News

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Between wildlife and streets, fences and fees, issues have been wide ranging in the City of Granite Shoals this year and the city council is reaching out to the citizenry who have been unable to follow the action at council meetings.

“Coffee with Council” is an event being sponsored by the city at Crazy Gals Restaurant on Saturday, March 25. The popular restaurant at the corner of Ranch to Market Road 1431 and Phillips Ranch Road is opening its doors and coffee pots to the informal klatch from 9-11 a.m.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Granite Shoals became the first city in the entire Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) service area to hear a presentation on the current status of the co-op's new solar farm initiative when Jim Spaulding, director of Project Development Energy Services, attended a meeting of the city council Tuesday night, March 14.

“The PEC is partnering with the City of Johnson City to construct two, one-megawatt (MW) solar facilities as part of a cooperative-wide solar power generation project,” said Spaulding. “Solar has become very cost competitive and could to be at or below what you pay now.”

Rep. Roger Williams was among members of the 115th session of the U.S. Congress to meet with President Donald Trump Tuesday, March 21. The congressmen's greeting was described by CNN as a “loud and enthusiastic standing ovation.”

Trump reportedly told the GOP House conference, “Many of you came in on the pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare. I honestly think many of you will lose your seats in 2018 if you don’t get this done.”

The analysis website www.fivethirtyeight.com, in a Congress Tracker project, has found Williams aligned with President Trump 100 percent of the time.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

Marble Falls Independent School District may be canceling its May 6 called election tonight, March 21, during their regular school board meeting, but they still will likely have a vacancy to fill on the Board of Trustees.

The board is also expected to hear the details regarding a contract with H-E-B to provide parking for store employees on 75,000 square feet of property at corner of Pony Drive and Bluebonnet Drive at Marble Falls Middle School and another contract with the City of Marble Falls regarding use of school facilities.

One item on the agenda for tonight's meeting is to accept the resignation submitted by a board member. The board is then slated to go into executive session to discuss what to do about filling the new vacancy as well as the selection of new board officers.

Julie’s Cocina and Century Oak Plaza are sharing a grand opening Wednesday, March 22, expanding the commercial face of Cottonwood Shores.

In August of 2014, Texas banker, Wayne Hartman, was looking for commercial real estate investments in the Marble Falls area. He had just purchased The Burke’s Outlet/Grand Buffet building the previous Summer and was looking to buy more. A friend told him that Dollar General had land under contract on Farm to Market Road 2147 in Cottonwood Shores. As a banker, Hartman had financed several Dollar Generals in Texas, so he put the adjacent land West of it under contract and purchased it.

Hartman was introduced to local architect, Marley Porter, who had developed and built the On The Rocks Restaurant, Huey O’s and finished a PUD for the surrounding acreage. He was hired to design a strip center for the site.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

A Marble Falls bar's alcohol license will be suspended next month for selling alcoholic beverages to intoxicated persons, including an incident which resulted in a 2014 traffic accident which killed a Granite Shoals woman.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) levied the suspension against Mr. B's Sports Bar, 207 Main Street, which will take place from April 4 through April 24, a period of 20 days, during which the bar will not be allowed to sell any alcohol.

TABC investigators determined the establishment was at fault for selling alcohol to an intoxicated individual, Matthew Lewallen of Burnet, on Sept. 21, 2014.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

An overnight aerial chase over several Highland Lakes counties ended Monday, March 20, with an airplane forced down at the Llano Municipal Airport and an Austin man arrested with 15 duffel bags of marijuana.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District, said federal authorities filed a criminal complaint Monday afternoon in Austin against 64–year-old Wayne Douglas Brunet for possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

State authorities arrested Brunet at the Llano airport after discovering approximately 230 pounds of hydroponic marijuana on board his aircraft, announced U.S. Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden, San Antonio Division.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

Burnet County commissioners learned Tuesday that their county ranked second overall in the state of Texas in 2016 for land loans through the Texas General Land Office's Veterans Land Board (VLB).

Ken Wallingford, a former Vietnam prisoner of war and senior advisor to the VLB, visited the court to present a certificate of appreciation and Texas flag to honor the county for having an extremely active veterans' presence, with $4,067,064 in land loans for fiscal year 2016 in Burnet County and to praise Veterans Officer Bill Worley, who was there for the presentation.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

Burnet Bulletin

Burnet County commissioners on Tuesday, March 14, discussed a bill pending before the Texas House of Representatives, House Bill 3677, which would eliminate the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District in Burnet and force the county to consolidate with four other counties into a single Heart of Texas Aquifer District.

Charles Shell, general manager of the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District (CTGCD), told commissioners the bill just filed Friday by state Rep. Jason Isaac is “alarming” as it would dissolve the organization, which was created by the citizens of Burnet County to manage and oversee groundwater within the county.

Two Marble Falls massage parlor workers were arrested on prostitution charges Wednesday afternoon, March 14, after underage clients reported being touched in a sexual manner while receiving a massage.

LiLi Chen, 38, and Huafen Fu, 49, both of Marble Falls, remain in the Burnet County Jail on charges of promotion of prostitution to an individual under the age of 18, a second-degree felony punishable by a sentence of two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.