A tornado was reported Monday just before 6 PM in Blanket causing damage to the town’s school, cemetery, and knocking down trees and power lines in the south part of town.

Brown County Emergency Management Coordinator Brent Bush was on scene assessing damage shortly after the storm hit and said that no injuries were reported.

Part of the school’s gym roof was ripped off causing rain and hail to flood the inside of the building.  Two air conditioner units were also pulled off of the roof of the school causing water leaks throughout the building.   A rollup door, bus barn, and dumpsters were also damaged at the school.

Reports released for the week of May 12-18, 2013 from the Brownwood Fire Department include 27 medical emergencies, 5 fire calls, 1 motor vehicle accident, and 2 hazardous material calls.

Reports of interest include:

Sunday, May 12

*12:05 AM – BFD responded to a fire call in the 1500 block of Austin Ave.  They were dispatched to investigate smoke coming from building. Upon arrival, nothing was showing and employees were cleaning kitchen.  Firefighters checked structure and found no smoke or heat with thermal camera.

*5:29 PM – BFD responded to a fire call in the 6800 block of FM 45. Arrived on scene to find light smoke coming from a mulch pile, firefighters extinguished fire.

Monday, May 13

*2:21 PM – BFD responded to a fire call on Spring Hollow. Dispatched to investigate loud explosion in attic. Upon arrival, nothing was showing.  Firefighters thoroughly searched residence with thermal camera finding nothing.

I made a left turn despite the clear instruction from my GPS guy to continue straight. And, as usually happens when I disobey his directions, his GPS lady sidekick announced in her saccharine sweet but slightly critical voice that I had left the planned route.

She asked if I needed directions to get back to the route; told me to answer yes or no; and advised she was waiting for my reply. I said no, even though the question was a lot more complicated than that.

I never hear or think of Waco, Texas, that I don’t also think of the corner of 25th Street and Parrott. That’s the address of the house the five-member Cooksey family moved into in 1957, and the home we moved away from in the fall of 1960. I was 8 years old and in the third grade then.

I’m 60 and a grandmother now and I can count on one hand the times I’ve been to Waco since. That means the memories have had more than a half century to languish – perhaps even improve with age.

On the Sunday afternoon of the renegade left turn, my 12-year-old granddaughter and I had left the Heart of Texas Soccer Fields not three miles behind. Her championship trophy was in the backseat. Kristena, already asleep, was my front seat passenger.

At a stop sign on 34th Street, I noticed Parrott Avenue was the crossroad and I made the instantaneous decision to see if I could find the old home place.

By the time I got to 31st Street, I was already uneasy at how close together the houses were. I persevered.

Zephyr High School celebrated the commitment of one of their senior football players to Howard Payne University on Monday afternoon.

A mock signing was enjoyed by Layne Wiedl and his family in the library of ZHS.

Brownwood Police are investigating the theft of two vehicles and roofing materials from Higginbotham Brothers in Brownwood that occurred over the weekend.  The business and police were notified of the theft after Rising Star Police made a traffic stop on one of the stolen vehicles in the early morning hours Sunday.

According to the Brownwood Police report, the driver of the stolen flat bed truck fled the scene at the time of the traffic stop.

At approximately 3:29 a.m. on Sunday, May 19th, Brownwood Police were dispatched to 1500 Center Avenue, Higginbotham, at the request of Rising Star Police Department to investigate the scene.   Dispatch informed the officers that Rising Star Chief of Police had three other suspects detained.

Upon the officer’s arrival, the lock to the gate to the property had been cut and the gate was open.  The back door to the store was found to be unsecure and no signs of forced entry were observed on the door.  Police and the store manager discovered that two store vehicles were missing, a white flatbed pickup and a yellow freightliner truck, along with 121 packages of laminate roofing shingles.  The report states that it appears someone used a forklift at the property to load the shingles into the vehicle.

One woman was sent to the hospital after a head-on collision at the corner of Indian Creek at Stephen F. Austin Monday afternoon.

Two vehicles collided head-on at approximately 2:40 p.m. after one of the vehicles suffered mechanical difficulty, according to its driver.  A BMW sedan and a Chevrolet Tahoe were involved in the accident.

Higher taxes, an issue most citizens do not like to hear, has been on and will continue to be on Brown County Commissioner’s Court agendas as commissioners investigate exactly how much debt the county can afford to complete infrastructure repair and improvements throughout the county.

Commissioners discussed the subject at their Monday morning meeting of the court and stated that the original amount considered, $9 million, was not a reasonable possibility when considering the burden it would place on some taxpayers.  Other taxing entities throughout the county are also considering bond elections which will possibly affect a portion of county taxpayers.  Commissioner Precinct 2 Joel Kelton suggested that a smaller amount of tax notes spread out in a series of projects over a few years would be more logical and easier for the tax payers to accept.

Brown County Auditor Nina Cox stated that right now the county must decide on an amount to have the county’s financial advisor, 1st Southwest Company, analyze along with a certain length of the term of these notes.

“We’re down to needing to determine an amount each precinct needs and can afford, along with the term,” said Cox.  She explained that a smaller amount spread over a shorter term might be easier for the taxpayers to consider and accept.  The amount and terms will be up to commissioners to decide.

District Attorney Micheal Murray said that several felony cases were recently heard in Brown/Mills County District Court, Judge Stephen Ellis presiding.

Daniel Marcus Soliz, on probation for the felony offense of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver was adjudicated and sentenced to 20 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.  Further, Soliz, on probation for state jail felony offense of Possession of a Controlled Substance was adjudicated and sentenced to 18 months, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, State Jail Division.

Dylan Mantz, on probation for the felony offense of Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity was revoked and sentenced to 7 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.

Javier Torres, pled no contest to the felony offense of Money Laundering and was sentenced to 4 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.

Antonio Eduardo Lopez, pled guilty to the felony offense of Delivery of a Controlled Substance Drug Free Zone and was sentenced to 4 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.

The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau recognized Don and Debbie Morelock on Friday with the Excellence in Tourism Award.

The Morelocks, owners of Star of Texas Bed and Breakfast, were given the award as a result of online voting during National Travel and Tourism week earlier in May.  The Chamber awards this honor each year in May to a nominee who has an impact on the tourism industry in Brown County.

“Tourism has a direct impact on the jobs of those working at restaurants, lodging, convenience stores, and museums as well as city workers who help set up for special events,” said Brownwood Chamber Tourism Manager Sunni Modawell.

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.