May 28, 2008

Aubra Jean Cannon, daughter to Mike and Janis Cannon, of La Grange and granddaughter of Jo Ann Cannon, of Llano, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas A&M University, May 10. She has a degree in Business Management and will be going to work for PFS Web in Plano June 1.

Llano native, Jessica Scallorn, received honors at Howard Payne University (HPU). Scallorn was named to the Honor Roll for the spring semester of 2008.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jessica D. Lamar, whose husband, Lewis, is the son of Leslie A. Walls of Buchanan Dam, recently graduated from the Navy’s Nuclear Power School at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, Goose Creek, S.

Born in Winner, S. D. Dee Leverett grew up on the Sioux Indian Reservation where her parents homesteaded.

Randy Morgan and Tracy Warren exchanged wedding vows on April 11. The ceremony was held at the First Assembly of God Church in Llano. The Rev.

The 73rd Annual Llano County Rodeo Parade, sponsored by the Llano Chamber of Commerce will be held Saturday, June 7, at 10 a. m.

The Llano County Hospital Authority (LCHA) Board of Directors on Friday heard plans to move Llano Memorial Hospital toward becoming a “smoke-free” campus. “We are the last facility in our region that has not become a smoke-free campus,” said Linda Meredith, chief operations manager for the Llano Memorial Healthcare System.

Up to four inches of rain that fell week before last may have sizzled away in the pre-summer heat wave, but old oaks and homes smashed by 70 mile-per-hour winds and hail damage have been a lingering disaster. “In my 18 years as an agent, this is the biggest event we have had as far as the number of claims and the amount of damage,” said Jeff Hopf, local State Farm agent.

The mercury edged the century mark as more than 100 patriots gathered on the eastern lawn of the Llano County Courthouse at 1: 30 p. m.

David B. Blincoe, 67, of Kingsland passed away May 16, after a brief battle with cancer. He was born to Walker Brown Blincoe, Jr.

Penny (Staedtler) Whitewood, 60, of Llano, passed away Thursday, May 22, in Temple. She was born on March 10, 1948 to Viola Sophie (Miiller) and Erich John Staedtler in Llano County.

The Llano High School baseball Yellow Jackets made their pitch on the All-District first team--seven players; two are pitchers, and both will return in 2009. Junior Ty Compton posted a superb, 9-3 record, with 63 strikeouts in 59 innings.

The search has begun for a new girls’ basketball coach at Llano High. You can read about some of the candidates and non-candidates and a lot of speculation on this page.

The old timers at the Llano River Golf Course remember when there was a tournament on the first weekend of June coinciding with the Llano Rodeo. It’s been a while, but it’s back.

If there’s anyone out there who’s interested in becoming the next Llano Lady Jackets’ head basketball coach, please see the high school principal immediately, or raise your hand. The principal, Charles Baker, is, indeed, on the search team, headed by athletic director David Yeager.

The State Convention for Epsilon Sigma Alpha International (a service sorority) was held the weekend of May 17 in Dallas. Nine members from the Burnet and Llano County’s chapter of Lambda Nu, Beta Rho and Delta Zeta attended a fun-filled weekend of awards, honors and seminars (not to mention some fantastic meals).

More than 900 Burnet and Llano County households participated in a free household hazardous waste event that organizers consider a success. An estimated 72,000 pounds of chemicals and 93,000 pounds of recyclables were discarded at the collection in Llano County on April 26.

LCRA announces a diverse group of stakeholders to serve on its Water Conservation Task Force, which will provide input on actions to guide LCRA’s long-term efforts for water conservation. Task force members represent water users in the lower Colorado River basin, including LCRA water customers, lakeside business interests, developers and builders, environmental interests, irrigation and landscapes businesses, and regional water planners.

How is water used in Texas? What is the State water planning process?

Winners of the Second Annual Packsaddle Elementary Soapbox Derby were (left to right) Dalton Ward, fifth grade boys; Haley O’Brian, fourth grade girls, and Bo Sharp, fourth grade boys. Thirty entries competed this year, double last year's cars. The whole project allowed fourth graders to measure and construct cars with materials donated by Foxworth Galbraith and challenged fifth graders to improve the speed of cars they enthusiastically carried over from the first year's competition.

The Valley Spring TEEA Club met on May 21, at the American Legion Hall for their regular monthly meeting. In the absence of Club President Linnie Osbourn, Vice President Vera Honig called the meeting to order with everyone repeating the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the TEEA prayer.

If your property value has increased in the last year, you should soon receive a notice of your 2008 appraised value from the Llano Central Appraisal District. About 16,000 notices were mailed on May 28.

Property owners who disagree with the Llano Central Appraisal District’s appraisal of their property for local taxes may protest their property value to the district’s appraisal review board (ARB). The ARB will begin hearing taxpayer protests on June 30, 2008.

Llano Art Guild and guests will gather on June 2 at 10 a. m. at the gallery to enjoy an oil painting demonstration by artist Peggy Marlow.

The Llano fourth graders met on May 14, to participate in a Junior Master Gardener (JMG) activity. The JMG program is modeled after the highly successful Master Gardener program and offers horticultural and environmental science education, and leadership and life skills development through fun and creative activities.