This week we’ll cover section 12C. Guy G. Ross (1888-1960); May L. Ross (1891-1961); Thomas G. Diggs (1877-1947); Ivy N. Diggs (1878-1963); Garland E. Diggs (10/25/1916-6/12/1985); Maxine C. Diggs (2/27/1914-11/25/1979); Katie Mae Price Billings McCarty (1910-1999); Sidney Elbert Weathermon (11/16/1907-1/28/1999). Charles E. Ross (1918-1985); Opal O. Ross (1924-2004); Jessie McIntyre (3/1905-7/2001); Edwin Aaron McClure Jr.

Moses Hesskew brought in these photos of the Guadalupe River near Smithson Valley. Send in your snapshots of the week to news@blanconews.com.

The Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center received a much needed contribution from proceeds raised at the 2011 Real Ale Ride cosponsored by The Bicycle Sport Shop and Real Ale Brewing Company in May. Riders from across the state participated in the event helping to raise $8,000 for the Center. “This was our most successful ride to date with 1,164 riders having fun while helping to support a worthwhile cause” said Jodie Eldrige, marketing director for The Bicycle Sports Shop. The Center ...

The “Save the Willow City Post Office” group reminds all of the final meeting on Thursday, September 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Willow City Fire Station. Citizens interested in showing support for keeping the Willow City Post Office open are invited and urged to attend. The purpose of this Town Hall meeting is for United States Postal Representatives Lou Klegin, Acting Manager of Post Office Operations, and Bill Gilmore, Postmaster of Leander, to read a prepared statement reiterating the P ...

The United States Postal Service (USPS) today announced the next phase of its ongoing “discontinuance feasibility study of facility operations at the Hye Post Office.” As previously reported, the USPS has targeted some 3,600 (primarily rural) post offices nationwide for closure. In a letter to box holders, Harry Seely, Manager of Post Office Operations, writes, “The office is being studied due to declining office workload, which may indicate that maintaining this facility is not warrante ...

Have you ever found yourself asking questions like, “How often do I need to exercise to keep my blood pressure at a healthy level? Is walking enough for me? What is strength training and why is it important? Why can’t I keep that extra weight off? Which diet is best for general good health?” These are just a few of the questions that most of us have.

CASA for the Highland Lakes is in need of volunteer advocates. We need adults willing to stand up for an abused or neglected child. We have an alarming number of new children entering foster care in our five counties of Lampasas, San Saba, Llano, Burnet, and Blanco. A CASA volunteer is appointed by a judge to provide factual information on behalf of a child caught in a difficult legal process.

A Blanco County tribute to the heroes of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center ten years ago will come Monday night, when the documentary film, "9/11", is presented free at the First United Methodist Church in Johnson City. A video crew was with the firefighters that morning, completing a documentary on a rookie's training and first assignment: the station serving the twin towers.

Pecan Street Brewing and Classic Chassis Car Club Austin LCCI are teaming to host a monthly Friday Night Cruise in Johnson City. Owners and Car Clubs are invited to drive their classic, collector, antique or hotrod, car or truck to Pecan Street Brewing on the third Friday of each month, from 6-9pm.

What is that awful sound under my feet? There is a crunching sound beneath my shoes as I walk across what used to be my lawn and as I cross my scorched, by the sun not fire, pastures. We have been setting and breaking all the wrong records, the records for the most triple digit days and the most days without rainfall.

The local Girl Scout troop held a registration event at Blanco First Baptist Church on Wednesday, August 31.

National Back To Church Sunday, a cross-denominational movement to reverse declining church attendance and encourage everyone to revisit congregational life, will be celebrated September 18 across the country. National Back To Church Sunday has become the single largest community outreach in the nation with 10,000 churches expected to participate in 2011.

“Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” Isaiah 48:17 KJV Have you ever wished for a book on how to raise children right or, how to profit, or wondered what you should do?

Trinity Lutheran Church in Stonewall is extending an invitation to the public to join in their annual Rally Day and Barbecue celebration on Sunday, September 11. Activities begin at 9:00am with Sunday School for children and adults as well. The childrens’ classrooms will be open and the new materials will be on display.

A very elderly lady, who couldn't see or walk very well, was standing at a busy intersection waiting to cross. A man walked up to her and very diplomatically said, "May I cross with you?" They begin to cross and made it to the other side, but it was anything but safe.

Eze 4:12-15 says, “And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah Lord GOD!

Dear Editor, Stop the Cycle of Violence! I don’t know if many of you in this community know that there is a problem with domestic violence within the town and county, but there is. A few years back right here in Blanco, Texas a young girl lost her life to it. It happened to one of my family members and no one should have to live in that kind of horror. We need tough law enforcement, aggressive prosecutions, effective prevention programs and available shelters for families in distress.

“Caring without losing yourself” is the topic of a free, four-session discussion group beginning at the end of September and aimed at helping those who are caring for those with cancer or other life-changing health condition. “Caregivers need to maintain their own health and identity while providing care for those who depend on them the most,” said Rick McMinn, discussion leader for the four-Wednesday sessions.

Judit Green, a San Antonio biologist, will present a talk,”Wildscaping: Landscaping to Benefit Wildlife,” on September 13 at the Gillespie County Agricultural Extension Service Building, 95 Frederick Road in Fredericksburg, beginning at 7:00pm. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center as part of their Nature Series programs held monthly during the school year.

The Hill Country CattleWomen will begin their Fall activities with a meeting on September 20. The meeting will be held at the Gillespie Country Farm Bureau Building, which is located at 237 Equestrian Dr. in Fredericksburg. The Social and Sign In will begin at 10am and the meeting at 10:30am with lunch following.

Pursuant to Section 144.044 of the Agriculture Code, cattle owners are required to re-register their cattle brands every ten years. The process of renewing brands began August 31, 2011 and continues until February 28, 2012 in the County Clerk’s office. The cost of registering brands is $16.00 per brand. Brands that have not been renewed by March 1, 2012 will become “Open Brands” for the general public. Brand registration will take place in the Blanco County Clerk’s office located in th ...

Wildlife management is becoming increasingly important to the economy of the Texas Hill Country. Coordinating wildlife management with traditional ranch management is the key to our Hill Country future. Bill Armstrong, formerly with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Kerr Wildlife Management Project, will be speaking on “fifty thousand years of ranch management in the Texas Hill Country and its impact on wildlife management” or “what habitat and game management practices you nee ...

AUSTIN — Of around 6,000 House and Senate bills filed by members of the 82nd Texas Legislature, about 1,300 of them survived the rigorous process. More than 600 of those bills took effect as new laws immediately when the governor signed them in May and June. A few took effect exactly 90 days after they were finally passed and 21 are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1.

Blanco schools were open for “Meet the Teachers” nights, which allowed parents to meet their child’s teachers, and experience their child’s classroom environment. “We want to provide an opportunity early on for parents to meet with teachers,” said Superintendent Dr. Buck Ford. “This allows parents an early view of their child’s teacher, their classroom, and their overall school environment.

The Blanco Lady Panthers pounced on the Lago Vista Vikings Tuesday, August 30 to take an early 2-0 lead. However, the Vikings fought back to take the next 3 games in the best of 5 match. The final score was (25-20), (26-24), (14-25), (19-25) and (13-15). The Panthers demonstrated outstanding improvement over a previous loss to the Vikings, 0 to 3.

With several injured Blanco JV starters prowling the sidelines, one might be concerned about the outcome of the clash with the Johnson City Eagles, on Thursday, September 1. There would be no need to worry as the team demonstrated their depth at key positions. In the first quarter, Quarter back McKay Adamson scored on a bootleg into the end zone.

One day when I was nine or ten years old, my buddy and I came upon the opening to a long, dark “cave.” It was built of concrete and was four or five feet in diameter. It went back under a hill and curved so that we couldn’t see the other end.

When you’re building a home there are several different ways you can cut your costs. Even if you’re building your dream home you should still look for ways to save money but not have to compromise too much. So what are the most cost effective upgrades when building a home?

September 3, 1965 Supt. Lester Cobb reported that the opening of school this year showed an increase in enrollment over last year. As of Sept. 1, 1965, the enrollment was 425 in comparison with 406 on that date in 1964. This set a new record for enrollment in the Blanco school system.

Whether you’re buying or selling a home, you’re going to be confronted and perhaps overwhelmed with numbers: interest rates, days on market, loan terms and many more. They’re all significant in the transaction, but what do they mean? This column is not the place for in-depth analysis of real estate math … that would be a tall order.