Downtown Marble Falls will soon be lined with banners honoring members of the Class of 2026, reviving a program first launched in 2020.
The senior banners are expected to begin appearing around the downtown area starting the week of May 11. The city originally installed the banners in June 2020 to recognize graduating seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic and recently decided to bring the program back.
Downtown Marble Falls will soon feature the Class of 2026 seniors. Photo by Maci Cottingham.
“We felt it was a great thing to bring back,” City Manager Caleb Kraenzel said during the Tuesday, May 5, City Council meeting.
Kraenzel said the program not only celebrates local seniors, but also encourages families to visit downtown while searching for the banners.
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Fifth generation Llano County rancher Joe Freeman was reelected on Tuesday, May 5, to serve as one of seven directors leading the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
Freeman will serve a two-year term, representing TSSWCB Area 2, which includes 50 counties across central and west Texas. He was first elected at the state level in 2024, voted in by directors from the 43 soil and water conservation districts within Area 2. Directors must be involved in ranching or agriculture, and at the local level, they are voted in by farmers and ranchers within their district.
As a state director, he is responsible for setting policy and distributing state support to soil and water conservation districts across the state to help protect soil and water resources as they pertain to ranching and agriculture.
Locally, Freeman has been a Llano SWCD director since 2015. He is the founder and president of the Cowboy Christmas for Kids charity, a member of the Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the American Quarter Horse Association. He was once the president of The Hill Country Livestock Raisers Association, the Llano County Farm Bureau, and the Llano County A&M Club.
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Nearly $1 million in total was awarded to dozens of teachers across the Marble Falls Independent School District this week as part of the Texas Education Agency’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program.
The incentives, ranging from $5,729 to $25,312, were gifted to 72 teachers throughout Colt, Highland Lakes, Marble Falls, and Spicewood elementary schools, Marble Falls Middle School, and Marble Falls High School.
“We are proud to celebrate these designations and the additional funding that accompanies them—not just as a reward, but as an investment in the continued excellence of teaching and learning across our schools,” Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway said in a press release. “This recognition reflects the talent, dedication, and passion our educators bring to their classrooms, and we are grateful for the difference they make in the lives of our students and our community.”
MFISD’s teachers were awarded using one of three designations: “recognized,” “exemplary,” or “master.” Dr. Gasaway shared that 13 teachers were designated as recognized, 45 were exemplary, and 14 were master. This year was MFISD’s first to award TIA designations.
Currently, the TIA program only applies to teachers of a select few subjects within MFISD, leaving out staff in areas like fine arts and athletics. Dr. Gasaway announced during a state of the district luncheon with the Marble Falls Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, May 5, that the district had submitted an application to allow more teachers to be eligible for awards in the future.
“We’ve submitted an application to try to catch teachers that are not already eligible,” Dr. Gasaway said. “We’re going to try to get our fine arts, our CTE, our athletics, our PE coaches, and our sciences other than biology (to be eligible for awards).”
About the Teacher Incentive Allotment program
The TEA’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program was created to provide districts with funding to keep teachers in the classroom who go above and beyond and improve student achievement.
Teachers are awarded specific amounts based upon their designations, formed using teacher observations and student classroom growth throughout the year. These designations are multiplied by a calculation of a campus’ rural and socioeconomic status to total the final awarded value.
For more information on the exact parameters of the TIA program, and a breakdown of the incentive calculations, visit the TIA’s FAQ webpage.
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The Granite Shoals and Bertram police departments recently entered into partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security that will allow select officers to carry out limited immigration enforcement duties alongside their regular policing responsibilities.
The agreements place both departments in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) task force model. According to ICE, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, the program acts as “a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties.”
Participating officers must complete 40 hours of ICE-funded training and in turn their departments gain access to federal resources through the agreement.
Granite Shoals City Council voted unanimously to enter into a 287(g) task force model agreement with DHS during its regular meeting on April 28.
Granite Shoals Police Chief John Ortis said his department will not conduct immigration-related operations during routine traffic stops or carry out door-to-door enforcement. Instead, officers would assist in cases involving warrants or ICE operations targeting specific individuals.
“The primary reason for this is not to interfere with the federal government enforcement,” Ortis told DailyTrib. “We’re not here to break up families. We are not going to do that.”
Granite Shoals Mayor Ron Munos said the agreement formalizes coordination that already exists between local police and federal immigration officials.
“Nothing different from what we’re already doing,” Munos told DailyTrib. “We coordinate with ICE when needed, and stay within our bounds.”
Bertram Police Chief Jason Brantley described the agreement as a way to streamline cooperation with ICE while giving smaller departments access to additional resources.
“For me it’s kind of simple, my department is pretty sparsely funded,” Brantley told DailyTrib. “I’m looking for actual criminals, and cartels. It’s my way of trying to protect the city.”
Brantley was referring to the potential financial assistance that comes with participation in the 287(g) program. According to ICE, partner agencies can receive $7,500 in equipment per trained officer, $100,000 for new vehicles, salary and benefits reimbursements for trained officers, and overtime funds for up to 25 percent of a trained officer’s salary.
Leadership from the Marble Falls Police Department and the Burnet Police Department told DailyTrib that they do not plan to enter into similar agreements at this time and will continue coordinating with the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office on immigration detainers.
“The Marble Falls Police Department is not currently participating in a 287(g) Task Force agreement based on operational priorities, staffing capacity, and resource allocation,” Marble Falls Assistant Chief Trisha Ratliff. “This agency continues to follow established probable cause-based arrest procedures for observed and reported offenses, with responsibility for any immigration detainers resting with the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office following booking, as it always has.”
“I have not yet completed a full evaluation of the program’s operational, legal, or financial implications,” Burnet Police Chief Tony Hefferin said. “While this program may be considered in the future, no decisions have been made at this time. As we have always done, we will continue to coordinate with local, state, and federal partners whenever we are made aware of a potential violation of law, consistent with applicable state and federal requirements.”
The Burnet County Sheriff’s Office participates in a 287(g) agreement through the Warrant Service Officer Program, not the task force model, which allows deputies to “serve and execute administrative warrants on aliens in their agency’s jail,” according to ICE.
The Llano County Sheriff’s Office does not currently participate in any 287(g) agreements.
The 287(g) task force model was discontinued in 2012, but then revived through an executive order in January 2025.
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A new Sonic location at 1404 S. Water Street in Burnet should be opening soon, taking the place of the old Captain D’s building that has been sitting vacant since 2024. Burnet’s old Sonic, at 904 Buchanan Drive, run by the same owners, has permanently shut down ahead of the new location’s opening.
City Manager David Vaughn told DailyTrib that the location could open the week of Thursday, May 7, and that city staff was happy to see the lot being lit up by a new tenant after it sat empty for an extended period of time.
“This is a great reuse of an existing building that was sitting dark for too long,” Vaughn said. “(It) will help ensure (U.S. 281 South) remains a vibrant and productive commercial corridor for our community.”
Of note, the location currently does not seem to include any drive-in spots typical to the chain, but does have a drive-thru window, curbside parking spots, and indoor seating.
The old Sonic location at 904 Buchanan Drive in Burnet has seemingly ceased operations ahead of the new location’s opening. The sign, as pictured on May 7, reads “closed, at new store.” Staff photo by Caden Senn
As for the old Sonic, Vaughn told DailyTrib that it was his understanding that the owners, who are the same owners of the new location, intended to permanently shut the location down. As of Thursday, the sign at that location read, “closed, at new store.”
The old Captain D’s lot was one of two spaces on the northwestern corner of U.S. 281 (S. Water Street in Burnet) and Houston Clinton Drive to sit empty, along with the old Burger King storefront. Barring any issues along the way, both lots should be occupied by mid-2027, as an HTeaO store was greenlit to take over the Burger King building in March.
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Residents in the Paintbrush area of Summit Rock will experience a temporary water service interruption Thursday morning as crews repair a damaged main water line, according to the City of Horseshoe Bay Utilities Department.
Water service will be shut off beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 7, and is expected to be restored by 1 p.m. The outage will affect homes on Paintbrush and all streets connected to Paintbrush while emergency repairs are completed.
According to a post from City of Horseshoe Bay, the work is necessary to restore reliability to the system and urged residents to plan ahead for the four-hour interruption. Utilities crews are expected to work throughout the morning to complete repairs and resume service as quickly as possible.
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Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Phillips’ legacy was further honored last weekend, May 2-3, in Emmitsburg, Maryland, during the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Weekend.
Chief Phillips was amongst 204 firefighters to be honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, erected in 1981 to honor fallen heroes around the country who died in service.
“This morning the foundation will honor 204 firefighters who gave their lives in the name of duty,” reads a MFAVFD Facebook post about the dedication. “Please keep (Phillips’ family) in your prayers as they witness and participate in this national honor for him.”
Phillips’ name was engraved onto a plaque along with his fellow service members to be placed on the Wall of Honor surrounding the memorial site.
Former Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael Phillips was killed in the line of duty while responding to the devastating floods of July 2025. He has been repeatedly honored at the local and state level, and now he has been recognized by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Courtesy photo
Phillips gave his life responding to a distress call during the early morning hours of July 5, 2025, as raging floodwaters swept across Central Texas in a historic flooding event. He and his vehicle were caught in the rising waters while he was attempting to cross Cow Creek on FM 1174 near Marble Falls.
Phillips’ vehicle was recovered, but his body was never found. He remains one of the final victims of the flood to remain missing, despite several search attempts by local and state agencies to recover his body.
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Marble Falls is refreshing its parks master plan and creating a new trails master plan as continued population growth drives the desire for improved public spaces. City leaders hope the update to the plans will open the door for future grant funding for more improvements.
Marble Falls City Council approved in a 5-1 vote on Tuesday, May 5, a $206,000 contract with the Parkhill design firm to update its existing parks and recreation and open space master plans, and to create a new trails master plan.
The plans will assess current parks and trails, identify gaps, and set priorities for future improvements over the next decade. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department suggests updated master plans every five years to enhance grant eligibility. The city’s current parks plan was adopted in March 2017.
Since then, the city’s population has grown by about 30 percent, according to Parks and Recreation Director Lacey Dingman.
Council members who supported the plan said the upfront cost is necessary to unlock future funding opportunities.
“We have to spend money to make money,” councilmember Craig Magerkurth said in the council meeting.
Mayor John Packer cast the lone dissenting vote, citing concerns about the overall cost.
“I think it’s too much money. I feel like we’re starting from scratch spending this kind of money. We’ve got a decent plan now that needs to be updated,” Packer said.
The parks master plan cost was reduced from an initial estimate of $230,000 to about $175,000, with the Trails Master Plan adding $31,000, according to Dingman, who said further reductions would be difficult after months of cutting costs while maintaining quality.
“We know the value already. We’ve been the recipient of two parks and recreation grants in the last three years to the tune of $1.5 million,” Dingman said.
Dingman pointed to Mormon Mill Nature Park as an example of how planning efforts can translate into funding success. The city secured a $726,207 grant from the TPWD toward the park’s $1.9 million total cost. She said that that grant was secured, in part, due to community input and clear, long-term planning done by the city.
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On April 30, two capital murder charges were dropped in the case of Kyler Nathaniel Allen, 22, one of two suspects arrested in the 2023 Tow shooting deaths of a father and his son.
33rd/424th District Attorney Perry Thomas told DailyTrib that, based on current evidence in the case, he believed it was appropriate for the charges to be dropped. Potential for the capital murder charges to be refiled in the future will remain open due to the conditions of a plea deal taken by Allen on separate charges.
DA Thomas explained that Allen was on trial the same day for two separate charges of tampering with evidence – one related to the murder case and one not – and had taken a plea deal for them.
As part of the deal, Allen was rendered guilty on two counts of tampering with evidence and given two eight-year sentences to be served concurrently. Another condition of the deal permanently opened the door for the court to refile and reopen charges against him for his suspected role in the 2023 homicide.
“The agreement allows us to refile and charge Allen again for the capital murder charges or any offense that comes forward from (the murders),” DA Thomas told DailyTrib. “It does not preclude us from seeking those charges in the future.”
No exact timeline for the potential refiling of those charges was provided.
The jury assessed a sentence of 75 years for the murder of 14-year-old Evan Wessling, and a sentence of 70 years for the murder of 38-year-old Preston Wessling. These sentences will run concurrently, which means that Ostrander will serve up to 75 years, as both sentences will be served at the same time.
Background
Ostrander and Allen were each charged with capital murder of multiple persons for their alleged involvement in the Jan. 14, 2023, shooting deaths of 38-year-old Preston Wessling and his 14-year-old son, Evan Wessling, at a home on Airport Road in Tow.
Llano County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 call at 4:49 a.m. on Jan. 14 about multiple gunshot victims at a home on Airport Road in Tow. The father and son were found lying in the driveway with gunshot wounds and were declared dead at the scene.
Ostrander and Allen were arrested by Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, and Guadalupe County sheriff’s deputies two days later and were held in multiple county jails without bond while awaiting trial.
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