economics

Shoppers began buzzing in mid-December about a Feb. 9 opening for the new Marble Falls H-E-B and now the company's home office in San Antonio has sent out a timeline that been counting down since groundbreaking for the 111,000 square-foot store in April.

The grocery story is, indeed, set to open Feb. 9, with that month through May devoted to demolition of the old store and continuation of site construction. The old H-E-B fuel station closed mid-summer and a celebration of the conclusion of the entire project will follow completion of a new gas station this coming fall.

H-E-B first opened its doors in Marble Falls on May 1, 1966. The current location opened in 1990. Over the last 20 years, H-E-B has spent nearly $7 million to improve and enhance the store, expanding it to 75,841 square feet on 5.35-acres.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Hunters looking for the big bucks can mean big bucks of the green variety to business.

Texas ranks first or second every time a national survey is conducted. The Lone Star State's 2.71 million hunters and anglers spend $4.1 billion annually and support 65,993 jobs, according to a study reported by the Congressional Sportsman Foundation.

“There’s no question that deer hunters boost the economy in small towns such as Burnet for the several weeks they are in the area,” said Kim Winkler, executive director of the Burnet Chamber of Commerce.