News

Marble Falls ISD trustees approved Hays CISD administrator Damon Adams as the new principal for Marble Falls High School during their regular board meeting Monday, April 17.

Adams will work with interim principal Emmett Aubry between now and the end of the current school year to transition to his full time duties as the new MFHS instructional leader in July.

Adams was recommended to the board by MFISD superintendent Dr. Chris Allen following an extensive selection process, which included community and staff input. A principal selection committee was established to help with the screening of applicants for the MFHS principal position, prior to the selection of the final candidate for board recommendation.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

A preliminary investigation indicates the wife of a Burnet County Jail employee shot her spouse once in the back of the head Thursday, April 13, at their Lampasas home before turning the weapon on herself, according to Lampasas Assistant Police Chief Jody Cummings.

A Burnet County Sheriff's Office employee died Friday morning in what officials believe may have been a murder-suicide at a Lampasas home.

Millie Chance, 24, worked in the Burnet County Jail. She died Friday morning at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple, where she had been airlifted the previous day.

Lampasas police officers had responded just before noon Thursday to a disturbance call at a residence at 702 W. North Ave. after a woman called 911 to ask for help, but the call was disconnected. When officers arrived, they knocked on the door but got no answer. Then, they heard two noises that appeared to be gunshots coming from inside the house.

Officers forced entry into the home and found Deborah Chance, 47, dead at the scene from an apparent gunshot wound. Millie Chance was still alive, but had what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head. A post on the Burnet County Sheriff's Office Facebook page on Friday announced Millie Chance's death.

Baylor Scott & White Health has named Tim Ols president of its Hill Country Region. Ols is a proven leader in the health care industry with success in growing organizations and enhancing care. In his new role, Ols will lead all operations, facilities and employees in the Hill Country area for Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas.

“We are excited to welcome Tim Ols to the Baylor Scott & White Health family,” said Pat Currie, president of Central Texas Division - Operations for Baylor Scott & White Health. “His leadership skills and engaging nature will be an asset to our facilities in the Central Texas area and to the patients we serve here. We look forward to Tim being an active, contributing member of the community.”

By Mark Goodson

Highlander Sports Editor

Spike Dykes, the legendary Texas Tech University coach who was known for the one-liners, died early Monday of an apparent heart attack. He was 79.

“It’s a huge loss,’’ said Susan Bellard, a friend and wife of coach Emory Bellard. “This was going to be the last tournament.’’

Dykes, who has lived the Horseshoe Bay for almost two decades, had teamed with Bellard to start the Kids Care-A-Van Classic.

The annual golf tournament and tailgate party raises money to provide heath care for needy kids in the Highland Lakes.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a notice Monday morning, April 10, with an advisory for locally heavy rainfall possibility over portions of South Central Texas late this afternoon through Tuesday.

 The greatest risk, said the NWS, is across the Hill Country and into the I-35 corridor (including both Austin and San Antonio metro areas). It is also possible for some of the higher rainfall totals to extend into parts of the southern Edwards Plateau and Rio Grande.

Rainfall of 1-3 inches is possible across that area, with isolated pockets of 5-7 inches. Some locations could experience flash flooding of small streams, creeks, and low water crossings. The rainfall could result in localized minor to moderate river flooding.

Marble Falls residents will welcome the next step towards a brand-new, bigger and better H-E-B store today, April 7, with a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m.

The ceremony will take place at the current store at 1503 Ranch to Market Road 1431 West. City officials and H-E-B leadership will be on hand to break ground and to give information about the new store design, its services and offerings and planned departments.

The new 111,000-square-foot store, which will be located next door and occupy the site of the former Bealls store as well, will offer new products, expanded departments, added services and low prices, H-E-B officials said, as the new store's footprint will be 35,000 square feet larger than the existing store.

The old store will continue operations while the new store is being built, H-E-B Marble Falls Unit Director David Crail said.

By Lew K. Cohn and Christi Bertelson

Copyright 2017 Highland Lakes Newspapers

A burned body found in the charred remains of a vehicle in Burnet County last June has been identified by the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office as that of a San Antonio man allegedly under investigation for child pornography.

Brian Lee Magee, 52, of San Antonio, died from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries in a manner consistent with suicide, according to a Travis County medical examiner's report obtained by The Highlander.

A passerby found Magee's body not moving and unresponsive in a vehicle filled with smoke in the 3800 block of County Road 202 in Lake Victor in Precinct 2 at around 8 p.m. June 20, 2016. The vehicle initially did not appear damaged by fire, but flashed over, causing it to be engulfed with flames, according to the report.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Two important transportation meetings went on in Burnet County this week.

A sit-down of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Burnet County Commissioners Court was held in an open workshop Tuesday, March 28, at the Burnet courthouse and a Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) open house on long-range plans was held Wednesday, March 29.

Commissioners went line by line through 54 projects, only 24 of which are on the 2017 priority list for TxDOT, but all important to one or morel precincts. CAMPO representatives came to convey feedback on possible amendments to the CAMPO 2040 and 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

Commissioners workshop

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

A set of new renderings of the proposed hotel/conference center in Marble Falls reveal a concept compatible with newest additions to the city landscape.

The new renderings come from Seaux Pierce Architecture of Austin, the same firm that designed Market on H, Smartie Pantz at 204 South Main Street and the new Homestead at Mormon Mill apartment complex on Max Copeland Drive.

“They had been asked to look at exterior features on the hotel/conference complex to make sure it was compatible, that it looked historic,” said Christian Fletcher, executive director of the Marble Falls Economic Development Corporation.

Fletcher said the project's private partner, Novak Cobalt Partners, LLC, was so pleased with the work done and its timeliness that Seaux Pierce was brought on board as architect for the entire project.