News

The Spicewood Music Fly-In, a music festival held at the Spicewood Airport, will take place Oct. 10 from noon to 8 p.m.

The live music event will include appearances by David Grissom, Joel Guzman & Los Aztex, Tessy Lou and the Shotgun Stars, Cold Steel Revolver, and several other performers.

Proceeds from the $25 admission price will benefit the Spicewood Pilot's Association, a nonprofit organization focused on preserving the Spicewood Airport, as well as the Spicewood Volunteer Fire Department.

Tickets can be purchased at www.spicewoodmusicflyin.com. Guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the show. Pets allowed on leashes only. Coolers are permitted with drinks only, as food vendors will be on hand.

by Alexandria Randolph

Burnet County authorities said an investigation is underway after a Smithwick man shot an alleged trespasser at a residence on CR 346 overnight Tuesday.

Burnet County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Joe Canady said at about midnight on Tuesday night, a homeowner on CR 346 arrived at his residence to see a strange vehicle parked near his barn.

“There was a confrontation between the trespasser and the homeowner,” Canady said, and at some point the homeowner produced a handgun. 

For the full story, see Friday's Highlander.

The 14th annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, which both marks the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and honors first responders in the region, will be held at noon, Friday, Sept. 11, at Lakeside Park in Marble Falls.

Each year the Marble Falls Rotary Club, with the support of the mayor and city council of Marble Falls, recognizes the attack with a moment of silence for reflection, prayer and thought for families and rescue workers involved in the 9/11 tragedy. Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 10376 in Marble Falls will present the nation’s colors, followed by a proclamation by Marble Falls Mayor John Packer and a performance by Marble Falls Middle School students.

Regional fire, police and emergency medical services organizations nominate individuals for the Patriot Awards, special recognitions for their service to the community. A special award also will be given to honor a distinguished police officer.

A Kingsland man was sentenced to 50 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to the death of his 19-month-old step-son.

Michael Grogg, 27, is not the biological father of the boy, but was on the birth certificate of Paydin Grogg, said a District Attorney’s Office statement released Tuesday.

Paydin Grogg died on July 28, 2013 after the decision was made to remove him from life support. He had been admitted to the hospital three days prior with “severe brain injury and swelling, likely caused by a combination of blunt force trauma and shaking,” the release stated.

Michael Grogg was arrested Aug. 2, 2013.

He was sentenced by 424th District Court Judge Evan Stubbs.

For more on the story, see Friday's Highlander.

by Alexandria Randolph

A Burnet man and woman both plead guilty to a sentence of 30 years apiece in an aggravated assault trial after a woman was found dead in their home on north Pierce Street in January 2014.

District Attorney Sonny McAfee said Charlotte Elaine Arms, 46, pled guilty to sexual assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and Walker Wayne Shapland, 24, pled guilty to two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon at their plea deadline two weeks before the case would have gone to trial.

“They received 15 years concurrently for each charge,” McAfee said. “The maximum was 20 years for both charges.”

by Alexandria Randolph

Horseshoe Bay Police are searching for an 8-year-old reported missing after her mother reportedly skipped bail.

Margo Murdock was reported missing on Aug. 18 by her grandmother and legal guardian, Sandy Hayes of Horseshoe Bay.

Hayes reported that Margo was last seen around 6 p.m. on the previous night, leaving overnight for Austin with her mother, Sonja Rai Murdock, 28.

“Hayes, who is also the mother of Sonja Murdock, told investigators that Margo should have been returned at 9 a.m.,” a Horseshoe Bay Police release said.  

Murdock was indicted on aggravated robbery charges in September 2013, and more recently, a probation revocation warrant was issued for her arrest.

“She must have violated probation,” Wardlow said, adding that police couldn’t say whether the woman had fled the area with her daughter.

For more on the story, see the upcoming issue of The Highlander.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

The community of drag boat racers and fans showed their emotions Sunday, Aug. 9, during a tribute pass hours after Mike Fry, pilot of the Meanstreak II, a Top Alcohol Hydro (TAH) boat, died earlier that morning in an accident at LakeFest on Lake Marble Falls.

“When it came down to the Top Alcohol Hydro finals, instead of racing, the two men left their canopies open and idled down the strip,” said Captain Glenn Hanson of the Marble Falls Police Department, Aug. 10. “It was really emotional; a lot of people were crying.”

The two pilots, Rick Allen of Total Kaos and Steve Streeter of Untouchable, decided to take a tie in Fry’s honor.

Hanson said crew members and fans lined up at the edge of the lake after the announcement about Fry’s death. “There aren’t that many guys who do this,” Hanson said. “It’s a family because they travel from place to place every week. They lost a friend.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

The new board of directors and the shelter manager at Christ-Yoder Animal Shelter/Pet Adoption Center, owned and operated by the Hill Country Humane Society, expect changes and repairs at the shelter.

After the shelter came close to having its doors closed next month, officials in both the counties it serves – Llano and Burnet – decided “that just couldn’t happen,” said Linda Raschke, Llano County Commissioner for Precinct 2, within which the shelter is located.

County commissioners realized they “had to be creative and think outside the box” to revive the shelter, she said.

New board members are working with previous leaders to get all financial information straight before the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, so contracts will be uniform for the counties and municipalities involved.

by Alexandria Randolph

The National Weather Service Austin–San Antonio has issued a special weather statement warning central Texans to watch for extreme heat this week.

A hazardous weather outlook issued early Tuesday morning, Aug. 4, stated that heat index values could rise between 100 and 107 degrees on Wednesday, continuing to rise between 105 and 110 through the week and weekend.

The special weather statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 4 said that increasing humidities with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s to lower 100s has caused an increase in heat that will last through the weekend for Burnet, Llano and surrounding counties.

“The highest threat day for heat advisories is Saturday,” the warning stated. “Humidities will decrease Sunday into early next week bringing lower heat index values.”

Forecasts predict a high of 98 degrees on Wednesday, 99 degrees on Thursday, 100 degrees on Friday, and 101 on Saturday.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Art is at its core an outlet for emotions, positive and negative, big and small, and everything in between. Artistic expression can also be a therapeutic method encouraging emotional growth in children, helping them heal from abuse and trauma.

All artwork featured in “Flow: Images of Growth and Movement” was created by children served by the Phoenix Center in Marble Falls, and will be displayed in an exhibition at Marta Stafford Fine Art Gallery on Main Street.

The Phoenix Center provides free or low-cost therapy services for Hill Country children and art therapy has been used since the center was founded in 2007.

“Art and music are part of the human experience, so we’re naturally drawn to expression in these ways,” said Sarah R. Garrett, founder and executive director of the Phoenix Center and Camp Phoenix.