Editorials

On Thursday and Friday, I headed with some friends to Mount Pleasant on an errand. It has been a while since I headed into east Texas, and I had forgotten what a different world it is from much of the rest of the state. On Thursday night, we stayed with Peanut's folks up in Fort Worth, giving us a good jumping off point for the next day's journey.

Editor: Yes, George and I admit to "cramming for the final exam" that was on August 21st to close Lenore Newsom’s dog obedience class as printed in last week’s paper. Also, I will vouch for the fact that George is/was far smarter then his owner/trainer. From the time I grew up on Mason’s Rainey Street and where, reportedly, I always had a dog following me down the road, I have always loved dogs. Having a dog or multiple dogs, owners should always wan ...

Many people have asked me recently if the LCRA Transmission Line issue will finally be resolved soon, and I have had to explain that this is still a long process. Several of us within the County have been actively working to avoid Mason being impacted by this decision for nearly a year now, and I am afraid that the issue is not going away just yet.

During the summer months, especially in the small town of Mason, digging up photos and news stories can be difficult. It's not that we don't have things happening, it's just that we often don't have enough to fill up the paper. And then school starts up again. With school comes football, band, cross country and FFA.

Dear Editor, A number of people have remarked that the LCRA transmission lines could bring in additional tax revenues. This is correct, but the real cost to Hill Country residents is tremendous. 100% of the cost of the LCRA transmission line is past directly onto everyone with an electricity bill. Additionally, affected property owners are forced to underwrite a public project with their private properties as LCRA will take full advantage of the eminent domain laws whereby pr ...

Can Endangered Freshwater Mussels Save the Hill Country? In December, 2009, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department listed fifteen native freshwater mussel species as threatened with extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now considering six freshwater mussel species for federal endangered species status. The ‘Austin American-Statesman’ reports that the USFWS may make a decision on this listing before the end of this year.

This week Kay Trostle will file the P-Line Intervention Association’s responses to staff’s first request for information and first request for admission. (The 1st step of the intervention process.) Lee Lasater and crew are collating all intervenors information and grouping answers to simplify everything as much as possible for the lawyers. An analysis by ERCOT found that the Gillespie to Newton transmission line wasn’t needed to meet the states current electric need ...

I've often had readers tell me that they aren't interested in reading about my life, and they ask why my opinion on any particular subject should be placed before the public. Obviously, my "fan club" is not composed solely of enthusiasts! Of course, I get the same questions about Jane, Renee', Kendal, Mike and Kristi.

Whoops, my editor in chief (namely me) did not proof read last weeks tid-bits. The last day for intervenors to file is Aug. 27 , not Aug. 17 as was printed last week. We are still planning on closing the P-Line Intervention Fund down on August 20, 2010. Cowboys should stick to cowboying. Clearview Alliance out of Kimble County organized meetings in San Angelo, Junction, and Harper last week to combine all of the alternative lines and preferred routes into one intervention group.

Answering the call of God as the pastor for Community Bible Church here in Mason has created a desire within us to become more Texanized. Even though we lived here in Texas for seven years in the mid 80's and early 90's, becoming Texanized is no small matter. There is so much to learn.