I just FTP’d this week’s Bulletin over to press, so the Wednesday paper should be rolling within the hour. BanderaBulletin.com is also updated and will post stories this evening after the paper hits the streets.

Tuesday mornings are when we do final proof reading and corrections before meeting our press deadline. Publisher Christina Ryrholm looks at all the pages on Monday night once they have been laid out and then again Tuesday morning to catch anything missed the first time around.

This morning time also gives us the opportunity to get in any late-breaking stories or information on stories already written. For example, an investigator with the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office brought in some updated information this morning on the benefit fund for Sergeant Gerald Johnson Jr. which we were able to get in.

You can read about the story over at MySanAntonio.com (although the comments section is better reading), the latest updates on Jerry at the Wives of the Shield web site, and I’ve reprinted some of the benefit information below for those who want to help out:

“Wives of The Shield, a support group for law enforcement wives, has set up an account at Bank of the Hills in Kerrville, under the name Wives of The Shield for the benefit of Jerry Johnson, to help with expenses. The Johnsons have one child.

Johnson can be visited at University Hospital in San Antonio. Blood may be donated at University Hospital’s third floor, contact Cindy Moreno. Donate in the name of Jerry Johnson and he receives a credit on his hospital bill.

For more information, visit www.wivesoftheshield.com.”

Thanks to everyone who has already ordered photos of their graduates! Your images were sent to the lab on Sunday for printing and most shipped Monday. You should receive your package via USPS very soon!

(To answer our most Frequently Asked Question, yes, you can still send in your graduation order form and get early-bird prices!)

There are plenty of great outtakes and other images available for viewing and purchase in our online gallery. Don’t miss the hat toss and post-graduation hug-fest, as well as the NSFW Class of 2009 “Goofy” class photos. I take no responsibility for Caleb Murphy’s outbursts. I don’t think anyone could.

I like to keep in touch with Bandera graduates, just to see how you guys fare in life after Bantucky. E-mail me and let me know your plans for the future and I will send you a link to the full-size, hi-res copies of the 2009 Class Goofy photos. Trust me – these have to be seen in high-def glory to appreciate fully. We have never before done a goofy class shot at graduation, and these are epic.

Enjoy! If you would like to purchase any of these photos, feel free to use the online shopping cart or e-mail me image numbers and sizes and I will be happy to send over an invoice. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you, as always, for supporting The Outlaw!

I was honored to photograph the Luminaria Ceremony at tonight’s Bandera County Relay for Life, benefiting the American Cancer Society.

No image could capture the immense gravitas of this wonderful event, but I did my best to create a photo that captured the beauty of this symbolic ceremony.

Both of my parents died of cancer, so Relay for Life always holds a special date on my annual shooting calendar. My sincere gratitude to all of the amazing people who make this event happen each year.

I will post my full set of images from tonight’s relay in the near future, but for now, please enjoy this panoramic photo of the always moving Luminaria Ceremony. A hi-res copy of the image may be downloaded here (right click and Save As…).

Good evening mates!

Congratulations to the Bandera Lady Bulldogs on their big 7-1 win over the Kerrville Tivy Lady Antlers in varsity girls soccer action tonight!

If anyone has scores from tonight’s games for Bandera, Medina, or Utopia, leave a comment here, drop me an e-mail, or text/call-in scores and info to 830-688-1564 and I will update Bandera.net with the latest info.

Lots of photo albums will go up this weekend Tuesday, including plenty of Bandera basketball and…of course… Miss Bantucky!

If you have anything you would like to add to Bandera.net, or to see added, please drop me a line to chat.

Tomorrow (Saturday) I’ll be in Pleasanton at the crack of dawn for Medina powerlifting weigh-ins, then back to Bandera for the Grace Lutheran Wild Game Dinner, and I’ll spend the evening shooting Ricky Adams & Rusty Nails over at 11th Street Cowboy Bar. Somewhere in there, I will process sports and event photos and get Bandera.net updated with the latest.

Hope to see you guys out tomorrow!

Christmas in Bandera County is a truly special time in a special place. Running around the county on an almost-daily basis to take photos of all the wonderful holiday events and fundraisers is an exhausting pleasure. There are so many stories, and so much good being done at this time of year in the county, and it’s my honor to be a part of it all through photos.

With that, fresh photos have now been posted to the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account.

BMS One Act Play Theatre presents Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Dec. 5, 2008

Cowboy Christmas at the Courthouse – Dec. 5, 2008

Cowboy Christmas – Bandera Holiday Parade – Dec. 6, 2008

Cowboy Christmas – Saturday – Kid Fish, American Legion Craft Sale, Country Accents Christmas – Dec. 6, 2008

Bandera ISD Holiday Choir Concert – Dec. 8, 2008

Coming soon, photo galleries from the Bandera County Chamber of Commerce mixer at Medina River Ranch Resort, the Bandera Business Association Annual Christmas Party, the House of Clay Church, and Medina Bobcats vs. Utopia Buffaloes basketball photos – JV boys, varsity girls, and varsity boys!

As always, thank you for supporting The Outlaw!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

The Bulletin has taken me off of sports coverage duties to concentrate on Christmas events in December, but I will make every effort to get out and shoot some basketball action for Bandera.net.

Right now I’m blogging from outside of the Bandera County Courthouse, waiting to photograph the Cowboy Christmas parade! Should be a fun show!

Community journalism is a great job to start with, and being able to practice my trade here in Bandera County only makes it that much more perfect.

If you would like to request photographic coverage of any specific event in Bandera County or reporting of a good story, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I want to tell the stories of our community through photos and the written word, and the best of those are always promoted by reader suggestions.

And if you have any thoughts or suggestions for the future of Bandera.net, please let me know! This site is built to benefit you, my wonderful readers, and anything I can do to better the experience for you is my pleasure to oblige. What do you want to see online that would benefit Bandera County?

Drop me an e-mail or use the comments feature of this blog to let me know!