News

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Texas voters take to the polls today, Tuesday, Nov. 5, to decide the fate of 10 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution.

UPDATE: In an email statement Nov. 6, a Llano County Sheriff's Office investigator attributed the damage of the monument to a vehicle traveling eastbound on Texas 71 which left the roadway and crashed into marker and through the adjacent fence.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

The Texas Historic Commission (THC) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will team up to repair a damaged historic monument which commemorates a pivotal battle in the region's settlement by western pioneers, officials announced Nov. 1.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Several new features – including a retaining wall, boat slips, a new boat ramp and pay station – are taking shape as work continues at the formerly flood-ravaged Kingsland Community Park, officials said.

The Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce, the park's trustee, is overseeing the work being done at the venue at 710 Williams St. on the Llano River arm of Lake LBJ. The park provides the sole public waterway access point for the lake in Kingsland and also features an open-air pavilion and community room.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

A Sunrise Beach man's death while incarcerated in the Llano County Jail Oct. 29 has prompted an investigation by the Texas Rangers.

Benjamin Braden Hoffman, 41, was “found unresponsive” around 12:29 p.m. while in the observation area of the facility, 2001 Texas 16, officials said.

The probe, considered protocol for in-custody deaths, will examine clues including cause and circumstances surrounding his death. . . .

UPDATE: As of 9:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 1, the city of Marble Falls has lifted its ban on outdoor burning.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Following the return of precipitation and cooler temperatures over the course of several days, Burnet County Judge James Oakley rescinded the county's ban on outdoor burning Wednesday, Oct. 30 . . . .

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

The Texas Third District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the State Office of the Attorney General (OAG) on Oct. 30 in the entity's effort to advance trial proceedings seeking to dissolve the city of Double Horn on allegations the municipality formed unlawfully in an effort to halt a quarry operation.

Special to the Highlander

Marble Falls city officials have launched an online water utility portal to arm customers with ways to detect and prevent water loss due to leaks or untracked usage and to promote conservation.

The WaterSmart platform available on the city's website is described as “a cloud-based, customer self-service and engagement platform.”

“(The platform is) proven to reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction by more than 25 percent,” stated City Manager Mike Hodge in a press release. . .

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Burnet County officials deemed successful a re-use and recycling collection event at a new location due to a wealth of volunteer help and a record intake of old tires and latex paint.

The BOPATE event was held Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Burnet County Recycle/Re-use Facility, 2411 FM 963, just outside Burnet. BOPATE stands for batteries, oil, paint, antifreeze, tires and electronics.

By Phil Reynolds
Contributing Writer

By 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the lights were out in the Cottonwood Shores Civic Center and city council members had gone home.

It took only 20 minutes for the second of two public hearings on the annexation of some 2,000 feet of Ranch Road 2147 and the adoption of an ordinance naming Republic Services the city’s solid waste contractor.

Not only did no one speak on either topic; no one attended the special called council meeting except city officials and a reporter . . . .