News

UPDATE: City officials lifted the boil water requirement for residents as of 1:30 p.m. Friday Feb. 14, as per TCEQ water quality testing results and restoration of proper water line pressure.

By Phil Reynolds
Contributing Writer

Cottonwood Shores residents are being told to boil their water for a couple of days starting late Wednesday, Feb. 12, while city water lines recover from an emergency repair.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Marble Falls city officials denied a special events permit application Feb. 7 based on traffic plan and timeline disagreements for the Adult Soapbox Classic, while planners were in the midst of organizing the 11th annual event scheduled in April.

The denial was given to event organizer Shannon Heep from Marble Falls Police Chief Mark Whitacre in the form of a letter, which included a “right to appeal” process. …

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

The south end of Burnet County (Marble Falls, Granite Shoals, Cottonwood Shores and Horseshoe Bay) saw smaller sales tax revenue growth in January as spending appears to have returned to the level it was prior to the October 2018 flood.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

A crew, on behalf of a boat owner, towed a vessel Feb. 5 from the shoreline of Lake Marble Falls, after a weekend mishap on the waterway near the waterside of a restaurant, officials said.

The incident occurred during the day Feb. 2 adjacent to Lakeside Park.

“The boat caught fire and sank behind Chili's over the weekend,” Marble Falls Police Capt. Trisha Ratliff said. “Marble Falls Fire Rescue extinguished the fire. …

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Recognizing a need exists for affordable and reliable high-speed broadband internet, officials from Burnet, Llano and Blanco counties came together Friday, Jan. 31, to launch a cooperative plan of action to connect their underserved communities.

Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Radio traffic in Burnet County will sound more active than normal Wednesday, Feb. 5, as first responders take part in an all-day regional emergency exercise.

First responders will gather from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Texas AgriLife Extension Office, 607 N. Vandeveer, Burnet, for the Firestarter 2020 exercise, which is being sponsored by the Capital Area Council of Government (CAPCOG) and Burnet County Emergency Management, where they will take part in scenarios designed to test their emergency response capabilities. …

Contributed/Marble Falls EDC
The new Marble Falls McDonald's will have modern amenities, a larger parking area and dining space, but will conjure nostalgia with its new look. Crews demolished the old structure, 1605 RR 1431,on Jan. 30. The new one is scheduled to be completed in the spring.

Find more news updates like this in the Tuesday, Feb. 4 issue of The Highlander, the newspaper of record for the Highland Lakes. To offer a comment or news tip, email connie@highlandernews.com. To subscribe to the newspaper, call 830-693-4367 or click here to subscribe to our e-Edition online.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Death at the Llano County Jail was one hot-button question tossed at the sheriff's candidates at a primary forum in Horseshoe Bay on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

By Nathan Hendrix
Staff Writer

Granite Shoals residents will see an 8.3 percent increase in their garbage collection bill starting on Feb. 1 due to a new contract and fee structure with Waste Management.

To coincide with increased costs to the city, the city council approved changes on Jan. 28 to the city code to increase monthly charges from $20.33 to $22.03 per household. …

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Burnet County's two deputy sheriffs dedicated to investigation of environmental crimes told commissioners Tuesday they are looking for residents to clean up their acts — not clean out their pocketbooks.

“What we want from the public is compliance,” said BCSO environmental deputy Paul Kowalik. “That's our goal. …

Kowalik and fellow environmental deputy Jason Jewett appeared before the commissioners at their regular meeting to give an update on the department. …