As of Feb. 23, total intake for the Gardenia E. Janssen Animal Shelter is 191: 108 dogs and 83 cats in need. As of Feb. 23, the shelter has 77 animals in care: 51 dogs/26 cats. This number includes animals in the facility, in foster care for medical, waiting on available space, or awaiting transport to rescue partner.

The Fayette County Firefighter’s Association reports the following calls for the week of Feb. 18-24: Medical - 6 Vehicle Fires - 2 Accidents - 5 Traffic Control - 1 Structure Fire - 1 Grass Fire - 1 Smoke Report - 1 Fire Alarm - 1 Explosion Sound - 1 Pipeline Leak - 1

The annual Ellinger Volunteer Fire Department fundraiser will be held on April 28 at the Ellinger Chamber of Commerce Hall. Be on the lookout for raffle tickets and mark your calendars to come get a plate of delicious food on this day.

The Fayette Extension Education Association Council Scholarship, given in honor of former County Extension Agent, Nettie Mae Freudenberg; is now open to qualified county applicants. To be considered for this scholarship, an applicant must: (1) be a resident of or have attended high school in Fayette County, (2) be enrolled in a recognized vocational school or college, (3) maintain a grade point average in high school with a strong academic transcript.

On Feb. 19, the first quarterly social of KJZT Family Life, Society No. 31 St. Frances of Rome of La Grange was held at 4:30 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Church Narthex meeting room. President Elizabeth Kallus led opening prayers that included praying for members who passed away since the November social, namely Ruth Chovanec and Benjamin F. Chovanec.

La Grange Police Chief David Gilbreath reports on the following incidents his department responded to during the week of Jan. 21-28.

Silver Drivers Safe Texans: Partnering with Municipal and Justice (JP’s) Courts as well as law enforcement agencies to schedule Silver & Safe Mature Driver courses for at-risk mature drivers. Participating in and successfully completing a traditional defensive driving course has been an option for decades to Texas drivers to keep a traffic violation conviction off their driving record.

Early voting started last week and more than eight percent of all registered voters in Fayette County have already cast ballots. Fayette County Elections Administrator Terri Hefner reports that 1,380 people have voted in the Republican Primary as of Tuesday, Feb.

The Fayette County Texas Exes hosted a county-wide food drive, collecting over 700 lbs. of food for AMEN Food Pantry in La Grange, Schulenburg Area Food Pantry and Celebration House/ Flatonia Area Food Pantry. They also helped volunteers at AMEN Food Pantry stocking food shelves, assisting shoppers and loading groceries in vehicles. In addition, a group picked up trash along Interstate 10 in Flatonia. Texas Exes is comprised entirely of volunteers whose mission is to promote and provide scholarships for Fayette County High School graduates planning on attending the University of Texas at Austin.