News

by Alexandria Randolph

A Burnet man was arrested last week after allegedly brandishing an Airsoft gun at a group of local teenagers.

David Andrew Crum, 38, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 10 on charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon after officers investigated an altercation in the Walmart parking lot in Marble Falls.

Marble Falls Police Detective Tom Dillard said the incident began on the US 281 highway Friday, Oct. 3. 

“Teenagers were involved in a verbal altercation on US 281,” Dillard said, adding that interchange had occurred between the vehicles while stopped at a stoplight.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Folks in well-worn hard hats and overalls mingled with people dressed to the hilt Wednesday afternoon at the dedication ceremony for the new Lower Colorado River Authority power plant in Horseshoe Bay.

The mayor of San Marcos, Daniel Guerrero, called it “ribbon-cutting weather.”

The Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant replaces the original plant that went online in 1974. The skeleton of the old Ferguson plant, which is gradually being dismantled, sits alongside its larger and more efficient successor. The site is along the shore of Lake LBJ, which will continue to supply cooling water for the plant.

Work on the new plant began in April, 2012. LCRA officials said the project cost $500 million, under the projected cost of $520-550 million.

“We’re proud that we’re on time and on budget,” said LCRA general manager Phil Wilson.

by Alexandria Randolph

A Llano County wanted man three weeks at-large has finally been apprehended in Galveston County, Texas, on Friday, Oct. 10, authorities said.

Rocky Drew McIntosh, 36, was apprehended over the weekend after deputies from the sheriff’s office there followed up on a tip, said Llano County Sheriff Bill Blackburn.

“We received information that he had been staying with a friend in the Crystal Beach area,” said Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Michael Benevides. “He has no charges down here. He was arrested on Llano County warrants.”

Benevides said McIntosh did not resist arrest.

McIntosh is still in a Galveston County facility and “he will eventually be transferred back here to Llano County Jail,” Blackburn said.

A Burnet County Jail inmate was recaptured Saturday after he scuffled with a jail corrections officer and took the officer's gun while being treated at Cedar Park Regional Medical Center.

The inmate, Murl Lamb, was being treated for a medical condition related to a fall at the jail.

The man escaped shortly before 7 a.m. and was recaptured a few hours later when he was found hiding in a dumpster behind a Cinemark movie theater across the street from the hospital, Cedar Park police said.

The Burnet County Jail corrections officer, whose name was not released, had accompanied the inmate to the Cedar Park hospital in a Burnet Fire Department EMS vehicle, which was called to the jail at about 12:30 a.m., the statement from the sheriff's office said.

By James Walker

State District Judge Allan Garrett set bond at $2 million on Wednesday, Oct. 8, for Garrett Ballard, who is accused of killing two friends with a high-powered rifle on  Aug. 19.

Ballard, 21, has been held in the Burnet County Jail since the killings of Travis Fox and Elijah Adam Benson. His attorney asked the judge to set bond at $250,000.

"A $250,000 bond would provide reasonable assurance that (Ballard) will appear in court," said Tony Odiorne, an assistant public defender with the state's Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases agency based in Burnet.

The office represents only indigent defendants charged with a capital case where the death penalty is sought at the trial level.

Earlier, Ballard's father, Burnet County Constable (Precinct 3) Jimmy Ballard, testified he could raise enough money to post a $250,000 bond, saying he own an electrical supply store and works as an electrician in addition to his constable duties.

Staff Reports

Former Marble Falls Independent School District Superintendent Charles Hundley will speak about Texas history before the Jane Wells Woods Chapter, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, on Saturday, Oct.11, in the meeting room of the Marble Falls Library.

The public is invited to gather with DRT members and Hundley for coffee and a social time beginning at 9:30 a.m. before the 10 a.m. program.

Hundley and his family moved here when he became the superintendent of the Marble Falls school district in 1976. He remained in the position until 1983, when he accepted a similar post in Abilene.

Hundley’s wife, Patty, taught high school English and their son, Hal, grew from a second grader to a high school student during their time here.

“Patty and I have very happy memories of those seven years,” he said. “We especially enjoyed being part of First Baptist Church.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Three of four candidates for the three open seats on the Horseshoe Bay City Council debated city issues before an audience of local citizens and the existing council during a forum Wednesday, Oct. 8, hosted by the property owner’s association.

Tom D’Arcy, president of the Horseshoe Bay Proper Owner's Association (HSBPOA) board of directors, moderated the event. He explained that candidate Craig Haydon (current mayor pro-tem) was unable to attend because of a grandchild on the way.

The candidates featured in the debate – incumbent David Pope, planning and zoning commissioner Jerry Gray and challenger Donald Beeman – did not know in advance any of the questions they would be asked.

Most of the questions were written by audience members.

Each candidate had his chance to delineate his individual qualifications for a city council post, and each emphasized community involvement and experience running businesses.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

A diagnosis of breast cancer is shocking and difficult, but survival can lead to profoundly positive changes in a person’s life.

“I don’t want to gloss over it, because women die from breast cancer, but the majority of us survive if it’s found early,” said Susan Bacon, 59, director of the Hill Country Memorial (HCM) Breast Center. Survival rates, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS) range from 93 percent (Stage 1) to 22 percent (Stage 4, meaning the cancer has spread to other organs.)

Bacon said being diagnosed was a shocking experience: “But, because of my position here I never had the ‘why me’ questions we see in many cancer patients. I already knew it could happen to anyone: 75-85 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history, which I didn’t either.”

Bacon’s co-worker, Emily Ottmers, 36, is also now a breast cancer survivor. The pair have leaned on one another for support.

From Staff Reports

The Uptown Theater will host a Daytripper Premiere Party on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. for “The Daytripper” Marble Falls episode. The event will feature free food and a cash bar, and guests will have the opportunity to mingle with Chet Garner and “The Daytripper” crew, along with a pop-up version of The Daytripper General Store.

This event is free and open to the public, however seating is limited. RSVP with R-Bar & Grill by calling 830-693-2622.

Also, donations will be accepted that night for the Burnet County Santa’s Helpers. Donate by bringing an unwrapped toy and help make someone’s Christmas extra special this year.

“The Daytripper” was created to inspire folks to get out and explore the Lone Star State. The program focuses on destinations in Texas for Texans.

Uptown Theater is located on the corner of Main Street and Third Street in Marble Falls.

by Alexandria Randolph

With the opening of the southbound span of the US 281 Marble Falls Bridge on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 9, motorists can expect only a few more lane closures before the completion of the bridge in December.

Officials from Texas Department of Transportation, Burnet County, the City of Marble Falls and Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce met on Thursday morning for a ribbon cutting and ceremonial drive across the southbound span.

TxDOT Spokesperson Kelli Reyna said that there are only a few finishing touches remaining on the bridge, including light installations, median pavement, and an additional pedestrian walkway on the east side along the northbound span.