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Tri-Canyon’s Only Weekly Newspaper!
Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 5 No. 42
www.hillcountryherald.net
OKTOBERFEST THIS WEEKEND!!
INSIDE
Don’t Miss Out!! The Frio Canyon
Chamber of Commerce is hosting their 1st Annual Oktoberfest! The festival will be this Saturday, October 17th, 2015 from 10am to 6pm at the Chamber Arena on RR 336 North of Leakey. Admission is $5 with 12 and under free. The festivities will include a soon to be world famous “Fire In The Hole” Leakey Masonic Lodge Chili Cookoff. The Chamber is hosting the “Food Court” with a Beirgarten with commemorative mugs, FUNnel Cakes, Sausage on a stick, Bratwurst, German Pretzels, and much more! A horseshoe and washer tournament will
EMS REPORT ............................ Page 3
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE V…
THE CHILDREN ............................ Page 7
by Julie Becker
The finishing touches on phase one of the storm drain construction will come to an end this week, says TxDOT. The first phase consisted of installation of the storm drain on the East side of Hwy 83 from Tucker Hollow, North to 3rd Street through downtown Leakey. The second phase of the storm drain will take place on RR 337 West, but will not begin construction until after the end of the year (2015). With the bid process completed for the Nueces River Authority project to install Sanitary sewer lines in conjunction with the TxDOT project, it’s their turn. Hoover Construction was awarded the bid and awaits approval from the Texas Water Development Board to
STEM Education Act Signed Into Law SWTJC College Day for NCHS Seniors ............................ Page 4
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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: 92° Low: 61°
be held in the arena! Bring your canopy and chairs and enjoy a day of old fashioned fun! Along the beautiful tree lined area, Arts and Crafts will be set up to sell their wares! If you haven’t signed up, don’t worry, come on out, NO VENDOR CHARGE. Vendors are asked to be setup by 9am. There will be Pony Rides, Dunking Booth, Mechanical Bull and Face Painting!! TO TOP IT ALL OFF, the stage is set for your favorite bands! Rough River Band will take the stage mid-morning followed by Redneck Voodoo! Music all day! Come out and have fun! See you there!
HWY 83 CONSTRUCTION MOVES INTO NEXT PHASE
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Plan for the Alamo Historic District and the Alamo Complex
October 14, 2015
editor@hillcountryherald.net
On Tuesday, October 6th, the Nueces Canyon Senior Class of 2016 traveled to Southwest Texas Junior College for the Fall Senior Day Event. Tables from each of the academic and technical areas of SWTJC were set up and students browsed and visited areas of interest. Community businesses and agencies also had tables where students could speak with professionals in areas they might have interest in. With most of the school districts in the area attending, there were 545 students on hand. The students then broke into groups and attended sessions on admissions, testing, scholarships, financial aid, the PTK honors student group, the SWTJC Student Success Center and social media. The students also listened to Mick Normington, of the Texas Workforce Center Offices in Austin. He discussed the current high demand jobs in Texas and our area. He also highlighted growing industries and predicted high demand jobs for the near
proceed. The notice will be given to NRA within the next few weeks. (insert cautious yeah here). Once the crossovers for the sewer lines have been put in place, the all out road construction will begin. Within the next few weeks Allen Keller Company will be in Leakey in full force. Long months ago the City of Leakey chose the fast track process for the upcoming road construction, which means one lane at a time will be closed, either the north bound or south bound lane. Once again, I encourage all local citizens to find alternate routes to their daily destinations, avoiding Hwy. 83. This will be a long process but well worth it in the end!
By Tena Taylor
future. Inspirational speaker Dr. Adam Saenz addressed students twice during the day. First, he spoke on things that you can allow to kill the calling in your life and how to overcome them. Finally, at lunchtime, Dr. Saenz spoke about his past: single parent household, childhood trauma, drugs, the juvenile justice system, foster care and aging out alone at 18. He spoke to the inspiration of two caring and invested teachers in his high school life and the part they played in his success. He spoke to the resilience and perseverance needed to achieve your goals. He currently holds two doctorate degrees with training from Brown, Harvard, Oxford. He is a clinical psychologist, counselor, author and speaker. He wrote The Power of a Teacher http://thepowerofateacher.com/ , and writes a blog for the Huffington post http: //www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-saenz/ .
COMMISSIONER MILLER AWARDS MORE THAN $43 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO RURAL TEXAS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS Texas Community Development Block Grant program provides over $1.2 million in assistance to Rio Grande Valley communities AUSTIN - Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today announced the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has awarded $1,273,595 to communities in the Middle Rio Grande Development Council for critically needed infrastructure improvements. These federal funds are administered through TDA’s Texas Community Development Block Grant (TxCDBG) program to create viable communities, suitable living conditions and expand economic opportunities in rural Texas. “Rural communities work hard every day to continually improve local infrastructure and provide a safe place for people to live, work and raise their families,” Commissioner Miller said. “Through Texas Community Development Block Grants, we are able to assist our neighbors with support
to implement these critically needed public works projects. Together, the Texas Department of Agriculture and communities across the state are ensuring a bright future for rural Texas.” In all, TDA awarded more than $43 million in TxCDBG grant awards to communities throughout Texas. “Rural communities are the lifeblood of the 23rd Congressional District of Texas,” U.S. Rep. Will Hurd said. “Grants like these help grow and strengthen local communities and I’m excited that so many counties in our district were awarded.” City of Rocksprings: Awarded $138,697 for water system improvements “These grant funds awarded by the Texas Department of Agriculture will be used to make important improvements in our Hill Country and South Texas communities. Building and maintaining the infrastructure necessary
to keep these rural communities strong and thriving is integral to the livelihoods and households of thousands of Texans, and I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of all involved that made this award happen. Each day, I see the value of continued investment in our rural communities and the resulting benefits to our families and children, which makes me proud to be serving the people that this grant impacts.” – Rep Andrew Murr Kinney County: Awarded $197,474 for fire station improvements Val Verde County: Awarded $228,684 for water system improvements for Comstock and San Felipe Pasture Crystal City: Awarded $194,286 for street improvements “Infrastructure grants such as these keep our communities safe and healthy while simultaneously laying a solid foundation for future economic development opportunities,” said Representative Tracy O. King. “As
your state representative, I will continue to ensure that similar grants to improve our aging infrastructure continue to be distributed throughout District 80.” City of Sabinal: Awarded $363,952 for water system improvements “Infrastructure grants such as these keep our communities safe and healthy while simultaneously laying a solid foundation for future economic development opportunities,” said Representative Tracy O. King. “As your state representative, I will continue to ensure that similar grants to improve our aging infrastructure continue to be distributed throughout District 80.” La Salle County: Awarded $150,502 for water system improvements For more information about TxCDBG, contact Erica Garza with TDA’s Office of Rural Affairs at Erica.Garza@Texas Agriculture.gov.