The topic this month for the free Bluebonnet Master Gardener Lunch-N-Learn educational program is “Growing Your Garden from Seeds” scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, and the guest speaker will be Randy Albers, Master Gardener. Whether starting your tomatoes early to be able to plant sturdy plants outside as soon as possible or directly seeding your garden plants into the ground when conditions are right, best practices save money and effort and provide better results whether you are aiming for delicious vegetables or beautiful flowers. And you can save seeds from many plants to keep your garden going for years.

The Blinn College District Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to maintain tuition and general fee rates for the 202627 academic year, marking the second consecutive year the board has not changed these rates.

The Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives is pleased to host a program, “European immigration to Texas in the 19th century,” presented by Colorado County author and historian, James C. Kearney, Ph. D. at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16.

A new exhibit at the Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives will open with a reception at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 11. Built around items donated through the years by the Hermes family, the exhibit tells the story of Dr. William Hermes who settled in La Grange in 1855 and his descendants and the contributions they have made here. The exhibit space is upstairs above the Fayette Public Library at 855 S. Jefferson St., La Grange. Call the Archives staff at (979) 968-3765 for more information.

The Fayette County Com- Local Actors Will Portray Roles from Cleopatra to Jane Austen munity Theatre (FCCT) and the Texas Quilt Museum will present “Fight Like a Girl” April 11 and 12 at the museum located at 140 South Colorado in La Grange. Through a series of dynamic monologues this production tells the tale of female rebels, pioneers, outsiders, and changemakers.

In last Friday’s paper we reported on enrollment data from local public schools published recently by the Texas Tribune’s Public Schools Explorer. Here’s a look at some more demographic data on local schools from the Texas Tribune.

A small tornado swept through Lee County on Thursday, April 2. Lee County Emergency Management Coordinator Jason Snelgrove confirmed that an EF-0 tornado, which is the weakest category of twisters, touched down in South Lee County Thursday morning.

Combined Community Action celebrated its 60th anniversary Thursday with a lunch program at the Randolph Recreation Center in La Grange. But one event was hardly enough to encapsulate everything this organization does.

Locals celebrated the Easter weekend in lots of different ways here. Here are a couple. Left, at the outdoor pavilion at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Father Eddie Winkler begins the Service of Light, which starts the holy Easter Vigil Mass Saturday night. Right: Hundreds of kids and their parents came out to the Jersey Barnyard for the annual Easter Egg hunt there, which has been going on for more than 20 years, always the Saturday before Easter. Photos by Jeff Wick

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and CASA of Bastrop, Fayette & Lee Counties is raising awareness of the need for more dedicated members of the community to step up and become CASA Volunteers, and help end child abuse and neglect, through supporting children and their families.