November 2008 AACOG Region Newsletter

Pony Express Couriers will be sworn-in during the 20th Annual Swearing-in Ceremony on November 22, 2008, at 10 a.m., at the downtown U.S. Post Office, across from the Alamo.

The ceremony is a prelude to the 20th Annual Christmas Along the Corridor, a 150-mile celebration of history, heritage, and the holidays as 120 Pony Express Christmas Couriers carry proclamations to the communities in the seven counties (Atascosa, Bexar, Comal, Goliad, Guadalupe, Karnes, and Wilson) of the Alamo La-Bahia Corridor and other segments of the Camino Real de los Tejas to San Antonio. The Christmas Along the Corridor Grand Finale and Fair will be hosted by AACOG, the Alamo La-Bahia Corridor Committee, and Fort Sam Houston, on Saturday, December 6, 2008, at the Arthur MacArthur Field on Fort Sam Houston, from 1 to 5 p.m. Visit www.aacog.com/tourism for more information or call (210) 362-5220.

This monthly feature in the AACOG Region Newsletter spotlights our AACOG Board Members. This month we feature Kerr County Commissioner William (Bill) H. Williams. Commissioner Williams has 46 years in the Newspaper Public Industry, and is currently serving his 3rd 4-year term as Kerr County Commissioner for Precinct 2. Commissioner Williams has served on the AACOG Board of Directors since 2003 and is also a member of numerous AACOG Advisory Committees. To read our spotlight on Commissioner Williams, please click here.

AACOG and the New Braunfels Public Housing Authority are hosting a free Foreclosure Prevention Workshop on Saturday, November 8, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The workshop will be held at the Westside Community Center located at 2932 IH-35 South in New Braunfels. Representatives from Wells Fargo, Chase, Washington Mutual, Countrywide, U.S. Department of HUD, City of San Antonio, and Neighborhood Housing Services of San Antonio will be available to help homeowners.

The workshop is an opportunity for homeowners to find out important information on how to keep from losing their homes, as well as to get first-hand assistance from mortgage companies and other lending institutions. Government agencies will be on-hand to provide homeowners with credit and budget counseling assistance. The workshop is free and open to the public. Refreshments and door prizes will be provided. For more information, please call Christopher Villa at AACOG at (210) 362-5245 or toll free at 1-800-749-2010, extension 245.

The AACOG Economic Development Stakeholder Group will host their fourth quarter meeting in Hondo, Texas on November 14, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The group will meet at the newly open Hondo Airport terminal, which had its grand opening on October 24, 2008.

The topic for the meeting will be the economic impact of general aviation airports on local economies. Presentations will be made by the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Department, the Texas Airports Council, and Hondo Airport Director Tim Fousse.

For more information contact Joe Ramos at (210) 362-5212 or click here.

The 2008 Ozone Season officially came to an end on Friday, October 31. Since the season began on April 1, the San Antonio region exceeded the new federal air quality standard for acceptable levels of ground-level ozone (75 parts per billion) 10 times, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Our fourth highest 8-hour average this year was 78 parts per billion (ppb). To read this entire article, click here.

AACOG will have its Winter 2008 Semiannual Meeting of the Area Council and Board of Directors on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, at the Marriott Plaza San Antonio, 555 South Alamo Street, Hidalgo Ballroom, San Antonio.

The Board of Directors and Membership Meeting will be at 10:30 a.m., and there will be a luncheon with keynote speaker Dr. Karl Eschbach, Office of the State Demographer, upon adjournment of the Board Meeting. To find out more, contact Melissa Pulido at (210) 362-5281.

With Texas Governor Rick Perry's support, the Texas Workforce Commission recently approved $2.25 million to fund the Texas Veterans Leadership Program (TVLP). This program is a resource and referral network that serves to connect returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan with the resources and tools they need to lead productive lives and enjoy the full benefits of the society they have willingly served.

Veterans Resource and Referral Specialists throughout Texas seek out veterans in need of services; and work to find ancillary services in local communities, such as community service organizations, veterans service organizations, and faith-based programs.

To find out more about the Texas Veterans Leadership Program, please visit the program's website or contact local Veterans Resource & Referral Specialist Thomas Powell at (210) 246-3609.

Immediately enrich your website with engaging regional content by adding a link to AACOG's Business Images Magazine website - it's easy and it's free. Just copy and paste the magazine image in this article to your website. Please contact Tiffany Harris at (210) 362-5204 should you need assistance or have any questions.

For information on advertising in an upcoming edition of Images Magazine, contact Journal Communications at (800) 333-8842 or e-mail anormand@jnlcom.com.

AACOG's main office will be closed Tuesday, November 11, 2008 for Veteran's Day, and November 27-28, 2008, for Thanksgiving.

The AACOG Region Newsletter is compiled and distributed monthly
by Tiffany Harris, AACOG Public Relations.