Police believe they’ve caught the man responsible for several recent cases of arson, burglary, and vandalism in Kenedy.

Ansony Martinez (32) of Corpus Christi was apprehended by police March 9 after a resident reported suspicious activity outside her home. Martinez was dressed in all black at the time and had a backpack with him containing several tools Police Chief Duane DuBose said are commonly used in burglaries.

This year’s selection process is over and the 2007 Kenedy Bluebonnet Days Royalty have been announced.

Chosen as the 2007 Bluebonnet Days Queen is Miss Katie Ihrig, daughter of Bob and Brenda Ihrig. The 2006 Bluebonnet Days Queen, Miss Yuri Padron, crowned the queen and her royal court.

The four princesses in order of selection are: first runner-up Veronica Ann Rodriguez, daughter of David and Ofelia Rodriguez; second runner-up, Suzette Salinas, daughter of Benito and Susana Salinas; third runner-up, Cecilia Vasquez, daughter of Sacarias Cantu and Clara Vasquez and fourth runner-up, Mercedes Crawford, daughter of Lloyd and Minerva Crawford.

By Jason Clay Jansky

Residents along County Road 211 just south of Falls City are getting more peace and quiet, these days.

The TexStar sour gas and oil processing plant is undergoing revisions after some major complaints from citizens in the area and the location is a lot quieter than it used to be, according to County Commissioner Jeff Wiatrek.

"All the neighboring people around there were (concerned) with the noise and the smell and all that," Wiatrek said. "The company really did go in and go to work for the people. If you go down the road and look at it, they’ve put up sound barrier walls around it. It looked like they’ve eliminated a lot of noise. It is getting better."