Marble Falls news

By Lew K. Cohn

and Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Water will be spraying hard and fast when drag boats zip across Lake Marble Falls this weekend during the 25th annual LakeFest, but it will be hard for pilots not to be reminded the tragic accident that claimed the life of veteran racer Mike Fry last year.

A tribute was held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, to remember Fry and honor his fellow drivers. The festival kicks off in earnest today, Friday, Aug. 12, with qualifying rounds starting at 9 a.m. and continuing into the afternoon.

Competitors and fans alike especially will miss that one entry not in this year's field. Fry, pilot of the Meanstreak II, a Top Alcohol Hydro (TAH) boat, died around 10:30 a.m on Aug. 9, 2015, after his boat disintegrated at the end of a run.

BY CHRISTI BERTELSON
HIGHLAND LAKES NEWSPAPERS
With school supplies and new clothes hitting the shelves, local residents can enjoy the Texas sales tax holiday this weekend, starting Friday, Aug. 5, and extending through Sunday, Aug. 7.
Most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced under $100 will be exempt from state and local sales and use taxes. The break can save consumers plenty while shopping for back-to-school necessities.
The tax break includes any qualifying items that are purchased not only in stores but also online, or by telephone or by mail.
Specialty athletic equipment and accessories such as jewelry, luggage, computer bags and duffle bags, will not qualify for the sales tax break.
Also excluded are textbooks, computer software and computers.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

The Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees took no action on naming a new Place 7 trustee on Thursday night, Aug. 4, but wasted no time in hiring a new assistant superintendent.

Jeff Gasaway was hired during a special called meeting to be the new assistant superintendent of administrative operations. He succeeds Wade Stanford, who became the new superintendent at Westwood ISD in Palestine last month.

Gasaway comes to Marble Falls from Waco Midway ISD, where he was principal at Midway High School and worked closely with current Marble Falls ISD Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen, who was a principal, assistant superintendent and interim superintendent at Midway ISD from 2008 to 2012.

Gasaway said he is excited to be taking on a new position in MFISD.

BY ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH/HIGHLAND LAKES NEWSPAPERS

A Marble Falls man was shot in a home while laying in bed on Thursday night, Marble Falls Police confirmed.

A 27-year-old man was laying in bed in a home in the 400 block of Avenue R at approximately 11:22 p.m. when he was shot twice in the torso, police said.

Witnesses told officers that two masked men entered the house, ran into the bedroom, and shot the victim. The man was then transported to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center and is reportedly in stable condition.

It is unclear at this time whether the man was a resident of the home.

As of 9 a.m., officers were no longer at the scene. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

A late night accident Thursday claimed the life of one person just west of Marble Falls.

The accident occurred when two vehicles collided on Texas Highway 71 near the Burnet and Llano county line at 11:28 p.m. Thursday, July 14, about two miles west of the intersection with U.S. Highway 281.

One man, J. Lee Rethaber, of Kingsland, was killed in the accident. It was unknown what factored into the crash.

BY MARK GOODSON

HIGHLANDER SPORTS EDITOR

Leo Manzano’s bid for his third straight Olympics in the 1,500 meters ended Sunday in Eugene, Oregon.

With 100 meters to go, Manzano went for his patented kick but just as he got shoulder-to-shoulder with Ben Blakenship for third place Manzano was not able to keep up with Blakenship’s extra effort. Manzano finished in fourth place with a time of 3:36.62 in the Olympic Trails.

Mark and Andrew Lindberg of Coppell won the 2016 Father-Son Championship in dramatic fashion after a one-hole playoff with Cameron and Dean Brown of Jacksonville.

The Texas Golf Association (TGA) tournament was held July 7-10.

By Lew K. Cohn, Managing Editor

The Highlander

Four Phoenix Center staffers recently returned from Banff, Alberta, Canada, where they presented information about the center's model for assisting children with trauma at an international symposium.

by Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers