January 7, 2010

The San Saba County Commissioners Court was held in the County Judge’s Chambers on Monday, December 28th at 9 a.m. Judge Byron Theodosis welcomed everyone and explained the agenda to visitors. Rickey Lusty gave the invocation followed by everyone joining for the pledges to the American and Texas flags. Judge Les Dawson introduced Tracy Crites and Stephanie Reed from a law firm in the Midland/Odessa area.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs today said the state collected $1.70 billion in sales tax in November, down 14.4 percent compared to November 2008. "Sales tax collections, declining since February 2009, continued to be weak in November," Combs said. "Compared to a year ago, sales tax collections were down across all major sectors of the Texas economy, including oil and natural gas production, construction, manufacturing and retail trade." The Comptroller sent cities, counties, ...

The San Saba Hoerster Clinic has met all criteria for Laboratory Accreditation by COLA, a national healthcare accreditation organization. Accreditation is given only to laboratories that apply rigid standards of quality in day-to-day operations, demonstrate continued accuracy in the performance of proficiency testing, and pass a rigorous on-site laboratory survey.

In the last two months, two area residents marked milestones as volunteers for the National Weather Service. Mrs. Charlotte Spence of San Saba 7NW completed 10 years of service as a volunteer Cooperative Weather Observer. Mrs. Spence began collecting temperature and precipitation data on a daily basis on December 1, 1999. Mrs.

All school-age youth in San Saba County are reminded to enter the 2010 Youth Fair. Entries are to be taken to the Senior Center on Thursday January 14th from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. No pre-registration is necessary. Categories include: Food, Art, Poster, Photography, Crafts and Educational. More information about the categories or the Youth Fair is available at the Co.

The Llano Country Opry will kick off its 11th Season on January 9, at the Lantex Theater in downtown Llano. There will be two performances with the Award Winning Bellamy Brothers beginning at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Admission is $20.00 per person. Limited tickets remain on sale at the Llano Chamber of Commerce, Llano National Bank, Lively Computers in Kingsland and KNEL radio in Brady.

Imagine a dance company that has performed in front of more than 22 million people in more than 15,000 presentations!! A company that has completed more than 100 international tours in its 53-year history!! A company that has trained more than 3,500 dancers, used more than 30,000 pairs of shoes, and accumulated over 45,000 wardrobe pieces!! Kerrville you’re in for a treat!

Our residents rang in the NEW YEAR with horns and blowers, along with festive hats, and a whole lot of goodies to eat. Everyone enjoyed the celebration, and welcomed 2010 in style!

The Fredericksburg Rock-hounds open their 41st Annual Hill Country Gem and Mineral Show to the public on Saturday, January 16, at 9 AM. The show closes for the night at 6 PM and opens again on Sunday from 10 AM until 5 PM. This event will be inside the Pioneer Pavilion at Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park, about two miles south of downtown Fredericksburg on Highway 16.

Pecan Grove Baptist Church located in San Saba, TX will be hosting a concert by Dee Vickery on Sunday, January 10th at 11 AM. Dee Vickery is a Nashville Christian-Country Recording Artist whose music has been released both nationally and internationally. In 2008, Jubilee Has Started, a song from her first album, went all the way to #7 on the Top 100 Christian-Country Music Chart and stayed in the top 20 for several months.

The Mayborn Planetarium and Space Theater will re-open with a Monday matinee on January 4 and new shows in the weekend lineup. The matinee, "Zula Patrol: Under the Weather," airs Monday, January 4 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, January 6 at 4 p.m. In "Zula Patrol," the heroes of the award-winning PBS TV series take an expedition to collect samples of weather for scientist Multo’s research – using their loyal pet Gorga’s ability to collect and bottle all kinds of weather.

To all who have been so generous, supportive, and helpful, the members of San Saba County EMS extend their sincere appreciation. Period from September 1 through December 31, 2009: Gifts, Contributions, etc. Reuben & Patricia Senterfitt-cash donation; Peter Hald-cash donation, Austin Barcliff-cash gift in honor of his grandfather, Don Woodruff; San Saba Volunteer Fire Department-fire safety equipment for the EMS station; Bill Schumpert of Ghost Wolf Ranch & ...

Weather across West Central Texas can change suddenly and dramatically. It can be characterized by flash floods, wildfires, hail storms, drought, winter storms and tornadoes. Here are the five most significant weather events for 2009 that impacted West Central Texas. 1) The Christmas Eve Snowstorm - December 24 The Christmas Eve snowstorm dropped 4 to 6 inches of snow across much of the Big Country.

2 SAMUEL 6:6-7 "And when they came to Nacchon's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the Ark of God, and took hold of it: for the oxen shook it. 7. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah: and God smote him there for his error: and there he died by the Ark of God." The rather recent discovery of the mysterious Ark of God may prove to be of the greatest interest to all Bible scholars.

One of the greatest honors I have in my public life is the opportunity to thank our veterans for their service to America. Throughout our history, U.S. servicemen from every corner of our state - from Laredo to Lubbock to Longview – have signed up to defend the free world from tyrannical dictatorships.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Approximately 20.5 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts, and by age 80 more than half of Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery, says the National Eye Institute. What was once thought as a condition that had to "ripen"

Congratulations to Curt Mckneely. He starts his first teaching job at Miles. Dan and Esther Cox and Seth Hahn spent New Years week-end in Abilene with family. Danny and Janiece Duggan; Tommy, Kaci, Talli and Tori Morrison spent time in Pecos Junction last week. Other family members joined them also. Jackie Brister is happy to let everyone know Leaning Bluff Lodge is finally finished and ready for rental for parties, business meetings, family reunions , church retreats or wedd ...

Ooh. Aah. Aren’t they pretty? This may describe some of the scenes that we have to look at during this time of year. Many people have decorated houses, lawns and buildings with lights of various colors. Some cities have areas you can go to see special sights at this time of the year.

50 Years Ago December 31, 1959 A total of four car wrecks during the holidays took some of the joy from the Christmas holiday season, with two people in the local hospital from injuries, according to Sheriff Brantley Barker, who investigated the accidents. A fire destroyed the Bill Stewart home in Lindley Addition on Tuesday night, Dec.

We have not had any rain in some time, now. This is a drab time of the year with everything being so brown. I know there is a reason for all of the seasons and I will just look forward to Spring when everything comes back to life, again. We enjoyed two snowfalls before Christmas which is unusual for this area. This begins a new month in a new year, in a new decade.

Reading Recommendations: Half Broke Horses, A True Life Novel, Jeannette Walls. "Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith Jeannette Walls' no-nonsense, resourceful and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town, riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job.

It’s surely a safe bet that most all of you might be just about as weary of the Christmas Holiday season as we are around the Harkey House. It seemed like a fairly long weekend, what with all the visiting, food, gifts, and a few football games. Well, be advised that we might all be fore-warned that it’s not over as of yet.

"Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone" (Isaiah 28:16). This is what God says about His Son, Jesus Christ. He calls Christ a precious stone. Christ is precious because He entered the world "to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). When Christ came into the world he came preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand"

Everyone out at the Bend made it through to the New Year celebrations without any mishaps. Some displays of fireworks could be seen from different locations on both sides of the river. The global warming hasn’t hit here as of yet it seems. The weather forecast for this week is cold and colder. Lola Morris reported that she had visitors December 31.

We are admonished to "dream big dreams" at various stages of life, but for at least one career educator, a nightmare of two decades ago may prove to be his springboard to international literary notoriety. For Bill Holt, an English teacher at Tarrant County College’s South Campus in Fort Worth, the nightmare spawned the plot for his first novel.

Last week a church brought me some little chairs and tables that they did not need anymore. I put one by my front door for my grandchildren to sit on while they were visiting. As I looked at that little empty chair, it saddened my heart because I realized there are so many little vacant chairs in our churches today.

The New Year is officially here. I’m usually good for the first few days about writing the date with the New Year number. After that, comes the check changing and initialing. We had some discussion about the new date before school let out. The kids were trying to decide if you would say ten like we say ’09 or would you have to say the whole date for it to make sense, twenty-ten.

USDA is partnering with the Internal Revenue Service to reduce fraud in farm programs and streamlining payment limits for family farmers. The actions are intended to strengthen the integrity and defensibility of USDA farm safety net programs and help the agricultural industry to meet requirements included in the 2008 Farm Bill. "Today’s announcement will ensure that the producers who depend upon the safety net of USDA programs will have future access to these programs by enhanc ...

Annie Lee Clark, 93, of Lamarque, Texas passed away on Monday, December 28, 2009 at St. Lukes Hospital in Houston, Texas. She was born August 2, 1916 in Bell County, Texas, the daughter of Ambrose Dudley Beckner and Harmour Julia Fatheree. She is survived by her son James C. Clark and his wife Nita of Mineola, Texas; her daughters Margie Wronski and her husband Leszek of Lamarque, Texas and Mary Ann Ross of Lamarque, Texas; her brother James Beckner of San Saba; her grandchildren Sco ...

Barbara Jean Kendrick Pearcy of Austin, Texas passed away December 30, 2009. She was born on April 9, 1923, in Washington State to parents Carrie Katherine Kendrick and Kenneth Wendell Kendrick. She graduated high school in Sacramento, California, and attended the University of Washington as an art major. She enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and became a Navy Link Pilot Trainer.

A lot has happened since the last report two weeks ago. We played a lot of basketball over the break (I’ll get to that in a minute), and we lost an important member of our team to injury. I had already told you that J Miles went out in the first quarter against Hico on Dec.

Parent involvement is critically important in the education of children of all ages, from newborns through high school age and beyond. We know that parents—and what they do or don’t do at home—make a huge difference in children’s reading ability, in their attitudes toward learning, in the development of socially responsible behaviors and values, in children’s performance on standardized test scores, in students’ likelihood of graduating from high school, a ...

Registration for the Central Texas College (CTC) spring semester will resume January 4-8. Classes begin January 11, 2010. Returning students may register online using the WebAdvisor system and seek academic advisement through the Guidance and Counseling Office in the Student Services Building (Bldg. 119. To register online, students should log onto www.ctcd.edu, click on the "Students"

Angelo State University conferred degrees upon 366 students during 2009 fall commencement exercises Dec. 12 in San Angelo, Texas. Areas of undergraduate academic study at ASU lead to the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.), Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.), Bachelor of Music (B.M.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Science Nursing (B.S.N.), A ...

The year 2009 is past and the first half of the basketball schedule is over. Now we come to 2010 with second half of basketball coming up. We start with January 4 against Brady. Then this Saturday, January 9, 2010 is the San Saba Jr High Tournament. Seventh Grade games will be in the White Gym with 8th grade games in Armadillo Arena.

Governor Rick Perry has proclaimed January 2010 as School Board Recognition Month to help build awareness of the crucial role an elected board of trustees plays in our communities and schools. Plan now to show your school board members you appreciate their dedication and hard work. They are extraordinary people who voluntarily tackle the enormous job of governing school districts.

It’s a tough world out there, especially for our kids. The pressure to perform well in school, raging hormones, the increased need to fit in and belong with peers, the desire for independence - and the list goes on of daily stressors for our kids today. Along with this comes the curiosity of and escape in risky behaviors. The middle school years can be just as challenging for parents as it is for their kids.