Burnet County Texas news

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Volunteers are a big focus in cities this summer.

In Cottonwood Shores and Granite Shoals nominations are sought for outstanding citizens and cities are about to appoint new members to committees, boards, commissions and advisory groups.

Wednesday, July 19, is the deadline for nominations for the Outstanding Citizen of the Year in Cottonwood Shores to be presented at the Aug. 3 meeting of the city council. Carlos Naumann was honored last year for continued efforts to keep the city beautiful.

Nominations for 2017, with an explanation of why the citizen is being nominated, are to be submitted to City Administrator Sheila Moore at city hall, 3808 Cottonwood Drive, or by email, city.admin@cottonwoodshores.org. For more information, call Moore at 830-693-3830.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor
The Highlander
For the fourth time this year, 911, landline and cell phone service in Burnet County was disrupted, causing emergency first responders to put workarounds into place to be able to serve county residents.
Burnet County Sheriff's Capt. Ricky Bindseil said a private contractor working for AT&T cut a fiber optic cable Tuesday while boring holes for utility poles, which disconnected the county's 911 service capabilities and shut down the department's landline phones.
“This is the third time a cable has been cut this year,” Bindseil said. “During those instances, our 911 service, which is maintained by CAPCOG (Capital Area Council of Governments) in Austin, is automatically rerouted to either the Williamson County Sheriff's Office or the Marble Falls Police Department and then are relayed to us by radio.

The Texas Historical Commission's (THC) Certified Local Government (CLG) Program will conduct a free training in Burnet Thursday, Aug. 3, from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
It will take place at the The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Building, 607 North Vandeever Street, Burnet, and will be hosted by THC staff and members of the Burnet County Historical Commission.
The training will focus on the benefits of the CLG Program, including grant opportunities, historic resources surveys, the benefits of designating properties to the National Register of Historic Places, including federal and state tax credits, and how CLGs can improve communication with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) on projects that impact historic resources.
Admission is free, but registration is required. Lunch and refreshments are provided by Burnet County Historical Commission. The training is open to current and potential CLGs, county historical commissions, and Main Street Communities.

Summer in Texas typically brings hot, dry weather and an increased risk for wildfire. In order to help residents learn how to reduce their wildfire risk, a Firewise presentation is being offered by the Texas A&M Forest Service on Saturday, July 15.

The presentation is sponsored by Burnet County Emergency Services District No. 6 and Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department (MFAVFD). The public is invited.

The presentation is being held in the Fellowship Hall of First United Methodist Church (1101 Bluebonnet Drive) in Marble Falls starting at 10 a.m. and continuing until noon.

A driver charged with evading law enforcement out of Mason County on July 2,  is safely in the Burnet County Jail.
Briana Marie Cuellar, a 26-year old woman from Uvalde, is now in the Burnet County Jail on charges of evading arrest and reckless driving out of Mason County.

When Cuellar refused to stop for law enforcement and headed her car at high speed toward Llano, police officer Aime Shannon was able to respond to the call by deploying Stop Sticks. StopStick, Ltd., makers of the tire deflation device, recognized Deputy Bucky Boswell of Llano County Sheriff’s Office in May with its “Hit of the Year” award for use of the Stop Stick tire deflation device in ending a pursuit.

The devices were again successful, according to Llano County Chief Deputy John Neff.

A Burnet High School graduate attending Texas A&M University was killed on the Fourth of July in a two-vehicle accident and car fire near Gause in Milam County.

Brian Bullock, 21, of Burnet, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 10:20 p.m. Tuesday accident, which happened on US 79. The driver of the other vehicle, Melodie Jones, 20, of Milano, was also pronounced dead at the scene.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, the Milam County Sheriff's Department and the Gause and Milano Volunteer Fire Departments were called to the scene.

Bullock was a 2014 graduate of Burnet High School and a senior engineering student at Texas A&M University in College Station. He is the son of Dan and Lisa Bullock of Burnet.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

An accident has claimed the lives of two women on US 281 near Park Road 4 outside Burnet, Texas Department of Safety troopers said.

It was one of a number of serious accidents on Burnet County highways within a 30-hour period, according to DPS troopers.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

A ban on outdoor burning was instituted by the Burnet County Commissioners Court Tuesday morning, June 27.

Members seriously debated whether to take the action before making their decision to institute the ban.

Most of the county has just seen a quarter to a half inch of rain,” said said Herb Darling, director of Burnet County Environmental Services. “I am aware of two projects that may need to burn. Once we put a ban in effect, I'd expect it to be in until the fall.”

“I think it is time,” said Commissioner Joe Don Dockery, whose Precinct 4, has has had some of the lightest rainfall. “The next two weeks are predicted to be hotter than normal and drier than normal. It is not the time of year to be burning anyway.”

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

He may be better known to millions of viewers for his stint on the reality TV show, “The Bachelorette,” but country music singer-songwriter Luke Pell still considers himself a Burnet, Texas, boy at heart who has been fortunate enough to chase his passion since graduating from Burnet High School in 2003.

At 9 p.m. Saturday, Pell and his band will perform at Toupsie's in Lampasas. It marks the first time since the Burnet Concert Series in May 2016, when he opened for Kyle Park, that Pell has played this close to home.

“I'm very excited and so glad to be back and to get to play on home turf,” he said. “We last played Toupsies about two years ago, so it's been a while since we've been there as well.