local bandera county headlines

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A public hearing on the county’s proposed budget and tax rate for the next fiscal year will be TODAY. The current tax rate is $.5195 per $100 valuation; the proposed tax rate is $.5304. The revenue increase will total approximately $600,000, the lowest revenue increase in three years.  After public input, the Court will vote to adopt or reject the new tax rates.  Now is your time to have you opinion heard. 

It's that time of the year and the cattle are coming! This Saturday, Aug. 30, the Bandera Round-Up parade, led by the traditional longhorn cattle drive, will proceed down Main Street. The parade begins at 11 a.m.  At 9 a.m., follow your nose to the Bandera County courthouse lawn for Market Days and Kelly Scott’s chuckwagon cowboy breakfast. Enjoy free coffee, biscuits and gravy. Gunfight shows by the Bandera Cattle Company Gunfighters are scheduled for 10 a.m. and noon.  Click here for more of the schedule and activities.

Always a great local tradition - the Medina Lake Cajun Festival began 44 years ago and is one of the largest and best Cajun Festivals in the Lone Star State.  Click here for more information.

Click here to order online tickets right now!

Click here to get all the information including bands, vendor information, and more!

 Bandera County residents say feral cats continue to multiply despite a volunteer-led Feral Cat Program, and they are urging the Bandera Economic Development Corporation to continue funding efforts to control the population.  Residents say the program receives no city funding and relies on the city marshal to identify high-population areas.  Click here for more.  

Open houses are now scheduled to discuss how to protest these CPS lines.  Click here for more.  

CPS Energy and AEP Texas are proposing to construct approximately 370 miles of new transmission infrastructure connecting the CPS Energy Howard Road Station in Bexar County to the AEP Texas Solstice Station in Pecos County, as part of the proposed Howard Solstice 765 kV Transmission Line Project. The project is intended to connect substations to support the regional electric grid. Multiple potential routes are being evaluated, some of which pass through portions of Bandera County. 

Click here to learn more about this directly from the CPS website.

Don't agree?  Then you can voice your complaints which is highly recommended:  

 CPS Energy
Antonio DeMendonca
S&T Regulatory Support Project Manager 
Howard-Solstice Transmission Line Project 
Mail Code RT0801 
500 McCullough Ave. 
San Antonio, Texas 78215 
210-353-6673, Option 7
Howard-SolsticeProject@cpsenergy.com

AEP Texas
Michael Harris
Lead Outreach Specialist
833-329-4865
AEPTexasOUtreach@AEP.com 

From dire service in Vietnam, World War II Service, and even a bull attacking a patrol car, Bandera County Veterans have poignant stories to tell.  The local Bandera Prophet has a strong commitment to the military and to the Veteran stories.  Click here to learn about the exposure that Bandera County Veterans, active-duty assignments of Bandera County residents and other military updates including Veterans stories.  

As a Veteran, the Bandera Prophet would like to hear your story.   Please join this great storytelling archive!   Click here to hear the Veteran stories or to get more information.  

3-Year Anniversary covered by the local Bandera Bulletin for more thoughts and updates on the love of and for Jordan.

Where is Jordan Tomkins?  Jordan Tomkins was walking alone along Park Road 37 in Lakehills in April 2022.  She vanished three years ago without a trace, and still hasn't been found.  For more details on this story, click here.  It's time to talk.  

Prior to Covid, unsupervised recycling dropoffs were allowed at all four county solid waste sites. Recyclables were collected, sorted and baled by the sheriff’s department/trusties and inmates. In partnership with Keep Texas Recycling, a rural recycling cooperative, bales were transported to processing centers and revenue was collected by the County.  Recycling was paused during the Covid period and the county decided not to resume due to difficulties with contamination and trash issues with unsupervised recycling drop offs. The County did not allocate funds to provide staff for that purpose.  In 2022, a group of county residents interested in resuming a recycling program in the county is organized and approaches the County with a proposal to restart the program with volunteer supervision . . . and have met with great success.  For more on this story, click here!

To visit their "Don't Make Waste Bandera!" Facebook page, click here:   Facebook 

 Effective immediately, all Texas public school districts are required to implement a policy that prohibits the use of personal wireless communication devices during instructional time. Texas House Bill 1481, which amends Section 37.082 of the Education Code, was filed Dec. 2, 2024 and signed into law by the governor June 20.  The Bandera ISD No Cell Phone Policy, beginning the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 4, states, “all cell phones, smart watches, tablets, headphones and earbuds are prohibited during the entire school day- including lunch and passing periods; devices must be stored in backpacks, lockers or locked pouches; no exceptions for instructional use,” unless approved for medical and special education needs.   Click here for the full story and what the consequences will be for violations!

More than 800 students have fresh hair cuts, new backpacks, and all the pens, pencils and supplies they need for the 2025-26 school year.  An estimated 2,000 people walked the grounds of the Lakehills Community Center during this year’s seventh annual Back to School Bash.  Approximately 50 organizations and 150 volunteers participated in the event’s success.  Click here for the full story.