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Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 5 No. 49
INSIDE
www.hillcountryherald.net
Tri-Canyon’s Only Weekly Newspaper!
December 2, 2015
editor@hillcountryherald.net
NATHAN JOHNSON ANNOUNCES RUN FOR REAL COUNTY CONSTABLE by Julie Becker
Real County is settling in for the upcoming Primary Election next March. Real County Commissioner’s voted to combine the two Constable positions previously maintained by Real County. Formerly each Justice of the Peace had a Constable position in their precincts. With that being said current Real County Deputy Nathan Johnson has thrown his hat into the ring for the Real County Constable position. I give each candidate an opportunity to announce their candidacy and submit a statement. Johnson said “I am so thankful for the country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy. Elected law enforcement gives an extra level of
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Leakey Saturday Dec. 5th at Burk Feed from 9am to 1pm
Bandera Electric announces cash rebates to members ............................ Page 3
The Texas Battle Cry! Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!
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Another Successful Barksdale Community Thanksgiving ............................ Page 5
accountability because officers are directly responsible to the people in the community they serve. I have been in the field of law enforcement for almost twenty years, and I love the unique opportunity it gives to protect and help others. I believe that as your elected Constable, I can use the talents and experiences God has given me to serve the citizens of Real County and to fulfill the duties of the Office of Constable effectively and efficiently. I believe the right person in the position can make the office a valued benefit to the county and a consistent support to the sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies. I moved back to the area with my wife, Lenise, and boys Mason,
Cody, and Kyle around two years ago to be closer to her parents in Reagan Wells. I currently serve as Deputy Sheriff for Real County and Lenise teaches school at NCCISD. Our family enjoys the beautiful area and the wonderful people in this community. I seek the opportunity to serve our county as your elected Constable. I will be running on the Republican ticket for the Office of Real County Constable. I ask for your support and vote in the election.” Please register to vote or check to make sure you are registered to vote. Each election is important and the right to vote is paved with the blood of soldiers who have protected that right. VOTE!!!
FRIO CANYON CHAMBER GALA ~ MISS FRIO RIVER ~ SATERA PEREZ by Julie Becker
The Frio Canyon Chamber of Commerce held their 1st Annual Christmas Gala this past weekend. Following the annual Christmas on the Square, arts and crafts fair, the Gala was held at the Frio Pecan Farm. Over one hundred locals attended the event. The evening was filled with laughter, great food, lots of fun and dancing! Brett Mullins Band entertained the crowd following the presentation of several local volunteer awards. The evening was topped off with the crowning of Miss Frio River 2016. Satera Lynn Perez, is a 16 year
old Sophomore at Leakey ISD and has attended LISD since kindergarten. She is the daughter of Paul and Brandi Pichardo and Chris Perez Her siblings are Dimitri, Krissanne, & Melia Perez, Quentin and Jayden Pichardo . Satera is a Varsity cheerleader, participates in volleyball, basketball, and track. She is also the Sophomore class president and a member of the National Jr Honor Society, 4-H, Pioneer leadership program. Satera plans to attend Texas Tech University...Guns Up see more pics page 2
Water News and River Flows River flows were taken on the Frio and Nueces Rivers on November 19th, 2015 with flows making a large rise due to several rainfall events over the last couple of weeks. As of the writing of this article forecasts are calling for a good chance of rain for the later part of Thanksgiving week along with some more fall-like temperatures. The flows have increased on average 56% since the October flow measurement. Fulgham’s Crossing just south of the Alto Frio Baptist Encampment had a flow of 11,711 gpm last measurement and now has a flow of 36,744 gpm; this is an increase of about 68%. The culverts on the south end of this crossing are once again flowing. The Leakey Springs crossing had a flow of 3,784 gpm last measurement and a flow of 5,612 gpm this reading; increasing about 33% since the October measurement; there is one culvert at this crossing that is plugged up and I am going to have to figure out how to get it cleared before the next measurement.
Former Miss Frio River Sophia Rodriguez, 2016 Miss Frio River Satera Perez and 2016 Sponsor Catahoula Artisan Gallery owner Jimmie Walker
by: Joel Pigg, General Manager, RECRD
The Mill Creek Crossing showed a 50% increase in flow since the last measurement; there are culverts on the south end of this crossing that continue to have no flow but all of the culverts on the north end of the crossing have some flow this reading. This crossing has a flow of 17,137 gpm this measurement up from the flow last measurement of 8,505 gpm. On the west prong of the Frio River; the Rancho Real crossing had a flow of 7,097 gpm this reading compared to a flow of 4,456 gpm last measurement for an increase of about 37%. The Kent Creek crossing once again showed a large rise in flow about a 57% increase in flow since the last measurement with a flow of 2,743 gpm this month up from a flow of 1,184 gpm last measurement. McDonalds Crossing was at 12,370 gpm last measurement and increased to a flow of 39,082 gpm this measurement or an increase of about 68%. The Nueces River Dam on Highway 55 south of Camp
Wood had a flow of 20,620 gpm last reading and this measurement the culverts had a flow of 109,959 gpm or an increase of about 82%. This crossing looks amazing right now with a ton of water flowing over the dam. more charts page 11
Betel Velasquez Earns the First State Bank of Uvalde Scholarship By Laura Nelson
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INDEX Legals/Jail Register ...... Page 3 Community News ......... Page 4-6 Feature Story ................. Page 7 Obituaries ...................... Page 8 Classifieds ..................... Page 12
Today’s Weather
High: 63° Low: 36°
Uvalde native Betel Velasquez was awarded the First State Bank of Uvalde scholarship and commented that the gift will help her continue attending school full time. She said, “I think it’s beautiful to get help from my community and am gratified the First State Bank gives this opportunity to Rio Grande College students.” In addition to her college studies, Ms. Velasquez also works as a substitute in the Uvalde school system. She sees her second grade teacher at Anthon Elementary often, and even though she is raising a two-year old daughter and well on her way to earning a teaching degree, she is still unable to call her former teacher by her first name. Such is the respect and admiration teachers can inspire and Betel hopes to provide that same motivation in a classroom of her own one day. She said she would like to teach for about five years and then finish a master’s degree either in counseling or school administration. The First State Bank of Uvalde scholarship carries an unusual stipulation. Recipients agree to attend an approved financial literacy course that will educate them about using money management tools. Students learn to set financial goals, develop and keep a monthly budget, and discover how student loan debt can impact finances long after the degree has been earned. For more information about this scholarship and others offered by Rio Grande College, see Dick Geries (at left), President and CEO of the First State Bank of Uvalde, and Paul Sorrels (right), Vice President and Dean of Sul Ross www.sulross.edu/page/2015/scholarships Rio Grande College, congratulate Betel Velasquez.