Summer 2025 officially begins in the northern hemisphere at 9:42 p.m. Central Daylight Time on Friday, June 20. The summer solstice marks when Earth’s axis is tilted at its closest point to the sun. On this day, which is either June 20, 21, or 22 each summer, daylight hours are the longest of the year and nighttime hours are the shortest. That means more time on the water and a refresher on summer safety tips.
The Lower Colorado River Authority offers Be Lake-Wise tips year-round, but they are especially important during summer fun season.
SWIM SAFELY
Lakes aren’t swimming pools and require a little more due diligence to stay safe. Be prepared for uneven bottoms and underwater hazards like hidden boulders or trees. Also, cover your nose and mouth when jumping into the water. Natural bodies of water are not chlorinated and can contain contaminants.
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The Lower Colorado River Authority on June 18 approved a quarry/mine permit for Asphalt Inc., giving the Austin-based company another green light on the road to building a rock-crushing plant southwest of Burnet.
The quarry is planned for 700 acres at 3221 FM 3509, also known as Hoover Valley Road, near Inks Lake and Longhorn Cavern state parks, Camp Longhorn, and Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery.
“Obviously, it’s a setback we didn’t anticipate with LCRA, especially with all the info we provided,” said Randy Printz with SaveBurnet.com. “But it’s not over yet. We still have the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District and there’s also TxDOT, because they are going to have to change the highway (widen it for trucks).”
Printz was referring to Asphalt Inc. still needing approval from the GCD, which manages groundwater in Burnet County, and the Texas Department of Transportation.
The company applied for a permit under LCRA’s Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance for an aggregate processing plant and quarry near Inks Lake. The river authority accepted public comment on the application until May 13.
“(Local) input is important to us, and we want to make sure that we are respectful of that and provide an ample opportunity for them to provide their comment,” LCRA Executive Vice President of Water John Hofmann told DailyTrib.com at a May public meeting in Burnet.
The LCRA’s Wednesday decision was unexpected for some.
“We are very disappointed that the LCRA did allow this permit, although we do understand they are restricted at what they can look at and what they can do,” said Fermin Ortiz, another member of SaveBurnet.com. “It is an unfortunate reality that LCRA is limited to asking people to not water their flowers but cannot do anything to stop the hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that Asphalt Inc. declared will be their monthly usage in their permit application.”
SaveBurnet.com will hold a private meeting on June 23 to plan its next steps.
“We will start going over all the information and come up with a new finalized attack plan,” Printz said. “There is still a long way to go before a plant is built.”
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Falkenstein Castle at 7400 Park Road 4 South in Burnet County is for sale. Kale Stephens of Horseshoe Bay Living 2 recently listed the property for $15 million. At 14,000 square-feet, the castle has seven bedrooms, four full and four half-baths, six tiny homes, and an apartment above a maintenance garage. It sits atop a hill overlooking its 110-acre estate and an enormous expanse of the Texas Hill Country in Burnet and Llano counties. Falkenstein Castle was listed as an Airbnb rental for $1,500 a night. It can also be rented as a wedding venue. Kim and Terry Young built the castle based on designs by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He became king at the age of 18 but was never able to build the castle of his dreams. After Terry Young died, the couple’s son took over, renting out the extravagent property. Staff photo by David Bean
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A 20-year-old Indian national who was arrested in Granite Shoals in 2024 in an FBI-led fraud investigation was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a media release issued Wednesday, June 18, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas.
Court documents say Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, co-defendant Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya, and others defrauded elderly victims, including at least one Granite Shoals resident, out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold between July and August 2024.
Patel, who was living in the United States on a student visa, was arrrested by the Granite Shoals Police Department on Aug. 24, 2024, after retrieving a box represented to contain $130,000 from a victim’s home, the release said. He was transferred into federal custody on Aug. 29, 2024, and pleaded guilty to the money laundering charge on March 18 of this year.
His sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman.
Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke,
say the co-conspirators defrauded their victims using online phishing methods and by impersonating U.S. government officials. Patel received the stolen cash and gold, gave a portion to his co-conspirators, and kept a percentage for himself, the Attorney’s Office release said.
To date, the federal investigation has determined the illegal scheme defrauded at least 25 victims with a total intended loss of at least $2,694,156.
“This defendant (Patel) took advantage of his visa status in our country and participated in an international fraud scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas in the media release. “Today’s sentence demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to prosecuting the perpetrators of such nefarious schemes and achieving justice for the victims.”
Mangukiya, Patel’s co-defendent, pleaded guilty on June 16 and awaits his sentence hearing.
“The FBI is deeply committed to protecting the American people from the devastating effects of financial fraud. We prioritize and aggressively pursue those who prey on our elderly population,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “We want to thank our colleagues at the Granite Shoals Police Department for their professionalism and dedication to the citizens they serve.”
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Banks, post offices, and some government offices across the Highland Lakes will be closed on Thursday, June 19, to mark the Juneteenth federal holiday.
Offices for Burnet and Llano counties will be closed, while city offices in Burnet, Bertram, and Horseshoe Bay will remain open.
This is the fifth year Juneteenth has been observed in the United States as a federal holiday. It has been a state holiday in Texas since 1979.
Juneteenth marks the day that enslaved people in Texas received word they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, 2½ years after the Civil War ended. Texas was the last state to hear the news. President Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. It was not enforced in Texas until June 19, 1865, when Union troops landed in Galveston Bay. The troops’ arrival marked the end of legal slavery in the United States.
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Alice Price of Bertram won the District 5 seat on the Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board of Directors. She will be sworn in on Friday, June 20, when the co-op holds its annual and regular monthly meetings.
Travis Cox was re-elected to his District 4 seat during the PEC board elections, which ran from May 21 through June 13.
PEC’s annual membership meeting starts at 9 a.m. at co-op headquarters, 201 S. Avenue F in Johnson City. The board’s regular meeting will follow immediately. Price and Cox will be sworn in and the 2025-26 board officers will be elected.
Price replaces board member and former Burnet County Judge James Oakley, who termed out after 12 years in the District 5 seat, which represents Burnet County and small portions of Llano, Lampasas, and Travis counties. PEC directors serve three-year terms with a limit of four terms.
Price defeated opponents Douglas A. Vandiford II of Marble Falls and Milton Scott Powell of Horseshoe Bay.
“I am grateful that the community would put their faith and trust in me to hold this position,” she told DailyTrib.com. “I’m very excited. I know I have a lot to learn and am looking forward to the challenge.”
Price is an assistant district attorney for the 424th/33rd District Attorney’s Office, which serves Burnet County. She and husband Jeff Charlton raise cattle on the Bryson Family Ranch in Bertram and live in the same house that her great-grandparents built in 1907. Her grandparents and great-grandparents all lived in the home during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Family members passed down stories of when electric lights were first switched on in the house, thanks to rural electrification.
“There was always a ton of excitement when my family talked about having the lights turned on for the first time,” Price said. “They were so excited to have a refrigerator, all the modern conveniences we take for granted. My grandmother got an electric sewing machine. They could keep milk longer. They didn’t have to milk the cows as often. They didn’t have to have ice delivered. They understood how electricity impacts our everyday lives.”
The family has another connection to the cooperative. Her father, E.B. Price, served 30 years on the PEC board, the last time in 2008.
Alice Price has a record of public service. She served as a commissioner for Burnet County’s Emergency Services District No. 8 and on numerous community boards, including the Central Texas Youth Football League, the Burnet Youth Football League, and the PTA.
“I really enjoy doing this type of work,” she said when asked about community service. “If you are able to pitch in and help your community, it’s the worthy thing to do.”
The three-way District 5 race was not without contention, but Price said she is looking forward, not back.
“I want to say thank you to my lifetime friends who helped me get out the vote and hung signs and encouraged me when I faced some negative social media attacks during the campaign,” she said. “I did not retaliate and did not engage in any negative campaigning against my opponents. That is not who I am.”
An independent, third-party company that handles election management services, Survey and Ballot Systems, will share the certified election results at Friday’s meeting.
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The Lower Colorado River Authority recently awarded more than $1.1 million in community grants to support 45 community projects across its service area, including Burnet, Llano, and Blanco counties.
$25,000 to the Lake Buchanan Conservation Corp. to build a rail system for a courtesy dock that can be adjusted as water levels vary at Llano County Park;
$25,000 to the Johnson City Youth Sports Association to renovate a concession, restroom, and storage building at the Little League ballpark;
$24,902 to the city of Llano for a warning system at a low-water crossing;
$19,857 to the Sunrise Beach Volunteer Fire Department to build a medevac emergency landing pad at Sandy Park;
$19,543 to the Cassie Volunteer Fire Department and $18,315 to the Blanco Fire and EMS Auxiliary for automated CPR devices.
CDPP grants are awarded twice a year to fund capital projects for volunteer fire departments, emergency responders, cities and counties, schools, libraries, civic groups, museums, and other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations in the LCRA’s diverse service territory, which includes all or parts of 73 counties.
“Our goal is to help communities continue to thrive by helping with projects such as improving museums and libraries, expanding recreational opportunities, and supplying first responders with reliable equipment,” said LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson in a media release announcing the awards. “These grants help support local initiatives and improve the lives of Texans.”
To date, the LCRA has awarded 2,137 community grants totaling more than $54 million. In commemoration of its 30th anniversary, the river authority will give out two $100,000 grants, one following the July 2025 application period and the other after January 2026. Applications for the next round of grants are online and due by midnight July 31.
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A $1,500 reward by downtown business owners has been offered for information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible for the recent vandalism of public artwork on Main Street in downtown Marble Falls.
Tammy and Raymond Whitman of Service Title initially offered $500 via a Facebook post for information about the destruction of their bronze statue of a Native American woman playing a flute on horseback and a sculpture of a bass jumping out of the water. Both were in front of their business at 117 Main St.
“Since then, two other people have stepped forward and added to the reward,” said Tammy Whitman in an emailed response to questions from DailyTrib.com. “It is now $1,500. Someone has information and someone could sure use the $1,500, I am sure of it!”
Marble Falls police are asking for information to help identify the suspect or suspects who damaged the two pieces of art as well as stole another sculpture, “The Cat’s Meow,” from in front of The Rug Queen at 216 Main St.
“If people see something, or know something, they should definitely call the police, and we will go from there,” said Capt. Jimmy Cole of the Marble Falls Police Department’s Criminal Investigations. “These are happening in the middle of the night when no one is around. None of the cameras in the area picked up anything identifiable. We have nothing to go on right now.”
‘The Cat’s Meow’ (left) by artist Dar Richardson, before it was stolen from in front of The Rug Queen in downtown Marble Falls on June 14. A week earlier, a bronze sculpture of a Native American woman on a horse (right) was knocked over and damaged in front of Service Title at 117 Main St. Courtesy photo
“The Cat’s Meow” was one of two cat sculptures on display in front of Michele Hart’s business, The Rug Queen, which shares space with Ciao Bello and Rudy Moreno Jewelers in the historic building that was once Michel’s Drug Store. “The Cat’s Meow” was stolen on Saturday, June 14, a week after the bronze statue of the Native American woman was knocked over.
“I’m just crushed that someone would do that,” Hart said about “The Cat’s Meow,” which was ripped from its base. “I’m really devastated that this has been destroyed.”
The other cat statue, which is by the same artist, Dar Richardson of Round Rock, almost suffered the same fate. Hart noticed that it was loose on its base as if someone had also tried to take it.
“People loved these cats,” Hart said. “They sat on the benches and took selfies with them. It’s such a wonderful way to connect with and share the love of art.”
The bronze horse and woman statue has been moved to a foundry in Bulverde, Tammy Whitman said. When it was pushed over, the woman broke off from the horse.
“It took four strong men to move it,” she said, adding that this was not the first time the statue had been targeted. “Two months ago, they tried to take the flute. They were not successful, but they did do unrepairable damage to the flute. It will have to be completely recast.”
The bronze bass sculpture was damaged late June 13 or early June 14, the same time the cat was stolen from The Rug Queen.
None of the damaged pieces were part of Sculpture on Main, a public art project by the nonprofit Highland Lakes Creative Arts.
“We have been so fortunate to have dozens of our pieces on display for 20 years and very little incident of vandalism,” said HLCA board member Bill Rives. “I like to think that shows the appreciation and respect and how much our local people value having a public display of art.”
Rives was adament that the recent vandalism would not affect the downtown exhibit.
“You can’t let something like that, the act of some misguided individuals, make you forsake your mission to bring additional beauty to downtown,” he said. “It is certainly a sad state of affairs, but this does not reflect our community. I would be surprised if the vandals were local people.”
Whitman shares that sentiment.
“I am so proud to live in the Marble Falls area, a community with people who really care about each other,” she said in her emailed response to DailyTrib.com. “We are so fortunate on so many levels. I am excited to see my grandchildren grow up in OUR community and experience the closeness that comes with living among people that really do care about you.”
Marble Falls police, downtown merchants, and HLCA officials said they will increase their vigilance in protecting the downtown area.
“The three merchants at this location (The Rug Queen, Ciao Bella, and Rudy Moreno Jewelers) have 70 years of paying rent on Main Street,” Hart said. “We want to give people an experience they will remember when they visit us. I could have had those pieces at home and enjoyed them, but I brought them to share with the community. I’m just crushed that someone would take the time to damage and destroy these pieces.”
Anyone with information about the vandalism and theft should call the Marble Falls Police Department at 830-693-3611. The MFPD is not involved with the reward, said Capt. Cole.
“We didn’t know anything about it,” he told DailyTrib.com. “That will be handled by the people who are offering it.”
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Work is underway on a pedestrian bridge over Backbone Creek in Marble Falls’ Johnson Park. The bridge is part of the first phase in a $4.2 million improvements project approved by the City Council last year. The bridge will link Johnson Park, 230 Avenue J South, with nearby Lakeside Park. Another bridge will connect Lakeside Park to downtown. Also included in the project is the installation of lights on the west side of the U.S. 281 bridge, a babbling brook between Lakeside Park and Hidden Falls Inn, and a pavilion. Staff photo by Suzanne Freeman
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