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Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 7 No. 12
INSIDE ............................ Page 4
Montell Country Club Hosting Enchilada Dinner ............................ Page 8
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March 22, 2017
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Real County Commissioner’s Court Judge Merritt Recognized by SWART by Julie Becker
Southwest Area Regional Transit District recognized Judge Garry Merritta t the March 20th Commissioners’ Court for his eldership and service to SWART since its inception in June 2012. “SWART’s success has been due to our board members such as Judge Merritt who has been a leader and mentor,” states SWART General Manager, Sarah Hidalgo-Cook. SWART began providing services as a standalone rural public transit system in June 2012 after the closure of the Community Council o Southwest Texas, Inc. “Unaware that they would be mandated by statute to serve as board members on the newly developed SWART board, the county judges of the 8 counties that we serve were taken by surprise. Judge Merritt along with Judges Souli Shanklin, Judge Tim Ward, and Judge Bill Mitchell all stepped up and dedicated their time and leadership to our organization without blinking an eye. Judge Merritt lead the charge and we are truly appreciative of all that he has done for SWART and for the communities we serve while he served as board chairman the past 4 and half years,”
adds Hidalgo-Cook. Judge Merritt recently appointed Commissioner Bryan Shackelford as his proxy on the SWART board of directors who will also serve s the vice chairman. . Other board members include newly elected board chair, Judge Souli Shanklin, Secretary/Treasurer Maggie Del Toro (proxy for Judge Bill Mitchell), Richard Diaz who is the proxy for Judge Joe Luna, and Mary Perez who serves as the proxy for Judge Francisco Ponce. Other board members also include Judge David Saucedo and Judge Joel Rodriguez. SWART is a political subdivision of the state of Texas and is funded by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit administration. The rural transit district services the counties of Dimmit, Edwards, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Real, Uvalde and Zavala. For more information on SWART services, please visit their website t www.paseoswart.org or contact Hidalgo-Cook at 830-278-4155. In other business Commissioners set the days for the Real County Spring Cleanup. continued page 3
Hurd on the Hill: The Bipartisan Road Trip Somewhere in the West ............................ Page 7
Open to the Public
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INDEX Legals/Jail Register ... . Page 3Community News ......... Page 4-7 Feature Story ............... Page 8-9 Obituaries ...................... Page 10 Classifieds ..................... Page 14
Today’s Weather
High: 80° Low: 58°
‘We can disagree without being disagreeable’ It all started with a cancelled flight due to inclement weather. Thirty-six hours and more than 1,600 miles later, Congressman Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat from El Paso, and I, a Republican from San Antonio, had driven in a Chevy Impala across the country to Washington, DC. Thanks to technology, we livestreamed our Bipartisan Road Trip via Facebook, answering questions in real-time from the public, the entire way. We refused to let a bit of snow keep us from doing our jobs. We were determined to get back in time for votes we had to take in Congress. We also thought the road trip could demonstrate that a Republican and a Democrat can listen to each other and find common ground. After a few pit stops for Whataburger, donuts, and a couple hours of sleep, we made it to the United States Capitol with thirty minutes to spare. During our trek, we took turns answering questions via Facebook Live about everything from healthcare and national security to music and dessert. It was what we liked to describe as the “longest rolling bipartisan town hall meeting in history”. We learned that we could disagree without being disagreeable and that instead of focusing on what divides
us, there were many things that united us. The support we received from the general public was overwhelming. While on the road, dozens of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle called us to show their support of increased bipartisanship. From Republicans like Senator John Cornyn and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, to Democratic
How Did We Get A 5 Star Library? For the fourth time in six years the Real County Public Library Leakey was announced a Star Library by the national publication Library Journal. The ranking is based on five criteria: visits, circulation, e-circulation, public access computer use, and program attendance. In the coming year Wifi counts will also be added to the criteria. Star Library ratings of five, four, and three stars are awarded to libraries that generate the highest combined per capita outputs among their spending peers. This data is collected from our library annually by the Texas State Library and Historical Commission and compiled nationally by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Real County Public Library received its first 5-star ranking in 2011, 3-star in 2014 and 4- star in 2015 in libraries with expenditures of $10-$49K a year. In 2016 our library was once again a 5-star library
Representatives Joe Kennedy and Henry Cuellar, we received call after call encouraging the bipartisanship to continue once we arrived in Washington, DC. It proved that despite our nation’s political divisiveness, America wants us to get past our ideological differences and solve problems together. continued page 3
submitted by Real County Public Library Leakey
but advanced to the top of the $50-$99K a year as our budget increased by a couple of thousand dol-
lars. Summer visitors swell our population and visits to the library as they come to use our computers and Wifi. Several years ago we added digital books and audio books that can be checked out from home on your Kindle, tablet or phone. You can also download audio books and, if your car is equipped, listen to them as you drive. For those who have not used the services of our library lately stop by and see us sometime or drop us an email at rcplea@gmail.com. We would like to provide more programs for the community but need to hear from you about your interests. Some ideas are: first time home buyers’ workshops, genealogy searches, training on computers, smart phones and tablets. continued page 9
Keep Utopia Beautiful Earns Keep America Beautiful President’s Circle Award Recognition by Doris Howdeshell
Local Organization Recognized for Exemplary Performance, Standard of Excellence Utopia, Texas (March 14, 2017) – Keep America Beautiful presented Keep Utopia Beautiful with its President’s Circle Award recognition at the Keep America Beautiful National Conference, which took place in Washington, D.C. January 24-26, 2017. The President’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance by certified affiliates of the national nonprofit in creating clean, green and beautiful communities. In qualifying for a President’s Circle Award, Keep
Utopia Beautiful has met Keep America Beautiful’s standards of merit by conducting an annual Community Appearance Index, calculating the affiliate’s cost/benefit ratio, and administering activities in the areas of Ending Littering, Improving Recycling, and Beautifying Utopia’s Community. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful consists of a national network of more than 620 community-based affiliates whose programs, initiatives and efforts, supported by millions of volunteers, help transform public spaces into beautiful places. continued page 9