Llano County Texas news

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

The Llano County Sheriff's Office said it could take months to get answers on skeletal remains found April 1 on a large ranch in the western section of the county.

Sheriff Bill Blackburn of Llano County said a family member of the ranch owner discovered the skeletal remains while riding around on a remote area of the property on an ATV.

“It's definitely not an archeological find, and we won't rule on a cause of death until we get forensic results back from Texas State University,” Blackburn said. “We'll then send DNA results to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) at the University of North Texas in hopes of getting a positive identification.”

By Phil Reynolds

The Highlander

Llano County commissioners took what Precinct 4 Commissioer Jerry Don Moss called “an important step” Monday when they endorsed a proposal for New Braunfels Utilities to buy electricity from the Big Dog Solar Project.

The Big Dog project is part of a contract between Llano County and E.ON North America to allow solar electricity generating panels on Llano ISD public school land in Tom Green County. Under the contract, E.ON will have some time to explore the viability of the project, and once that’s finished, will begin building the panels.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Crowds estimated at more than 6,000 people flowed to the banks of the Llano River over the weekend for the fourth year of the World Rock Stacking Championship, the Llano Earth Art Fest—LEAF.

Last weekend, March 9-11, LEAF 2018 delivered arts, crafs and food booths as well as the competition and displays of rock balancing throughout the river bed and the river itself.

On Saturday, Belly dancing and the wild and wacky Fashion Circus took the music stage that saw 28 other performances over the three-day event. Downtown in Llano, attendees could re-visit their Volkswagen favorites at "Free Flow on the Llano," a juried vintage VW show.

The 32 seminars, designed to appeal to every age and interest, continued into the week, as late-comers made their way to the river to see the creations that remained on display.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

Burnet County commissioners are interested in possibly obtaining a used mobile command trailer from Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) to be kept as an asset for a three-county area.

Commissioners spoke to PEC engineering department employee Matthew Austin about the 48-foot trailer at Tuesday, Feb. 13 regular court meeting.

By Phil Reynolds

The Highlander

Llano city officials don’t plan to hire any police officers to replace four who are on paid administrative leave, according to City Manager Scott Edmonson.

City council members went behind closed doors during the Monday, Jan. 22, council meeting to talk the matter over with city attorneys, but took no action following the executive session, Edmonson said.

“We have the city covered with the four remaining officers and the Llano County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO),” Edmonson said.

He explained the sheriff’s office and the city have a memorandum of understanding that calls for sheriff’s deputies to back up city police officers when necessary.

A 56-year-old Llano woman’s death is being investigated after she had to be transported from the Llano County Jail to an Austin hospital, where she died Tuesday, Jan 2.

Cindy Lou Yonker died at Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin, where she was being treated for an undisclosed medical condition.

Yonker had been arrested for public intoxication at 3:20 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 24, by a Llano police officer after the officer and a Llano County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a disturbance call at Lowe’s grocery store, 104 W. Young, Llano.

From published reports

A 26-year-old Llano High School graduate remains in the Erath County Jail in lieu of $855,000 bond, charged with shooting a Tarleton State University student in Stephenville last week in what authorities are calling a case of mistaken identity.

Shawn Patrick Layton was caught by the Region 6 Special Operations Group at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, in the 1100 block of West Hyman in Stephenville during the execution of a search warrant and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 1 less than a gram and possession of marijuana less than two ounces.

Bond was set at $750,000 on the aggravated assault charge, $50,000 on the controlled substance charge and $5,000 on the marijuana charge.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

Provided no one else has filed to run for the position, the next Llano County judge is guaranteed to be someone with the last name Cunningham.

Incumbent Llano County Judge Mary Cunningham has filed for re-election and faces a March 6 Republican primary challenge from former DPS trooper and government contractor Ronald “Ron” Cunningham of Llano.

The deadline to file for a place on the March 6 GOP or Democratic primary ballot was 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11. No Democratic candidates had announced for the position as of the Highlander's deadline, so it appears the winner of the March 6 primary will run unopposed in November for the county's top executive position.

There are five other contested races on the March 6 Republican primary ballot. Incumbent County Clerk Marci Hadeler of Castell has drawn a re-election opponent in Clay Etter of Llano.

By Phil Reynolds
The Highlander

Llano County final, unofficial results for Nov. 7 Election Day confirm the decisions of Burnet County voters.
Cynthia Clinesmith and Reagan Lambert won the two Horseshoe Bay City Council seats.
Llano County results were 302 votes, or 42.48 percent, for Clinesmith and 271 votes, 38.12 percent, for Lambert. Hoover received 138 votes, 19.41 percent, of 711 votes cast.
Mayor Steve Jordan, unopposed, received 384 votes.
Also in Horseshoe Bay, Llano County voters said “yes” to the proposition to reauthorize a local sales and use tax at the rate of one-fourth of one percent to provide revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets. The vote was 367 votes, or 83.79 percent, in favor and 71 votes, 16.21 percent, against.
In Burnet County, voters in the  Horseshoe Bay City Council race, gave Cynthia Clinesmith, 15 votes, or 46.88 percent, Reagan Lambert, 14 votes, 43.75 percent, and Dennis R. Hoover, three votes, or 9.38 percent.