STEPHENVILLE—The Relay Ride to the realm of the Red Raiders raced through real estate between Central and North Texas, April 18, and captured two gold medals in the Area round of Track & Field’s postseason road show. The Llano High Flying Fivesome also picked up a fourth, and the above means all three Jacket relay boys’ squads will be in the Region I Meet, April 26-27, in Lubbock. “It’s a great accomplishment,” said Layton Rabb.

MARBLE FALLS—I had been to one other demolition in my life—maybe 45 years ago in Dallas. A building was leveled. I remember two things: shaking with camera in hand as the implosion began and—much more so—the unbelievable sound for accompaniment. I warned my son-in-law, Matt, and grandson, Jack, about the very possible repetition of the liftoff of the decibels, as the iron foe descended into the lake, Sunday morning, March 17. My memory was intact.

Llano Junior High will host a special Scholastic Book Fair, beginning on March 18 and continuing through March 22, to help raise funds for new library books and reading awards for its students. The book fair will be open each day from 7:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. and will feature a wide range of books for young teens and adults, including mystery and adventure novels, fantasy trilogies, sports guides, manga, and the latest bestsellers from more than 150 publishers.

On Saturday, March 2, 2013, Llano’s Special Olympics team traveled to Texas State University to compete in the Area Basketball Competition. Over 25 teams came from the area to compete in individual skills, team-building skills, 3 on 3 and 5 on 5 games. This year Llano had 5 students compete in the Individual Skills Competition, which involved a timed 10-meter dribble, shooting, and target pass.

Nothing seems to change for the Faith Academy Lady Flames of Marble Falls—at least not through the early rounds of the TAPPS-2A basketball playoffs. The ultimate goal has not been reached in six previous postseason appearances, but once again, in the final month of winter, the Flames are hot. Faith punished East Texas Christian Academy and then eliminated Abilene Christian to advance to the state quarterfinals.

HORSESHOE BAY—He may be the most famous astronaut in the Apollo program—never to have landed on the moon. No question his fame and magnificence under, literally, explosive pressure, were enhanced by the movie, Apollo 13, but Commander Jim Lovell and his crew and all of NASA became heroes, because of a dangerous return journey that ended safely. Lovell delivered a tension-filled, play-by-play account of his 1970 race—not to the moon but from it—to the Men of Faith group at the Church at ...

1 Mile Female: Alyssa Forman, Taelor Oestreich, Sharon Choate, Marth Long, and Karen and Sandy Hallmark; 1Mile Male: Zane Todd, Gunner Todd, Hudson Long, Bill Hallmark 5K Female: Clare Hoffman, Pippa Gabriel, Beth Jones, Brenda Park, Mary Kaplan, Brittney Hamilton, Kari Miller, Kat Jones, Kaitlin Mitchell, Beverly Grimshaw, Shay Benner, Linda Meredith, Shelby Hallmark, Cindy Blue, Yvonne Shaw, Teresa Gray, Sheila Mitchell, Terri Baize, Chris Karrington, Kim WEbb, Madison Lee, Culli Brooksh ...

On Friday, January 25, Llano Elementary School recognized students for exhibiting loyalty. Shayne Riley, Llano Elementary’s BEST Coordinator and an Air Force Veteran, spoke to the students and guests about loyalty to their family, friends, and school. Cookies and juice were provided by the cafeteria staff. Those students who were honored include: Kindergarten – Addison Holland, Cory Humphrey, Morgan Williamson, Rose Page, Carlos Coronado, and Camila Benitez. First Grade – Dusty Miller, ...

He Remains a Rock of Ages by Art Dlugach HORSESHOE BAY—Jack Nicklaus does not play much golf any longer, but he’s in the Design business as much as Gap or Old Navy. His business is the golf course, and Summit Rock, in this links-laden resort community, is one of his latest “jewels.” On October 30, the man who owns a record 18 professional major championships, went out and played a few holes on the only the only Nicklaus course constructed in the U.S.

On Friday, September 28, Llano Elementary School recognized students for exhibiting honesty. Rob Wilson, a local attorney, was the guest speaker. Mr. Wilson spoke to the students and their guests about the importance of honesty in a court of law, at the doctor’s office, and life in general. The cafeteria staff provided cookies and juice for the honorees.

Bill and Willie Reynolds are true American heroes; their long and productive lives, interspersed with acts of remarkable generosity, should be a real inspiration to those of us who haven’t had the chance to save a life by rushing into a burning building or diving into a freezing river. Bill Reynolds grew up in Arlington, New Jersey, and graduated from Kearny High School in the mid-1930s.

Tuesday, July 17, the Llano County Republican Party hosted a candidate forum in anticipation of the upcoming July 31 election at Quail Point in Horseshoe Bay. Each candidate echoed the same theme, taking back control of the government, being fiscally responsible, and ousting the current President. Presentations were heard by the approximately 174 attendees from representatives of Ted Cruz and David Dewhurst, candidates for the US Senate, Railroad Commissioner Candidate Christi Craddick, and J ...

The Llano Little League All Star Teams have been hard at it during the month of June as each age group has been competing in tournaments around the area. The machine pitch all star teams consisting of a 7 year old all star team (Llano Black) and an 8 year old all star team (Llano Orange) recently competed in the Johnson City, Fredericksburg and Llano tournaments.

On June 26, 2012, the Llano County Sheriff’s Office hosted a “Plain Clothes Response to Violent Encounters” training at the Sheriff’s Office firing range. Instruction was provided by retired and current firearms instructors from the Austin Police Department and Federal agencies under the ALERRT curriculum. Participating students were from the Llano County Sheriff’s Office, Llano PD, and TX Parks and Wildlife. The training was very physically demanding, especially in 107 degree temper ...

Fifteen Llano County 4-H members participated in Texas 4-H Roundup in Lubbock, June 11-14, 2012. Roundup was held on the campus of Texas Tech University. Vance Bauer received a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarship in the amount of $16,000, and Clay Tarter received a Richard Wallrath Educational Foundation in the amount of $10,000. The Nutrition Quiz Bowl team, consisting of James Smarr, Cole Perkins, and Kathryn Price placed seventh.