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Applications for Community Development Partnership Program grants available in July

Turtle Wing Foundation recently received a $5,000 grant from Sparklight Charitable Giving Fund.

Q&A with Jolynn Stancik, Walmart employee for nine years, and Colorado County Habitat Partner for seven years QUESTION: Tell us about your life in 2017 when you became a Habitat Partner ANSWER: I was a 26-yearold single mom, with a 6-year-old daughter, Makayla. I was a sporting goods associate at the Columbus Walmart. Makayla and I were living in a 2-bedroom apartment with very bad mold. I came home one day, and it was basically raining inside my apartment. The water heater in the above apartment had busted. The landlord did not replace my carpets and I remember when Habitat came for the home visit, the board member touched a pencil to the ceiling, and it was mushy. I turned in doctor and ER bills with my Habitat application because the mold was very bad for my asthma. I never thought I’d ever be a homeowner. We were saving up to buy a trailer but to get approved for it was like buying a house.

COMPILED BY STAFF

COLUMBUS – The public is invited to attend the Columbus Education Foundation’s “Launch Party” on Saturday, July 22, 4-6 p.m. at Hound Song Brewery.

COLUMBUS – The Columbus Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its Second Annual Gun Raffle on Monday, September 25.

The Multi-County New Landowner Education program is a series of eight informational meetings, seminars, and field days designed to make new landowners in Austin, Colorado, Fayette, and Washington counties aware of what types of agricultural enterprises are best for their property.

Colorado County Little League has a few teams heading to their respective Sectionals tournaments after finding victory in the district and claiming district championships. Last season, Columbus had a high level of success in Sectionals as four Columbus Little League teams moved on to state and a few teams even won their respective state championships. While there were not as many teams that moved on to Sectionals this season, the softball Majors for Columbus and the baseball Minors for Weimar each put together some of their best play to claim their district championships and reach the sectional tournament. The Weimar boys got their sectional tournament started with a game against Lufkin on Monday, while the Columbus girls start their action Wednesday, July 5 in Schulenburg.

Eye on the Ball, Ear to the Street

MORE VIEWS FROM COLORADO COUNTY LITTLE LEAGUE

The Texas Girls’ Coaches Association continues to hand out honors and awards to standout softball players following the varsity softball season. The 2A State Champions, the Weimar Ladycats, have already received several instances of recognition from the organization as the title-winning team achieved their victory with a group of top players in their position. The Legacy All-Star team is composed of the top seniors from the past season as they leave behind a legacy of excellence at their respective schools. TGCA selected a pair of Ladycats to the 1A4A Legacy All-Star team as Reagan Wick and Paige Pavlu each left undeniable impacts on Weimar’s run to the state championship. Only 20 seniors in the state from the smaller divisions were selected to the Legacy All-Star team, placing Pavlu and Wick amongst elite company in the state. These two graduated seniors made up an unstoppable battery for the Ladycats as Wick’s elite pitching stifled opposing offenses with Pavlu on the receiving end at catcher. The duo helped the Ladycats have one of the most consistent and strongest pitching staffs in the state as they were a dynamic first punch for an imposing Weimar defense. Both players were key in the championship game as Wick got the start on the mound to take on the Como-Pickton Lady Eagles, and Pavlu provided the game winning hit and RBI that secured the Ladycats’ sixth state championsip since 2003.

REEVES MAKES JUNIOR YEAR ALL-STAR TEAM

A former standout on the Ladycat softball team has continued to make a big impact at the next level as she helped contribute to a historic season for her collegiate team. Skylar Heger, a true freshman for the Bossier Parrish Lady Cavaliers, has been a major player for the young team made almost exclusively of freshmen and sophomores. She took a leadership role for the Lady Cavs this year as her strong performances on offense helped her become one of the team’s leading hitters. Heger’s play this season helped her earn a spot on the All-Conference First Team as well as the All-Region 2nd team. Her teammates also boasted impressive stats this season as they helped the Lady Cavs reach the NJCAA National Championship Tournament for the first time in the program’s history.

EAGLE LAKE – The Senior Dances that take place monthly at the Eagle Lake Community Center, 100 W. Walnut, are still in full swing.

Air conditioning is a welcome luxury come the dog days of summer. Few people can imagine getting through a hot summer afternoon without turning their AC on, and that can make July and August some of the more costly months on the calendar in regard to energy consumption.

AUSTIN– The dog days of summer have certainly arrived, and with the soaring temperatures Texas State Parks is sharing seven tips to help Texans enjoy time outdoors safely. Last year, 47 state parks reported 141 heat-related illnesses in humans and pets. Since January 1, 77 heat-related incidents have already been reported, compared to 64 reported by this time last year.

Eagle Lake Remembers

For Texas high school football fans, Dave Campbel l’s Texas Footbal l publication is the all-encompassing authority on the high school and alumni athletes that hail from the Lone Star. Every team in Texas can find their name in the pages of the yearly magazine. The teams of Colorado County are no different as they each had their turn to be the topic in the most recent edition of the publication. Texas Football takes a look at each of the varsity programs in the county, Columbus, Weimar and Rice Consolidated, and gives their predictions on the impact performers going into the 2023 football season this fall.

SCHULENBURG – The Columbus Cardinals’ basketball team had the perfect training session during their summer league run as the varsity and non-varsity squads took on several teams. The varsity Cards kept their momentum going from a postseason appearance last season into the summer league as they kept up their strong performances. The future of Columbus basketball also got to show off their skills as the JV team had a strong summer run as well. Both teams came away from the tournament as the summer league champions in their respective brackets.

While the summer break means that students get nearly three months free of school activities, many Colorado County athletes stay in action despite being in the offseason for their respective schools. Columbus High School has several players participating in summer ball with select teams as they compete and hone their skills to prepare themselves for their upcoming varsity season. Wyatt Tipton is a sophomore for Columbus High School that has been participating in select baseball for the 15U age group. He contributed to a strong tournament run during the Results Baseball Showcase that started on June 23.

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