The Burnet Police Department recently sent two of its officers, sergeants Lance Besancon and Gary Edwards, to represent the department at the 21st annual United Kingdom Police Memorial Day ceremony Sept. 29 at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The Burnet officers presented a commemorative plaque to the Burnet City Council on Oct. 22 in recognition of the event.

The UK Police Memorial Day ceremony is an annual event, similar to U.S. Police Week, dedicated to honoring officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Sergeants Besancon and Edwards marched in the ceremonial parade leading to the service, carrying flags alongside their UK counterparts.

“There were around 1,000 people attending the ceremony at the Royal Concert Hall there in Glasgow, and they became a part of that ceremony,” Burnet Police Chief Brian Lee said. “It was a big honor, not only just to get the invite but to participate in the ceremony.”

Besancon and Edwards were invited to the formal ceremony after impressing an officer from the UK during the U.S. Police Week Memorial held annually in Washington, D.C. Every year, the department sends two representatives to the U.S. ceremony to read the name of Burnet Police Officer Jose H. Meza, who died of a heart attack on Dec. 20, 2019.

“It all started back in December of 2019, when we lost Jose, our officer that started us to attend these memorials,” Lee said. “We just continue to support the memorial and work each year to make sure that we can provide comfort for those families that have lost an officer.”

Chief Lee noted that the UK service differs significantly from the U.S. equivalent, with only about five new names added to the memorial roll each year, compared to the 130–140 added annually in the United States.

Besancon and Edwards also had the unique opportunity to meet Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who discussed their visit, showing appreciation for the Burnet officers’ support. Cooper is the UK Secretary of State for the Home Department and oversees the National Security Council and Security Service.

“To see Secretary Cooper come and look at our patch, ask about our population, and see her reaction—that we were there to support them—was phenomenal,” Besancon said.

The city plans to commemorate the event with a display at the police department, ensuring the honor and memory of the experience are preserved.

“We do a very poor job in the police service, probably in law enforcement and public safety all around the world, of really capturing our history and memorializing what we’ve done,” Lee said. “This trip to Scotland, it’s such a unique event, we’ve created this picture to memorialize the trip.”

The sergeants who experienced the ceremony returned deeply moved by the experience.

“If you knew the relationships that had been fostered over there, it would blow your mind,” Besancon said. “We grew really close with the officers (in the UK).”

elizabeth@thepicayune.com

Both sides of a civil lawsuit filed by a fired Kingsland librarian have presented settlement offers and are taking the case into mediation. The plaintiff and the defendants, which include Llano County officials, also declined to have a magistrate judge seat a jury if the case goes to trial.

Attorneys in Barbara Suzette Baker vs. Llano County et al. met a deadline of Oct. 25 to exchange offers and move into mediation if both sides deem it possible. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman set a date of June 27, 2025, which is the end of discovery, for a possible settlement. The case can be settled anytime, including right up through the trial, which is set to begin on Nov. 3, 2025.

“The signatories of this pleading are of the opinion that alternative dispute resolution will be appropriate once preliminary discovery is completed,” reads a Joint Report on Alternative Dispute Resolution filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, on the deadline day. The report is signed by legal counsel from both sides.

Suzette Baker, the former head librarian of the Kingsland Branch Library, filed a wrongful termination suit against Llano County on March 4 of this year. She was fired from her job on March 9, 2022. She also filed a wrongful termination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Sept. 6, 2022. That complaint remains under investigation.

Baker seeks back pay, attorney’s fees, and an injunction ordering Llano County to stop any behavior that suppresses First Amendment rights or discriminates against minorities. Her suit claims she was fired for disagreeing with the removal of 17 books, some of which focused on LGBTQ+ and racial issues.

The county and the same defendants in Baker’s civil suit are involved in another suit, Leila Little et al. vs. Llano County et al., over removing those books. An appeal of a preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court in Austin to return the books to library shelves and the online catalog is on appeal before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which heard arguments on Sept. 24.

The books in question are:

• “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” and “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!,” “I Broke My Butt!,” and “I Need a New Butt!” by Dawn McMillan
• “Larry the Farting Leprechaun,” “Gary the Goose and His Gas on the Loose,” “Freddie the Farting Snowman,” and “Harvey the Heart Had Too Many Farts” by Jane Bexley

Defendants in both suits are Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham, county commissioner Jerry Don Moss, library system Director Amber Milum, and Library Advisory Board members Gay Baskin, Bonnie Wallace, Rochelle Wells, and Rhonda Schnieder.

Plaintiffs in the Leila Little suit are Leila Green Little, Jeanne Puryear, Kathy Kennedy, Rebecca Jones, Richard Day, Cynthia Waring, and Diane Moster. All are Llano County residents and library system users.

suzanne@thepicayune.com

Pedernales Electric Cooperative lineworkers brought home six awards, including one overall first place, from the International Lineman’s Rodeo held Oct. 18-19 in Overland Park, Kansas. 
 
The global event draws the world’s top linemen to compete in traditional utility skills like pole climbing and the Hurtman Rescue, which simulates rescuing an injured worker from great heights. PEC serves over 400,000 meters across the Texas Hill Country and uses the competition to help its crews sharpen their skills and promote safety.

PEC apprentice Zack Gough demonstrates precision and skill in linework at the International Lineman’s Rodeo, where he claimed his third straight overall apprentice title. Photo courtesy of PEC

PEC apprentice Zack Gough earned his third consecutive first place overall in the apprentice category and also placed first in the Rural Electric Administration division, second in the written test, and fourth in the Hurtman Rescue event. 
 
Journeyworkers Darren Donhauser, David Hernandez, and Michael Thyberg secured fourth place in the Rural Electric Administration division and fifth in the Hurtman Rescue.
 
“Our teams delivered impressive performances on the international stage,” said Brian Magott, PEC director of Regional Operations. “Their dedication to training truly showed.”

elizabeth@thepicayune.com

The Cottonwood Shores Parks and Recreation Committee hosts a community cleanup along FM 2147 starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2.

Volunteers will meet at the Cottonwood Shores Civic Center, 4111 Cottonwood Drive, then proceed to pick up trash and debris on FM 2147 within city limits.

Necessary gear, like gloves, trash bags, and safety vests, will be provided. Volunteers can also enjoy water and soda from the recreation department and grab coffee donated by Starbucks and donuts donated by H-E-B.

“This is the perfect opportunity for everyone to help keep our neighborhood a beautiful place to live,” reads a media release from the city.

jgreenwell@thepicayune.com

The Epicenter ministry based in Burnet announced it will close after 20 years following a fabricated threat incident on Oct. 6. Founder and Apostolic Head of Frontline Ministries and the Epicenter Kyle Byrd first informed the congregation on Oct. 13, then announced the closing publicly on Oct. 28 via Facebook.

The Epicenter was founded in 2005 as a youth-focused extension of Frontline Ministries. It expanded over time to include local church services.

Although the decision to close had been under consideration since early 2024, Byrd said, he confirmed that the timeline was accelerated after an incident on Oct. 6, when a security volunteer at the church falsely reported an armed threat, later admitting the account was fabricated. He was arrested and charged with making a false report as well as deadly conduct for discharging a weapon.

“It was a really shocking event that devastated us,” Byrd said. “We weren’t prepared for the response that we got from the community, both at large and among the spiritual community … it was discouraging, and it just kind of helped us understand that it was time to make a change.”

Byrd announced the dissolving of the church on Sunday, Oct. 13, a week after the incident.

“We opened the floor for conversation and and let everybody ask whatever questions they wanted to ask,” he said of the congregation. “We wanted them to make sure they understood that this was not a running away from anything. It was actually more of an awareness that it was time for us to go and embrace something new.”

The congregation’s final gathering on Oct. 27 celebrated the ministry’s two decades of impact.

“When we got to the 27th, it was a celebration of 20 years … there was joy, there was excitement, there was testimony of people talking about the impact that this ministry had had in their lives,” Byrd said.

Looking forward, community members can stay connected through the Epicenter’s Facebook page and its website, which will be rebranded to reflect Frontline Ministries’ ongoing activities. The ministry’s Abide groups, house-to-house spiritual gatherings, will also remain active under local pastoral oversight, providing a way for members to gather and stay involved in ministry.

The Epicenter facility will be transferred to another owner, and its name dissolved. Byrd expressed a hope that the property would continue in faith-based service to Burnet and the Texas Hill Country, with discussions ongoing with nearby faith communities for potential future use.

“We just want everybody to know that we count our 20 years here as a blessing,” he said. “We believe that the purpose of our planting here has been tremendously successful, not perfect, but successful. And all the people that have been involved and that are in our office today can stand on that truth.”

elizabeth@thepicayune.com

A district judge dismissed two charges of child sexual assault against Morris Douglas Jaffe III, the former CEO of Horseshoe Bay Resort, after a grand jury chose not to indict him. The decision was made on Aug. 6 following a second presentation of the case to a grand jury due to changes in the original charges by the District Attorney’s Office.
 
A grand jury originally indicted Jaffe in June on two charges of sexual assault of a child under 17 years old. He turned himself in to the Lampasas County Sheriff’s Office following a warrant issued for his arrest. He posted a $100,000 bail soon after. 
 
As the case proceeded, the 33rd/424th District Attorney’s Office changed the charges from sexual assault of a child under 17 years old to the more severe charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years old. 
 
The prior charge was a second-degree felony that came with two to 20 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. The newer charge was a first-degree felony with a punishment of up to 99 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
 
The case had to be re-presented to a grand jury because of the changes in the charges. The second grand jury included a whole new set of jurors. After hearing the second presentation of charges, the new grand jury declined to indict. The District Attorney’s Office then moved to dismiss the case.

An indictment is a formal charge from a grand jury that is required to move forward in severe criminal cases. Without the indictment, the charges carry no legal weight.
 
According to an Aug. 5 motion to dismiss from the District Attorney’s Office, the charges were changed because of an error in the original indictment.
 
District Attorney Wiley “Sonny” McAfee told DailyTrib.com that his office would not pursue the case further unless new, game-changing evidence came forward.
 
“I don’t (refile charges) unless there are additional facts or evidence and there has been none,” he said.
 
McAfee also said it is not uncommon for grand juries to change their position as charges change, especially if they are more severe.

dakota@thepicayune.com

Burnet’s planned street sealing project, originally set to begin the week of Oct. 28, has been delayed until spring due to forecasted rain and cooler temperatures. The delay will allow the fog seal treatment to be applied in the best possible conditions, helping the seal last longer, according to the city.

The project is being overseen by Holbrook Asphalt and funded by a 2022 bond with a total cost of $349,838.28. It was initially scheduled for completion in November. The work covers 16 streets across approximately 62,000 square-yards of roadway.

The road work involves installing a specialized fog seal, a high-density mineral bond designed for enhanced durability. It will be applied in two layers to extend pavement life.

Once the project commences, affected streets will close for approximately 24 hours to allow the seal to cure.

Residents will receive 72-hour advance notice of closures through door-to-door visits, door tags, social media updates, emails, and the city’s website. Additionally, those seeking direct notifications about future street work can sign up for Voyent Alert!, a free notification service the city uses for municipal updates.

Streets scheduled for treatment in the spring are:

• North Main Street
• North Vanderveer Street
• Sherrard Street
• Third Street
• Oak Street
• Seventh Street
• Sixth Street
• Fifth Street
• Hamilton Street
• Corder Lane
• Evergreen Circle
• North Boundary Street
• Tanner Court
• Tami Drive
• Wranglers Way
• Round Up Circle

To stay informed on the project, visit the City of Burnet’s website and social media page.

elizabeth@thepicayune.com

Texas Radio Hall of Fame and San Antonio Radio Hall of Fame member Ed Chandler, 74, died in his Granite Shoals home on Monday, Oct. 28, after a two-year battle with cancer. Chandler was the morning show host and operations manager at KBEY 103.9 Radio Picayune from 2013-21.

He is also known for being the creative force behind the chart-topping duet “Good Hearted Woman,” sung by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Chandler mixed separate recordings of the song by each artist. RCA officials liked the mix so much they convinced Jennings and Nelson to record it together. It is still in frequent rotation on country stations across the nation.

That kind of creativity, mixed with his voice and personality, made him stand out in the world of radio.

“Ed was such a professional, and he had such a distinct voice,” said KBEY Operations Manager Ben Shields, who worked with Chandler at the station. “He was a creative mind, and he was always thinking of fun, unique ideas of what to do on air, whether it was for his morning show, a contest, or a station promotion.”

Chandler was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2017. This past August, he was inducted into the San Antonio Radio Hall of Fame. His wife, Mona, accepted the award and spoke on his behalf.

“In the speech, I talked about how his dad always told him to find a job he enjoyed that wasn’t work,” she said. “Radio was that for him. That was him right there.”

Ed Chandler included the same sentiment in his 2017 acceptance speech into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. He was working at KBEY at the time.

“A group of students was in the radio station recently and asked me what I liked best about my job, and I said it’s not a job—that’s what I like best,” he said. “This is something I’ve always enjoyed doing. I’ve never had a day when I got up at 3:30 to do a morning show and regretted the job that I had. I’ve loved it.”

Chandler was 17 years old when he landed his first DJ job, and he did it without a lick of experience. He was chasing a dream he had since he was 10, so he wasn’t going to let a little thing like no resume stop him. During a job interview at a Bonham station in East Texas, he was asked to name previous stations where he had worked.

“I told him there was a Shell station and a Texaco station,” he said in an interview with a DailyTrib.com reporter who was writing about the 2017 nomination.

His quick wit landed him a weekend show. He stayed in East Texas for a few years before enrolling at East Texas State University while still keeping his voice on the air. After graduation, he headed for Los Angeles, where his career took off.

He deejayed at several country and Top 40 stations before working his way up to programming for Transtar Radio Networks, the first to provide 24-hour music programming countrywide. (It’s now owned by Westwood One.) At one point, he was in charge of programming for 200 stations.

He worked 16 years in California before fatherhood helped him realize he wanted to raise his kids in Texas. After returning to his home state in 1986, he worked at KBLT in Houston, KASE 101 in Austin, and KBUC radio in San Antonio, to name a few. His last big market job was in Houston, where, after a few years, he decided to head to the Texas Hill Country. He became operations manager for the Radio Ranch group in Kerrville before moving to Granite Shoals and signing on to KBEY.

Even after receiving his cancer diagnosis, Chandler continued working part time in radio. He recorded a syndicated program from his home for SuiteRadio, which provides “hit shows with outstanding radio personalities and music across multiple genres,” according to its webpage.

Since word of Chandler’s death was announced, his Facebook page has been filled with remembrances from co-workers over his 50-year career, including David Manzi, who recently retired from a long career in radio in San Diego, where he met Chandler. Manzi first heard Chandler on KSON, still a dominant country music force.

“If Ed had no other talent than his voice, that would make him an instant superstar in radio,” Manzi told DailyTrib.com. “But he also had the personality, charm, and sensibility that makes him so great on the air.”

A personal friend summed up what so many others are voicing.

“My heart goes out to Mona, your family, and the radio airwaves,” said Tracee Evans of Atascocita. “Heaven got a lot more fun with your arrival.”

A Celebration of Life service is at 1 p.m. Nov. 10 at Shade Tree Saloon Pavilion in Spring Branch.

suzanne@thepicayune.com

The Lower Colorado River Authority Board of Directors voted to increase firm water contract rates during its regular meeting on Oct. 23. The 6.45 percent increase will become effective during the January 2025 billing cycle.
 
The firm water rate for LCRA customers is rising from $155 per acre-foot to $165. The increase will be used to cover rising operations costs, maintain and improve the existing water supply, and develop new water supplies, according to an Oct. 23 LCRA staff report.
 
The river authority accepted public comments on the proposed rate hike from Sept.11 through Oct. 11 before the board’s Oct. 23 decision. 
 
Firm water contracts are between the LCRA and large water users, like municipalities, water supply companies, and industrial users. While the rise in firm water rates has an immediate impact on suppliers, the rise in cost could ultimately be passed on to residential users and customers.

The LCRA is the primary water provider for the Highland Lakes region, supplying Marble Falls, Burnet, Horseshoe Bay, Granite Shoals, Llano, Kingsland, and Spicewood with drinking water.
 
The change will also impact individual users who draw water directly from the Highland Lakes and its tributaries.
 
For perspective on the increase, the city of Marble Falls has a $1.08 million, 7,000-acre-foot annual contract with the LCRA to supply the city with water under the current $155 per-acre-foot rate. With the rate increase to $165 per acre-foot, the annual bill will rise $70,000 to $1.15 million.
 
To learn more about LCRA firm water rates, visit this webpage.

dakota@thepicayune.com