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Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 6 No. 43
INSIDE
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Harvest a Different Commodity this Fall ............................ Page 7
www.hillcountryherald.net
October 26, 2016
editor@hillcountryherald.net
Water News and River Flows Flows at all crossings on the Frio River were taken on October 19th, 2016. Fulgham’s Crossing just south of the Alto Frio Baptist Encampment had a flow of 21,371 gpm in September and now has a flow of 36,825 gpm; this is nearly a double in the flow over the last month. Several of the pipes at this crossing are clogged with gravel and it is going to take another large flow of water to get them cleaned out. The pipes on the south end of the crossing have water but the flow is greatly reduced due to the amount of gravel present. The Leakey Springs crossing had a flow of 5,588 gpm last measurement, and a flow of 5,139 gpm this reading; a nearly 8% decrease in flow since the last
Tri-Canyon’s Only Weekly Newspaper!
By: Joel Pigg, General Manager
measurement. This crossing is one of only two that did not show an increase since the late September rains. The Mill Creek Crossing is the other crossing that showed a reduction in flow this measurement it showed a slight reduction of about 3% in flow since the last measurement; there are culverts on the south end of this crossing that continue to have no flow. This crossing has a flow of 11,749 gpm this measurement which is down from the last measurement of 12,070 gpm. Where the west prong of the Frio had rainfall measurement of up to 11” and a rather large rise the east prong only had rainfall of 2 to 3 inches and only showed a quick small rise. continued page 7
Representative Murr Hosts Mental Health Meeting in Kerrville
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BAT FLIGHT/ STAR PARTY
State Representative Andrew Murr hosted the second meeting of the year in Kerrville to discuss the mental health needs of citizens living in the Hill Country, West Texas and South Texas. The meeting, held at the Peterson Regional Medical Center, was attended by local elected officials, the local mental health authority, private facility and state hospital representatives, law enforcement officers, members of the court system and many others. Rep. Murr, who serves on the House Select Committee on Mental Health, said the goal of the meeting was to hear about some of the many issues faced by those providing care in rural Texas in order to help inform the decisions made by his committee and the Texas Legislature as a whole when it reconvenes in January. “Getting all of these folks together in one room is critical, because they are all involved in addressing mental health
issues in our part of the state,” said Rep. Murr. “Exchanging ideas, sharing successes and failures, and working to streamline our system at the regional and state levels can only serve to improve our ability to deliver the best care possible to those in need, while ensuring taxpayers are protected from inefficiency and waste of finite resources.” The Texas House Select Committee on Mental Health was formed in the fall of 2015 to look at how mental health impacts criminal justice, juvenile justice, public and higher education, insurance, public health and appropriations. In addition to hearing from attendees, at today’s meeting Rep. Murr also shared his thoughts after nearly a year of serving on this committee and some of the policy goals associated with this broad topic. continued page 4
Left to Right: The Honorable Jerry Bearden, Mason County Judge The Honorable Delbert Roberts, Kimble County Judge, State Representative Andrew Murr The Honorable Souli Shanklin, Edwards County Judge, The Honorable Charles Bradley, Schleicher County Judge, The Honorable Garry Merritt, Real County Judge
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Attend the Ground Breaking COME MEET for new San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site
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by Billie Nast
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR PAULETTE JILES ............................ Page 9
On October 20, several members of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas journeyed from various locations to San Felipe to attend the Ground Breaking for the new San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site in San Felipe, Texas. Among the Daughters attending were several members of the Caddel-Smith Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Uvalde, Texas. In attendance, also were Officials from the Texas Historic Commission, State Senators, House of Representatives, County Commissioners, Members of Descendants of Austin’s Old 300, Friends of San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, and 5 classes of 4th grade students from Stephen F. Austin Elementary. continued page 4
Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keep America Beautiful Bring Recycling to Lost Maples State Natural Area, Utopia City Park, and San Jacinto Square in Utopia ............................ Page 13
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: 79° Low: 60°
Utopia, Texas (October 22, 2016) – Visitors to local parks near and in Utopia should expect to see cleaner public parks this fall thanks to a significant grant made possible by Dr Pepper Snapple Group in collaboration with Keep America Beautiful. The Dr Pepper Snapple Group/Keep America Beautiful Park Recycling Bin Grant Program provided funding for 900 new recycling bins in public parks across the country in 2016, making recycling more accessible for Americans enjoying the outdoors. Keep Utopia Beautiful is the smallest Keep America Beautiful affiliate in the nation and through this grant program received 27 recycling bins this year. These recycling bins will be placed in
the Lost Maples State Natural Area, Utopia City Park, and San Jacinto Square in Utopia for use by residents and visitors, and the recycling will be done by the Utopia Recycling Center operated by Keep Utopia Beautiful. The recycling operation is primarily run by volunteers where approximately 40 volunteers give 1,540 hours a year. In 2015, 88 tons of recyclable commodities were collected, resulting in total savings of 1,496 trees; 360,800 KWHrs; 616,000 gallons of water; and 5,280 pounds of air pollution. Now in its fourth year, the public park recycling grant program has awarded more than 3,400 recycling bins to Keep America Beautiful affiliates, local governments and other community organizations across 28 states to expand the availability of recycling. This investment in recycling infrastructure has improved recycling accessibility and convenience in a variety of park
fields and walking trails. “The Keep Utopia Beautiful recycling efforts have kept 88 tons of “trash” out of our landfills in 2015 alone, and the Recycling Center has been in operation since 2009. The new Dr Pepper Snapple recycling bins will help us collect even more recyclables by bringing recycling directly to the public,” said Claudia Rogers, Utopia Recycles Program Manager and Keep Utopia Beautiful board member. settings, including neighborhood and larger regional parks, beaches, athletic
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