Top DailyTrib stories of 2025
In July 2025, five Dallas-area women were killed in a wreck near the intersection of Park Road 4 and U.S. 281. The families of the young women are still seeking justice and often update a shrine dedicated to the girls near the site of the crash. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Editor’s Note: As 2025 comes to a close, the DailyTrib staff would like to say thank you and Happy New Year to our readers. Your interest in local news keeps this publication alive and makes what we do possible. We look forward to serving the Highland Lakes in 2026 and continuing to cover the stories that matter.
DailyTrib published over 1,000 stories in 2025, covering the people, developments, communities, disasters, crime, projects, politics, businesses, governments, schools, and happenings of the Highland Lakes area.
Here are the top 10 stories and storylines from the year:
1. The Fourth of July weekend flooding
Incredible amounts of rainfall across Central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend led to major flooding in the Hill Country that caused billions of dollars in damage and took the lives of over 130 people.
In Burnet County at least five people were killed, several homes were destroyed, and there was millions of dollars worth of damage to private and public property. Amid the destruction, Highland Lakes area heroes rose to the occasion, bringing in massive amounts of aid and thousands of volunteer hours to help rebuild the lives of those who nearly lost everything.
DailyTrib covered the flooding impacts on the Highland Lakes extensively–from photos, videos and updates during the initial devastation to features on the long-term local recovery efforts, which are still ongoing.
Asphalt Inc., also known as Lone Star Paving, continued its plans to build out a 715-acre rock quarry on Hoover Valley Road in western Burnet County, right next door to two state parks and a children’s summer camp. DailyTrib began covering the project, and the strong public opposition against it, in 2024, but the story spilled deep into 2025.
In 2025, the project acquired permitted approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Lower Colorado River Authority. A state-level effort in the Texas Legislature to stop the quarry was also shot down thanks to the efforts of a South Texas representative with ties to the aggregate mining industry.
Now, as of October, a permit from the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District is one of the final pieces needed to fully greenlight the project, but Asphalt Inc. has yet to make a permit application.
3. Major Marble Falls projects
Marble Falls had big developments in some of its largest projects throughout 2025, and people took notice. The city even released its own digital “project portal” to help residents keep track of all of the work.
Below are a few of the big development stories from the year:
The Ophelia Hotel and Conference Center finally broke ground and construction appeared on the skyline in September after years of delays.
In a September update, DailyTrib reported that the large-scale retail shopping development, Flatrock Crossing, in south Marble Falls had been delayed significantly, but was not dead.
Marble Falls City Council approved a development agreement for a 253-acre community on the east side of town along Manzano Mile.
The highest viewed DailyTrib story of 2025 was in June, regarding the city of Marble Falls entering into negotiations with a developer to bring a 463-acre “resort-lifestyle” project to the city, complete with a 4-acre lagoon. No updates have been shared since the initial story was published and it is unclear if the resort is still moving forward.
4. Burnet County judge appointment
Bryan Wilson was appointed as Burnet County judge in March after a lengthy, sometimes contentious, selection process developed by the Commissioners Court following the resignation of former Burnet County Judge James Oakley in December 2024.
Three applicants threw their hats in the ring for the appointment, and Wilson was a dark horse pick in the process. He was only selected after the four remaining members of the Commissioners Court reached a deadlock vote twice when choosing between Burnet County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Alan Trevino and retired district judge Gil Jones.
Wilson, who hadn’t received any votes throughout the process, was chosen as a compromise by both court camps.
Now, with the current county judge term coming to an end, Wilson is running for the Burnet County judge seat in the 2026 election, facing off against Trevino for the Republican nomination in March.
5. The end of the Llano County Library System lawsuit
After nearly four years of courtroom battles, the Llano County Library System lawsuit effectively came to an end on Dec. 8. The First Amendment lawsuit, filed against Llano County and several of its officials by Llano County residents, alleged that constitutional rights had been violated when several books were removed from library shelves based on their content.
DailyTrib has covered the lawsuit extensively, from when it was initially filed in April 2022 with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, all the way to when the U.S. Supreme Court denied hearing an appeal on the plaintiff’s behalf to continue the case in December.
The divisive lawsuit centered around 17 books that were removed from the Llano Library system outside of normal operating procedures. Initially, the law sided with the plaintiffs, ordering the books back into the library, but after years in court and multiple appeals, the law ultimately sided with Llano County’s right to curate the collections of the library as officials saw fit.
Here are the books, including links for reference, that were at the center of the controversy:
- “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson
- “They Called Themselves the K.K.K: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- “Spinning” by Tillie Walden
- “Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen” by Jazz Jennings
- “Shine” by Lauren Myracle
- “Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale” by Lauren Myracle
- “Gabi, a Girl in Pieces” by Isabel Quintero
- “Freakboy” by Kristin Elizabeth Clark
- “In the Night Kitchen” by Maurice Sendak
- “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health” by Robie Harris
- “My Butt is So Noisy!” by Dawn McMillan
- “I Broke my Butt!” by Dawn McMillan
- “I Need a New Butt!” by Dawn McMillan
- “Larry the Farting Leprechaun” By Jane Bexley
- “Gary the Goose and His Gas on the Loose” by Jane Bexley
- “Freddie the Farting Snowman” by Jane Bexley
- “Harvey the Heart Had Too Many Farts” by Jane Bexley
6. MFISD passes $172.2 million school bond
On May 3, Marble Falls Independent School District residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of approving four propositions totalling $172.2 million in bonds for major infrastructure improvements to MFISD schools.
The bond projects included basic infrastructure improvements at aging buildings across the district and big upgrades to education facilities for popular programs across multiple campuses. Other projects focused on major expansions to high school athletics, like a new baseball field and a new indoor training facility.
Read more about the bond projects in these two DailyTrib stories:
- Inside MFISD’s Props A and B: Long lines, no space, no time
- Inside MFISD’s props C and D: ‘Are we OK being OK?’
7. State transmission line project looms over Burnet County
In May, Burnet County officials shared publicly that a state transmission line project could be cutting through the north end of the county, potentially impacting many landowners and rural residents.
The scope of the project is massive, using 765 kilovolt lines on 15-story towers that would be placed roughly every 1,000 feet along a 200-mile route between Bell and Schleicher counties. While an exact route has not yet been chosen, all preliminary plans show impacts on Burnet County.
Word of the transmission line spawned staunch public protest, including an official protest song. Burnet County officials have also made their feelings clear, filing letters of opposition against the state project.
As of the end of 2025, the organizations tasked with creating the line, Oncor Electric Delivery and the Lower Colorado River Authority, have pushed back their timeline and will likely pitch their plans to the Public Utility Commission of Texas in early 2026.
On July 25, five Dallas-area women were killed in a reckless driving incident near the intersection of U.S. 281 and Park Road 4 in Burnet County. Thalia Salinas, Ruby Cruz, Jacqueline Velazco, Brianna Valadez, and Desiree Cervantez–all in their early twenties–were on their way to a birthday party in Kingsland when the crash occurred.
Shortly after the wreck, 37-year-old Leander man Kody Talley was booked in the Burnet County Jail for his alleged involvement in the tragedy.
The investigation is ongoing, but according to an affidavit from officers on the scene of the crash, Talley was driving a large truck and trailer when he drifted into oncoming traffic without slowing down, striking the vehicle carrying the five women.
9. Proposed quarry railway stopped in its tracks
Plans to revitalize and expand an old rail line in Burnet County drew widespread public concern in the first half of 2025. The route would have seen a long-defunct rail line between Burnet and Lampasas brought back to life, and expanded, potentially putting roaring locomotives in the backyards of many Burnet County landowners.
Following intense public opposition and negotiations with county officials, Texas Materials Group Inc. chose to put a hold on the project in May. But, it may not be totally dead, and could be brought back for consideration in the future according to a company spokesman.
10. Historic season for the Yellowjackets
The Llano High School football team had a historic run in their 2025 season, reaching the state semi-finals for the second time in the program’s history and defeating longtime rival, Edna, for the first time ever in a 38-35 nailbiting quarterfinals round.
The Yellowjackets went 13-2 overall and 5-0 in district play before falling to the Yoakum Bulldogs in the fifth round of the playoffs.
“We won 13 ball games and it has been an amazing year,” Llano head coach Matt Green told DailyTrib at the end of the season. “These kids fought hard and inspired this community. It’s bittersweet, but it’s a lot more sweet than it is bitter.”