News

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula and Alexandria Randolph

In what could be related incidents, at least two pharmacies were broken into Tuesday night, March 17.
Kingsland Pharmacy along RR 1431 in Kingsland and Bay Pharmacy along RR 2147 in Horseshoe Bay were both encroached.

by Alexandria Randolph

Three Marble Falls High School students roped a spot in the top 10-ranked teams and will be going to the state competition in June in team roping.
Tyler Horn, Ryan Becker and Tyler Ryan live within three miles of each other in the Fairland area, and spend roughly 15 hours a week practicing team roping along with Clayton Coon, a student from Liberty Hill. The four young men have achieved a high enough ranking in the Texas High School Rodeo Association in team roping this year, and will be competing at the state competition in Abilene from June 5-10.
“We practice year-round,” said Bryan. “Only the top 10 teams from each region get to go.”
Each year, the Texas High School Rodeo Association hosts a 12-rodeo series during the school year, particularly in the fall and spring season.
Bryan, a senior, ropes with partner Ryan Becker, junior, while senior Horn is partnered with Coon, who attends Liberty Hill High School.

by Alexandria Randolph

A driver of an SUV involved in a two-car wreck with an 18-wheeler said she considers herself blessed and lucky to have been uninjured.
Marble Falls Police officers said the crash occurred at the intersection of TX 71 and US 281 on Tuesday afternoon, March 10, at roughly 4:30 p.m.
Blanco resident and Marble Falls businesswoman Beverly Gibbins said she knew she was about to have a collision when she saw the 18-wheeler ahead of her tilted to its side while driving down the circular off-ramp from the westbound lane of TX 71 to the southbound lane of US 281 at what police described as an excessive speed.
Gibbins, who was in the southbound, inside lane of US 281, tried to avoid colliding with the back of the trailer.
“I could see this huge 18 wheeler coming around the turn-about. I did my best to dodge it,” she said.

For the full story, see Friday's Highlander.

by Alexandria Randolph

A Llano man was sentenced to 15 years in prison on burglary charges Wednesday, March 11 in the 424th Judicial District Court.
A Llano County jury found Johnathan Lee Fehr, 28, guilty of burglary of a habitation and sentenced Fehr to 15 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The jury also imposed a $7,500 fine on Fehr for a burglary that took place Oct. 7, 2013. Judge Evan Stubbs presided over the trial, which concluded late Wednesday.
According to a release from the District Attorney’s Office, evidence at trial showed that a Llano County residence had been burglarized while the owner was at work. Upon discovery of the crime, the victim notified the Llano County Sheriff’s Department, and the subsequent investigation led to Fehr’s arrest.
“Fehr was developed as a suspect after a check stolen from the victim’s home was cashed by Fehr’s girlfriend at a local bank,” the release stated.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula
Night time cleaning staff members are wary when entering the health sciences lab at Marble Falls High School. It’s understandable because the mannequins used to teach health science topics have an undeniable creep factor, endlessly staring with wide but vacant eyes. There are stories about wheelchairs rolling across the floor on their own (a notion a student quickly dismissed with, “gravity.”)
No matter the rumors surrounding the room, students agreed it would be an excellent place to decorate for Halloween. Otherwise, it's a good place to learn about anatomy and science the rest of the year.
The health sciences lab has been revamped, thanks to the $6.5 million bond voters approved in May, 2014.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

by Alexandria Randolph

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula
In a culmination of a month-long project that began before Thanksgiving, around 30 gifted and talented (GT) students, from all four Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) elementary campuses, met Wednesday, Feb. 25, with the author of a book they “hacked.”
After reading The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires, students cut the book apart and used the pieces to make something they considered to be “the most magnificent thing.”
Spires made a purse out of her own book, and has invited students nationwide to embark on similar projects using her book’s pages, which are illustrated with an assortment of diverse images.
Creations spanned students’ imaginations, leading to a wide variety of projects.
“No student had the same idea, not even close,” said Marcy Mueller, instructional technologist at Highland Lakes and Marble Falls elementary schools.