Lakeside City and Holliday ISD have seen a strong turnout during the first week of early voting in the May 1 General Election. Early voting for the May 1 General Election began Monday, April 19, and ran until 5 p.m.

During the Lakeside City city council meeting Tuesday, April 20, the council allowed for citizen comment from former City Administrator Eric Stevens. Stevens announced his resignation in a special called meeting on March 28 and finished his last day on the job on April 20.

All three county high schools will be well-represented at the UIL State Track & Field Meet in Austin on May 6 and 7. Holliday saw a trio of athletes advance while Archer City and Windthorst each had two post top-two finishes at the regional meets on April 23-24.

The Archer City Growth and Development Corporation board approved $20,000 in expenditures to fund projects at local non-profis in the Royal Theater and the Archer County Museum and Arts Center during its meeting Tuesday, April 20.

This past week we got a new supply of the two books I have written. The Lazy Man’s Garden and Touch the Earth both carry the same underlying theme. Water will shape the future of 21st Century landscaping. The thing that will drive this lack of fresh water availability has been and will be population. As the population continues to grow and rainfall does not our municipal water supplies will be forced to meet the needs of the population. Historically, the first place water gets restricted is called outdoor use and gardening in general makes up the bulk of outdoor usage. Just when our plants need the help most desperately our ability to deliver that help and is increasingly restricted. Many of us will not live long enough to see how the “end game” gets played out. However, our children and grandchildren most certainly will. These times will be looked back upon as the beginning of a new landscaping ethic and philosophy or as the time when much if not most of our precious water resources continued to be wasted for the sake of green lawns. We chose the former path and continue to reject the latter.

The Sheriff’s Office received 75 calls for service last week. As this report is being written there were 24 inmates with two being female in the Archer County Jail.

On May 5, Mexico will celebrate one of its most important patriotic holidays, known simply as Cinco de Mayo. It marks the victory of Mexico over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It was an improbable victory against overwhelming odds. Above all, it is a day remembered for courage. This special day for Mexico is a day made possible by the daring and valor of a native Texan, Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza.

The Archer Public Library now offers Libby by OverDrive! Borrow e-books, audiobooks, and magazines to read on your phone or tablet using the Libby app by OverDrive. You can even send and read your borrowed e-books to your Kindle e-reader (U.S. only)! It’s free and easy to get started for new users and a streamlined experience for current OverDrive app users. Learn more at overdrive.com/apps/libby/.