By Rachel Lumpee
Judge Brett Bray called a special meeting of the Blanco County Commissioners Court to order at 9 a.m. on Feb. 23. Commissioners, Tommy Weir, Emil Uecker, Chris Liesmann, and Paul Granberg, were present. Citizens either watched the live streaming video of the meeting via the “Blanco County” Youtube channel or attended in person at the Blanco County Courthouse.
After the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, two citizens provided public comments.
First, D’Anne Welch mad ...
Johnson City is on the upswing after severe winter weather involving ice, snow, fast winds and record freezing temperatures disrupted every household last week.
On Thursday, freezing precipitation brought about slick roads and stuck to power lines causing outages across the Hill Country. The rest of the President’s Day weekend was marked by record low temperatures, sometimes in the single digits.
Longtime resident Thomas H. Walston was sworn in as the new Municipal Court Judge for the City of Johnson City by Mayor Rhonda Stell last Friday, February 19. Judge Walston graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law and Texas A&M University. Walston served in the State Office of Administrative Hearings as the Deputy Chief for Hearings, General Counsel, and Administrative Law Judge and Mediator in Austin, TX from 1998 until 2017.
Severe winter weather has many in the county without water or electric power.
The City of Johnson City issued a disaster declaration on Valentine’s Day Sunday as the city was in the single digits. Water service was interrupted on Monday evening and restored by Tuesday morning. The city did not issue and was not on a boil water notice at the time of press on Tuesday evening.
JCISD will keep campuses closed through Thursday.
Due to continued frigid weather across Texas, the regional ele ...
Mayor Rhonda Stell called the regular meeting of the Johnson City Council to order at 6 p.m. on February 2 via Zoom, and a quorum was established. Pastor Steve Sanchez gave the Invocation and the Pledge was recited. Citizen Penny Whisenant spoke to the Council regarding the need for hiring more police officers.
By Rachel Lumpee
The Blanco County Commissioners Court regular meeting was called to order at 8:59 a.m. by Judge Brett Bray. All four commissioners were present.
Public comments were heard after the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
First, D’Anne Welch spoke briefly about the lack of following the CDC guidelines throughout the county during these times.
Next, Kenneth Welch spoke regarding the road widths.
Blanco County is continuing to see robust demand for the COVID-19 vaccine as at least one local pharmacy is in the process of becoming a provider.
The county’s EMS service is the sole vaccine provider within Blanco County but that could change.
“We know of at least one pharmacy--Blanco Pharmacy & Wellness--that’s in the process of becoming a vaccine provider,” said Ben Oakley, the county’s infectious disease control officer and EMS chief.
The regular business meeting of the Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department (JCVFD) was held on January 27. President Ray Bible called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m., and a quorum was established. Those present included: Ray Bible, Whitney Liesmann, Sam Richardson, Orlando Ibanez, Chris Welch, Kemp Elliott, Aaron Luedtke, Penny Whisenant, Justin Kohner, and Justin Davis.
Dr. Heidi Abraham, MD, FAEMS, began her medical career as an EMT with a volunteer fire department in Ohio in 2004 or 2005. She was recently appointed the local health authority for Blanco County.
Abraham’s father encouraged her to pursue medical school. Eventually, she followed his advice and attended Wright State University, where she completed her Emergency Medicine residency as chief resident.
During her residency, Abraham also served as the Fairborn Fire Department assistant medical ...
Jerry Thompson of the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) presented a Hill Country Alliance (HCA) certificate in appreciation for the County’s participation in the Hill Country Night Sky Month to Judge Brett Bray and the Blanco County County Commissioners on January 26. Left to right are Judge Brett Bray, Paul Granberg, Jerry Thompson, Tommy Weir, Emil Uecker, and Chris Liesmann.
