July 2, 2008

Tarleton State University has announced three local students, Jess Seward -Exercise and Spots Studies, of Horseshoe Bay, Denae Henderson- PreVeterinary Medicine, of Llano, and Danni Kuder - Human Science, of Llano, have made the Distinguished Students list. Distinguished Students include freshman and sophomore students who have a minimum 3.25 GPR and no grade lower than a C, and juniors and seniors who have a minimum 3.5 GPR with no grade lower than a C.

A program enabled by the Texas Legislature in 1997, dubbed “The Scofflaw,” and only now beginning to spread across the state, was adopted July 23 by the Llano County Commissioners Court. Anyone owing the county fines, fees or auto sales taxes will find his ability to register a vehicle blocked and flagged statewide by the Texas Department of Transportation until payment is made. Precinct 3 Commissioner Duane Stueven, who paved the way to adopt the program locally, pointed to $593,000 in outstanding fines as the impetus for his support. “With road oil going up 94 percent and the threat of tax caps hanging over our heads, we have to have other sources of money,” he said. Once software is prepared, local records can be transferred to TXDoT records.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision last week placed a Llano man in the history books, or at least into the annals of law. In an 8-to-1 decision justices of the Supreme Court ruled that Walter Rothgery should have had access to legal counsel immediately when he was arrested in Gillespie County in 2002. Rothgery turns out to be just the kind of man among us for whom that kind of protection is most important.

The residents of Llano County and other area counties need to be aware of a recent FRAUDULENT effort by phone and e-mail subscribers asking for personal confidential information of internet banking customers. The scammers represent that a bank, i.e., Franklin Bank or Wachovia Bank, or another, have a new security system, and an update is required.

Lewis Durst, of Kerrville, died May 31 in Kerrville. He was born Jan. 20, 1926, to Ben Durst and Edna Schuessler Durst in Pontotoc. He is survived by his wife (of sixty-one years) Ruth Custer Durst, of Kerrville. He is also survived by three sons, Dusty Durst and wife, Brenda, of Llano, Roger Durst and wife, Marcia, of Kerrville, and Jimmy Durst, of Kerrville; grandchildren, Marsha Porter and husband, Jess, of Dublin, First Lieutenant Dustin Durst and wife, Veronica, of Sugarland, Brandon Durst, of Kerrville, and Eric Durst, of Austin; great-grandchildren, Blake Porter, Camry Porter, and Keylee Porter, of Dublin, and Carson Durst, of Sugarland; sister-in-law, Bonnie Whitley and husband, Tom, of Kerrville; and many relatives and friends in the Mason area. Mr.

Carolyn Marie Hood, 69, of Kingsland, passed away June 28, in Llano. She was born May 31, 1939, in Pampa, to Eugene and Anna Belle (Wallin) Bogue. She married M.D. Hood on June 1, 1958, in Pampa and he preceded her in death in 1995. She is also preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Roy Lee Bogue. Mrs.

Carolyn Marie Hood, 69, of Kingsland, passed away June 28, in Llano. She was born May 31, 1939, in Pampa, to Eugene and Anna Belle (Wallin) Bogue. She married M.D. Hood on June 1, 1958, in Pampa and he preceded her in death in 1995. She is also preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Roy Lee Bogue. Mrs.

Danny Gilbert Ilse, Jr., 73, of Llano, coming from Mineral Wells, passed away Sunday, June 29. He was born on June 26, 1935, to Chrissie (Thaxton) and Dan Ilse in Waco. He is preceded in death by his parents, Chrissie and Dan Ilse. Survivors include daughter, Cindy Thurman and husband, Jeff, of Llano; son, Mike Ilse, of Dripping Springs; grandchildren, Audree Ilse, Ty Thurman and Cole Thurman; and ex-wife, Yvonne Gregory, of Dripping Springs.

Mary Lee Kothmann Thomas, passed away on June 22, in Houston. Born on Sept. 22, 1932, in Frio County, Mary Lee was the second of six children born to Evelyn and Ryland Kothmann. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Janet Lee Gary; her brother, R.B. Kothmann; and her parents. Mary Lee is survived by her loving husband Horace F.

South Plains College is anything but plain and neither is one of its incoming, scholarship freshmen: Cole Hoffman, the best middle-distance runner in Llano High School history. SPC (6,000 students in Levelland near Lubbock) knows something about history, too. It has won the National Junior College Championship in outdoor track the last two years. “I think by training harder and running against some pretty good speedsters just in practice,” Hoffman said, “will help a lot, and I’ll improve my times.” You wonder how Cole can work much harder; he runs about 70-80 miles a week, and when you see him put a galaxy between himself and his pursuers, you know this talent wasn’t developed from playing marbles. “We’re very excited to have him,” South Plains head track coach, Chris Beene, declares.

The Llano Jackets summer baseball team took first place in the third annual Llano Extreme Classic, June 28. Llano went 3 and 0 to defeat Burnet, Ingram, and Abilene. In the first game, freshman Clay Tarter pitched all five innings to defeat Burnet 16-0. Tarter allowed only one hit and racked up nine strike outs to get the win. The Jackets defense was solid allowing only 18 at bats.

50 meters to go...he’ll be the State Champion!! The freshman from Marble Falls...9-17, 9-18, and change...the freshman is the champion!! That was the radio broadcast of Leonel Manzano winning the Class-4A 3,200-meter race in 2001; he was a ninth grader. He would capture five more gold medals on the track and claim three state crowns in cross country before he graduated from Marble Falls High in 2004. The stakes became higher but Leonel, a young man everyone seems to like, was triumphant in the NCAA 1,500-meter race as a freshman at Texas; he won it again on June 14, and during the weekend of July 3 to 6, in Eugene, Ore., he goes for a berth on the U.S.

For those of you who think this is a football state; that basketball should be tolerated in the winter, if at all; that girls should still be playing “three on one side of the court” (Why would anyone think THAT??), you should have been at Texas A&M, June 27 through June 29, for a basketball bonanza: 71 high school ladies’ teams joined the version from Llano, and the Jackets, in 45 hours, played the same number of games they did in district this year. June 27, 4 p.m., Student Recreation Center After winning by default earlier in the day, Llano got three three-point field goals from Lauren Parker to open the action against Slocum, which is about 40 miles west of Nacogdoches.

In case you read here a week ago that Brandon Walters was heading to Wills Point, either you need better glasses or the reporter needs to review his blue-book notes on, “Journalism, a lazy man’s journey through life.” The translation of the above is Walters, in what some would call a gutty decision, phoned the folks at Wills Point and told them, “I’ve changed my mind.” He’s not taking the job as head girls basketball coach. “I just never felt that comfortable after I accepted it,” Walters explained.

Kids and teens with a yearning to “slip the surly bonds of earth” will have an opportunity to try their hands at piloting Saturday at Aqua Boom, and at the same time have a chance to win their own aircraft. Flights of Fancy is an event of the Highland Lakes Flyers being staged from 10 a.m.

Members of the Kingsland Genealogical Society (KGS) will learn about working with old family photographs and treasures at their next meeting on Tuesday, July 8, at 2 p.m. at the Kingsland Library, 125 West Polk at RR 1431. The speaker will be Jim White, who lives in Round Rock but also works with KGS because of deep family ties to Llano County and the surrounding area. He will discuss “Dating and Restoring Old Photographs and Documents.” The meeting is open to the public and visitors are welcome.

Five area chambers of commerce gathered for the ribbon cutting of the new tasting room facility of Lost Creek Winery near Sunrise Beach. “I can see it as a central location for bringing events for the whole Central Texas area to the community,” said Lynda Shroyer, president of the Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce. The chambers of commerce of Llano, Buchanan Dam, Marble Falls and Burnet joined in the celebration also. It was July 4, 2004 that the winery owned by Larry Brinkman was celebrating the selection of Lost Creek Vineyard and Winery as “The Best New Winery” by the Wine Society of Texas. That celebration was in the popular rustic tasting room down by the creek that runs through the vineyard.

Sierra Lenz, a 17-year-old entering senior at Burnet High School was crowned Miss Aqua Boom 2008 at the pageant held June 21 at the Kingsland Community Center. The reigning queen of the 39th annual Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce Independence Day Celebration is the daughter of Rhonda Pack. She was crowned by Miss Aqua Boom 2007 Krystal Horrigan, of Burnet and received a $3,500 scholarship from the chamber’s Miss Aqua Boom Scholarship Committee. Halley Davis was crowned 2008 Miss Teen Aqua Boom by Princess of the 2007 court Mariah Marion, of Kingsland.

Llano County 4-H members represented their county and clubs very well. Eighteen 4-H members participated in State 4-H Roundup held at College Station, on June 10-12 in which they competed against teams in various contests from all over Texas. The Range and Pasture Grass ID team won first place. Team members were Geoffrey Sanders who was the second high individual, Wes Regmund, Alex Homesley, and Dustin Merkel and their coach was John Regmund.

The church is bubbling over with excitement getting ready to explore vacation bible school - Power Lab 2008. Power Lab provides fun, memorable Bible-learning activities for kids of all ages. Each day kids will sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, nibble Test Tube Treats, take on a Daily Challenge to share Jesus’ amazing power in their lives, experience electrifying Bible adventures, collect Bible Memory Buddies to remind them of God’s Word and create Bible Point Crafts they will take home and play with all summer long.

By nightfall Tuesday law officers were seeking James Joseph Bishop, 29, of Travis County to return him to Burnet where he had been jailed in connection with a vicious burglary. The victim of the crime was a grandmother of 6 who was bound and threatened with rape as she was robbed in her Marble Falls home in March.