LH Independent 5-6-21 by The Liberty Hill Independent

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2021

Volume 34, Issue 24

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May 6, 2021 | 50 Cents LIBERTY HILL VOTES 2021

School propositions get thumbs up

STACY COALE PHOTO

It’s splash time

The City of Liberty Hill opened its splash pad at Wetzel Park this week to the excitement of children of all ages. Among those ﬁrst visitors of the season were Ford Ranahan (left) with older sister Irelynn Ranahan. The splash pad, which is located downtown at the intersection of Loop 332 and CR 279, is open daily from May 1 to Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The magic returns downtown with Whimsy& Wonder

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer A whimsical beginning to a new tradition in 2019 left the community wondering in 2020 when the magic would return. This month, Whimsy & Wonder is back. The interactive art and music festival is set to bring Liberty Hill residents a wide variety of art and entertainment on May 15, where a walk down Loop 332, from RM 1869 to the water tower parking lot will bring live music, art activities and art vendors. “I think I’m most excited for Dale Watson. Last time we didn’t have a big stage for the street dance. That is new this year,” said Liberty Hill Communications Manager Katie Amsler. “He’ll come on after all the other musicians have stopped. At Quick Service Garage, I have a group called Big Wy’s Brass Band, and they’re seven or eight kids playing brass instruments. We’ll also have a harpist named Sarah Hall from (The University of Texas). She plays modern songs on her harp. At Veteran’s Park, we’ll have Oatmeal

Sound Company, and we’ll have Matt Brown, one of our wastewater technicians who has a band.” The festival is looking to Malted Grains, Hell or High Water Brewery, and Parker’s Market for their food needs. “Hell or High Water and Malted Grains will both be having food and drinks for sale,” said Amsler. “Parker’s will be open and selling food and drinks, too. I want them to make lots of money. Malted Grains will be inside, and Hell or High Water will set up a tent outside.” As citizens roam from vendor to vendor, they can enjoy a variety of entertainment, from strolling magician Cody Fisher’s close-up magic to Scott Wade’s dirty car art. Folks can even get their portrait done on a tortilla. The water tower parking lot transforms into the Imagination Garden for one day, becoming a central location for LH INDEPENDENT FILE PHOTO kids to ﬂock to. “Kids can check out a buck- Loop 332 will transform into an art and music wonderland et of chalk, and they’ll have on May 15 as the City of Liberty Hill brings back the Whimsy & Wonder festival. The Loop will be closed to trafﬁc from 12 See WHIMSY, Page 4 Noon to 1 a.m. that day.

Teresa Rios is the ﬁrst Teacher of the Year for Santa Rita Elementary. The eight-year teaching veteran failed to hold back the tears when the announcement was made during a special after school meeting. (Courtesy Photo) same peers who voted for her, for her success this school year. “I couldn’t do this without them,” she said. “I couldn’t do this without their partnership. We’re here to make kids successful. It’s teamwork. I

67 percent of the vote (1,391671) and totals $457.7 million, making up most of the total bond package. It includes funds for four new schools – two elementary, a middle and the district’s second high school – campus renovations and expansions to ﬁve current campuses, planning funds for additional new campuses, land purchases and a variety of other infrastructure projects. The $8 million approved in Proposition B is for new technology devices, and passed with 68 percent of the vote (1,430-657). Propositions C and D, which dealt with athletic facilities didn’t receive the overwhelming support the ﬁrst two

See BONDS, Page 5

Ferguson, Hargrove emerge in LHISD Board contests

Rios named Santa Rita’s ﬁrst Teacher of Year

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer First-grade teacher Teresa Rios isn’t a fan of attention. When Santa Rita Elementary administrators held a special after-school meeting in the gym to make a big announcement, all of a sudden, Rios was the center of it. She is Santa Rita Elementary’s ﬁrst-ever Teacher of the Year. “I was shocked. I can’t put it into words to express how I feel,” Rios said while holding back tears. “I’m humbled and honored. I dislike attention on myself. I’m not a person who thrives on attention. Knowing this was voted on by my peers, this is such an honor.” Rios credits her team, the

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor All four propositions in the $491.7 million bond package Liberty Hill ISD presented to voters Saturday were approved, setting a course expected to help the district keep pace with a student enrollment projected to double over the next ﬁve years. “I’m excited for the future of Liberty Hill and deﬁnitely glad the bond election is behind us,” said Superintendent Steve Snell. “Now the real work begins. It makes me feel good. The community of Liberty Hill shows overwhelming support for our school district. We realize the amount of money on the ballot this May was overwhelming to think about.” Proposition A passed with

couldn’t do it without the parents supporting me or an administration that goes above and beyond.” Heading into a new year in the middle of a pandemic left staff pondering many unknowns. Rios, along with

many others, took on the challenges as they presented themselves. “We didn’t know what it would look like at the beginning of the year,” said Rios.

See RIOS, Page 8

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Ten candidates campaigned for two open spots on the Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustees, and it was Michael Ferguson in Place 3, and Kristi Hargrove in Place 6 who ﬁnished on top when all the votes were counted. Ferguson – who tallied 836 votes – won the four-candidate contest handily with 49 percent of the vote over Charlene Stephens (338), Steve Messana (282), and Antonio Canas (240). In Place 6, where six candidates were vying to ﬁnish an unexpired term, Hargrove (487) grabbed 28 percent of the vote, ahead of Cory Milam (423), Robert Baughn (302), Aurora Trahan (201), Jennifer Williams (199), and Lockie Ealy (124). The victory and chance to

serve on the LHISD Board was exciting for Hargrove. “I’m going to be able to serve the community, the teachers, the kids and the parents,” she said. “I got a chance to visit with a lot of people over the last couple of months and it was awesome to hear all the different concerns and to be able to just tell people from the heart how I felt about those concerns. I was very honored to be chosen. It was close, but I’m excited.” The result gave Ferguson a chance to sit back and catch his breath after a busy campaign. “Leading up to it, it got very exciting,” he said. “It was a stress reliever in a sense because obviously there is a build up, you get super excited and you don’t realize how intense it is until the next day. It had

See LHISD, Page 7

Voters call for change again on Council

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Two years after Liberty Hill voters elected a trio of candidates campaigning together for change, they said no to the same and called for change once again. This time, challenger Angela Jones (171 votes) won 70 percent of the vote against long-time Council member Liz Rundzieher (74) in Place 5, and Crystal Mancilla (139) won a 31-vote advantage over incumbent Gram Lankford (108) for Place 3. Steven McIntosh, who ran alongside Rundzieher and Lankford in 2018 but abandoned his seat in March when he moved out of Liberty Hill, was replaced by Chris Pezold (143) who beat Kim Sanders (103) for Place 1. Each of the winning candidates felt energized for their new role after campaigning. “I’m very excited,” Pezold said. “Talking to so many people over the course of this election process really struck me with how many people are concerned and conservative thinking, wanting to get our

town back on track. I really feel motivated to get in there and try to start buttressing this community for the growth that’s coming.” Both Mancilla and Jones said they felt good about the increased voter participation in this election. “I was really happy to see a bigger voter turnout in our city,” Jones said. “I was excited to meet lots of people during the campaign and I met a lot of amazing families.” Mancilla, who thanked Lankford for his service on the Council and said she appreciated getting to know him more through the campaign, said helping to increase local participation in the City was her main goal in running. “I’m thankful we had a lot of participation, and new people who haven’t voted before or might be new to our city,” she said. “The most important thing is that the numbers went up in participation for voting for city council. No matter which way it was going to go that was my goal.”

See ELECTION, Page 8

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Thursday, May 6, 2021

OBITUARIES Elmer Hohle The Reverend Dr. Elmer Martin Hohle, of Liberty Hill Texas, passed away and went to be with his Saviour Jesus Christ on April 29, 2021. God gifted Elmer with 90 full years on this Earth. Elmer was preceded in death by his beloved wife Norma Jean Hohle. Elmer had three children, David Hohle, Nathan Hohle and Lori Woodson, two grandchildren Audrey Acosta, and Joshua Woodson and a cherished great grandchild Arthur Acosta. Elmer was born in the Grove, Texas on December 20, 1930.

His parents were Ben and Martha Hohle. Elmer had two brothers Charles Hohle (deceased), Gilbert Hohle (deceased) and two sisters Edith Winkler (deceased) and Lydia Winkler age 95 of the Grove, Texas. Elmer was baptized into God’s Kingdom of grace on December 25, 1930 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, the Grove, Texas by Pastor Fred Boerger. Elmer completed his pastoral seminary degree and was awarded a Doctor of Letters from Concordia Seminary of St. Louis, Missouri. Elmer

served as pastor for several different parishes and devoted countless hours to translating theological works from German to English. Elmer also was a successful insurance agent for Aid Association for Lutherans for many years. Elmer’s greatest joy was sharing the Gospel message of Jesus Christ with everyone he met. He now sings with the heavenly hosts arrayed in white at God’s throne. A visitation and viewing was held at Beck Funeral Home on May 3, 2021 from 4 to 6 P.M. Funeral services were held at

St Paul’s Lutheran Church the Grove, Texas, 220 The Grove Road, Gatesville, Texas 76528. Services were at 1:00 P.M. May 4, 2021.

Sue Ann Vance of Liberty Hill, Texas passed away on April 27, 2021 at the age of 82. She was born on June 10, 1938 in San Saba, Texas to David Tempelton and Climmie Mae (Hicks) Moss. Sue is survived by Roy D. Vance, her husband of almost 61 years, and her two sons Donald S. Vance (wife Martha) and Joseph W. Vance (wife Rina), in addition to eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by both of her parents, her older

brother David J. Moss, as well as her youngest son Michael J. Vance, and oldest grandchild Christopher J. Vance. Roy and Sue met in San Antonio, Texas in 1959 while Roy was serving in the U.S. Air Force, and Sue was working for USAA and living at the local YWCA. They were married in Junction, Texas on July 23, 1960. Being a military family, they spent many of their early years together overseas, living for a number of years in each of Italy, England, and Greece, and having their three sons along the way. Upon their return to the United States they resided in Maryland for several years before ﬁnally returning to Texas after Roy’s retirement from the Air

Force, and settling in Austin. For many years the family resided in – what was then – far south Austin, and Sue commuted downtown to work in the ofﬁce of the Texas Comptroller. With all of the children out of the house, Sue and Roy moved out to the country, buying a house on 10 acres in Liberty Hill, Texas in 1994. Sue retired from the State of Texas in 1997. By 2017 Roy and Sue were on the move again, moving to Ohio to be near Roy’s sister Genevieve (Jenny) and her family. However the Texan in Sue called once again and in 2020 the pair moved back to Liberty Hill, Texas. A visitation was held at Beck Funeral Home in Cedar Park,

from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on Sunday May 2, 2021. Memorial services and ﬁnal remembrance were held at the same location on Monday, May 3, 2021 starting at 12:00pm (noon), followed by a short graveside service at Onion Creek Memorial Park in San Leanna, Texas.

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Kimble Jane (Martin) Pierce, 77, passed away on December 23, 2020, at Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, in Austin, Texas, a few miles from where she was born. Her parents were Lena Sybil (Hey) Martin and Bryan Lamar Martin, and she was the eldest of three, overseeing her two younger brothers Tony and Jeb. She grew up in Austin, attended Austin High, graduating from Del Valle High School, then attended the art school at The University of Texas. At UT, she was for a time a student of the renowned sculptor Charles Umlauf, and art became her lifelong passion. While at UT, her parents owned a store located at the current location of Stubb’s

BBQ, where she had her own hangout in the basement. She worked for various agencies of the State of Texas, including after moving to Liberty Hill, where she lived for 38 years. She and her husband Roger participated in many art exhibits and programs in Liberty Hill, Georgetown, and beyond, including providing art lessons. She is preceded in death by her step-children Roger K Pierce Jr., Rodney Pierce, and her husband Roger K Pierce, Sr. She is survived by her daughter, Laura Carbonneau and son-in-law Shane Carbonneau, of Austin, and her step-children Eric Pierce and Zoe Pierce, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as extended family in the Hill

Country, Colorado and California. A celebration of life will be held at Umlauf Sculpture Garden on May 15, 2021. Donations can be made in lieu of ﬂowers to Family Eldercare.

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Thursday, May 1, 2021

O P I N I O N EDITORIAL: THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Liberty Hill Police Blotter Prepared by Liberty Hill Police Department

Week of April 25- May 2 The Liberty Hill Police Department responded to or self-initiated a total of 592 incidents resulting in 14 cases, 43 citations, 87 warnings and two arrests. Weekly Highlights: - On April 26 at approximately 10:40AM, officers responded to the 3000 block of RM 1869 for animal concern, referred to Williamson County Sheriff’s Office ACO. - On April 26 at approximately 4:25PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for a disturbance. - On April 26 at approximately 4:53PM, officers responded to the 11000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic hazard, referred to the LHISD Police Department. - On April 26 at approximately 11:17 PM, officers responded to Bronco Blvd. for suspicious activity. - On April 27 at approximately 1:25 AM, officers responded to Hillcrest Lane for a harassment complaint. - On April 27 at approximately 2:08AM, officers responded to Orchard Ridge to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On April 27 at approximately 10:44 AM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident - On April 27 at approximately 5:49PM, officers responded to Star Spangled Dr. for an animal complaint. - On April 27 at approximately 7:52 PM, officers arrested a male adult with an outstanding warrant, as the result of a traffic stop on RM 1869. - On April 28 at approximately 6:56 AM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for a disturbance. - On April 28 at approximately 7:48AM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for a disturbance. - On April 28 at approximately 2:45PM, officers responded to Remuda Dr. to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office - On April 28 at approximately 7:52 PM, officers responded to Proclamation Ave for a dangerous animal complaint. - On April 29 at approximately 9:04 AM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29

for an accident. - On April 29 at approximately 3:33 PM, officers responded to Trellis Blvd. for suspicious activity. - On April 29 at approximately 7:23 PM, officers arrest a female adult for driving while intoxicated, as the result of a traffic stop. - On April 29 at approximately 10:07 PM, officers responded to Winterfield Dr. to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On April 30 at approximately 8:45 AM, officers responded to the 12000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident. - On April 30 at approximately 10:11 AM, officers responded to the 10000 block of W. SH 29 to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety with an accident. - On April 30 at approximately 4:00 PM, officers responded to Agave Azul Way for an animal complaint. - On April 30 at approximately 6:43 PM, officers responded to Continental Ave for a family issue. - On May 1 at approximately 12:56 PM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic hazard. - On May 1 at approximately 2:50 PM, officers responded to the 1000 block of US 183 to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety, with an accident. - On May 1 at approximately 7:43 PM, officers responded to Filifera Ct for a traffic hazard. - On May 1 at approximately 10:44 PM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for an alarm call. - On May 2 at approximately 2:35 AM, officers responded to the 200 block of CR 200 for suspicious activity. - On May 2 at approximately 8:33 AM, officers responded to the 300 block of CR 279 for loose livestock. - On May 2 at approximately 2:34 PM, officers responded to the intersection of W. SH 29 and CR 214 for an accident. - On May 2 at approximately 3:06 PM, officers responded to Tequilana Pass for a welfare concern. - On May 2 at approximately 11:12 PM, officers responded to the 15000 block of W. SH 29 for suspicious activity.

Thank you, but this is nothing new. The Liberty Hill City staff and Council ﬁnally wanted to talk about the budget at its meeting April 26. After a glossed-over update on the status of the current budget, the conversation turned to one that resembled an “aha” moment, followed by excitement over the upcoming budget process. For a Council that for the past seven months has steadfastly refused to even repeat the word “budget”, the reaction to Finance Director Becky Wilkins’ announcement on how the 2021 budget process would play out was almost comical in its irony. She told the Council that this year’s budget process would begin in May, and include a series of workshops, where City Department heads would present their budgetary needs – and justiﬁcations for them – to the Council publicly. Council members Tony DeYoung, Gram Lankford and Kathy Canady applauded the staff for the “new” approach and idea – almost reacting as though it was an original one. But this Council said the new way was the way they wanted it to happen, the way it needed to happen. They said it was important, and it was good for the Council. They said it created a situation where everyone could participate. The question is, where have they been for three years? The Independent has been asking on nearly a weekly basis for two years the questions about how the budget is formulated, managed and why

The new, old way

that changed from the old way. This may be exactly how the budget process should proceed, but it is not new. It is not innovative and not out-of-thebox thinking. Ask any of the terminated – or forced to resign – employees how the budget was once handled in Liberty Hill. Department heads presented their budgetary needs to the Council in public, justifying their requests, and giving the Council and the public a better understanding of how tax money needed to be spent. In fact, it’s the same process that was in place years ago -- even when Canady’s late husband served on the council. This is actually what was done in the summer of 2018, when former Mayor Rick Hall agonized through the very public process shortly after his election, and later said it would be very different the next year. He was right, and the council members who now look at the old way as something new and different is the one that empowered all they seem to now conveniently think was not done right the last two years. In 2019 and 2020, the budget process was only public in that the Council approved it with a public vote as required by law. There were no public questions, there was no dissent, no debate and each Council member repeatedly – for two years – expressed support for Hall’s methods and faith in his decisions. Hall had the full support of this Council, and feigning ignorance of the value of a

more public process now seems very hollow and reactive. If the ﬁve on Council over the past two years didn’t know the situation could be different, and problems were festering, they were not paying attention or chose to look the other way. We should thank the Council for making this turn and approaching the process the right way, but the celebration is a bit of an embarrassment. Everyone needs to stop pretending they don’t see the big mess in the rearview mirror by pointing ahead to something that may appear new and shiny. The City may have grown over the last two years, but it has also stalled in many ways and regressed in others. There are problems to correct, and it’s past time for everyone involved to accept ownership. The City can move on, but it’s important we don’t reframe the narrative and history of what’s happened in recent years to escape the poor decisions that led us back to reinventing what once was. Perhaps a Council that will now be truly engaged in the ﬁnancial future and well-being of the City, not leaving control and decision-making to one person, will at least restart the public processes the way they were meant to be. No one is elected to follow someone else, and hopefully going forward, the Council will embrace the new old way and see its role as one of truly engaging in the setting of priorities and money management. The expectations will always continue to be higher.

City announces new planning director

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor At Monday’s Council meeting, City Administrator Lacie Hale announced the employment of John Byrum as the new Director of Planning. Byrum steps into the void left when the City terminated David Stallworth early this year. Stallworth was hired in November 2019, assuming the director’s post from Sally McFeron, who was later terminated in July 2020. He comes to Liberty Hill from the City of Killeen, but has worked for the planning departments in Hutto, Pﬂugerville in Killeen since May 2018. Byrum is a 2015 graduate of the University of

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Oklahoma. Hale said she saw a number of things in Byrum during the interview process that impressed her. “We conducted several interviews for this position,” she said. “John’s professionalism, knowledge, and experience stood out. He has worked for cities in the Central Texas area that share the type of growth that we are seeing in Liberty Hill. I consider him to be an asset to our City staff and look forward to working with him.” With a number of City plans in ﬂux – such as the Uniﬁed Development Code (UDC), transportation plan and comprehensive plan – Byrum will

be asked to work toward addressing those issues. “Long term is the UDC. This document is essential to managing development in our city,” Hale said. “Mr. Byrum will be tasked with updating it to reﬂect the Local Government Code then working with the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council for their input and direction. The ﬁrst project will be the Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use map. The last Comprehensive Plan that was done was in 2014. This city has grown rapidly, so it is important to have a Comprehensive Plan, Future Land Use Map, and UDC that represent the values of our elect-

ed ofﬁcials and residents.” Byrum’s salary is $89,000. New sound equipment The Council voted 3-0 – Steve McIntosh and Liz Rundzieher were not in attendance – to use a portion of the unspent Mayor’s salary on new sound equipment for the Council Chamber. The planned expenditure is $16,005. But before the decision, the tension continued over the future of the $40,000 salary intended for Mayor Liz Branigan, which she has refused. Two items made the agenda this week, one from Branigan

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, May 6, 2021

BUSINESS

New ofﬁcers installed

New ofﬁcers for the 2021-22 term and new members were installed recently at the Hats and Bonnets luncheon of the Judge Greenleaf Fisk Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. From left, are Glynnda Wallingford (Secretary), Lisa Messana (President), Mariann Laughlin (Registrar), Rose Etheredge(Chaplain), Aften Serrano (Treasurer), Audra Conwell (member), Tennye GiOtis (Historian), Joyce Parsons (VP), Debbie Wilson (member) and Sherry Jenkins, District V Representative of the DRT. (Courtesy Photo)

WHIMSY

Chamber welcomes Happy Hill Country Liquor

The Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the grand opening of Happy Hill Country Liquor with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Store owner Sharouq Shahzad and the family cut the ribbon. The store is located at 719 US Hwy 183, Suite B-102, in Liberty Hill. (Courtesy Photo)

Continued from Page 1

squares marked where they can do their chalk art,” said Amsler. “We have a giant bubble artist. We’re going to have a guitar station where kids can sit down and try out the guitars, and we’re going to have vinyl spin art.” The newly-paved parking lot provides a convenient space for two shows for kids to experience. “We’re going to have a performance tent. It’s going to

be Hideout Theater, and they do improv comedy. They’re doing kids shows, and the kids help guide the direction of the show. That show will alternate with the Liberty Hill Police Department and their bike rodeo. The PD will be giving away a few bikes as well,” she said. The new event Amsler hopes attendees will get involved with is the Open Mic Show and Go. Participants can sign

Liberty Hill & Surrounding Communities

MOM uat d a r G

ion

up for a three-minute slot at the Main Stage from 6–8 p.m. Participants have the opportunity to share and discuss their art, sing a song, recite a poem or do anything related to music and art. “I borrowed the idea after seeing a story in the Houston Chronicle,” said Amsler. “It was about the Woodlands Art Club, and they do something called Art Feel. It’s where they have a stage, and people sign up to talk about their art and present a piece. Since we aren’t showing art indoors, I thought this was a great alternative.” Parking for the event will be available at Fellowship Church, Liberty Hill Elementary, Cross Tracks Church, and One Chapel Church. Six pedicabs will transport people, or they can walk down the street. For those looking to start the festivities early, there will be Whimsy & Wonder pre-parties. “Fellowship Church is having their own Whimsy & Wonder pre-party,” said Amsler. “They’ll have activities going on at the church, and they’re starting at 5 p.m. so people can show up early and get a parking spot and do some activities until we start. Agape BBQ is also doing a pre-party with live music from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.”

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Thursday, May 6, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 5

Get in tune with giving this summer

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer One of the beloved staples of Texas summers is live outdoor music. Community Pathways, L4 Cares, and Shooting Star Ranch are coming together to host the Dancing Under the Stars concert series, featuring an event the ﬁrst Friday of each month from June to September. This is Community Pathways’ second attempt at hosting a live event series for Liberty Hill. “Last year, we were going to have a concert for fundraising,” said Community Pathways founder Vickie McCown. “We had everything lined up, and I had reached out to Shawn (Oehrlein at Shooting Star Ranch) because she wanted to help our organization. She asked us what she could do to help. I told her that if she’d allow us, we’d have something out there. We called it Band Together and had some bands lined up until COVID hit. When the City canceled its July 4 festival, we knew we had to cancel.” The series kicks off on June 4, with a performance by The Michael Ingalls Band, followed by Jason Kane White and the Lonesome Band on July 2, Hayden Haddock & South 35 Band on Aug. 6, and Billie Jo on Sept. 3. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Food trucks and concessions will be available and those interested in alcoholic beverages can bring their own in a cooler for a $10 fee. Door prizes and other gift items will be distrib-

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uted at each event. The current iteration of the summer concert lineup came together almost as if fate willed it. “It was a God thing with the way it all came together,” said Shooting Star Ranch owner Shawn Oehrlein. “We talked about it, and it grew on its own. Normally you have to plan these things out way ahead, and all of a sudden by the end of the first week, we had the entire lineup. Then we got the sponsors.” The three parties came together after Oehrlein reached out to McCown. “It was Shawn who reached out to me, and I was like, ‘can I bring Kendra along?’” said McCown. “We had worked together before. She works with the younger children, veterans, and those in nursing homes. We focus on older youth and their family. We kind of complete the circle.” Funds raised through the concerts will be divided between Community Pathways and L4 Cares to help each organization continue its work. Embracing the idea of random acts of kindness, Cofer offered to help Department of Public Safety officer Adrian Harris and National Guardsman Karli Calhoun. Cofer met the couple for the first time by chance when Harris was taking photos at Shooting Star Ranch as the couple toured the venue for their upcoming wedding. After talking for a few minutes, she knew it was a sign and offered to help them by paying for their wedding. L4 Cares dedicated the funds from one of

the concerts to help pay for a couple’s wedding. “What I decided to do is for the July concert I’ll take 100 percent of my proceeds and put it towards their wedding,” said Cofer. “I want people to fall in love with the idea of helping this couple, this growing family. It’s a neat way to reach out and support.” McCown hoped to host a battle of the bands style event, a throwback to her youth. The idea morphed into a concert series after she met with Dan Stephens of DGS Music Promotions and Management. “We have a gentleman, Dan Stephens, who sets up bands at venues. He promotes them,” said McCown. “Someone gave me his number, and I reached out to him. He has all of the bands set up for our shows. All of them are performing at no cost. Dan has done fundraisers before. When I talked to him about my organization and L4 Cares, he said his heart was helping people, so he’d get us some bands.” Community members can volunteer for the events or donate items like sodas, Gatorade, water, or desserts to help. The group hopes the series inspires the community to embrace helping others with random acts of kindness. “It gives me goosebumps because it was meant to be,” said Oehrlein. “We know people will respond to this. It’s special already, and it hasn’t happened yet. We’re community entities. That’s where my heart is, and that’s why we’re doing this.”

Continued from Page 1

propositions did, but C passed with 57 percent of the vote ( 1,190-899) and D with 51 percent ( 1,068-1,019). “The propositions followed trends statewide,” Snell said. “I think the people who came out and voted early made the difference. You never want to leave it up to the Saturday election day, you want to get people out there and make their vote known early. The trends kind of brought things

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, May 6, 2021 Page 6

Liberty Hill honored with Gordon Wood Award

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor WACO -- When Kent Walker stepped to the podium to accept the Gordon Wood Award on behalf of the Liberty Hill football program, it was challenging to speak in the aftermath of having just viewed a video tribute to his late brother and former Panthers head coach Jeff Walker. But, not too challenging. “Getting up to speak right after that wasn’t easy,” said Walker. “But, it wasn’t the most difficult thing I’ve had to do this year.” Every year, the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame recognizes a team that embodies the beliefs of the man it’s named after -- the legendary coach who won nine state championships during his career on the sidelines. This year, it was Liberty Hill’s turn to collect the prestigious award, which is given annually to an “especially noteworthy high school football team that displayed good sportsmanship, the ability to overcome challenges, had the support of the

community and achieved success on the field.” What the Purple-and-Gold experienced, overcame and achieved despite of this past season encapsulated all of those attributes and then some.

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Close baseball games are decided by the slimmest of margins, with little room for mistakes. Unfortunately for Liberty Hill, a pair of unearned runs allowed in the first inning in its home district contest against Georgetown was enough to doom them to a 2-1 defeat to the Eagles. As was the case too many times down the stretch of the district schedule this season, Liberty Hill was done in by its inability to win close games, despite string performances from its starting pitchers. According to Liberty Hill head coach Steve Hutcherson, dropping close contests has proved to be a big obstacle for his club to overcome. “It’s tough when you lose so many one-run games,” said Hutcherson. “Everything’s been so tight and we’ve essentially been in every game.” On this night, it was Conner Sherburn’s turn to have another solid effort go for naught after the junior right-hander allowed only those two unearned runs over five innings on three hits before being relieved by sophomore Logan Bailey, who pitched two scoreless frames. The occasion marked Liberty Hill’s third consecutive 2-1 loss and fourth overall by a single marker in district play, although it certainly hasn’t been the Panthers’ pitching that has caused issues. Sherburn pitched out of trouble in the first after giving up back-to-back singles to start the game, but didn’t help his own cause by committing an error in the second on an errant throw to first on a bunt, putting runners on the corners with no outs following a leadoff single to begin the inning. Georgetown’s Andon Petty then grounded to Panthers shortstop Ryan Leary, who

hesitated for a split-second before throwing home to catcher Garrett Neeley, which allowed Nick Silva to score the first run of the game. But, that wasn’t all. After the throw got past Neeley, the Eagles’ Rowdy Hoadley also scored on the same sequence when Sherburn failed to cover home on the play for a 2-0 Georgetown lead. Still, though, Sherburn managed to limit the damage by getting a groundout to first baseman Kash Durkin to end the inning with runners left stranded on first and second. However, after Sherburn retired the side in order in the top of the third, the sloppy defensive play continued in the bottom half of the inning – only this time by the visitors – when Leary reached on an error on a grounder to third, then advanced to second on a passed ball. Andon Thomas then came through with a single to center, which plated Leary with a head-first slide just beating the relay home to make it a 2-1 game with still only one out. But, Jackson Knox grounded into a double play to end the inning and the threat without any further scoring. In the meantime, Sherburn had settled down to set the Eagles down in order in the third, fourth and fifth innings to keep the Panthers in the contest. Bailey entered the game to begin the sixth despite Sherburn having retired nine straight Georgetown batters and having thrown only 64 pitches, but Hutcherson said the move was based on the fact the Eagles were about to face his starter for the third time in the game. “They were flipping their lineup over,” he said. “So, we wanted to get Logan in there.” The move paid dividends as Bailey hurled a pair of shutout frames despite an Eagles runner advancing to third only to

Members of the Liberty Hill football program with the Gordon Wood Award, which is given annually to a team which achieves success on the field despite adversity off it, by the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. (Courtesy Photo) Jeff Walker passed away on Nov. 30, plunging the Panthers’ football team – and entire athletic department, for that matter – into a state of mourning. However, with the team about

to begin the playoffs, there was much work to be done regardless of the situation, which is exactly what then-interim head coach Kent Walker, his entire coaching staff and most of all – his players – did

in advancing all the way to the state semifinals before their postseason run finally ended. Most remarkable of all was the fact the Panthers accomplished all this despite it being the program’s first season as a

Class 5A school. “The whole evening was a very well-organized, awesome event,” said Walker, of the proceedings that took place

See AWARD, Page 8

Season ends with tough loss to Georgetown

noha drew a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch to bring Neeley to the plate with the game on the line. But, that’s when Georgetown went to its bullpen and sidearm-slinging right-hander Wade Denton was called on to seal the deal and that’s just what he did in getting Neeley to strike out on a 3-2 pitch to end the game and seriously damage the Panthers’ playoff hopes in the process. Liberty Hill popped out seven times on the evening on the way to getting only two hits – a fact Hutcherson attributed to the conditions, which included a strong breeze to encourage big cuts to a particular part of the ballpark. “We were too anxious with our swings tonight,” he said. “Especially with a good wind blowing out to left – I think some of out guys though if they could just get the ball in the air.” As for his side’s struggles in tight games, Hutcherson took the blame squarely on his own shoulders. “One-run games are lost by coaches – that’s what I told our players after the game,” he said. “So, I need to figure out what I need to do better for us to be more successful.”

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Conner Sherburn (#15) pitched five innings allowing only two unearned runs in Liberty Hill’s 2-1 home district loss to Georgetown. be stranded in the sixth. While all this was going on, Silva was weaving a gem of his own for the visitors, hav-

ing allowed only two hits though six innings before taking the mound in the bottom of the seventh with the Panthers

down to their final three outs. After Durkin grounded out and Chase Maxwell went down swinging, Jack Stavi-

Liberty Hill 13, Glenn 4 In the first meeting this season between the teams, Liberty Hill needed extra innings to defeat Glenn by a 5-4 score and for six innings on Friday in the rematch, it seemed as if more late-inning drama was in the works. However, the Panthers plated eight runs in the top of the seventh to turn a 5-4 lead into a 13-4 victory over the Grizzlies. In fact, the only drama by game’s end was to see who had absorbed the most water after the contest was played to its conclusion in a downpour

See BASEBALL, Page 8

Regionals ripe with experience for tennis team

SCOTT AKANEWICH PHOTO

Liberty Hill tennis players Ethan Wukasch, Ellis Young and Patrick Fay benefited from qualifying for the regional tournament in San Antonio at the end of the spring season.

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor More than anything, a trip to the Class 5A regional tennis finals provided a trio of Liberty Hill players with a treasure trove of valuable experience at the conclusion of the Panthers’ first season in the higher classification. “I think it was a good experience for all of us,” said junior Ethan Wukasch. “We got to play and watch some very high-level tennis.” Wukasch and boys’ doubles’ partner Patrick Fay, along with girls’ singles player Ellis Young, made the trip to San Antonio after qualifying at the district tournament. Young lost her first-round match against an opponent from Burbank by a 6-7, 3-6

score and said if she had been able to prevail in the first-set tiebreaker, the match might’ve had a different result. “After the first set, I kind of lost it mentally,” said Young, a junior who posted a 15-2 match record this spring. “I could’ve won, but I got so mad at myself.” Nothing a trip to a local mall couldn’t cure, though, as the Panthers’ traveling party – which included alternates Mackenzie Coleman, Sophie Sherman, Jennifer Merrill and Joseph Sherman – used some of the spare time they had over the course of the threeday event to grow closer as a group, she said. “We went shopping as a team,” said Young. “We needed to get clothes for our team

banquet.” Speaking of cohesion, Wukasch said he and Fay have developed a solid partnership on the court as a result of playing with each other for the majority of the spring season. “We have really good chemistry,” he said. “We’re friends off the court and when we really get going good, we’re talking to each other after every point.” During team tennis in the fall, players can play singles and doubles if they so choose, but during the spring campaign, it’s either one or the other – which is fine for Fay, he said. “I definitely prefer doubles,” said Fay, a sophomore. “In singles, you’re out there alone

See TENNIS, Page 8

Thursday, May 6, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

LHHS’ Bye brings home State Championship

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Kennedy Bye couldn’t help falling into an emotional embrace with her instructor Mikyela Tedder when she learned she was named State Champion in UIL News Writing. It was her first year competing in the event. “I felt excited, happy, and just amazed that I even placed,” said Bye. “Now that I have placed in an event I just started, I want to make it to state in the other events I compete in.” Bye has a natural talent for journalism. The LHHS sophomore follows her mother, who went to state for feature writing, and her sister, who studied journalism. “I wanted something where I could be more creative,” she said. “My sister did journalism, so I started to do journalism. I like writing stories. When I did my writing when I was younger, I would write these long essays about fantasy things. In journalism, I can make the transitions more creative.” Bye began her journey finishing third in District and second in Regionals. She also placed third in copyediting at Regionals. She rose through the leaderboard as she continued through the year and worked her way to the top. “She puts her heart and soul into it. She puts in 100 percent effort,” said Tedder. “She continued to improve at each level and that speaks a lot to her dedication.” In the competition, Bye has only a certain amount of time to craft her story. “They have 45 minutes to complete the contest from the time they look at the paper until they have to hit print and turn their story in,” said Tedder. “They are expected to construct, write, edit the entire story in 45 minutes. She is a dream to coach because she is very receptive to critique or any comments I give her to make her writing better. She quickly implements them and improves her writing.” The dedication to improving her craft is evident to Tedder in the form of the adaptations Bye makes to her work. “I’ll write my story, and then we go over it together. I’ll listen to the ways that I can fix mistakes,” said Bye. “Sometimes I’ll go back and look at the comments on what I wrote, and I’ll make sure to use those notes to not include the same mistakes.” One of the challenges Bye

LHISD

Kennedy Bye is Liberty Hill High School’s newest State champion. Competing in the UIL News Writing for the first time, Bye improved her ranking at each event until she was crowned state champion. (Courtesy Photo) faced this year in the competition was changing how she practiced her writing. Before restrictions were set in place, a large part of preparation began with practice meets. “Our preparation this year is more one on one where Kennedy comes in after school,” said Tedder. “She typically writes a story or two a night. She sends them to me, and we critique and go over the stories when we’re together.” Injection of Creativity Creativity is at the core of Bye’s desire to write, and she uses the transitions between quotes to insert her ideas. “I just like writing creative things,” she said. “I like to add fun to it because I don’t like reading things that are only facts alone without anything creative holding them together. I like to read interesting and exciting things, so I like to write like that.” For a creative writer like Bye, falling into the constraints of news writing can become monotonous and formulaic, a difficult adjustment for her style. “Some of the harder things are having to stick right to the prompt, not putting in opinions, and making sure it’s exactly what is being asked for,” said Bye. “Sometimes I put opinions. I don’t realize that it sounds like an opinion, and I have to reword it to make sure that it’s paraphrased correctly.” Traditionally, journalists are taught the basics of news

Continued from Page 1

more anxiety with it than I probably realized, but overall it was fun.” He felt like the victory was special because of the large number of competitive candidates. “I’m disappointed for all the other candidates,” he said. “I know what it was like to go out and spend a lot of time campaigning, so I felt for them because all of them, in both places, put in a lot of time and resources and I think any one of them would have been an excellent choice.” Both Hargrove and Ferguson felt they were able to connect with voters on a culture they referred to as conservative in some ways. “I feel like most of Liberty Hill is very much on the same track as I am about trying to keep the culture and just taking care of our kids and doing what’s best for them,” she said. “I was very impressed that parents and community members were aware of what’s going on in the districts surrounding us. Getting away from the small town values we have wasn’t something the parents wanted to see happen. They want to make sure their kids are taken care of and loved and not taught things in school that they as parents wanted to teach them at home. It was the family values I was impressed with that families want to keep.” Ferguson said his open-book approach to communicating with voters made a difference. “There was a lot of concern going around about our be-

liefs, whether it was a conservative belief, and basically answering those questions,” he said. “I wanted to run and people see who I am because I don’t plan on changing who I am. I wanted to get on the board to help keep the current culture that we have and everyone has grown to love in Liberty Hill. It is a very, in my opinion, conservative culture. It is very different than your Austin ISDs, your Leander ISDs and I value that. There were a lot of people who had those same values and beliefs.” As a former educator, who worked in athletics as a coach, and as a teacher and administrator in career and technology, special education, Hargrove said she thinks her experience helped. “A lot of it was my honesty about being someone that wants to do what’s best for all kids,” Hargrove said. “I think my experience played a big part because not only do I have the years in education, but I also opened schools and was a part of closing down an intermediate campus. I have experience in most of the areas I think we need in Liberty Hill.” Ferguson mentioned that as he campaigned, one of the big topics he was regularly asked about was masks in the schools, and he hopes to share those concerns soon with the Board. “The mask thing right now is a huge topic,” he said. “I’ve already had people reach out to me after I won, saying there were some mask things that

writing first before moving to the more fluid feature writing. Bye bucked tradition, doing feature writing first and working backward. “She’s never had Journalism I. That was interesting, and I think this [learning feature writing first] has helped with her transitions, but she’s had to go back,” said Tedder. “I think that might have been the most challenging thing. In the beginning, you can’t add all the creative stuff like in features. It’s got to go straight to the news. Once she got that, she took off.” Like most high school students, Bye has to balance her writing with several other activities, including cheerleading, student council, and being on the yearbook staff. “I would go to football games and would take pictures of the cheerleaders because I know the varsity cheerleaders,” she said of her yearbook responsibilities. “We each had certain spreads assigned to us, and I would also help people write captions and add more creative parts to them.” Tedder stresses that her dedication to being a hardworking student is how Bye balances her workload. “What’s next for her is adding a fifth category,” said Tedder. “She will be competing in all five journalism events. This year we did four. She’s going to add editorial writing. We talked about it already, and her goal is to make it back to state, and this time in multiple events.”

came out in the district they have concerns with. That’s one of the things I can’t wait to get on the board for and say ‘Guys, these are things that the community has extreme, passionate concerns with and we need to make sure we’re addressing these and putting our district in the right situation, listening to them and making sure our students and staff are still protected and they don’t feel that mental anguish of going to school every day of going with a mask.” What’s next for both newly-elected board members is a focus on what is to come with the bond projects approved Saturday by voters. “The biggest thing for me is going to be the bond, because now that it’s passed, now it’s time to start the work,” Ferguson said. “There’s going to be a lot we have to start working on with a budget and that’s the thing I’m absolutely the most excited about.” Managing the funds and construction is one part, while the logistics is yet another. “I’m interested in finding out the plans on how to open the new schools,” Hargrove said. “How would we open a second high school? I’ve actually done that as a teacher, but I want to learn what the other board members think and their thoughts on doing it. I want to make sure we’re opening new buildings but also creating new opportunities with the growth and keep the equality campus to campus and equity for all kids.”

Swingin’ in the rain

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Recently, we waxed p o e t i c about how nice it was to be basking in the glory of watching local sporting events in lovely, no-jacket-required spring weather – something we were all deprived of a year ago at this time. However, we would certainly be remiss if we didn’t tell both sides of the weather story, as last Friday evening in Leander proved to be a spring sports experience of a different kind altogether. Liberty Hill’s baseball team was on the field at Glenn to take on the Grizzlies in their final district game of the season – and possibly their last, period (more on that later) – under threatening skies that were just looking for an excuse to open up and pour on the Panthers’ parade. Temperatures were still in the 70s, though that only fostered a false sense of meteorological security as the first pitch of the evening was delivered plateward. Round about the third inning, a few drops of precipitation could be detected, but still no worries, as there was no lightning in the forecast and after all, this is Texas, right? A few raindrops isn’t going to ruin a nice night of baseball, is it? The answer to that question is yes and no. As the contest continued, the intermittent drops became more and more prevalent until we found ourselves under a steady blanket of water cascading down from the heavens. But, still the game continued on.

We don’t know if that was the case due to the importance of the events unfolding, the fact it was the regular-season finale, both or neither. What we did know was the Panthers needed to win this game and hope for Rouse to lose to Marble Falls, which would force a one-game playoff with the Raiders for the fourth and final district postseason berth. Remember the famous scene in “Caddyshack” where the Bill Murray character is caddying in a monsoon and looks at his player only to say “I don’t think the heavy stuff is going to start coming down for a while”? Well, it might not have reached those proportions, but we were expecting to see a chorus line of ducks splashing across the field at some point between innings to the tune of “Singin’ in the Rain.” Where’s Gene Kelly when you need him? As someone who has lived most of our life in a place where the only use for umbrellas is to provide shade for the sun, we’ve never even owned one, so even after retreating to retrieve our coat in an attempt to stay dry, we found ourselves becoming more and more drenched as the game went on. But, this is why we love our new home. No matter what, there is always someone willing to lend a helping hand to one in need and we were in need of not contracting pneumonia. So, we were pleased as punch when a Panthers supporter offered to loan us an umbrella to shield us from Mother Nature for the balance of the contest, which by the way seemed to slow down as the weather got worse. Funny, those earlier games that were played in pristine

Page 7

conditions flew by like somebody was double-parked in barely needing an hour-andhalf to complete. So, wouldn’t you know a game played in a squall more suited to St. Andrew’s decided to drag on into the night. But, back to the game. The Panthers had a comfortable 4-0 lead early on, but found themselves ahead by only a single marker at 5-4 after the Grizzlies had shown some bite (see what we did there?) despite their last-place standing in clawing their way (there we go again!) back into the game. But, right when it seemed as if the Purple-and-Gold might lose yet another close game, an eight-run frame in the top of the seventh secured victory. Only problem with an inning in which 13 batters come to the plate is it takes quite some time to complete and under the conditions, while it was just what the doctor ordered for the Panthers to keep their playoff hopes alive, it probably caused a few in attendance to need to phone a doctor in the aftermath. All that and what do you know, the Rouse game got – get this – rained out! Imagine that. As a result, Panthers Nation was still left to wonder all weekend long until Monday, when they would find out its playoff fate once the Raiders finally host the Mustangs. Isn’t Rouse practically right down the road from Glenn, by the way? Certainly the same deluge that plagued the proceedings on the west side of Leander also passed over the eastern portion of town, right? One game played, one not and a whole lot of soaked folks. Like we said, a lovely evening for baseball.

Liberty Hill’s Gloria Kostroun has signed a national letter of intent to play beach volleyball at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. (Courtesy Photo)

Kostroun heading south for college Liberty Hill senior has signed to play beach volleyball at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Gloria Kostroun has spent her entire volleyball life on the shiny hardwood floors of the traditional indoor game. However, next season the Liberty Hill senior will find herself standing in the sand on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico after signing a national letter of intent to play beach volleyball at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. According to Kostroun, the four-hour journey south to her new stomping grounds is one she is already quite familiar with – as she is with what lies at the destination. “I decided to go there because I know the area,” said Kostroun, who plans to study criminal justice while playing for the Islanders. “My parents and I visit almost every year, so it’s like a second home to me.” Kostroun only began playing beach volleyball a year ago, but has picked up the game

quickly – a process that has included becoming accustomed to the stark differences between the two sports, she said. “The change from indoor to sand was very different,” said Kostroun. “For example, the conditioning is brutal at first and the fact there are only two of you on a court and not six was kind of exciting. You get many more touches and you get to play the whole game. Also, I had to learn how to pass, which I did little of indoor. In addition, rather than switching out and sitting on the sidelines, you determine the outcome of the game since you’re always on the court.” Kostroun added the proof is in the pudding as far as how her transition from gym to beach has gone. “The biggest challenge for me was the change from indoor to sand,” she said. “But, I liked the challenge and took it head-on and that proved well with how everything turned out.”

The Islanders – who play in the spring as opposed to the fall indoor volleyball season – recently finished their season with an overall record of 16-12 and feature a roster full of players from places such as California, Wisconsin, Paraguay and Lithuania, meaning Kostroun will certainly have her work cut out for her – but it’s something she said she’s definitely ready for. “I’m super excited to take on the challenge of playing with and against other Division I players,” said Kostroun. “But, I know I’ll have to step it up and work hard.” Kostroun – who also played basketball over the course of her Panthers career – said what she’ll cherish most about her time in Purple-and-Gold are the memories made with her teammates. “I’ll remember the fun I had on the volleyball team,” she said. “Also, how much I feel like I impacted the team.”

Page 8

Rios

Continued from Page 1

“With the way things ended last year, it was so heartbreaking. Heading into this year, there were so many unknowns. Knowing that we were going to open a new school encouraged us.” Adapting to new ways of doing things proved difficult at first, but Rios adjusted accordingly. “It’s been a challenge having to reteach our brains to do things that we normally do that is good teaching,” said Rios. “Having to readjust our minds to social distance and wear our masks has been difficult. A lot of this has been teamwork and collaboration. We can sit down and come up with engaging activities to keep learning fun and purposeful. It’s been different and a challenge.” The stress of teaching is already high. The addition of COVID and all that comes with it only adds fuel to the fire. To get through it, Rios relied on others. “I’ve coped because of my family, God, my school, my peers, and the kids,” she said. “I’m not one who loves to go out and do things but not being able to has been hard. Having my family support me and having my team support me helps so much.” Rios considers herself one of the lucky ones because she was able to work with students face-to-face all year. “I’ve had students come in from remote to my classroom,” said Rios. “It was wonderful to see the excitement on their faces when they came back to school. That’s why we’re here. Remote teachers are amazing, but I am so grateful to do faceto-face because I am a relationship builder.” With a school year unlike any other, she’s experienced coming to a close Rios is going to use the summer to relax and reload for next year. “I am going to enjoy time off with my kids. I have two of them graduating, one from UT and the other from UTSA. I have four kids, and we are going to enjoy some time together and go somewhere. I don’t know where yet, because right now my goal is to make it to the end of the school year.”

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Tennis

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 6

without anyone else to rely on.” Fay said he’s already come a long way since he debuted for the Panthers as a freshman last season, as on-court success has helped him break out of his shell a bit. “The better I’ve gotten on the court, the more confident I’ve become,” he said. “Now, I feel like I can swing out with more power on my shots.” In addition, Fay said the experience he and his team-

Baseball

of rain that began in the third inning and was constant for the duration of the proceedings. Rainstorm or not, though, Hutcherson was pleased with how his players performed despite conditions more suited for an English football match than a baseball game. “I’m proud of our guys for grinding one out,” he said. “We did our part.” Hutcherson was speaking of the fact his club needed to win, coupled with a Rouse loss to Marble Falls in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the district to come down to a one-game playoff with the Raiders. But, Mother Nature had other plans as the Mustangs and Raiders were postponed until Monday, meaning the Panthers won’t know their fate until then. In this contest, which began under threatening skies before the heavens finally did open, the visitors plated three runs in the second after starter Cole Jefferson held the Grizzlies scoreless in their half of the first, including a pair of strikeouts. Trent Eller singled to center to lead off the frame, followed by a Brody Blay walk to bring up Colby Demars with runners on first and second with nobody out. When Demars attempted to bunt the runners up a base, the Glenn pitcher tried and failed to get Eller at third, which loaded the bases for Jack Stavinoha, who was hit by a pitch to drive in the first

Award

mates enjoyed at regionals has provided them with a new perspective on what they must do in order to build on a successful first season as a Class 5A school. “I think our season went very well and we got out of district,” he said. “But, it helped to get to watch other people play who are going to state to see what we need to do to get there.” Wukasch and Fay were defeated in their opening-round

Continued from Page 6 run of the game. Carson Riley then laid down another bunt, but this time Blay was out at home, although the bases were still loaded with one out for Ryan Leary, who lofted a fly ball to right that brought home Demars for a 2-0 advantage. The Panthers then deployed some trickery with a delayed double steal during which courtesy runner Ty Maldonado intentionally got himself hung up between first and second to draw a throw while Stavinoha sprinted home with a headfirst slide under the tag and a 3-0 Liberty Hill lead. Jefferson got himself in a bit of trouble in the home half of the second after allowing a leadoff single, then hitting a batter, but was bailed out by his defense, as Leary caught a soft liner and alertly threw to Jackson Knox at second, who relayed to Blay at first for a triple play after both Glenn runners had inexplicably took off on contact. Following that good fortune, the Panthers tacked on another run for a 4-0 lead in the third when Eller doubled home Logan Dyer, who had walked to lead off. Glenn managed to pull a pair of runs back in the fourth to halve the deficit, but Jefferson got out of the inning without further damage by striking out the final batter of the frame with a curveball. Knox led off with a single to left to open the fifth, which was followed by back-toback bases-on-balls to Dyer

Continued from Page 6

at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco and included an induction ceremony in which nine new members were admitted. “It was a very nice tribute to Jeff and our 2020 football team – it was a tough year for them losing their coach, which made it extremely difficult, but the resilience they showed was remarkable.”

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According to Walker, the award doesn’t put a proverbial period at the end of the sixmonth emotional roller-coaster ride the program has been on, but simply serves as a reminder of the legacy his late brother left behind – and will never be forgotten. “As long as I’m here, Jeff’s name will be spoken of,” said Walker. “I don’t want all the wisdom he provided for me to stay a secret – I just hope I can do him justice and instill in our players the toughness he had.” The video tribute was one originally aired on Fox Sports

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and Eller to load the bases, but Blay flied out to center and Demars grounded into an inning-ending double play without the Panthers taking advantage by extending their lead. Senior Ryan Rhoden relieved Jefferson to begin the fifth and loaded the bases with one, but retired the side without surrendering any runs by getting a line-out to Stavinoha in right and another to Knox at second to end the inning. After Leary beat out his second infield single of the evening to begin the sixth, Kade Neuenschwander doubled him home to make it a 5-2 game, but the Grizzlies reclaimed another pair of markers in the home half and it was 5-4 entering the seventh. But, that was when the floodgates of the Panthers offense opened up as much as the clouds above had been for the majority of the game, as Liberty Hill scored eight runs to put the game out of reach, an onslaught that was highlighted by a Kash Durkin double as the Panthers sent 13 batters to the plate in matching its second-highest scoring frame of the entire season. Unfortunately, it could’ve been its last at-bat of the campaign if Rouse wins its contest against Marble Falls and ends the Panthers’ playoff hopes. Jefferson got the win on the mound in what was only the junior right-hander’s second

appearance since returning to the rotation following an injury that kept him out for five weeks before freshman Blaze Milam relieved Rhoden and set the side down in order in the seventh to close the game by striking out the side. Despite the layoff, Hutcherson didn’t hesitate to give Jefferson the ball in a mustwin game. “We felt good going in with how Cole has been throwing lately,” he said. All Hutcherson and his players can do now, though, is wait to see whether or not their season is over, but the Panthers’ dugout boss was rueful in the aftermath of this one of the close games his team lost down the stretch to put themselves in their current predicament in the first place. “You can narrow it all down to about 10 different plays in those games which made the difference,” he said. “But, it’s something to learn from if we don’t get into the playoffs and I’m proud we showed up tonight and did what we had to do.” But, the decisive victory in the season finale was all for naught, as Rouse defeated Marble Falls, 12-2, to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot in the district, with a 9-5 mark, one game better than the Panthers’ 8-6 record. Liberty Hill finished the season with a 20-11-1 overall record.

Southwest shortly after Jeff’s passing and one that Kent had not seen again since – until just before accepting the Wood Award – making an already emotional occasion even more so, he said. “Seeing it for the first time since wasn’t an easy thing to do,” said Walker. “But, it was an awesome night as far as honoring our team.” Jeff’s widow, Miranda, and twin daughters Madison and Regan were present for the event, which was a nice touch by the organizers, he said. “It was good for them to be recognized also,” said

Walker. “I wanted to make mention of how thankful we all are for them sharing their husband and father with us – he could’ve spent more time with them.” Despite the fact Walker was honored to receive the award, he said he wouldn’t hesitate for the conditions that caused to be reversed. “If I could have Jeff back, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” he said. “But, the young men and women of Liberty Hill are better off for having known him.”

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to lose them,” said Wukasch. “Good players tend to not make mistakes.” Liberty Hill head coach Sherry Rhoden said now it’s a matter of taking what her players learned from this season – in the fall and spring – and using it as a springboard to future success. “We’re in the most difficult region in the state,” she said. “But, I liked our game plan all season and we had a really good lineup. Now, it’s a

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match by Alamo Heights, 6-1, 6-0 and Fay said the caliber of opponents the Panthers now face can be largely measured by fitness level. “I think the players we play now are in better shape,” he said. “They can get to everything.” Wukasch agreed, although his assessment was more skill-level-based, he said. “At this level, you have to win points, as opposed to waiting for your opponents

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE In accordance with the Texas Property Code Chapter 59, Panther Storage and Parking located at 15725 West Highway 29 Liberty Hill, Texas,78642 will conduct a public auction to satisfy a Landlords lien. Units will be sold to the highest bidder online at Storageauctions.com A $100 cash clean up deposit is required. Seller reserves the right to withdraw any unit or not accept any bid at the time of sale. Sale will be held online at www.storageauctions.com starting on or after April 29th 2021 and Bidding will close on or after May 6th 2021 at 12:00pm. Names of Tenants and unit number(s) as they

appear on the lease: unit#101 Angelia Cardwell General description of contents: personal belongings, and household furniture. Unit#791 Travis Glosson General description of contents: Household items and Personal contents. Unit #782 Hazel Sheppard General descriptions of contents: Personal contents, household items, and fishing tackle.Unit#755 Amber Moersch General description of contents: household items and personal contents, Tenants may redeem their goods for payment in full in cash or money order only up to the time of auction. Call Panther Storage and Parking at 512-515-5430. (5/6) MISSING PROPERTY If you believe the police department may have a found item that belongs to you, you can call the Property Division directly at 512-548-5530 or email at ekrause@libertyhilltx.gov. When contacting the Property Division, describe the item(s) you are looking for, in detail, and we will let you know if we have it. If we do, we will make arrangements to get it back to you. (5/27)

LEGAL NOTICES LIBERTY HILL ISD is seeking Proposals for a Construction Manager at Risk. All interested proposers please see RFP #21-006 available at www.libertyhill.txed.net click Departments - Business Office - Purchasing - Current Bid Opportunities Or request a copy by emailing: proposals@libertyhill.txed.net. (5/13)

LEGAL NOTICE An application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Wine & Beer Retailer’s Off-Premise Permit by Refuel Operating Company, LLC dba Refuel, to be located at 10990 W. State Hwy 29, Liberty Hill, Williamson County, Texas 78642. Officers of the LLC are Mark Jordan (CEO), Travis Smith (CDO), and Jon Rier (CFO).

Thursday, May 6, 2021

matter of being more consistent and concerning ourselves with just getting one ball over the net at a time.” Despite the season ending, though, the Panthers are already back on out the purple courts they call home, as the time to hone one’s game is at hand, said Wukasch. “Players tend to get better over the summer,” he said. “We can take the time to really improve without school – I’m going to work on my serve, which always helps to get better at.” Fay said he isn’t worried about getting burned out – even once the Texas heat reaches triple-digits. “It’s not really a big deal, as long as you’re in shape,” he said. “We’ll even play in the middle of the day, but I’d rather have summer weather than cold.”

Council

Continued from Page 3 and a second from Council member Kathy Canady. “I declined the salary because I didn’t want to run for office for my own personal gain, and I have added this agenda item to make sure the salary, which I have chosen to defer, is used in the best possible way,” Branigan said. Branigan has wanted the funds used for charitable purposes, but Canady suggested in her agenda item that some be used for the sound equipment. Branigan did not disagree that such equipment could be useful, but wanted the issue researched further. “I have this item on the agenda, and I’m not asking for the full forty, I’m asking for $16,000,” Canady said. Council member-elect Crystal Mancilla also spoke as a citizen on the issue, urging more research be done before spending the money. “When I saw this on the agenda I was looking at the items to be purchased, and as we all know sound quality has been an issue for quite some time,” Mancilla said. “I know recently as a city we had purchased some equipment to be a temporary fix. I’ve had quite a bit of experience in audio and visual and I think before we spend $16,000 of taxpayers’ funds to purchase more equipment, I think it would be a good idea to bring in an audio-visual expert to take a look at what we have.” City IT Director Randy Hodges put together the estimate, and was confident it would address the issues of concern. The approved equipment is expected to improve the video and sound quality for broadcasting meetings, and also will integrate with the meeting minutes and agenda items, allowing viewers later to watch specific portions of the meeting through the online agenda.

Election

Continued from Page 1

With 247 voters within the city limits casting a ballot in the election, the totals were down from November’s Mayoral race – which was held in conjunction with a presidential election – but up considerably from the 118 ballots cast in May 2019. Mayor Liz Branigan, who began calling for new faces on the Council shortly after her election in November, was excited about the results. “I’m really excited about our future,” Branigan said. “I am impressed with the quality of people who have decided to donate their time.” As she met with voters, Mancilla said concerns over growth and city finances came to the forefront. “A lot of conversations were over smart growth and forward thinking, knowing we are one of the fastest growing cities in Texas and how do we grow smart and sustain that?” she said. “The other issue was the use of taxpayer dollars and having faith in that, knowing the budget and maintaining the transparency.” Infrastructure issues – specifically traffic safety – also seemed high on the list for voters. “A common concern was some of our dangerous intersections and the speed limit on

See CITY, Page 9

Thursday, May 6, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

C ITY Continued from Page 8 (SH) 29,” Jones said. “Gener- care of the safety ﬁrst.” ally speaking most people did not have a lot of concerns and weren’t really aware of some of the things that have been happening in our city that have been hard to keep up with.” Pezold echoed the concern over area intersections. “To me it is infrastructure and our dangerous intersections,” Pezold said. “We have a few intersections that have been identiﬁed that we need to take

The wastewater plant is another issue both Pezold and Jones want to address. “As far as getting ready for the growth we have to get our water and wastewater we have to get back on the long-range planning and start moving forward,” Pezold said. “We’ve got to get that under control because we have to manage our utilities right so we can grow them. If we can’t man-

age this we’re going to have a tough time getting them to grow.” After talking to residents living near the plant, Jones also wants to see what can be done about the smell from the plant. “One of the ﬁrst things I want to tackle is the smell in Grayson from the wastewater treatment plant,” Jones said. “It’s been a problem for most of the residents who have lived there for over two years

Page 9

and they don’t feel like they’re being heard. I’ve heard from several people there that they love their home and the community, but they want to sell their home and that breaks my heart for them.” Mancilla sees the ﬁrst few months as a good opportunity to take stock and evaluate what priorities need to be. “There’s so much to learn, so right now I want to jump in the pool and see what’s hap-

pening,” she said. “Moving forward, the first few things I’d like to do is take a look at what we can accomplish and prioritize it.” Branigan agreed on the issue of the area intersections, but emphasized again her plans for a renewed push on budget discussions and more financial transparency. “We’re going to need to overhaul our finances and we will need more professional

ﬁnancial practices,” she said. “Money doesn’t just disappear like it has during the administration that has just ended. We will be keeping track of money so it won’t just disappear. “We just need to be more ﬁscally responsible. For example, every employee doesn’t need a car I don’t think. We need to rein in those kinds of things. The last administration seemed to spend willy nilly,” she said.

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

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