I wish we had some rain reports to share with everyone, but not yet. I have noticed several of the dry tanks in the area have been cleaned out and ready for that big rain when it comes. There was a benefit roping for Glen Burkman last Saturday at the Elm Grove arena.

Matthew 3:5 "His disciples came unto Him privately, saying 'Tell us; when shall these things be and what will be the sign of THY coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them saying, 'Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in MY name, saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

Let me preface this weeks’ article with this: For all the information that you have received in relation to Emergency Management and YOUR Family, everything can be ‘tailored to make it fit’! What will probably work for a family of 6 can, and will, work for a family of 1 – if you make it work!!

How often are you physically active? According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 25% of Americans were not active last month. If you are that one person out of four who was not physically active last month, what kept you from being active? If the thought of spending hours at the gym or on the treadmill bores you, then think outside the gym.

Nettie Jean Randolph spent last weekend in Dallas with family. Talli Morrison, Tori Morrison, Michael Crawford, Shea Crawford, Judy Fairchok showed their pigs at the San Angelo Stock Show. Saturday Megan Murray had her first birthday party. The party was held at the Cherokee Home Gym. She had lots of family from out of town in attendance as well as friends from Cherokee. The children from Cherokee Home went to a Youth Rally at the Fredericksburg Church of Christ last Saturday evening.

She darted out in front of my car and I slammed on the brakes, just missing her. She paid no attention, crossed on into the next lane of traffic and acting as if she did not even care. I closed my eyes because I could not bear to see her get run over.

25 Years Ago March 8, 1984 We'll miss you, Woody Parks, at City National Bank with your ready smile and good humor. Parks has retired after 26 years at City National. We wish him much happiness and contentment in his retirement. By Kay McKee. Spring turkey season will begin in San Saba County April 14 and continue through April 29 with one gobbler allowed for the season. The Central Appraisal District has scheduled over the next three weeks of The San Saba News and Star some valuable inform ...

Reading Recommendations: Grace, a Novel, Richard Paul Evans. "Dear Reader, My readers often ask where my stories come from. I'm not always sure. Sometimes a story just comes to me in waves (or trickles) of inspiration and often times its not until the very end of the book that I see where my characters are taking me.

Dear Editor, I would like to thank Mr. C.K. Stevenson for his comments regarding the efforts of our committee to reduce the water rates of the NSSWSC. In fact, after reading Mr. Stevenson's letter, I reviewed my numbers and discovered that there was an omission. On the Income Statement (NSSWSC) there is an entry labeled "Bookkeeping & Professional"

This week has been steady to very busy and I don't foresee it getting slower any time soon. The other emergency services have also been very busy with numerous emergencies, especially the fire departments. Sunday morning around 12:30 a.m., a string of fires were set in San Saba County. Fire departments from Cherokee, Richland Springs, Elm Grove, Pontotoc, and San Saba responded to this growing emergency and did an outstanding job of not only quailing the fires, but of working together.

While guiding a tour through the Holy Land, we stopped at a restaurant for coffee. The tourist paid a dollar for the coffee, and when the waiter brought the cup it was only half full. "Fill it up!" he barked. When it came to his coffee, he insisted on a full cup.

Pray for the Spirit, not just any spirit but the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus urges. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:13). The Holy Spirit gives life.

Weekend before last there was ice and again this past weekend including Monday morning. Thank goodness it seems to warm up in the afternoon. More and more trees are beginning to put on green leaves, the weather has fooled some, but not any pecan or mesquite trees as they haven’t begun to put on leaves.

Everyone likes to see their hometown in the news, but sometimes that’s not always the best thing. I’m sure a shock ran around our community when our school district was featured on the front page. It’s not as if this hasn’t been coming for a while. After all, once gas became too expensive to drive kids from other towns to here, the writing was on the proverbial wall.

The 1st Annual San Saba Awards Banquet will be held Thursday, March 12th at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center. The theme for this year's banquet is "It's About to Get Western" and the public is invited to attend and encouraged to "Cowboy-Up and Cowgirl-Up!" Guest speaker will be State Representative, Harvey Hilderbran.

San Saba's Historic Beveridge Bridge was the gathering place for Texas Department of Transportation Officials, Flinn Family members, and local residents Thursday morning, February 19. The recently restored bridge spans the San Saba River on CR 200 also known as the China Creek Road. Present for the official opening presentation of the bridge were TX DOT officials from Austin: Lloyd M.

On December 17, 2008, Chris and Crystal Amthor of Iraan, Texas welcomed their twin boys into the world. The twins were born at Odessa Regional Medical Center 6 weeks early. On top is Heath McEwin Amthor, in his father's hand, on bottom is Hunter Mark Amthor in his mother's hand.

Joel and Betty Ratliff are proud to announce the birth of their son Patrick D’Wayne Ratliff on February 21, 2009 at 3:02 p.m. He weighed 8lb. 10 oz. and was 21 inches long. He was welcomed home by his proud big brother and sister, Garrett Dean, and Erin Shandale Ratliff.

The City of San Saba electric utility recently found a way to reduce potential landfill waste while also saving the city thousands of dollars. Specifically, the city electric utility re-used concrete poles for a new electric distribution circuit. The city had ordered six 45 foot-high concrete poles for a new electric line before Hurricane Ike struck the Texas Gulf Coast last fall.

The San Saba Garden Club met at 11:00 a.m., February 3rd at the clubhouse in Mill Pond Park. President Nancy Nelson brought up the thought that clubs throughout the city were honoring members and it was agreed that Clione Rochat should receive the Service Award for her many years of sacrificial giving of her time and talents to the club.

If you believe at the end of our lives, we should be able to maintain our dignity and bear the least amount of pain, then you already understand Hospice. Our Llano Hospice program provides support and care for persons in the last phases of incurable disease so that they may live as fully and as comfortably as possible.

Lucky Tubb and the Modern Day Troubadours will headline the Llano Country Opry, on Saturday, March 7, at the Lantex Theater in downtown Llano. The show begins at 7:30 PM and tickets are available at the Llano Chamber of Commerce, Llano National Bank, Lively Computers in Llano or by calling (325) 247-5354. If Ernest Tubb is the King of Honky Tonk music, then Lucky Tubb is surely the Prince.

The Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA) has partnered with a company that will provide a website where members of the general public can register an inventory of their valuable property, report property that has been stolen or check whether an item they are attempting to buy has been reported as stolen. Trace.com, a subsidiary of MyThings Inc., is collaborating with the TPCA, the Texas Department of Public Safety and more than 500 local Texas police departments and sheriff’s offices to ma ...

The Freemason's of San Saba Masonic Lodge will meet Saturday evening, March 7th at the lodge hall in San Saba. Members, their ladies & OES are asked to bring a complimentary covered side dish, salad, bread or dessert. A meal of steak and potatoes will be served at 6:30 P.M., provided by Joe & Red Ragsdale and Roger Verette.

Jack Blossman - Captain SSVFD. Jack has served as fire fighter for four years. He was the assistant chief for one year & captain for the last 7 years. His training includes: Rope Rescue, enclosed space & cave rescue, Basic medical, structure & wild land fire fighting, Tanker Truck driver, & basic water rescue.

Skywarn is the National Weather Service (NWS) program of trained volunteer severe weather spotters. Skywarn volunteers support their local community and government by providing the NWS with timely and accurate severe weather reports. These reports, when integrated with modern NWS technology, are used to inform communities of the proper actions to take as severe weather threatens. Skywarn, formed in the early 1970’s, has historically provided critical severe weather information to the NWS in ...

On Friday, March 6th, The Odeon Preservation Association in Mason will bring back Tish Hinojosa for the opening of the Odeon Theater Concert Series. So, if you missed her the first time, you won’t want to miss this rare opportunity. Tish is coming all the way from Germany for only a few engagements in Texas before returning to her new home in Germany.

Here’s hoping all yall had a nice Monday & might have taken a bit of time to at least observe that being the day to recall Texas declaring their Independence in that meager mance down in Washington on the Brazos. As best as my memory serves from my days down at “Sing-Sing on the Brazos”, the near forgotten Hamlet is in close proximity to Somerville.

Receipts totaled 1702 head for the week. The market took a big jump higher today on the feeder cattle with the steers selling $3 to $5 higher and the heifers going $4 to $6 higher and in some cases $10 higher. The stocker steers and heifers were steady. Packer cows sold $2 higher and bulls brought $1 higher. Rep.

Remember at the end of this month, March 28th is the Eleventh Annual Highland Lakes Garden Show. That’s right, the last Saturday of March is a great Lawn and Garden show at the Burnet Community Center east of the Square in Burnet 401 east Jackson Street. The entire show, including the speakers, is free to the public and the hours are 9:00 a.m.

As 2009 opens a year of promise, we all start pondering our New Year’s resolutions. For many people the top of that list includes weight loss and exercise. While most people could benefit from this resolution, so could most pets. Obesity occurs in up to 40 percent in our pet dogs and cats and it has many causes, but inactivity is a major contributor.

Agriculture is life for Texans. From food and fiber to fuel and jobs, agriculture sustains us. To reach as many as possible with this message, we at the Texas Department of Agriculture are expanding our online presence, making information more accessible for everyone. First, I am excited to announce that TDA’s quarterly newsletter, Texas Agriculture Today, is now available online.

Henry (Trey) Stoneham, III, Acting County Executive Director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) in San Saba County announced today that following Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement that the comment period for the regulation defining actively engaged participation in a farming operation has been extended for an additional 60 days, FSA is seeking a diverse range of comments from different areas of the United States and farming communities. With this extension, the public ...

When you pull out your property tax statement, you’ll notice a tax for the water district. You might have wondered exactly what the Hickory Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 is. We were created by an order of the Texas Water Commission on June 9, 1982, and organized under the terms and provisions of Article XVI, Section 59 of the Texas Constitution and Chapters 35 and 36 of the Texas Water Code.

Audrey Whitley, 91, of San Saba, passed away on Saturday, February 28, 2009 in San Saba. Audrey was born September 16, 1917, in Durant, Mississippi, the daughter of Plez J. McGuffee. On December April 3, 1936 Warwick Whitley and Audrey McGuffee were married in Oakdale, LA. She attended the Methodist Church. Audrey is survived by her son, Mellor Whitley II and his wife, Maxine of Burnet; her daughters, Ruth Riggs and her husband, Ray of San Saba; Carol Barton and her husband, Terry of Granite S ...

Frank Alcorn, 79, of San Saba, passed away on Friday, February 27, 2009 at Rollins Brook Hospital in Lampasas. Frank was born January 23, 1930 in Strawn, Texas, the son of W. C. Alcorn and Daisy Lee Clara Graves Alcorn. On December 8, 1945, Frank Alcorn and Ella Pearl Sutton were married in San Saba.

Gerald (Jerry) Conley, 71, of Grand Prairie, died Saturday February 28, 2009 at Harris Methodist Hospital, Ft. Worth. Jerry has resided in Grand Prairie since 1969. He and his family were long time members of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. He and his wife were members at First Baptist Church in Grand Prairie. He is preceded in death by his parents, George Albert and Adelle Conley Kinsey.

Rex McCarty, 93, of Dublin passed away Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at Comanche County Medical Center. He was born June 27, 1915 in China Creek Community, the son of R. D. McCarty and Mary Effie Taylor McCarty. On December 21, 1938, Rex McCarty and Pauline Adair were married in San Saba County.

On a day that started quiet warm and windy and ended cool and windy, the Jr. High Lady Dillos did a great job. The seventh grade 400 Relay had a bad break when the race was run using 200 staggers, which meant being in the outside lane, San Saba ran about 24 yards further than the first place team & further than the other teams to a lesser degree, the least being six yards.

The San Saba Armadillo Baseball Season got underway this past week.On Monday Feb.23rd, the Armadillos traveled to Hico for our first games, the Varsity won 4 to 3 with everybody pitching and playing well. The JV beat Hico 5-0 in a game shortened by darkness. Cody Herd got the win for the JV while Sr.

Cherokee Independent School District Honor Roll 2008-2009 4th SixWeeks "A" "A/B" Grade 1 Devin Gomez Angel Green Hank Perry Brendan Jaynes KO Tedder David Maddox Dax Porch Grade 2 Samantha Roach Dawson McGowan Pricila Vega Aiden Penney Grade 3 Saryn Yates Kendall Bell Kellen Everett Ethan Martin Laci Sanderson Lexi Wagner Grade 4 Tori McGowan Mikel Jaynes Tori Morrison McKenzie Zulauf Grade 5 Holly Vaughn Tanner Davis Sophia ...

TAKS testing began in earnest this past Tuesday. Students in third, fifth, eighth, and ninth took the reading tests. Students in fourth and seventh took the writing test; and tenth and eleventh took a combination reading and writing (ELA) test. The Lady Coyotes ended the season with a 19-10 record. The Lady Coyotes made it to the third round in the playoffs before losing to the Rochelle Lady Hornets in the third round.

On Friday, the San Saba High School Power lifting team competed in the Strawn meet. The team increased in weight totals from the Brownwood, DeLeon, Dublin, and Brady meets, thus showing great improvement. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments this week and if you see any of these lifters, please congratulate them on their awesome performance.

The San Saba Ladies Golf Association met February 26, 2009 for play day with the following ladies present: Jo Anne Hardy, Hattie Rogers, Sandee Hartley, Dorothy Sterner, and Anita Miles. The ladies played Low Gross and Low Net with Jo Anne Hardy having a great day! She tied with Anita Miles for Low Gross and winning Low Net.

Well, this is sad to write this last report. It’s sad because a coach never wants a great season to end and sad because we are losing three outstanding seniors- Katy Davis, Calea Turner, and Shelby Hardy. These three young ladies have been the backbone of our program and I will sorely miss them.

The Lady Dillo Softball team played Evant last week and came up short. They hit the ball great, but defense was weak. Some of our players were still playing basketball. Had some really bright spots. Turned a triple play, and Soph. Brittany Moreno hit a homerun. Only the 2nd one in Dillo history.

On Thursday, February 26th high school boys competed in a track meet at Blanco. These young men should be congratulated on the fine job they did in their first meet. All of our athletes finished at least 12th or better in all of their events. Every one of them competed to the best of their abilities and as coaches we were very proud of them.

On Friday, February 27 the 7th and 8th grade boys competed in a track meet at Florence. These young men should be congratulated on the fine job they did in their first meet. Every one of them competed to the best of their abilities and as coaches we were very proud of them.

The San Saba Tennis Team played three matches this past weekend. On Friday, Feb.27th, San Saba defeated Florence 16 to 4. On Saturday, Feb.28th, the Armadillos traveled to Leander High School and played in a tri-meet against a couple of class 3A state ranked teams Bellville and Waco Robinson. San Saba was defeated by Bellville 18 to 1 and in the afternoon match Waco Robinson defeated San Saba 17 to 2.

San Saba Elementary March 9-13 Monday Breakfast: Cereal/Toast, Rice, Fruit, Juice, Milk Lunch: Beef & Bean Burrito, Celery/Carrot Sticks, Green Beans, Tossed Salad, Mixed Fruit, Milk Tuesday Breakfast: Cereal/Toast, Bisquit & Jelly, Fruit, Juice, Milk Lunch: Chicken Nuggets/Peppered Gravy, Whipped Potatoes, Seasoned Corn, Rolls, Mixed Fruit, Milk VISITING DAY Wednesday Breakfast: Cereal/Toast, Cheese Pizza, Fruit, Juice, Milk Lunch: Steak Fingers/Peppered Gravy,Whipped Potatoes ...

Spring has sprung and school events are plentiful! Next week we have some pretty important events happening at San Saba ISD! In last weeks column I spoke to you about Texas Public School Week and Open House. I want to remind you again that we are hosting our spring Open House for all campuses on Monday, March 9th.

MARCH IS TOBACCO AWARENESS MONTH - Big Tobacco’s lies are everywhere. They’re in advertising messages like “Be Kool,” “Pleasure to burn” and “Light and Luscious.” They’re in the magazines we read, the movies we watch, even the stores where we shop…and they are killing nearly half a million Americans every year. The tobacco industry addicts more than 1,000 youth every day—and one in three of them will die prematurely because of tobacco use. So what does Big Tobacco see w ...