By: Kelsey Yeater We recently mailed out ballots with nominations for new directors and the response was very good. The new directors elected by the members of the chamber are Marie Cruz (Select Energy Services), Carrie Lopez (Veolia Water) and Joe Sheeran (Dynasty Enterprises). Thank you to our outgoing director Tania Esparza and thank you to all members who took the time to vote. Our new Board of Directors as well as the outgoing director met Tuesday, June 11 to elect the new officers for next year and to choose the Citizen, Tourism, Agriculture and Business of the Year award recipients. These awards will be announced at our Chamber Banquet. Please join us for our annual Chamber Banquet Friday, June 21 at the Panna Maria Diner in Panna Maria. A social hour will be held from 6 - 6:30 p.m followed by a catered barbecue dinner at 6:30 p.m. The annual awards banquet will begin at 7 p.m. This year’s event will conclude with music performed by Exit 505 Band immediately following the awards presentation. Tickets are on sale now. You can purchase them for $15 at the chamber office and from any Chamber Director. If you have questions regarding this event please call 830-583-3223.

One week after a 51-year-old Goliad man disappeared after going on a hike at Mesa Verde National Park, family and park officials are baffled that an extensive search has not uncovered any clues to his safety or whereabouts. Mitchell Dale Stehling told family members during the afternoon of June 9 that he was going to hike to the Spruce Tree House in the Colorado park and never returned. Park public information officer Betty Lieurance said Monday that it unusual for hikers to be missing for more than five hours in the area. She said investigators had not ruled out foul play. Lieurance said family members were still at the park Monday. The search over a two-mile radius was scaled back Saturday after no clues or new information was obtained. Rangers used the park’s helicopter to search the canyons and mesas of the park while ground-based teams thoroughly searched nearby canyons and trails. The saturation of the area by searchers, dog teams, a helicopter, and horse patrol provided a great deal of coverage, but resulted in no clues, according to a park news release. Flyers with Stehling’s picture and description remain posted throughout the park. National Park Service personnel were assisted by Dog SAR Colorado. NPS personnel were assisted earlier in the week by Montezuma and La Plata County SAR teams, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the San Juan National Forest Hot Shots. The park spans 52,000 acres of rough terrain.

GOLIAD – The Goliad City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. today at City Hall. Among the items on the agenda is a rules workshop with the Municipal Development District, discussion and presentation of the fiscal year 2014 budget calendar and discussion on progress of current projects.