The Mason County Courthouse burned down Thursday night, Feb. 4, in a suspected case of arson. A man named Nicholas Miller was arrested the next for allegedly setting the fire after livestreaming his run from law enforcement on social media.

The Rotary Club of La Grange held their annual Pancake Supper last Thursday in La Grange at the high school. Because of COVID precautions, the event this year was a drivethrough only event.

The first name of Dairy Queen Manager Dawn Parks was incorrect in a story in Friday’s edition..

COVID-19 hospitalizations across the region dipped below 15 percent, easing restrictions that the State had put in place for the region two weeks ago. Those restrictions limited certain procedures at hospitals, required restaurants to limit capacity to 50 percent, and required bars to close indoor services.

Statistics indicate that foodborne illness continues to be a health issue in the United States. Each year, 1 in 6 Americans will become sick, 128,000 will become hospitalized, and 3,000 will die due to a foodborne illness.

It’s that time of year when love is in the air and the annual Valentine’s Library Benefit Concert for Round Top Festival Institute is happening. This year it will be going virtual. There will be no live benefit concert, no silent auction, no tables laid out with sweet treats and yummies galore. Nonetheless, Dick Smith and family present ‘The Show Must Go On.’ The prerecorded concert starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, Feb. 13 benefits the Festival Institute’s Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee Library and Study Center and will be free to the public. A link will be made available to the general public on Saturday at festivalhill.org.

Round Top Festival Institute received a $2,500 donation from H-E-B. The H-E-B Community Investment Program contributes to non profit organizations that maintain an IRS 501(c) designation and that operate within the immediate H-E-B marketing area. Helping communities for more than 100 years, H-E-B has continued their valued support for the arts by contributing to the Festival Institute’s Bybee Library Annual Valentines Benefit and Adopt-A-Book program which will be virtual this year and free to the public. Pictured from left to right: Susannah Mikulin, Fayette Community Foundation; Lamar Lentz, RTFI Managing Director, Pat Johnson, RTFI Associate Curator of Collection, Justin Heimann, H-E-B Drug Store/General Merchandise Manager and Paul Mikula, H-E-B Store Director.

Feb. 9-12, 1971 La Grange’s official population was 3,092, according to the U.S.

Two local guys are being hailed as heroes, even if they don’t think they did anything special. “We were just doing what I hope anybody would do,” said Brett Rohde of Fayetteville.

The school board elections take place on Saturday, May 1 along with the municipal elections. The deadline to file for a place on one of the five school boards here in Fayette County is Friday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. Several people, mostly incumbents, have already filed.