Granite Shoals police arrested a juvenile late Sept. 12 in connection to a threatening social media post that put area school districts on high alert this week. The young suspect is not the source of the post but rather shared it, according to the law enforcement investigation, which is ongoing.

The juvenile, a Granite Shoals resident who is under the age of 17, was released from police custody on Friday after being charged with a “false alarm or report” for sharing the social media post. The online threat raised the alarm and safety concerns at Marble Falls, Llano, and Blanco independent school districts.

A person can be charged with false alarm/report when they knowingly spread false information about an emergency or dangerous situation. The charge can be a Class A misdemeanor or even a state jail felony if the alleged crime involves a public institution such as a school.

“The safety and security of our children is of the highest priority,” Granite Shoals Police Chief John Ortis told DailyTrib.com after the arrest. 

The Granite Shoals and Marble Falls police departments worked together leading up to the arrest. Both agencies are continuing their co-investigation in hopes of finding the origin of the threatening social media post.

The Marble Falls, Llano, and Blanco school districts all issued public statements following the juvenile’s arrest, letting parents and students know that law enforcement presence on campuses would be enhanced but classes would continue as normal and there did not appear to be a true threat.

According to a Sept. 13 media release from MFISD, students reported the threat through the district’s official reporting system.

“Security is a top priority in Marble Falls ISD, and we have many measures in place to keep our students and staff safe,” reads the release. “These security procedures have proven effective this week, and we are confident in our community’s ability to work together to inform and protect Marble Falls ISD.”

The release also emphasizes the importance of responsible social media use and how seriously threats must be taken.

“A student can be held criminally responsible for forwarding these posts, whether or not they originated the post or threat,” the release reads. “We need to stop the rumor mill and the spread of social media threats. Every concern will be taken seriously and fully investigated. Students could face serious consequences for spreading posts containing threats.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

The Horseshoe Bay Property Owners Association is holding a public forum Sept. 18 on its ongoing legal conflict with Horseshoe Bay Resort. The informational event is 1 p.m. Wednesday at Quail Point Lodge, 107 Twilight Lane in Horseshoe Bay.

“It’s time to set the record straight,” POA board President Donald Beeman told DailyTrib.com. “There has been too much misinformation coming from the other side this past year.”

The Horseshoe Bay POA and its board members have been openly at odds with Horseshoe Bay Resort since October 2023, when the resort revoked the memberships of Beeman and several other board members over a disagreement concerning property maintenance in the city.

The conflict escalated during the 2023 mayoral race, which Beeman lost to current Mayor Elsie Thurman. An anonymous letter attacking Beeman’s character was mailed to Horseshoe Bay residents at the beginning of his campaign. Residents also received flyers from the Safe and Beautiful Horseshoe Bay PAC accusing Beeman of criminal misconduct in past business dealings.

Amid the election controversy, Horseshoe Bay Resort filed a $1 million lawsuit against the POA in October 2023, claiming the POA failed to conduct proper landscaping as per a contract between the association and “the declarant,” who in this case was represented by Horseshoe Bay Resort. The resort dropped the lawsuit in March 2024 after court-ordered mediation. 

The POA filed its own lawsuit against the resort in May 2024, seeking $200,000 to $1 million in financial relief for what it believed to be breaches of contract. 

The POA board previously held a similar forum to the one set for Wednesday at one of its regular meetings in October 2023. 

dakota@thepicayune.com

The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District is holding a public hearing on Sept. 17 over its proposed tax rate for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Although the rate is the same as last year’s, it would slightly increase taxes for Burnet County residents due to a rise in property values.

The public hearing is 9 a.m. Tuesday in the district’s office, 225 S. Pierce St. in Burnet.

The proposed rate of $0.0055 per $100 of property valuation matches the 2023 rate but will lead to a 10.75 percent tax increase on the average Burnet County home because of rising property values. It is just over the no-new-revenue rate of $0.0053 per $100, so by law, a public hearing must be held.

If the new tax rate is approved, the district will bring in $46,342 more than last year, up from $733,148 to $779,490.

The district’s voter-approval rate, which would require an election, is $0.0061 per $100. Although a vote will not be held for the public to reject or accept the new rate, Burnet County residents can express support or opposition during the Tuesday hearing or by contacting members of the district’s Board of Directors. 

The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District regulates groundwater resources for Burnet County, developing and implementing water conservation, augmentation, and other management strategies to benefit residents. 

For more information or assistance with tax calculations, contact the county tax assessor at 512-756-8291 or visit the Burnet Central Appraisal District website.

elizabeth@thepicayune.com

The Granite Shoals City Council is working on a new ordinance that would allow young residents to be participating, non-voting members of city committees. Leaders hope the potential policy change creates opportunities for kids to get involved in civics and offer fresh perspectives on old problems.

“I think (the ordinance) is a great idea,” Mayor Ron Munos told DailyTrib.com. “Kids will become the leaders of tomorrow, and the more they learn, the better, whether they stay in Granite Shoals or go elsewhere.”

City staff presented a draft ordinance to the council on Sept. 10, which is undergoing minor tweaks before being brought back for future consideration.

The ordinance would allow residents 18 years of age and younger to serve as “youth advisory members” on committees. They would not be able to vote, but they would be participating members who could offer input in an official capacity during public meetings. 

The city is still working out the exact details and requirements for participation, such as a specific age range, terms of service, and the application process.

Three Granite Shoals city committees support the proposed ordinance and said they are willing to have youth advisory members: the Wildlife Advisory Committee, the Airport Advisory Committee, and the Parks Advisory Committee. 

City committees are officially sanctioned voting bodies made up of council-appointed residents. While they cannot make policy changes themselves or spend city funds without council approval, they do meet under the rules of the Texas Open Meetings Act, offer advice to the council, and manage their own projects.

“The city believes that establishing youth positions on city committees will bring fresh energy and unique perspectives to the table,” Granite Shoals City Manager Sarah Novo told DailyTrib.com in an emailed answer to questions. “We truly value the input of our youth and hope to foster the future leaders of our community by giving them a platform to engage in meaningful discussions and learn about the decision-making process that shapes their city.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

Burnet city and county officials are pushing back against an air quality standard permit for a proposed rock-and-concrete-crushing facility at 3221 FM 3509, just outside of the city limits, citing location concerns and echoing community objections.

Both the Burnet City Council and the Burnet County Commissioners Court took formal steps to oppose Asphalt Inc. LLC’s application for a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

A town meeting organized by SaveBurnet.com is at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Hill Country Fellowship, 200 Houston Clinton Drive in Burnet, to discuss community efforts in opposing the quarry. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the Commissioners Court approved a letter addressed to TCEQ Chief Clerk Laurie Gharis requesting a public hearing for residents to ask questions and voice concerns. 

All four commissioners and the county judge publicly took a stand against the rock-crushing plant.

“I’m opposed to the quarry going in that location,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Luther said. “It’s nestled between Longhorn Cavern (State Park), Inks Lake State Park, and numerous neighbors around that area.”
In tandem, the Burnet City Council approved a resolution also objecting to the permit. The resolution emphasizes the potential impact on the local environment and the proximity of the proposed quarry to the Delaware Springs Golf Course. Councilor Tres Clinton abstained from the vote. 

Nearly 300 residents have already filed formal objections to the proposed rock crusher. 

elizabeth@thepicayune.com

Dennis Wayne Price II, 44, of Kingsland was sentenced to 40 years in prison for manslaughter rather than murder for killing his wife after accepting a plea deal Sept. 6 during his jury trial in Llano County. 

Price was arrested in October 2022 and charged with first-degree murder after wife Carrie Ann Price died from injuries suffered during a domestic dispute. The couple was going through a divorce and arguing over the placement of their then-10-month old child, according to authorities.

Price strangled his wife to the point of unconsciousness, causing lasting damage that left her in a coma and led to her death. EMS workers and Llano County law enforcement attempted to resuscitate her on the scene at a Kingsland home. She was taken to a hospital in Williamson County, where she later died from injuries sustained during strangulation, according to the medical examiner. 

Price reportedly told law enforcement he was trying to “subdue” his wife during their dispute by squeezing her around the neck from behind, something he said he had done numerous times before.

According to a media release from the 33rd/424th District Attorney’s Office, the state was in the process of prosecuting Price for first-degree murder in a jury trial before the plea agreement on Sept. 6. The trial was temporarily suspended when Price was hospitalized in a bicycle accident while out on bond on Labor Day, Sept. 2. 

During the break in the trial, the state and Price’s defense negotiated the plea deal for the lesser charge of manslaughter and a 40-year prison sentence without the eligibility for parole until 2044, when Price would be 65 years old.

Manslaughter is defined as “the reckless actions of an individual causing the death of another.” It can be charged as a first-degree or second-degree felony, depending on the circumstances. In this case, Price was charged with a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

The difference between manslaughter and the original charge of first-degree murder is the unintentional versus intentional killing of another. For a murder charge to stick, the intention to kill must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

“I appreciate the jurors paying very close attention to the horrible facts of this case,” wrote District Attorney Wiley “Sonny” McAfee in a media release announcing the plea deal. “When speaking with the jurors after the trial was discontinued, as a result of the defendant’s guilty plea, I believe our agreement was in line with the beliefs of the jurors.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

Bestselling authors Stephen King and James Patterson joined supporters of the plaintiffs in the Llano County Library System lawsuit Tuesday, Sept. 10, as attorneys on both sides in the two-year-long dispute over banned books prepare to give oral arguments before the entire U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

That hearing is set for 9 a.m. Sept. 24 in New Orleans. On June 6, a three-judge panel ruled 2-1 in favor of the plaintiffs. An unnamed appeals court judge then requested an en banc, or full court, hearing.

The case came to the appeals court from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin after Judge Robert Pitman granted a temporary injunction at the plaintiffs’ request. He ordered Llano County to replace 17 books previously removed from circulation. The defendants appealed that decision to the Fifth Circuit.  

King and Patterson were included in two of a flurry of amicus curiae, or “friends of the court,” briefs filed from Sept. 9-11 with the appeals court on behalf of the plaintiffs in the Leila Green Little et al. v. Llano County et al. civil lawsuit. The plaintiffs filed the suit in April 2022, charging that elected and appointed officials wrongfully removed 17 books from circulation, violating First and 14th amendment rights. 

The defendants in the case are Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham; county commissioners Peter Jones, Linda Raschke, Mike Sandoval, and Jerry Don Moss; library system Director Amber Milum; and Library Advisory Board members Gay Baskin, Bonnie Wallace, Rochelle Wells, and Rhonda Schneider. 

The plaintiffs are Llano County residents and library system users Leila Green Little, Jeanne Puryear, Kathy Kennedy, Rebecca Jones, Richard Day, Cynthia Waring, and Diane Moster. 

King and Patterson are included in a brief filed on behalf of the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild, Candlewick Press, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, MacMillan Publishing Group, Penguin Random House, Scholastic Inc., Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks. 

Others filing amicus curiae briefs are the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas; the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; and the Texas Freedom to Read Project.

Amicus curiae briefs are filed by persons or entities who are not party to the action but have a strong interest in the outcome of a case.

King’s name first came up in the case through no effort of his own. He was mentioned in both the dissent and majority opinion of the 2-1 ruling on June 6. 

In writing his dissent, appeals court Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan quoted the author in his final statement.

“Stephen King saw this coming,” Duncan wrote. “One of his scary stories once warned: ‘Avoid the library police!’ Now, thanks to the majority, we are all the Library Police. I dissent.”

Judge Jacques Wiener included a King quote in his majority opinion.

“Per King,” he wrote, “‘As a nation, we’ve been through too many fights to preserve our rights of free thought to let them go just because some prude with a highlighter doesn’t approve of them.’ Defendants and their highlighters are the true library police.” 

The attorneys who wrote the amicus brief, Marc A. Fuller and Maggie I. Burreson of Jackson Walker LLP in Dallas, wrote that King wanted to set the record straight on the issue of book banning. 

“In his view, those who would remove books from public libraries because they disagree with the ideas they contain are the real Library Police,” reads part of the Statement of Interest in the 39-page brief.

The brief also noted that James Patterson is the son of a librarian and a strong proponent of libraries and the right to read and opposes banning books. Patterson is the author of the “Maximum Ride” books, a bestselling series for children and teens that has been targeted in other book bans.

In July, the attorneys general of 17 states filed an amicus brief supporting the defendants. The brief was submitted by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Florida AG Ashley Moody. Other states involved are Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia. 

“(The case) raises issues of exceptional importance concerning the First Amendment’s application to library-curation decisions … (that will) leave every public librarian in a state of confusion over whether or when they can be sued for weeding a book,” reads the brief.

The three-judge panel took more than a year to reach its split decision. The U.S. District Court case is on hold until the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issues a final ruling on the temporary injunction. 

The 17 books originally removed from the Llano County Library System 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

suzanne@thepicayune.com

The Llano County Commissioners Court is dipping into reserves and cutting the budget to keep the county’s tax rate low for fiscal year 2024-25. Commissioners approved a lean budget and decreased the tax rate by 6 percent during their regular meeting Sept. 9. 

“What we did is run a deficit budget to utilize funds that are in excess in our reserves so that we can then reduce the tax rate,” Commissioner Peter Jones said at Monday’s meeting. “Even though you might see a deficit budget, that is more than made up by the excess reserves that we have.”

The upcoming fiscal year budget calls for $22.7 million in expenditures with only $18.9 million in revenue for the general fund—about a $3.8 million shortfall. According to plans, that $3.8 million comes out of the county’s reserves, currently at $11 million.

The decision to dip into cash reserves rather than funding the budget solely on the year’s expected revenue allowed the decrease in the overall tax rate from last fiscal year’s 0.26621 per $100 valuation tax rate to 0.25012 per $100 valuation for FY25.

While the tax rate decreased, revenues increased by about $1.38 million, or 7.24 percent, for FY25 due to increased property values and new property added to the county tax rolls. The new property, at $922,234, made up the lion’s share of the increase.

“(The commissioners) consciously made a decision to keep the taxes as low as possible and to use more of the reserves,” Llano County Auditor Kelly Echkart told DailyTrib.com after the meeting. “But our values in Llano County go up pretty much every year, so that results in additional revenue generated.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

The city of Burnet has introduced a new ambulance, Medic 2, into its emergency medical services. The custom-built 2023 International CV515 includes a 5.5-kilowatt generator to keep the patient compartment independently operational if the vehicle’s other systems fail. 

“The introduction of this advanced ambulance reinforces Burnet’s dedication to delivering high-quality emergency medical services, ensuring that residents receive prompt and effective care when it matters most,” Burnet City Manager David Vaughn said in a media release.

This latest addition to Burnet’s EMS offers residents an updated and reliable emergency response vehicle, Vaughn continued. 

“The new ambulance reflects the city’s commitment to the health and safety of its citizens by providing cutting-edge technology for patient care,” he said.

editor@thepicayune.com