise music and making maximum use of our upgraded audio system and our newly-installed video system to engage as many of the worshiper’s senses as possible.” We will continue to offer our traditional service at 10:30 as well.

Ark-eology Are you faithful? We know God is and that is what God requires of us. Ark comes from the Latin, arca meaning large box or chest. The Ark was 1 ½ football fields long and 3 stories high. Its size is compared to the ship Columbus sailed and a railroad train boxcar.

I’ve been reading about the world events, relating them to bible prophecy, and came upon Zechariah 14:3-5: “3Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward ...

David Gayle Covin was born on December 5, 1948 in San Antonio, Texas to Wilfred M. and Mary Helen Covin. He went home to be with the Lord our Savior on February 12, 2009 at home in Blanco, Texas. Gayle passionately loved the Lord, his family and friends. He was a wonderful son, brother, father, grandfather and friend to all who knew him.

Ruby Jean Liesmann Wagner, of Wimberley, passed away February 10, 2009 at the age of 80. Ruby was born January 29, 1929 in Blanco, Texas to Kurt and Alice (Flugarth) Liesmann. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, A. J. (Farmer) Wagner and her brother, Jerome Liesmann. Ruby is survived by her son, Terry Kurt Wagner and wife, Joyce of San Marcos; daughter, Kathie Wagner Rawlings of Buda; sisters, Loriane Luckey of San Antonio, Medora Beckmann and husband Emil of Blanco and Lola ...

Dear Editor, The Texas Hill country is under seige and I’m part of the problem. I, like many others, find this area a desirable place to live. I built my Blanco County house using mostly my labor. I am the roofer, framer, plumber and electrician. Outside of city limits codes are not much of an issue.

Counselors Jim Spruiell, Ph.D., and Pam Spruiell, Ph.D., will teach self-preservation during a five-week support group for those who care for loved-ones suffering from cancer or other debilitating diseases. The group will meet each Wednesday, February 25 through March 25, from 2:00 to 4:00pm at the Hill Country Memorial Health, Hope and Healing Cancer Resource Center (CRC). “When you’re taking care of a loved-one,” Jim Spruiell said, “you have a tendency to just give up your life.

AUSTIN - Updated water projections show that LCRA may be expected to provide between 14 and 25 percent more water than previously anticipated in the state water plan. The increases could occur as early as the 2010-2020 time frame. LCRA updated water projections and is looking at ways to meet needs in the future as part of its long-term water supply planning effort, the Water Supply Resource Plan. LCRA staff developed two growth scenarios by working directly with county officials and using avail ...

Scott Gardner, a ranch manager from Johnson City, will speak to the Fredericksburg Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas on land management and stewardship on February 24 at the Gillespie County Historical Society Building, 312 West San Antonio Street in Fredericksburg, beginning at 7:00pm. This program was originally scheduled to be given last month; however, possible icy road conditions caused the cancellation and rescheduling to this month. The free meeting is open to the public. Gard ...

The Friends of the Bulverde/Spring Branch Library in a constant search for new and different activities to offer the public are sponsoring a Readers Theatre on February 23rd, from 4:00 to 6:00pm. Friend’s Board Member Jerry Reynolds will be the director of this first in the series. The play, The Night of January 16th by Ayn Rand, is a comic courtroom battle between a former secretary to the wealthy murder victim and the district attorney.

This week, Texas native Ursula Wade Boudreaux releases her first children's book nationwide, titled "Micah's Baby Brother." Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, Boudreaux's book follows the journey of faith with Micah, a precocious three year old who wants to be a big sister more than anything. In her first children's book, Boudreaux teaches children how to petition God for the desires of their heart.

Austin (Feb. 16) - “After last year’s devastating storm water discharge of silt and sediment that choked Hamilton Creek and Hamilton Pool because of unchecked upstream development, I was sure that Hamilton Pool Preserve was the poster child for The Most Endangered Place in Texas,” says Nell Penridge, Hill Country Alliance board member who lives near Hamilton Pool. Last May, Penridge learned that Hamilton Pool, once clear 30 feet down to the bottom, now had only 3-5 feet of clear water on ...

The Blanco County Youth Council invites all members and other interested persons to attend their Annual Meeting set for Wednesday, March 4, 2009 from 7:00 to 8:00pm at the Blanco County Show Barn in Johnson City. This is the annual meeting where items may be brought before the Board of Directors for consideration of a rule or policy change.

The Blanco FFA Dairy Team competed in their first contest of the year at the annual San Antonio Livestock Exposition Dairy Judging Contest. Overall, Blanco’s team of Kelcee Hunter, Aaron Thomson, Lindsey Winn, Austin Smith and Lauren Winn placed 17th out of 98 teams. Individually, Lindsey placed 10th overall after competing against 344 other contestants in this year’s event. The Dairy Team’s next competition will be at the Tarleton State University Invitational in March.

The Blanco chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America will be attending the Region V Conference in San Antonio, Texas on February 20-21, 2009. The chapter members will be among 1200 delegates attending the two-day conference. The youth developed theme, “Find Your Treasure with FCCLA” will be carried out through tracks featuring a series of specialized workshops and general sessions in which members will discover ways to become actively involved on issues facing today’s you ...

An information session on how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form will be held on Monday, February 23, at Fredericksburg High School Library at 5:00 and 6:30pm. Sessions will also be in Spanish. All students applying for college financial aid must complete the FAFSA form.

Recently, several members of the Blanco FFA and Blanco Jr. FFA exhibited livestock at the annual Hill Country District Junior Livestock Show in Kerrville. More than 2,000 animals were exhibited from across the Hill Country at this year’s show. Leading the way for the local students was senior Claire Klepac, whose Hampshire breeding gilt took home breed champion honors.

San Antonio –The calf scramble was held Thursday, February 12 at the San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo. 4-H and FFA youth competed for $800 certificates to purchase breeding animals to exhibit in the 2010 San Antonio Junior Livestock Show. Twelve certificates were awarded Thursday to those who caught a calf.

The BYFL held the first 2009 board meeting, and new officers were elected: Executive Board President: Melissa Kneese Vice-President: Matt Horton Secretary: Tiffany Hodge Treasurer: Kim Phipps The league is set to commence construction next month of a new practice field at the high school for the fall season. Anyone with irrigation or landscaping experience that can assist should contact Paul Elrod @ pelrod86@yahoo.com. The BYFL is actively seeking parents to participate on the board, and to sup ...

Brian Roche and Kelsey Schwind both achieved Championship Level in a Zone Advancement Tournament (ZAT) at the Austin Tennis Academy this past weekend. To attain champ status, a player must accumulate 65 points in 4 tournaments in a 12 month time period. Brian won second in Boys 16 Singles and Kelsey won first consolation in Girls 14 Singles.

On February 6, the Blanco High School softball team had their first scrimmage of the season against Llano. The scrimmage allowed the team to test their skills in a variety of game situations and to see what areas they still need to work on before the regular season starts. Coach Seales stated that defensively the team played well, but offensively the Panthers need improvement.

Super Squad of the Hill Country has brought the house down during recent performances in Blanco and Boerne. Performing during Varsity basketball halftimes, the cheer squad has displayed their terrific dancing abilities as well as wowing the crowds with their stunts. Super Squad is an after school program that focuses on teaching leadership, team building, self-confidence, self-esteem and encouraging physical fitness without the pressure to compete.

The 3rd annual Blanco River Cleanup will be held on April 4, 2009 with the 10th annual KBB Trash Off. Many Blanco County citizens are unaware of the litter problems on the banks of and the nonpoint source of pollution problems that can pollute the Blanco River. The Blanco River Cleanup on April 4 will only address the litter problems, and there are many, on the banks and in the river. The technical term "Nonpoint source pollution"

Gentle readers: First, a really big "Get Well Soon" to Dr. Doug Pautz, who suffered some pretty severe injuries in a recent motorycle contest between him and the road - the road won. Our condolences to the Bolles family in the loss of their son, Matt. Condolences also to Julie Dill in the loss of her sister, Lori.

Blanco Police Reports These reports were filed between January 26 and February 4 January 26 • Suspicious Circumstances. 7:53 PM. White Chevy truck parked at Blanco Ice House. Subjects got out of vehicle and were stumbling. Possibly intoxicated. January 27 • Alarm. 3:01 PM. • Civil Matter. 3:20 PM. • Harassment. 8:43 PM. An officer spoke with both parties. January 28 • Animal Complaint.

Kitchens are one of the top things that sell a house, if not the top thing. When remodeling yours, you want to make sure that it will function and that it will also look the best it can be without spending a ton of money. When remodeling your kitchen make sure you focus on appliances, paint, cabinets, back splashes, countertops, and floors.

Kitchens are one of the top things that sell a house, if not the top thing. When remodeling yours, you want to make sure that it will function and that it will also look the best it can be without spending a ton of money. When remodeling your kitchen make sure you focus on appliances, paint, cabinets, back splashes, countertops, and floors.

Rep. Libby Linebarger at courthouse meeting February 15, 1989 The town hall meeting with State Rep. Libby Linebarger, D-Manchaca, as been rescheduled for Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Blanco County Courthouse. The original meeting, set for February 9, was cancelled due to cold weather and the threat of ice and sleet. Linebarger is asking constituents in Blanco and the surrounding area to join her for an old fashioned rap session at the courthouse in order to better understand their ...

You might think the age of online real estate listings and virtual tours has rendered curb appeal less important than in days gone by. But you’d be mistaken. Sure, a potential buyer’s first impression of your home might be of your kitchen or living room, displayed on her computer screen from the comfort of her own home.