On Saturday, March 27, 2010, at approximately 10:00 pm a lone gunman, armed with an automatic weapon, robbed the Alamo Springs Cafe. He left with an undisclosed amount of cash and was later apprehended by the police department at the home of a relative. No injuries were reported.
I spoke with Mike Tangman, owner of the Cafe, on Tuesday as he readied the Cafe for business. He stated that the gunman fired 2 to 3 shots into a window and ceiling. Concerned for the safety of his employees and customers, Mike remained cool and collected and promptly turned over the cash. “I could have bull-charged him but, it just wasn’t worth it”, said Mike. “The safety of the people in the Cafe was the most important thing. It’s a done deal now, time to move on”.
Mike described the perpetrator as a young man from Florida with a history of mental illness. Although he wore a mask, his distinct voice identified him as a relative of an employee (now a “former” employee).
As I spoke with Mike it was clear that, instead of being angry, he appeared sympathetic to the predicament of the robber and his family. It’s hard on a family when someone with mental illness causes problems. One is torn between supporting the individual and having to do what is right and legal.
I left Mike as cars were pulling in the parking lot. The event of the past Saturday was put to bed. Time now for burger and fries. Yum.
-d
It’s time to put your purple martin house up. Scouts have been spotted in San Antonio. If you know what I’m referring to this should bring a smile to your face. If you don’t…you’re missing out on great wildlife experience.
The Purple Martin is considered to be America’s most wanted bird. The interaction between man and martin dates all the way back to the Native Americans and continues to this day. With its bubbly personality and gurgling song, the purple martin is cherished by all that host them and each spring brings on an excitement that only a purple martin landlord (someone that keeps martins) can experience as they anxiously anticipate the return of their beloved purple martins.
Purple Martins are the largest swallow in North America and are known as Aerial Insectivores (which means that they only eat flying insects that they catchwhile in flight. Each bird will consume up to 2000 flying insects every day (mosquitoes, wasp, house flies, ballooning spiders, crickets, etc.). This natural method of flying insect control was observed and utilized by Native American Indians who, for thousands of years, hung hollowed-out gourds around and in their villages to provide nesting cavities that would attract this very beneficial bird species. In turn, this created the only semi-domesticated migratory bird in the United States.
We put up our first martin house in 2009 and were rewarded with six pairs of birds that hatched several young each. Every morning you can hear their song as they swoop around eating flying critters. It’s fun to watch.
There are several places online where you can order a martin houses. We got ours in town at Sutherland’s. It is an S&K brand house and is less expensive than most. http://www.skmfg.com/
Put one up. You’ll love it!
Some links:
http://www.chuckspurplemartinpage.com/
http://purplemartin.org/
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/purple_martin/id
What is the program for?
Alamo Springs Volunteer Fire Department is signing up landowners who would like to have water sources on their property accessible to the fire department in case of an emergency.
Why do I need to participate?
A small 5 acre grass fire can sometimes take 5000 gallons of water to extinguish. If your house catches fire, it could take 15,000 gallons to extinguish. Since there are no fire hydrants, all water has to be trucked to the fire. A tender truck can only carry 2000 gallons of water, so a water source close to the fire could save valuable driving time and therefore property and lives.
Continue reading Alamo Springs Emergency Water Source Program
Neal and Neal Concrete team installing forms for the addition. The worker on the left is working on the corridor which connects the new addition to the old building.
From Fire Chief Gary Miller
Due to the increase in the number of vehicles in the department over the past year, ASVFD is building an expansion onto its current fire house.
This project was only possible because of many factors; the generous donations received from our June mail request and the August open house, the enthusiastic support of the Kendall County Commissioner’s Court which authorized funds to finance the slab and building, and the many volunteer hours put in by our members and local residents.
The addition will be a 40′x45′ 3 bay garage sited behind the current building. There will be a 15′ corridor connecting the two. It will hold a small storage area and future rest room.
Continue reading Alamo Springs VFD Expansion Update
