News

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Not too often do fifth-graders shoulder titles like assistant director, camera operator and prop designer, but it’s just in a days work for Colt Elementary music class students. 

All fifth-graders are in Esther Jones’s music class, but music just isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, add to the mix a project like making a music video and kids ambivalent about music class came alive as they worked on productions based on their favorite songs.

“It almost gave me chills watching them,” Orts said. “Kids who normally aren’t excited about music class became really engaged, leading brainstorming sessions and showing interest in finding creative camera angles.”

Marble Falls High School audio-visual (A/V) students already have started editing some footage, with more to come. They’ll weave students’ clips into music videos to post on YouTube, making it a cross-campus collaboration.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Those in the know already know, of course, but the regular customers of Forno’s Bar and Grill have been keeping the owners busy since the doors swung open at the LBJ Yacht Club and Marina in Cottonwood Shores.

The restaurant flourished for years at its Marble Falls Main Street location until the building was sold, prompting the move, said co-owner Jo Shubber.

“We wanted to be on the water and this location became available,” she said. “I think it was a good move for both the marina and us.”

The business is located on the border with Horseshoe Bay, making it convenient for many regular customers. It’s a combination of ambiance and good food that has kept folks coming back, Jo said.

“Mostly, we try to treat people like family and keep a relaxed atmosphere,” she said.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

It’s no secret that kids need entertainment, parents need an occasional breather, and the two demands often don’t coincide. That’s where Friday Nite Live!, a parents’ night out program, comes in.

The grand opening for the community event will be April 22 at Marble Falls Middle School, from 7-10:30 p.m. Friday Nite Live! is a partnership between the nonprofit organization Planet Kidz (and its company Communites for Kidz) and Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD).

All school-aged children (kindergarten through 5th grades) can enjoy the night of activities for the $12 admission fee, even if not an MFISD student.

“I think it’ll be pretty neat. We love to give back and share,” said Tommy Schultz of Epic Fun, LLC, which partners with Planet Kidz. “It will be a huge and unique benefit to the community.”

Tickets for “Spring Shindig 2016: An LBJ Party at the Texas White House,” are on sale ahead of the April 23 event at the LBJ National Historic Park in Stonewall. The event, scheduled for 6 p.m., will benefit the Claudia Taylor (Lady Bird) Johnson Endowment, which supports the museum’s exhibits and archives at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum of San Marcos.

The event will be the first fundraiser for the endowment that was created in October last year to honor Lady Bird Johnson’s contributions to her husband’s political career and the nation.

Johnson daughters Luci Johnson and Lynda Johnson Robb are the honorary chairs for the event.

“This endowment is a permanent fund, separate from the operating budget, to help the museum preserve the history of the formative years of President Lyndon B. Johnson while he was in college in San Marcos and as a teacher in South Texas,” said Dr. Ed Mihalkanin, museum president.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Citizens have one more chance today Tuesday, April 12, to review the work on a Comprehensive Plan Update for the City of Marble Falls.

An open house is set for 6 p.m. at Lakeside Pavilion, 307 Buena Vista Drive.

By LEW K. COHN

The Highlander Managing Editor

Former NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain James Lovell and his wife Marilyn, who have been a part of the Burnet County and Llano County community for more than 25 years, have listed their 4,895-square-foot lake home in Horseshoe Bay for sale as of April 6.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

A long-standing demand for reliable, speedy internet service in Horseshoe Bay is appearing in early results of the Long Range Planning Committee’s survey of property owners.

“We have a week left for people to respond to the survey, but we’re seeing a strong response about internet in the city: high-speed internet is the number one priority,” said Steve Jordan, Horseshoe Bay mayor, on April 7. “Because we don’t have a lot of options available to larger communities, we’re making the best of what we have.”

The lack of high-speed fiber optic internet across the entire 15 square miles of Horseshoe Bay remains a “complex and costly challenge,” said Stan Farmer, Horseshoe Bay city manager, in January.

The combination of lack of density and large area makes it an implausible proposition for either private investment or as a city project.