The fire near FM 609 and Slo John Road last Friday destroyed two homes, two barns and up to 30 vehicles, including two fully restored classic cars. Flatonia Fire Chief John Burleson told the Record on Monday that he had not yet calculated the cost of the damages, but he estimated it would at least amount to tens of thousands of dollars.

Superintendent Bill Wagner received word from the state commissioner of education that from August to December, only 2% of students in public schools across the state tested positive for COVID-19 and 5% of staff. These low percentages indicate that schools are doing a good job of enforcing safety protocols and the protocols are working.

An arrest warrant has been issued for 19-year-old Untorius Carr, whom police say tried robbing a hotel in Schulenburg at gunpoint on Christmas Day. Schulenburg Police released security camera footage from the America’s Best Value Hotel on Christmas Day which showed the attempted robbery taking place that morning.

Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek reports that on Tuesday, Jan. 12, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Canine Unit, Sgt. Randy Thumann and K-9 partner Kolt, stopped a Toyota Camry on Interstate 10 at the 658 mile-marker at approximately 10:35 a.m. for a traffic violation. After speaking to the driver Sgt. Thumann observed indications of narcotics trafficking. Thumann was given consent to search the vehicle. Thumann deployed his canine partner Kolt to conduct an exterior sweep of the vehicle. Thumann observed Kolt alerted to the vehicle for the presence of illegal narcotics. Thumann and Investigator Smith searched the vehicle and discovered 15 bricks of cocaine in an after-market compartment built into the vehicles dash. The total weight of the cocaine was approximately 17.25 kilos and has an estimated street value of $1,725,000. The driver Priscilla Hernandez, 51 of Weslaco, was arrested for felony cocaine possession and taken to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center.

With the backdrop of COVID-19 and threats of civil unrest, the 87th Texas Legislature convened at noon on Tuesday in the Texas State Capitol. State Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), joined by members of her family, took the Oath of Office administered by Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht.

The 7th annual Sweetheart Classic Car Show will be held on Saturday, Feb. 13 on the south side of Highway 290 in Carmine.

The Quilt Block Trail in Winchester can now be seen at www.quiltblocktrail.com. Schedules of classes and class registration forms, pictures and a trail map are just some of the items available for viewing. A comment section is being developed. Quilt Block Trail maps are available at the Museum, Casino Hall, the Wendish Museum, quilt stores, and other businesses in Giddings, Smithville, and La Grange. The trail is self-drive, is available at your convenience and is a great way to spend an afternoon during this COVID-19 social distancing time. You will find the blocks on fences, gates, barns, and houses that can be seen from the road.

Actually, several of the gravestones shown in the picture just don’t belong. One day, after spending some time at the New La Grange City Cemetery, I noticed several graves in the newer section of the cemetery that seemed a little out of place. In a section where the burials dated to the 1970s and 1980s, I noticed three older gravestones with death dates of 1870, 1892/1904 (one marker shared by two people), and 1878. It piqued my interest and a quick search indicated these graves (all belonging to members of the Scherrer family) were originally buried at the Scherrer Family Cemetery in Biegel. It made sense right away then, to assume that these graves were relocated from the family cemetery in Biegel to the New City Cemetery in La Grange during the construction of the Fayette Power Plant and Reservoir in the 1970s. This would explain their odd placement in the New City Cemetery.

Turtle Wing Foundation is proud to award three academic scholarships this year to a high school senior or the equivalent thereof who resides in and/or attends school in Fayette, Colorado, or Lavaca counties.

Sheriff Keith Korenek reports activities of Fayette County Sheriff Deputies for the month of December 2020. Deputy Ben Wilson responded to a residence off of Makinson Road for an inquest due to a terminal illness.