Ms. Hare’s second grade class sells baked goods to benefit the Fraley family of DeLeon, who lost their home in a fire two weeks ago. Altogether, DeLeon Elementary School raised over $700 to help.

By JON AWBREY Publisher On February 9, the City of DeLeon reported that it was one of the few member cities of the Upper Leon Municipal Water District that has not been forced to notify its customers about water quality in recent months. Most member cities of ULMWD have recently been cited by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regarding high trihalomethane levels and have been forced to publish public notices informing the public about the levels. They also are required to produce a plan to address the trihalomethane levels in the future, and have those plans approved by TCEQ.

By LAURA KESTNER Editor Linda Levens, executive director of the DeLeon Chamber of Commerce, is always enthusiastic about what DeLeon has to offer consumers, and equally enthused about the town’s potential. But recently she’s been more vocal than ever. “Things are just hopping in this town!” she said.

By JON AWBREY Publisher In tough economic times, it’s good to have a scrounger. Sometimes, a scrounger comes in the form of a wily fellow who makes silk out of a sow’s ear - think James Garner in “The Great Escape.” Sometimes, a scrounger comes in the form of a highly educated public school administrator who is faced with one of the worst school budget cuts in state history.

By JON AWBREY Publisher DeLeon has ghosts. They weave through the alleyways off Texas Street, evident in the light traces of painted letters that still speak from red brick walls. They hint that this was once the hometown of a mercantile empire, one that now stretches across the breadth of Texas. For a few years when DeLeon was young, however, this empire was squarely centered on an intersection near the south end of DeLeon’s business district.