Coggin Elementary and Brownwood Intermediate School hosted their 2nd annual Little Lions Olympics on Friday, May 17th at Gordon Wood Stadium.

The event gave approximately 500 students an opportunity to participate in a junior track meet and help prepare them for their athletic career. The event had an Olympic theme, with an opening ceremony of teams marching in with their class/team flags, an Olympic torch and even a dove release.

BIS Principal Chuck Chesser brought in the torch and stood ceremoniously by as Dennis Graham released racing pigeons into the air to create a grand ceremony for the kids and their parents to enjoy.

The Pregnancy Care Center will be holding a free workshop for parents called TCSI (Teaching Children Sexual Integrity) on Monday, May 20th at Early High School. The workshop will be held from 5:30 PM-6:45 PM.

Attendance to this workshop is encouraged for all parents whose children will be attending the Sex Matters Workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday at Early Middle / High School.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up beginning May 20 and ending on June 14. The restart of sign-up for continuous CRP, including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative, the Highly Erodible Land Initiative, the Grassland Restoration Initiative, the Pollinator Habitat Initiative and other related initiatives. Sign-up for continuous CRP began on May 13 and will continue through Sept. 30, 2013.

As always, the competition to enroll acres into CRP is strong, and they urge interested producers to maximize their environmental benefits and to make cost-effective offers. CRP is an important program for protecting environmentally sensitive lands from erosion and sedimentation, and for ensuring the sustainability of our groundwater, lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. Through the voluntary participation of our farmers and ranchers, CRP helps us to protect our natural resources, preserve wildlife habitat and bring good paying jobs to rural America related to hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation.

CMS Health Care will host a night of Bunco on Monday, May 20th from 6:00-8:00 pm at Abundant Life Church, located at 585 W. Commerce in Brownwood.  All proceeds benefit Relay for Life of Brown County.

It's Bunco time come ready to roll for a good cause.  Organizers state that it will be an evening of fun.

Tickets are $10 to join the event.

There will also be raffle tickets for a chance to win many necklaces, which will be going on until the Relay for Life event. Tickets for the raffle are $1 each or 6 tickets for $5.

This year’s Relay for Life of Brown County is themed “7-7-7 Don't Gamble with Cancer.” The relay is set for June 7 from 7pm-7am at Gordon Wood Stadium in Brownwood.

Brown County 4-H is supported by Brown County United Way

DATES TO REMEMBER

May

19 – 4-H Shooting Sports Practice 2:00p.m. at 4-H Center

20 – Livestock Judging Practice 5:30p.m. at Extension Office

21 – State Qualifying Consumer Decision Making Practice 5:00p.m. at Extension Office

27 – Extension Office Closed for Memorial Day

31 – Deadline to Enter District Horse Show

4-H PAPER CLOVER FUNDRAISER AT TRACTOR SUPPLY: MAY 8^th-19^th!!

Customers at our local Tractor Supply can support Brown County 4-H by purchasing paper clovers at checkout. All funds raised will be donated to 4-H, and over 70% will remain in Brown County. There are some new items this year during the fundraiser: $1 & $5 paper clovers will be offered and each clover will have a bounce back coupon at the bottom as a “thank you” for your donation. $5 clovers will have a larger discount than $1 clovers, made possible by Purina Animal Nutrition.

Our local Tractor Supply Co. has been one of the top money raisers in this region since the Paper Clover fundraiser started; so lets help them become number one in the state, while supporting Brown County 4-H at the same time during this fundraiser.

4-H members, if you would like to volunteer to help advertise this at our local TSC store, we will have a booth set up on Saturday, May 18^th from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. If you’re interested please sign up with the extension office.

During the 2012-2013 school year Brownwood High School implemented a new program with the help of health science teacher Annalyn Deen.  A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) class was added to the health science track to allow senior students to become certified nursing assistants by the end of the school year.  This is a State of Texas mandated-course that has very specific requirements for each student to pass.

“We had a total of six girls start the program this year,” said Deen. “At the end of the year all six students passed the grueling state test.”  Catherine Daniel, Miranda Chandler, Shayla Biessener, Dara Wise, Linda Luna, and Christina Gutierrez were required to perform 5 of 37 skills on residents in the nursing home and then take a 70 question written test, a process that took from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on April 29th.

Law enforcement arrests and reports released Friday, May 17, 2013.

Wednesday, May 15

*8:03 AM – Brownwood Police were dispatched to the 1600 block of Calvert Drive regarding two students fighting.  According to the report, an investigation determined that an offense of disorderly conduct-fighting had been committed and both juveniles were issued citations.  The investigation also found that an assault had occurred on May 14th and criminal prosecution was requested by the mother of the victim, the report states.

*11:15 AM – Brownwood Police met with a complainant at the law enforcement center regarding an assault.  According to the report, the complainant’s ex-boyfriend had assaulted her earlier in the day.

*3:34 PM – Brownwood Police were called to the 2000 block of 12th Street regarding an unwanted person.  According to the report, the complainant stated that her ex-boyfriend entered her residence through an unlocked back door and then left through the front door.  The complainant stated that he has also been calling and texting her several times even though she has advised him not to contact her, the report states.

*5:35 PM – Brownwood Police were called to a north Brownwood residence regarding an assault.  According to the report, a juvenile victim stated that she was assaulted while at school and was being bullied by another student.  The child had obvious injuries to her face, the report states.  An investigation to identify the juvenile suspect, who is known by first name only, is continuing, according to the report.

The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce honored local law enforcement officers and agencies on Friday at their 5th annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Luncheon held at the Brownwood Country Club.

Agencies recognized at the luncheon included Brown County Adult Probation, Brown County Constables, Brown County Court at Law, Brown County District Attorney, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Brownwood Police Department, Early Police Department, Justices of the Peace, Lake Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.   Each agency was recognized and given the opportunity to present departmental awards.

The Brownwood Police Department presented their Officer of the Year award to Corporal Aaron Taylor.

Recently the downtown area of Brownwood received a new addition to its character.  After years of success in Brownwood, the Turtle Restaurant was recently adorned with their newly handmade sign which was crafted by Blackout Signs of San Marcos.

“The artistic design is colorful by day and de-light-ful at night.” owner Mary Stanley said, "It was about time to put up a landmark.  We feel the joyful style of the sign represents our restaurant well.  The Turtle may be slow to get somewhere but it arrives in style."

Now the Turtle is clearly marked on the downtown stretch of Center Avenue in Brownwood along with another landmark sign for the Lyric Theatre added in the last few years.

Brownwood Independent School District issued the following statement regarding Thursday's brief lockdown of schools:

Coggin Elementary and Brownwood Intermediate schools went on lockdown, Thursday, May 16th, for a brief period around 1:10 pm.

Initial reports of a suspicious person with a gun were quickly determined to be false and the lockdown was lifted when it was discovered that the man was carrying a screw-gun.  School officials responded immediately to the report and secured students and staff on both campuses while the situation was investigated by district administrators.

The situation lasted approximately ten minutes.  Due to the brief span of the lockdown period, the district's e-alert communications system was not activated before the "all-clear" was given. Had the situation been verified as an actual emergency, alerts would have been sent out via email, Brownwood ISD Mobile App, website and social media.

The “all-clear” message was posted on the Brownwood ISD website at approximately 1:45 pm and subsequently through the district’s social media channels.

Brownwood Police Department’s Assistant Chief James Fuller recently attended a 3-day Critical Incident Stress Management class in Plano, Texas in order to learn more about how the police department can help their employees who suffer a traumatic incident or loss.

The reason for taking the class, Fuller stated, was to provide more resources to those suffering through a traumatically stressful event such as and death, divorce, injury/illness, or other painful experiences and situations.  The workshop was designed to provide assistance in individual and small group settings, teaching attendees tips on how to get victims of traumatic stress to open up.

"National Police Week (May, 13-19) is a great time to remember and honor fallen officers and also to realize that law enforcement officers are human—they have families, hobbies they enjoy and at the same time they are human and feel pain and hurt like everyone else,” said Fuller.  “The problem is we have a job to do while we are experiencing the trauma.  We are the ones that run to danger, feeling the same trauma as the public that is experiencing it, but it’s our duty and responsibility to perform during problems.”

Law enforcement officers must hold themselves emotionally “together” during an incident and are forced to react to it later, according to Fuller.  He stated that it is important to be reminded that we all need to understand the dangers of law enforcement.

He stated that he had the chance, through the class, to learn not to try to cure/relieve a mental problem, but to provide guidance in dealing with mental trauma, something that has been lacking in the Brownwood Police Department for many years.

Global agriculture’s challenge to feed two billion more people by 2050 on Planet Earth would have made a sensational episode of some 1960s-1970s hit drama television series. Agricultural technology innovations could have been the ultimate mission. Agriculture faces a daunting task to feed and clothe a world population expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050. The current population is about 7.1 billion people. Over the last decade, the global population increased by 12 percent.

To fill 2 billion more mouths, worldwide agricultural productivity must increase by 70 percent to 100 percent, according to the United Nations. Making the challenge even more…challenging…. is that agriculture will have to produce more food with less land and water.

Feeding and clothing 9 billion people will require major technological breakthroughs and the collaboration of people and organizations worldwide.

The growing demand for food can only be met by unprecedented technical and agronomic knowledge sharing across the globe.

Collaborative sharing

Collaborative sharing will involve growers, agricultural support companies, academia, policy makers, government agencies, and many others. Innovation will deliver the tools to help growers succeed at the local level.

Dr. Gary Butka, a leading physician and cosmetic surgeon in Brownwood, TX announces his latest acquisition in cutting edge aesthetic technology; Symphony RF™.  Dr. Butka is the first in West Texas and one of the first in the United States to use Symphony RF™ technology, which revolutionizes wrinkle relaxation to the forehead area without the use of an injectable toxin such as Botox Cosmetic®.  It is known to have long-lasting results.

Dr. Butka and his skilled team is one of the first to have this technology in the State of Texas and his facility is one of a few throughout the nation to be named a center for Symphony RF™ technology.  The Symphony RF™ technology was released by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004, but has only recently been introduced to the cosmetic market for the used of ablating the nerves that cause wrinkles on the forehead.

For more than two decades, similar radio frequency technology has been safely used in lifesaving cardiology treatments to correct abnormal heartbeats, and for the relief of severe back pain.  Symphony RF™ technology makes use of radio frequency for cosmetic purposes by targeting corrugator nerves in the forehead that cause “frown lines” between the eyebrows.  A combination of technologies allows physicians to precisely locate an area for treatment and then apply a specific dose of therapeutic radio frequency energy to a portion of the targeted area.  The result is reduction and softening of wrinkles in the brow line with results lasting over a year.

The 50th annual Brown County Rodeo is fast approaching and organizers are getting set for a great lineup of events and activities including the rodeo parade.

As a major component to the rodeo each year, the Brown County Rodeo Parade will travel through Downtown Brownwood and feature a wide assortment of entries. Entry forms are now being accepted for the parade which will take place Saturday, June 8th at 10 AM.