News

JCISD Board of Trustees met in a special meeting on June 30, and President Matt McKennis called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. A quorum was established, and trustees moved into closed session for consultation with legal counsel regarding threatened litigation by and potential claims against contractor related to construction activities at agriculture building and extension, including consultation related to a proposal for claim resolution submitted by the project architect, or other proposa ...

Several members of the Rotary Club of Blanco County received awards at the June 21 club meeting. Bob Backle, outgoing club president, presented The Rotarian of the Year Award to Sandy Switzer. Sandy was recognized for her dedication and hard work on the many service projects and for keeping our club active and in the news despite the difficult year COVID-19 presented everyone.

Three new members were inducted to the Rotary Club of Blanco County at the June 21 meeting. The club welcomed Teri and Doug McKenzie, who are owners of RE/MAX Genesis in Blanco, and Barbara Propes who is a self-employed event planner. Some of the reasons to join Rotary, according to the club, are: • Friendship and fellowship • Opportunity to serve and do good both locally and internationally • Community involvement • Continuing education and speakers to keep members informed ...

The Emergency Services Commissioners of North Blanco County Emergency Services District No. 1 held a regular meeting on June 21, 2021 at the new Round Mountain VFD Fire Station. President David O’Bannon called the meeting to order at 7:04 pm, and all commissioners were present. Commissioners unanimously approved the minutes of previous meetings, as well as the treasurer’s report. New fire station ceremony In observance with tradition of opening of the new fire station, the five comm ...

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas urged Texans to cut back on power usage last week when an unusually large number of power plants shut down for unexpected repairs as temperatures soared. ERCOT officials announced Friday that Texans could resume normal levels of electricity use, however. ERCOT came under fire after widespread outages during the winter storm in mid-February, resulting in the CEO being forced out and much of the board replaced. Saturday marked the official first day ...

The Blanco County Commissioners discussed reinstating the county-wide burn ban, but ultimately decided not to do so at this time. At their meeting Tuesday morning, they discussed growing incidents that would likely lead to a burn ban reinstatement soon. In the end, they kept the burn ban off, but warned the public to be careful. “It won’t be much longer before it’s going to have to come back on,” said Precinct 3 Commissioner Chris Liesmann. The commissioners also approved a proc ...

Echo Gallery owner-operators Linda Haddock and John Sone announce the result of negotiations for the sale of the historic Cox Brothers Ford dealership building. Completed on July 6, 1933, the structure was described by the Johnson City Record Courier as “one of the most modern structures in the city”. At the time of its closing it was the second oldest dealership in Texas. Founded by Haddock in 2014, partner Sone helped move the gallery from its first location at 305 E.

Preparations have begun for a new festival that is set to enliven Blanco with color this fall. The Blanco Chamber of Commerce’s first Texas Marigold Festival, to be held over the course of two weekends in October, will celebrate the flower with “movies, music and merriment.” “We’re still planning, but now that the Lavender Festival is wrapped up we’ll be finalizing many details in the weeks to come,” said Libbey Aly, executive director of the Blanco Chamber of Commerce.

Blanco County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the nine-county Rural Capital Area of Central Texas, it was announced Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission. Blanco County’s unemployment rate for May was 3.4 percent, down from 3.6 percent in April. The region’s unemployment rate fell from 4.6 percent in April to 4.3 percent in May.

On Saturday July 3, Blanco County will celebrate freedom and independence along with the nation with a morning parade around downtown Johnson City and the Blanco County Courthouse. The parade will line up at the LBJ High School at 8 a.m., and begin the procession at 10 a.m. The parade will turn right on Nugent Street, the left on Pecan Street in front of the Courthouse, where many members of the community can watch the entrants pass by. The parade will turn left on Avenue G, travel 2 bloc ...