AUSTIN — Comptroller Susan Combs announced Sept. 25 that local and state governmental bodies may apply to compete for $30 million in grants from the Distributed Renewable Energy Technology Program.    These are federal stimulus funds. Grant monies received can be used to install solar panels, small wind turbines or other types of renewable energy directly at a public facility to generate electricity for the place.    The idea is to reduce ...

   Installation of a Rainwater Harvesting System for household use on a house being built is easier than one already built. With knowledge of components needed and planning, it is not difficult to install in either case.  If you have any plumbing skills, it can be a do-it-yourself with a bit of help.    Installation for home use goes like this; the roof is connected to the rain gutter, the rain gutter is connected to the downspout, the downspout is connected t ...

   The new H1N1 flu -- the swine flu -- is a disease to be taken seriously, but not one that ought to cause panic.    That was the key message from Mark Rogers, RN, Director of Care Management at Hill Country Memorial Hospital System in Fredericksburg.    "Most people who catch the new flu will simply have a case of flu,"

   I cannot believe how quickly time passes; last month marked one year of living in the Hill Country!  And it's been an amazing year filled with making new friends, working, settling in and learning the tempo and timing of living as a Texan.  These experiences have given me a greater appreciation for life, for my religion, the people I love and for people in general.  I don't know many states that can boast coastline, desert and plains...

   …But in that moment, I realized that I was merely a vessel for God’s work at hand.  I allowed the mystery of God to flow through me as He used my hands as His and cupped both sides of Maria’s face.  Looking into her sad, shamed eyes, the Spirit of God within me kissed her on either cheek.  It was a complete out of body experience and it was humbling to say the least.  To have been invited to be a part of God’s grace and mercy with ano ...

   1 John 5:1-15 “1 John 5 - Faith in the Son of God    “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments.

A small boy was sent to the store to buy bread. He returned home much later than expected and his mother was worried. She said, "where have you been, what took you so long"? He said, "I ran into a friend with a broken bike and stayed to help him".

   A. W. Tozer begins his book "The Knowledge of the Holy" with a penetrating observation: “What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”    The Bible declares that Jesus was/is God the Son who in His incarnation (birth into human history as fully God and fully man) provided for us the clearest and most important revelation of God that has ever been or ever will be and can alone forgive our sins and grant us salv ...

   Dawn Cox, age 85, passed away on September 27, 2009, at her home on the ranch in Blanco, TX.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Sidney Cox.   Visitation will be Friday, October 2, 2009, from 12:00pm to 8:00pm.  The funeral will be at 1:00pm on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at Crofts Funeral Home, Blanco, TX.  Burial will follow at the Cox Ranch family cemetery in Blanco, TX.   A more personal obit will follow next week.

Dear Editor,    I enjoyed the comments of the lady from Canada, Heather DeGrandpre, and I would like to assure her that I am not without knowledge of national health care systems, having lived in both the UK and Germany.  And yes, I am blessed with great health care, which is, however, quite costly and doesn’t cover some 40 plus million of my fellow Americans.

Dear Editor,    Have you ever been accused of doing something that you know for a fact never happened? Even your own son questions, “Why Dad? That never happened.”    It appears that people are subject to false allegations quite often. If this happens, is it necessary for an individual to take some form of action to combat any inappropriate and/or erroneous assertions to which he or she has been subject and just how would an indi ...

Dear Editor,    The alarms that rang out in January ‘09 have been confirmed as real attacks on our systems of government. The 4 billion dollars awarded to Acorn in the stimulus bill has rewarded us with a nationwide crime system. If we are to have an honest election next year, this cancer called Acorn must be removed.    In eight short months they have opened hundreds of offices across the country under different corporate names, come ...

   The Blanco FFA Chapter hosted the 18th Annual Blanco FFA Invitational Land, Range, and Plant ID Contests this past Saturday at Gem of the Hills.  Over 150 students from 15 different schools participated in this year’s competitions.    In the Range Plant Identification Contest, Blanco won first place overall.  In individual rankings, Alex Gustafson won top honors, followed by Chelsea Fuller in 3rd and Matt Pepper in 4th.  Other team members i ...

   After closing out their non-district schedule with a convincing win over Jarrell, the Blanco Panthers continued their stellar play and completely dominated the Randolph Ro-Hawks in the district opener for both schools. Blanco topped the 400 yard mark in offense, while the defense held Randolph to a season low 60 yards in total offense.    The Panthers started fast and furious behind the running of senior Layton Dworaczyk, who scored on the Panthers’ first ...

   Although the Wolfpack of San Antonio’s School of Excellence has an enrollment of 2300 students, the private school only brought one team to face the Panthers on Thursday night.    The 8th grade Panthers played the 1st half, and dominated on both sides of the ball. Kyle Sauceda forced a wolfpack fumble that was recovered by Mason LeBlanc.

   The 2009 Junior Gran Prix State Tennis Tournament was held this past weekend at John Newcombe’s Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels. This is a team tennis competition with the Large Market cities represented being Kingwood, Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. For the second year in a row, the San Antonio team captured the large-market division 1st Place Title.    Brian Roche had previously qualified to represent the boys’ 18 division for the San Anton ...

   As a realtor, my job description requires looking at houses and ranches. I see beautifully landscaped homes with manicured lawns and often, messy properties with debris strewn about: damaged, rusty barrels filled with oil seeping into the ground, or bottles of old, leaky pesticides sitting on the ground in sheds.

   The most important news this week, and this doesn't happen very often, especially in today's society, is the fact that TD and Leona Smylie will have been married 67 years on Sunday, October 4th! And they still get along real well! It is a privilege to be able to be the one to announce this.......    In other news, Bob Daughdril's son, Rob, and Rob's wife, Helen, came to visit Mr.

   How about starting with a small rain barrel for your rainwater collecting?  These are not your main source for collecting water for consumption.  Rain collected from rooftops is often contaminated with bird droppings, mold and other debris that stagnate standing water. The only way to make collected rainwater safe for consumption is to boil it but this should only be done for emergency use and not as a permanent solution.  This method should be used to collect wat ...

Upshaw in second seasonSeptember 27, 1989Robert Upshaw, a 5 foot 9 inch, 175 pound sophomore running back for the Southern Arkansas University Mulerider football team, is beginning his second season of play at SAU.Upshaw, who lettered last year as a freshman, is serving as the backup for both starting running backs.Upshaw, who also returns kicks for the Riders, is very well-liked by his fellow team members.

   The first-time homebuyer federal tax credit expires on November 30, 2009, so if you’re considering buying a home, but haven’t started the process, the time is now!    On average, a residential closing takes about 45 days from contract to signing the papers; so even starting your search now may be cutting it a little close.