Willie and Elizabeth Garcia of Blanco, Texas will celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary on Saturday, March 20! They were married on the first day of Spring in 1944. The couple live in Chimney Valley where they remain active in their church and with their grandchildren. Additionally, Willie, who is a World War II Army Veteran, celebrates his 89th birthday Friday, March 27th.

As a youth, I remember hearing my father say, “There are lies, damn lies and then there are statistics.” For a long time I didn’t fully understand what he was saying. One event finally brought it home to me. I became the principal at an alternative school. The students at the school were there because they had gotten into some kind of trouble in regular school or they needed some other environment in which to succeed.

The Hurt Locker was a good film, but I’m not sure it deserved best picture. The movie drags a little here and there, but there’s plenty of action to get you through the slow spots. They tried to make a movie that was based on how it is in Iraq and not a bunch of bunk or political agenda’s of how the director views the war or our government; so in that regard, they succeeded.

AUSTIN — Changes to the social studies curriculum for public schools are in the hopper. The State Board of Education on March 12 voted 10-5 in favor of a set of proposed revisions. The next step is for the proposed revisions to be posted in the Texas Register in mid-April, and then a 30-day public comment period will begin. One of several points of contention arose over whether to require that students be taught the names of Tejanos, the Texans of Hispanic ancestry, who w ...

By Waymond Lightfoot Do you know the most important item a homebuyer must consider when looking for a home? You should. If you're purchasing a house, the most important item is the one that tops your priority list. For many people, that may be a price range or neighborhood or number of bedrooms – perhaps some combination of the three. Someone else may list a backyard that can accommodate a few dozen turtles and a rabbit hutch as their number-one m ...

Due to overwhelming response last spring, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park announces the third annual LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour on Saturday, March 27 on the LBJ Ranch near Stonewall. Luci Baines Johnson, younger daughter of Lyndon and “Lady Bird” Johnson, will officially start the 30, 44, and 65-mile (100 kilometer) rides at 9:00 a.m.

The offspring of Blanco schools went on to become entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, teachers, professional sports players, etc. The all-school reunion on June 19 will be a flash from the past and present. Come visit and see memories on display. If you have articles, pictures or want to share stories, contact Shyrle at 830-833-4356 with your information. We are getting a good response, so don’t forget to send in your check for the meal ticket to be counted in that number.

The Blanco Lions Club has been busy helping to make the community a better place. Through the collection of aluminum cans, the club is able to keep functioning, however, because we have been affected by the downturn in the economy as well, all other donations are accepted and appreciated. Of course, the number one thing that will ensure that the Blanco Lions will be around for years is members.

Join Blanco Verde and the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society for another delightful potluck supper at the courthouse on Sunday, March 28, from 6:00 - 9:00. There will be a planting table for you to pot and take home a variety of plants. An expert will speak to the group about indigenous plants of the Hill Country.

Members of the Blanco FFA Livestock Judging team have started the new semester and year training hard and competing in area invitational contests. These practice contests are vital for providing students with the hands on instruction needed to become proficient in the skill of successfully evaluating livestock species. Over the last three weeks members have taken part in the Floresville, Victoria and Heart of Texas Invitational Contests which have reinforced classroom instruction.

The Hill Country Spurs 4-H Club Horse Judging teams have had a busy and successful season. We had 22 members from Blanco County, ages 8 through 16, register for horse judging this year, making up 3 Junior Teams and 2 Senior Teams. We started off our season in early February with Kendra Smith, Amara Yachimski, Avery Klepac and Ava Begay attending the TQHyA, 4-H and FFA Horse Judging contest in Ft.

Master Gardeners are busy at work throughout Blanco County. Projects are underway at Blanco National Park, Bamberger Ranch, LBJ National Park and Johnson City entry points; Master Gardeners are repotting plants for their native plant booth at Johnson City's April 17 Wildflower Days Festival and some Master Gardeners are preparing to attending the State Convention in April to bring back new ideas to Blanco County. Are you enjoying Cardinal and Lesser Goldfinch at your feeders?

Pedernales Electric crews in the Cedar Park District now have the added benefit of working with a hybrid bucket truck. The 2010 Kenworth T300 Hybrid Truck is the Cooperative’s first hybrid bucket truck and the newest addition to Cedar Park’s fleet. The truck runs on both diesel and battery power. Cedar Park Construction Supervisor J.P.

The public is invited to meet the artist at Rain Bird Gallery every fourth Saturday of the month between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. This is an opportunity to view new art and ask the artist questions about their work. This is free to the public. On March 27, Rain Bird will feature Marilyn Rea Nasky, artist and instructor.

John 14 "1Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me. 2In My Father's house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.

As Palm Sunday approaches, we’re entering the time of the year when tale spinners come out of the woodwork with conspiracy theories about the authenticity of the resurrection of Christ. When the dust clears, however, the fictions always fall and the resurrection stands. Why is this repeatedly true? Why are these false arguments against new life so hard to sell? There are three accepted answers to these questions: the empty tomb, the testimonies of eyewitnesses and ...

Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” We learned last week that there is no possible way that a person can be justified by the works of the law. If the apostle Paul couldn’t do it - don’t fool yourself into thinking you can.

A husband confided to a friend that his wife talked to herself a lot. The friend said, "So does my wife, but she doesn't know it, she thinks I'm listening!" Many husbands have been known not to be good listeners. It is often the case that we all have a problem hearing spiritual messages. When we have the opportunity to hear the word of God we should do so knowing that God has made available to us the gift of salvation.

Mwangaza, the Ugandan children's choir, will sing at First Baptist Church, Blanco on Wednesday, March 17 at 6:30. Mwangaza Children’s Choir is a group of spirited, talented and passionate children who represent the needy and poverty stricken people of Uganda. The children tour on behalf of Africa Renewal Ministries to worship, minister and share their message of hope through song and dance.

Helen Maxine Sultemeier, 90, passed away Saturday, March 13, 2010 in Johnson City. Maxine was born in Johnson City to Albert Burleson Stevenson and Katie Haley Stevenson. She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Otto Richard Sultemeier; and brother, J.B. Stevenson. Maxine is survived by her daughter, Kay Williams of Johnson City; son, Perry Sultemeier and wife Cindy of Johnson City; five grandchildren, Cody Swope, Kimberly Terry, Zane Swope, Cindy Kay Witt, and Brent S ...

Melbourne Jerome Banks, age 81, passed away on March 13, 2010 at his home in Canyon Lake, Texas. He is preceded in death by his parents, John F. Banks and Selma Scott Banks. He was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma and lived the last four years in Canyon Lake, Texas. He enjoyed gardening and working in the yard.

Children aren’t the only ones that must deal with bullies; adults must deal with them as well. They take different shapes and sizes and the bullying can take on different dimensions according to the dynamics of the two people involved in the process. I’ve been thinking about bullying this morning and thought I’d write about it because it’s important.

Dear Editor, On March 2, 2010 someone faxed a complaint to UIL regarding three student athletes at Blanco High School. The fax was sent in “anonymously” but basically questioned their playing eligibility due to residency issues as well as personally attacking the credibility of BHS Baseball Coach Bryan Wyatt. Of course these kids are all residents of Blanco, and it took the UIL Board no time in unanimously voting that way.

The Lady Panther softball team traveled to Boerne to battle the Lady Greyhounds and lost, 3-9, on Tuesday, March 9. In the first inning, Blanco started strong with two runs scored. The Boerne team had one batter cross home plate. Defensively, the team faltered, making seven errors. Boerne took advantage of the missed balls and bad throws, adding seven runs by the end of the game. Callie Culton pitched, giving up nine hits with six strike-outs.

After strong performances in their first two tournaments of the season, the Blanco Panthers traveled south to Dilley for the Wolves’ annual baseball tournament. Although the Panthers opened the tournament with a convincing win over Jourdanton, Blanco struggled in their next three games to finish 4th over all. In their first game, the Panthers dominated the Jourdanton Indians winning 14 to 4 behind a strong pitching performance from senior Blake West, who improved to 2 and 1 on t ...

Spring fever has hit the Blanco area. Have you noticed the Bradford pear, peach, plum and redbuds in bloom? We have only three weeks until Easter. Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer that we will skip the Easter freeze. We need a successful peach crop this year. Most of the lawns look terrible.

Prepare to be downhearted with me - Lyle’s parents (my wonderful in-laws) are heading back to Kansas for the summer. They are always a joy to have here - I wasn’t able to spend as much time with them as I would have liked, since I had lots and lots of typing to do, but hopefully when they come back in late fall I will have been able to organize my schedule a little better. Spring has sprung - get out and enjoy the first signs - the hummingbirds, the flowers, the wea ...

Are you wondering what some of the terms in the Green/Sustainable world really mean? If you look up some of the terms in Wikipedia Encylopedia, here is what you will find. This is only the beginning. There are so many items to building Green. Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual’s or society’s use of the Earths Natural Resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon foot ...

White House Sends Thanks to Mike Smith March 17, 1961 Michael Smith is the proud possessor of a letter of thanks from the White House thanking him for a gift of potholders which he had addressed to President Kennedy. The letter says: “It was certainly friendly of you to want the President to have the assortment of potholders that you made for him.