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Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 5 No. 30
INSIDE Move Toward Greener Living ............................ Page 11
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How A Historical Blunder Helped Create The Water Crisis In The West ............................ Page 7
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ARE YOU ALONE?
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INDEX State News .................... Page 2 Legals/Jail Register ...... Page 3 Community News ......... Page 4-6 Feature Story ................. Page 7 Obituaries ...................... Page 8 Classifieds ..................... Page 12
Today’s Weather
High: 95° Low: 72°
by Kay Anderson
The Leakey Real County Library stayed with the Every Hero Has a Story theme for the 2015 Summer Reading Program. July 21, 2015, our community heroes came to the back parking lot of the library to teach and show the 33 children and 18 adults what our Real County Sheriff’s Department, the Frio Canyon EMS and the Leakey Volunteer Fire Department does to help all the citizens who live and visit the Frio Canyon. Real County Sheriff Deputy Steven Castro, explained to the children the duties of a deputy, why bad people go to jail, some children sat in the back seat of his car where “the bad people” set, he showed them his handcuffs and explained how his Taser gun works. Officer Castro Pictured are all of the SRP participants with Real Co.Deputy Castro, Kiko Sanchez; Leakey Fire Dept. and Karen Barnum, EMS gave the children sheriff’s badges. Mark Rutherford, pressure, oxygen level and heart rate are of the Summer Reading Program to a call and Mr. Rutherford had to run to ambulance driver and Karen Barnum, checked. Kiko Sanchez with the Leakey get to learn about our community the office and take the other ambulance RN and EMT, represented the Frio Volunteer Fire Department drove the heroes. The Real County Sheriff’s to answer a call of assistance. The Canyon EMS. Small groups of children large fire truck and told the children Department, Frio Canyon EMS and citizens of Real County are fortunate sat in the back of the ambulance where how all the equipment on the truck Leakey Volunteer Fire Department to have the qualified people who patients are treated while Mrs. Barnum works and why it is used. He gave all work together in emergencies and help answer the calls for assistance, no instructed them how to call 911, she the children souvenir soccer balls. so many people when they are in need. matter the time or day. THANK YOU showed them how a patient’s blood What a huge treat for all the participants While at the library the EMS received COMMUNITY HEROES!
by: Joel Pigg, General Manager, RECRD
At a Board Meeting of the Directors of the Real-Edwards Conservation and Reclamation District held on July 15th, 2015 it was decided to step back one stage in our Drought Management Plan, this means we are going from Stage 4 of the plan to Stage 3 of the plan. We have been in Stage 4 of the Drought Plan since the Fall of 2010, when the current drought began. It was a difficult decision to change the Drought Stage especially when we look at the long range forecast that shows little to no chance of rain in the next few weeks. May was a true blessing with 14.6” of rain and then 4.15” in June, but the dog days of summer are upon us with 0.7” thus far in July. The temperatures of May and June were also very mild for us here in Southwest Texas, no temperatures in the triple digits was quite fortunate. The Board of Directors looked at data from the USDA, NOAA and the National Drought Management Center in making the decision to change the drought state for the District. According to the data we are no longer in a drought (due to the rainfall mentioned above) in our portion of the state, but a true observation on the ground in Real and Edwards Counties reveals a slightly different view. We have very little soil in these two counties and it does not take long to dry out even from
20” of rainfall. One thing I do know for sure is that we are beginning to get dry and the river flows are on the decline. Under Stage 3 conditions, all non-exempt well owners/operators and users of groundwater produced from wells will be asked to reduce total monthly pumpage by twenty percent (20%). Again this is a step up in the Drought Plan, Stage 4 which we are leaving calls for a 30% reduction in pumping. Under the Districts Drought Contingency Plan, nonessential water use is defined as water uses that are not essential nor required for the protection of public health, safety, and welfare, including but not limited to: 1. irrigation of landscape areas, including parks, athletic fields, and golf courses, 2. use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle; (If you need to wash your car, we recommend using a commercial car wash or pulling the car up onto the grass where the run off will be beneficial. We also asked that you do not wash it during the heat of the day) 3. use of water to wash down any sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-
The Spirit of ‘45 ............................ Page 3
July 22, 2015
editor@hillcountryherald.net
Thank You Community Heroes!
Water News ........................... Page 5
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Born in 1926 in Edwards County to Joseph “Joe” Daniel Wood and Violet Beatrice Colwell Wood, Harley Wood has led a good life. He attended the Barksdale School for 12 years. His only sibling, Dahlia Maurine Wood was married to Jeff McFatter, and was younger than himself. Harley played football one year and had his nose skinned up tackling an opposing player. Upon the advice of his coach, he was the first person ever to wear a face guard, he was proud to announce. He graduated from school at 18 years of age but was delayed going into the service, having vision trouble. In 1946, Harley was sent by the Army Air Corp to Amarillo for basic training, but his problem came up again. Again he had to pass a physical and was sent to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio where again he passed the physical. He was then sent to radar school in Boca Raton, Florida for three months. Headquarters readied him to be shipped out. He and one boy from New Jersey were sent to Spokane, Washington, instead of being shipped out. There they learned auto mechanics for two months. On the way home on leave, they were in a train wreck near White Fish, Montana. With a lieutenant in charge, they stayed in three cabins until they could be rescued. He was given 10 days leave and he went home for a visit, back to
surfaced areas except for the protection of public health, safety and welfare; 4. use of water to wash down buildings of structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection or for the protection of public health, safety and welfare; 5. use of water to fill, refill, or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pools or Jacuzzi-type pools; 6. failure to repair a controllable leak(s) within a reasonable period after having been given notice directing the repair of such a leak(s); and 7. use of water from hydrants for construction purposes or any other purposes other than fighting fires. Besides cutting back on outside watering, there are other things that we have mentioned several times that can be done to cutback on overall water use. Things such as limiting the time of a shower; washing only full loads of clothes, placing a jug of cold water in the refrigerator and installing low flow faucets, shower heads and commodes; along with fixing any leaks including a dripping faucet or hydrant. A leak of one (1) drop per second will waste about 2,700 gallons per year. That is about as much water as a family of two uses in a month.
Please conserve where you can and it’s time to start praying for rain.
by Billie Franklin
the ranch that had been in his family for 110 years. Next, he was to report to San Francisco, California, with orders to be shipped out. There were 3,000 GI’s aboard that ship, headed to Manila, Philippines. He made friends with another soldier by the name of Woods and they decided to say that they were brothers and really enjoyed fooling others aboard ship. The ship made it to Tokyo, Japan, on Christmas Eve where he recalls he got kitchen police or “KP” duty two days in a row. At Okinawa, 2,500 men were delivered off the boat. Next were Saipan and Luzon, Philippines. It was in Manila where they were anchored 3 miles out and were placed on pontoon boats. Upon arriving on dry land, they were met with a toonerville trolley. They stopped and bought Hershey bar candies. The candies were melted and old and had to be thrown out. They spent 3 months in the Philippines and the war was declared over. They had 6 months to get out. He was sent to Oregon to disembark and receive his discharge. He recalls riding busses to El Paso and then to Uvalde. From there, he went home and went into ranching with his family who had 3,000 acres, begun by his grandparents George Washington Wood and Lebby Taylor Wood. He spent 10 years sheering sheep, hurt his back, which he still suffers from today. The family
turned the ranch into a hunting lease and made their living off of hunters in the front of the ranch while they lived on the back side. Harley had a lady friend once, but never married. He has moved to Uvalde where he leads a quiet life. He retains his good sense of humor and is content with his memories.