News

From Burnet CISD:

The Esprit de Corps has made the “playoffs” for band and will be competing at the UIL Area D Marching Contest this Saturday, October 27 at 11:30 a.m. at The Pfield Stadium in Pflugerville. To show our support, we are asking students, staff and community members to line 3^rd Street beginning at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday for a sendoff at 8:00 a.m. We then invite everyone to make the short drive to Pflugerville to watch the Esprit de Corps perform their outstanding marching show. The top performers at the Area D competition will head to the State Marching Competition in San Antonio during the first week in November.

By Savanna Gregg

Staff Writer

Burnet Bulletin

After buckets of rain filled the Colorado and Llano Rivers on Tuesday, Oct. 16, the Lower Colorado River Authority made the decision to open eight flood gates at Buchanan Dam to release much of the floodwaters.

This in turn created a hazard for residents living along Buchanan, Inks, Wirtz, Starcke, Mansfield, and Tom Miller dams as waters began to rush through the Highland Lakes on Tuesday evening.

To ensure the safety of its campers and visitors, officials at Inks Lake State Park decided to close their trails on Tuesday, Oct. 16 when the first four gates were opened.

Upon the next four gates being opened on Wednesday, Oct. 17, park officials made the decision to close the park entirely, moving campers out and discouraging other visitors as waters continued to rise.

The Burnet High School Esprit de Corps earned a 1^st Division “Superior” rating for the 28^th consecutive year at the UIL Region 32 Marching Contest in Cedar Park on Saturday, Oct. 20. A 1^st Division Rating is the highest UIL rating a band can earn at the region level.

By earning a 1 Division, the EDC qualified for the UIL Area Marching Contest on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Pflugerville where they will be competing for a spot at the State Marching Contest in November.

The preliminary performance time is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Pfield, 1440 W. Pecan Street, Pflugerville.

The community is urged to go out and celebrate the Esprit de Corp's achievements and cheer them on to State!

A body found near Circle Drive near Kingsland on Lake LBJ during Tuesday's flooding has been identified as a woman who went missing in Llano River flooding in Junction nearly three weeks ago.

The Travis County Medical Examiner has identifed the body as being that of Charlotte Moye, according to the Burnet County Sheriff's Department, which issued a press release Saturday, Oct. 20.

Sheriff's deputies responded to a call to the Lake LBJ waterfront in the 700 block of Circle Drive at 11:58 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16. The complainant believed he had located a body that had washed ashore during flooding on Lake LBJ.

Patrol deputies arrived and called investigators to the scene. The victim was pronounced deceased by Burnet County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Roxanne Nelson and an autopsy was ordered. The body was sent to the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office for identification and an autopsy.

Epsilon Pi will be hosting their annual luncheon on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at the First Methodist Church, 909 Vanderveer Street, Burnet. Lunch will be served from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (dine-in or take out). Cost for the meal will be $10.00.

This year there will be four gift baskets to bid on. The themes for the baskets are Fall, Christmas, Men’s, and Wine. Tickets are $5 for one and 5 for $20. Tickets may be purchased in advance of the luncheon from an Epsilon Pi member or contact us on Facebook. You do not need to be present to win.

All proceeds from this project will benefit scholarships for graduating seniors of Burnet High School, the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center, the Burnet County Library, Seton Care-A-Van, Highland Lakes Family Crisis Center, Meals on Wheels, Boys & Girls Club, EMS/Fire Department and other local projects.

Come join the fun and a wonderful meal, as well as chances on the baskets.

By Connie Swinney

Staff Writer

Burnet Bulletin

An “historic flood event” submerged major thoroughfares Tuesday and toppled the Ranch to Market Road 2900 bridge where the Llano River feeds into Lake LBJ in the Llano County portion of Kingsland, forcing residents from waterlogged homes.

There were no confirmed reports of deaths, though several media outlets reported a body was found down river from Kingsland at around noon Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Burnet County, residents in several communities, including Marble Falls, Meadowlakes, Granite Shoals, Highland Haven and Horseshoe Bay, were evacuated to makeshift shelters as Lake LBJ and Lake Marble Falls swelled with rising water, surpassing flooding levels last seen 21 years ago during October 1997 flooding.

By Savanna Gregg

Staff Writer

Burnet Bulletin

Keep an eye out for artists transforming Burnet into works of art during the fifth annual Art Fest Wednesday, Oct 10, through Saturday, Oct 13.

The Art Fest, in conjunction with Octoberfest and sponsored by the Burnet Association of Merchants (BAM), kicks off with a Plein Air competition as artists begin creating pieces on Wednesday which will be judged Saturday.

“We have a little over 20 artists coming to town for the Plein Air contest,” said BAM President John Will. “At the same time, local artists are encouraged to bring their art to be judged.”

Proceeds of the Art Fest will be donated to the Burnet CISD Art department, and students' artwork will also be featured along with local and visiting artists' work in the gallery, which will open Friday, Oct 12 at 11 a.m. at the Burnet Community Center.

By Connie Swinney

Staff Writer

The Highlander

An embattled police chief has called a string of indictments, including perjury and official oppression charges, a “witch hunt” he believes stemmed from a dispute with a district attorney's office chief investigator who is a former Houston Police Department co-worker.

“This goes back many years. The (33rd/424th Judicial District) chief investigator and I worked together in the 1980s,” said Bertram Police Chief James Jay (“JJ”) Wilson said in a phone interview Oct. 4. “We worked at the Houston Police Department back then. He and I don't see things eye to eye.

“I think he's taking a personal vendetta against me,” he added. “(Prior to the indictment) I've made some comments. I've been vocal about it, and it has put a target on my back.”

By Savanna Gregg

Staff Writer

Burnet Bulletin

The community is encouraged to take a trip back in time with the Burnet County Heritage Society during the anticipated annual Fort Croghan Day, held at the museum and grounds on Saturday, Oct. 13.

The Fort Croghan Museum and Grounds will come back to life for this fun day, offering visitors a chance to experience life as it was at the fort in the 1850s.

Fort Croghan was commissioned by the United States and built in 1849 as protection for settlers from Native Americans and outlaws, and many families continued to live in the area after the Fort was decommissioned in 1853, dispersing and settling what eventually became the town of Burnet.

Though the old frontier days are now gone, the BCHS has continued to make an effort to preserve the grounds and update the museum to educate the public on life back in the mid-1800s and the settlers who called this area home.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

Utopiafest organizers announced on their website Wednesday, Oct. 3, they are moving the festival to Reveille Peak Ranch on County Road 114.

Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd confirmed the move Wednesday and said he believes “this is a much better location for this type of event” than a private ranch on Shady Grove Road (County Road 200).

“I think this was something they had planned on doing after the public hearing and it was actually the first site they originally picked,” Boyd said. “I think they have a much better chance of getting a (mass gathering) permit with this new location. Reveille Peak is set up for events like this and getting out there is much safer, so I feel better about it.”