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The bobcat kittens will need a year to a year and a half of care before they can be released back into the wild.

KENDALIA, TX — Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation is in need of donations to help care for bobcat kittens taken from their natural habitat earlier this week.

Animal Care Services says that a family living off Eisenhower Road near Salado Creek initially reported that they found the pair of felines at a back alleyway and decided to take them into their home. When they tried to feed them, the bobcats bit one of the family members.

By Wednesday, the agency found out that the young bobcats were actually found in Atascosa County. According to ACS, the family maintains that they believed the cats were bengal kittens, a rare domestic breed.

The pair of bobcat kittens have been placed at the Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation facility in Kendalia, Texas. Kelly McCoy, Director of Animal Operations, said that the bobcat kittens will need a year to a year and a half of care before they can be released back into the wild.

"At the end of their care, it will probably be several thousand dollars, making sure they can hunt, and all the hours to make sure they are healthy and getting the right care here," said McCoy of the cost to rehab the animals.

She added that this is a tragic case because now the small window of finding the felines' mom has diminished and the bobcat kittens will need intensive care to learn what they should be learning in the wild.

"They were clearly healthy, and when [the mother] returned, they were gone. And they were kind of experiencing the same loss. They were crying out for her," McCoy said.

Game Warden Captain Michael Morse says that the family could have violated a Texas Parks and Wildlife code regulation. The violation is a misdemeanor offense. The family could be facing those charges after taking in the wild animals.

ACS and a Bexar County Game Warden will continue to investigate the incident.

Until then, the Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation is reaching out to the community for donations to help provide the life-saving care the bobcat kittens need.

If you see animals in trouble, Wildlife Rescue says that you can call their 24-hour rescue hotline at 830-336-2725.

KENDALIA, Texas — Some 40 miles north of San Antonio, along a lonely two-lane road, stands a bedraggled, tin-sided building that hints at Texas’ past.

Kendalia Halle’s multi-tiered wooden truss was decked out in white lights as Bruce and Louetta Schwab joined about 200 others for a monthly dance. The Schwabs live east of Dallas and during their recent visit to central Texas Hill Country decided to visit the old hall, where patrons paid about $20 to hear Bobby Jordan and the Ridgecreek Band. “It’s a combination of her love to dance and my interest in German history,” said Bruce Schwab.

Kendalia Halle was built more than 100 years ago by German immigrants, who through the latter half of the 19th century comprised more than 5 percent of the state’s population, according to the Texas State Historical Commission. It’s one of an estimated 1,000 dance halls that sprung up around Texas in the 1800s, knitting together German, Czech, Polish and other immigrant communities.

About 400 such halls still stand — many unused and decaying — but only two traditional Texas dance halls continue to operate on nearly a daily basis: Luckenbach Hall in Fredericksburg and Gruene Hall in New Braunfels.

“The culture has shifted away from rural areas where most of the halls are, but what we see is that these cultures are foundational to what Texans are and what Texas is,” said Patrick Sparks, board president of Texas Dance Hall Preservation.

Sparks’ group and others are working to preserve the state's remaining dance halls, in part by creating an inventory so that the most distinctive ones become candidates for the National Register of Historic Places. Such designation would enable the halls to apply for grant assistance and protections against encroaching development.

More practically, it would raise their profile among tourists and other travelers.

“You can still go out on a Saturday night and experience an authentic dance hall like you could 100 years ago and that's something that really defines our culture here in Texas,” Sparks said.

Some dance halls also are architecturally unique, according to Sparks. The Cat Spring Agricultural Society Pavilion west of Houston is a 12-sided hall built in 1902 by German immigrants that features an elaborate wooden truss rising up to a cupola. At one time there were about 40 such “round halls” in the state, Sparks said, but now just half that number exist.

Carolyn Vogel is president of a nonprofit association that operates the Twin Sisters Dance Hall. It’s believed Twin Sisters, not far from Kendalia Halle, has hosted at least a monthly dance since the 1880s. It costs about $16,000 a year for volunteers to maintain the building. “On a good year we break even,” Vogel said.

The association is seeking an IRS designation as a charitable organization that would allow it to apply for state grants and other money, which would prove valuable in addressing expensive repairs like the nearly $20,000 needed to replace the roof, she said.

Twin Sisters, founded by German immigrants, for years served as a vital community center, Vogel said, and it’s important “to reacquaint and refamiliarize people with this heritage.” “We’re really working to bring people back,” she said. “I think it’s a unique type of entertainment, also.”

From about 1870 into the 1920s, European immigrants in Texas built hundreds of these halls. They largely served as meeting places for agricultural groups, rifle clubs and mutual benefit societies. Over time, Sparks said, they also became important social centers that on many evenings hosted popular dances.

The popularity of the halls waned as Texas’ population shifted to the cities. In 1900, 83 percent of the Texas population lived in rural areas; 50 years later that percentage had fallen to 37 percent, and continues to decline.

Nowadays, a couple hundred remaining halls may host an event or two each year, but only a few dozen are used at least on a monthly basis, Sparks said.

When Lee Temple bought Kendalia Halle with his wife Judi in 1995, business didn’t look so promising. One weekend he laid out $700 for a band only to have one couple show. While still not a moneymaker, Kendalia’s monthly dances, along with wedding receptions and birthday parties, help the Temples break even. “Texas dance halls are becoming a very good investment because there are fewer and fewer of them,” Lee Temple said. (AP)

SAN ANTONIO — Blanco State Park is frequently named one of the top swimming holes in Texas. About a one hour drive from both San Antonio and Austin, it stands out for its crystal clear water, unique dam structure and its stone tables and benches.

With Spring around the corner, its sure to be a popular spot for swimming, fishing and camping.

Here are five things to know about the beautiful Blanco State Park, provided by the Texas State Parks system.

The Blanco River was named in 1721 by Spanish settlers due to its distinctive white limestone banks. Both Native Americans and the Spanish were attracted to the river, especially because springs from the River provided water even when the river itself ran dry.

Ranchers donated or sold their land to create Blanco State Park in 1933. With 104.6 acres, it is one of the smallest state parks in Texas.

Blanco State Park was one of the first four parks in Texas to receive a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) company. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the program to help unemployed young men get back to work during the Great Depression.

One of the reasons it was chosen was because Blanco was convenient for motorists traveling across Texas. Tourists could pull off the road to relax, swim, picnic, or camp.

Company 854 worked for 11 months in 1933 and 1934 building bridges, dams, structures, picnic areas, and roads. The CCC transformed the landscape and created a park where Texans could swim, fish, and camp.

Their work is evident even today. The park has unique stone benches and tables made by the company. The pools were also created by the CCC dams.

The Hill Country received record amounts of rainfall in May of 2015. On May 23, 10-13 inches of rain fell at the headwaters of the Blanco River. The soil was already saturated and unable to absorb the rainfall. Most of the rain ran straight into the river.

The river swelled and rose an astounding 30 feet. Water rushed through the park, rising over the Kendalia and Texas 163 Loop bridges and touching the bottom of the U.S. Highway 281 bridge. The river continued on this path, devastating the park and land downstream.

Flood waters receded and left behind substantial damage. Uprooted trees, branches, sand, silt and trash littered the park. The high waters lodged uprooted trees 20 feet high in the surviving trees.

Park rangers and volunteers worked through the summer of 2015 repairing buildings, removing debris, and preparing the south side of the park to open on Aug. 1. After restoring the rest of the day use areas the whole park reopened on Oct. 24.

You will see signs of the flood today as you walk through the park. The trees still lean in the direction of the flood water and debris piles are scattered throughout our trails and native areas.

This small park hugs a one-mile stretch of the river. On the water, you can swim, fish, paddle or boat. On land, you can picnic, hike, camp, watch for wildlife, and geocache.

Anglers fish for largemouth and Guadalupe bass, channel catfish, sunfish and rainbow trout. TPWD stocks the river with trout in the winter. You do not need a license to fish from shore within the park. You can borrow fishing rods and reels to use in the park as well.

One useful thing about Blanco State Park is that kayak and tube rentals are available for a small fee.

You can rent a single or double kayak or tube at the park store to use within the park (available seasonally; $20 credit card deposit required). Rental hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; return kayaks by 4 p.m.

KENDALIA - Lynn Cuny has made a career of caring for modern society's more vulnerable members - wildlife whose survival often seems an afterthought to humans.

With support from Jeff Davis Law Firm

Since the 1970s, she's been sheltering injured birds, sick raccoons and hundreds of other threatened animals, initially at her home in San Antonio, and since 2004 at a 187-acre refuge in Kendalia.

"It's why I get up every morning," said Cuny, 59, founder of Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation. "To be in service to the animal kingdom has always been my heart and soul reason for living, and by serving them we also serve humans."

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Her refuge is one of many area nonprofit groups the San Antonio Express-News is profiling in its annual Grace of Giving series, which runs daily until Christmas.

The group's menagerie includes about 500 permanent wards, such as monkeys previously used in medical experiments and lions once kept in zoos. Here, they live out their days in spacious fenced enclosures.

About 6,000 other ill or injured animals such as coyotes and skunks are brought here to get well each year before being released.

"We have protected release sites on private property throughout the state," Cuny said.

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WRR's budget is just under $1.5 million this year. The nonprofit has a paid staff of about 20, provides another 20 interns with hands-on experience in wildlife rehabilitation, and relies on roughly 100 volunteers.

How to help

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation

P.O. Box 369, Kendalia, Texas, 78027

(830) 336-2725, ext. 311

wildlife-

rescue.org

Agency needs funds and volunteers.

Veterinarian Megan McAndrew joined the staff in 2008 for the chance to help a more diverse range of animals.

"Most vets don't even know how to handle a songbird," McAndrew said before treating a rock squirrel's fractured femur. "We're helping the creatures that are the most overlooked."

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Homeowners or ranchers bring in many of the patients. No native species in need are turned away.

"We've rescued toads," Cuny said. "People have also brought injured praying mantises."

Getting help for animals became easier for San Antonio residents this year with the opening of a drop-off center/primary care clinic at 137 Earl St., off McCullough Avenue.

"It's very convenient for the citizens of San Antonio to bring the sick and injured here, versus driving to Kendalia," said Kimberly Stephens, a staffer at the site, which handles up to 80 animals daily, mostly birds, opossums, squirrels and raccoons.

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The organization neither charges for its services nor receives government funding. It relies heavily on private donations, which have been harder to come by in the recession.

San Antonio resident Barbara Long began donating to the sanctuary in the 1980s and has been a volunteer for five years.

"It's a great organization," said Long, 63. "We're trying to give these rescued animals a chance to get back to their normal life, and to preserve the amazing diversity of life that we all share this planet with."

New volunteers are always welcome, but the sanctuary is not open to the public.

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The group's grant writer is Craig Brestrup, 65, Cuny's husband, who said Cuny's zeal for the work hasn't lagged in the 11 years since they met. Actually, he said, it has intensified.

Cuny doesn't shrink from the task of changing people's perspectives on the bugs, rodents and other animals many regard as secondary forms of life.

"The tragedy from my perspective is that human beings aren't aware of just how sacred other members of the animal kingdom are," she said. "Because we can get rid of everything, we do."

(Stacker) – If it feels like Texas real estate has been getting less and less affordable, it’s not in your head. Home values in one Texas town grew by $388,174 over the last year – and many other neighborhoods are also seeing astronomical increases.

Stacker compiled a list of cities and neighborhoods with the fastest growing home prices in Texas using data from Zillow. Cities are ranked by the dollar change in Zillow Home Values Index for all homes from the 12 months ending September 2022.

The charts in this story were created automatically using Matplotlib. Data was available for 1,323 cities and towns in Texas.

Metros with the most cities in the top 50#1. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 20#2. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 12#3. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX: 10#4. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX: 2#5. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX: 1#5. Corpus Christi, TX: 1#5. Fredericksburg, TX: 1#5. Sherman-Denison, TX: 1

Read on to see which cities made the list.

You may also like: Best counties to live in Texas

#20. Bear Creek

– Typical home value: $939,896– 1-year price change: +$162,116 (+20.8%)– 5-year price change: +$580,949 (+161.8%)– Metro area: Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX

#19. Gunter

– Typical home value: $650,078– 1-year price change: +$165,012 (+34.0%)– 5-year price change: +$311,724 (+92.1%)– Metro area: Sherman-Denison, TX

#18. Driftwood

– Typical home value: $1,093,225– 1-year price change: +$172,824 (+18.8%)– 5-year price change: +$566,186 (+107.4%)– Metro area: Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX

#17. Hill Country Village

– Typical home value: $1,341,919– 1-year price change: +$174,553 (+15.0%)– 5-year price change: +$427,291 (+46.7%)– Metro area: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

#16. Lost Creek

– Typical home value: $1,527,621– 1-year price change: +$176,317 (+13.0%)– 5-year price change: +$769,161 (+101.4%)– Metro area: Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX

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#15. Coupland

– Typical home value: $717,796– 1-year price change: +$178,836 (+33.2%)– 5-year price change: +$414,081 (+136.3%)– Metro area: Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX

#14. Prosper

– Typical home value: $824,819– 1-year price change: +$180,627 (+28.0%)– 5-year price change: +$358,379 (+76.8%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

#13. Parker

– Typical home value: $1,045,394– 1-year price change: +$189,987 (+22.2%)– 5-year price change: +$416,911 (+66.3%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

#12. Round Top

– Typical home value: $996,163– 1-year price change: +$190,512 (+23.6%)– 5-year price change: +$458,421 (+85.2%)– Metro area: not in a metro area

#11. Southlake

– Typical home value: $1,175,139– 1-year price change: +$193,026 (+19.7%)– 5-year price change: +$444,591 (+60.9%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

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#10. Kendalia

– Typical home value: $814,023– 1-year price change: +$197,701 (+32.1%)– 5-year price change: +$324,399 (+66.3%)– Metro area: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

#9. Stonewall

– Typical home value: $618,640– 1-year price change: +$201,935 (+48.5%)– 5-year price change: +$281,871 (+83.7%)– Metro area: Fredericksburg, TX

#8. Rollingwood

– Typical home value: $2,536,509– 1-year price change: +$204,927 (+8.8%)– 5-year price change: +$1,191,477 (+88.6%)– Metro area: Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX

#7. Lucas

– Typical home value: $1,067,759– 1-year price change: +$208,243 (+24.2%)– 5-year price change: +$441,963 (+70.6%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

#6. West Lake Hills

– Typical home value: $2,419,722– 1-year price change: +$218,199 (+9.9%)– 5-year price change: +$1,176,391 (+94.6%)– Metro area: Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX

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#5. Bartonville

– Typical home value: $1,205,204– 1-year price change: +$220,628 (+22.4%)– 5-year price change: +$493,972 (+69.5%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

#4. Westover Hills

– Typical home value: $2,341,861– 1-year price change: +$292,956 (+14.3%)– 5-year price change: +$715,292 (+44.0%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

#3. Westlake

– Typical home value: $1,788,937– 1-year price change: +$313,926 (+21.3%)– 5-year price change: +$705,935 (+65.2%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

#2. University Park

– Typical home value: $2,029,573– 1-year price change: +$328,462 (+19.3%)– 5-year price change: +$625,887 (+44.6%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

#1. Highland Park

– Typical home value: $2,400,649– 1-year price change: +$388,174 (+19.3%)– 5-year price change: +$717,579 (+42.6%)– Metro area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX