The Marble Falls High School boys powerlifting team is going to the 2026 Texas High School Powerlifting Association State Championship on Friday, March 27, in Abilene. The Mustangs recently took home a regional title in Gatesville, qualifying them for the state championship, with several individual athletes earning gold, silver, and bronze medals.
The Marble Falls team competes in Division 2, which begins competition around 8 a.m. on Friday at the Taylor County Expo Center, 1700 Texas 36 in Abilene.
The Mustangs won big on March 14 in Gatesville at the Region 2 meet, with three gold medals, three silvers, a bronze, and a gold medal for coach Karl Bielfeldt. Lifters Jaxon Bales and Easton Carey also helped propel the Mustangs to victory.
David Dominguez, 1st place, 123-pound weight class
Adrian Arredondo, 1st place, 148-pound weight class
Arnulfo Salazar, 1st place, 181-pound weight class
Tyler McIntyre, 2nd place, 114-pound weight class
Keaton Proctor, 2nd place, 242-pound weight class
Daniel Dominguez, 2nd place, 132-pound weight class
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RJ Richey Elementary School Interim Principal Dr. Donna Brady was certified as the school’s new, full-time principal after the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved her hiring during a board meeting on Monday, March 23.
Dr. Brady served as the interim principal for nearly four months, starting her role in January 2026 after Jessica McMullen stepped down due to ongoing health concerns. She also served as the interim principal at Shady Grove Elementary in 2025 before the current principal, Ginger Kassell, took over.
“Since stepping into the (interim) role, Brady has made meaningful improvements at the campus, including raising instructional expectations and strengthening the focus on teaching and learning,” Superintendent Dr. Aaron Peña said in a press release. “We are excited for her to continue serving our community and confident that she will remain a steady presence at RJ Richey Elementary.”
Dr. Brady has 18 years of principal experience, including roles within Leander and Bastrop ISD’s. She has previously served as an assistant principal, curriculum coordinator, and elementary teacher throughout her career. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Baylor University, a Master of Education from Sam Houston State University, and a Doctorate of Educational Leadership from University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
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Cottonwood Shores is raising water and sewer tap fees for new construction, with new residential rates starting at $7,800 per connection, more than triple the previous $2,100 charge.
City officials said the increase follows an in-house audit that found the city had been under-charging for utility connections. According to City Manager J.C. Hughes, the review showed it costs about $7,745 to install a single tap, leaving a significant gap between actual costs and what developers were previously paying.
These price changes only apply to new construction and will not impact existing homes.
Unlike most nearby cities, Cottonwood Shores does not charge impact fees, which are commonly used to help fund improvements to municipal infrastructure by charging developers per utility connection needed for their project.
While the city’s tap fees were previously comparable to those of surrounding communities, other cities generate more total revenue by also charging impact fees, an option the city is evaluating for the future.
The base charge of $7,800 applies to a residential ¾ inch water line or a 2 inch sewer line. The tap fee increases proportionally based on the size of the utility lines.
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Cottonwood Shores will rely on Horseshoe Bay for all fire and emergency medical services starting on April 1 under a freshly finalized agreement aimed at ensuring reliable first-response coverage for residents. The change comes as Cottonwood Shores attempts to rebuild and restructure its own fire department following years of struggling to provide effective services.
Horseshoe Bay City Council agreed to provide the services during its last meeting on March 17 and Cottonwood Shores City Council signed off on March 19.
“The contract is a means to an end,” Horseshoe Bay Fire Chief Doug Fowler told DailyTrib. “The end state in Cottonwood Shores is a viable emergency response organization who participates as a reliable contributing member of the “system.” The system is five agencies, hopefully six soon, responding to all large incidents in South Burnet County as one functional department.”
Under the new three-year agreement, Horseshoe Bay will provide firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical services to the city of Cottonwood Shores at an annual cost of $173,817.12. Fire marshal services are not included. The contract includes performance measures to help Cottonwood Shores rebuild its own emergency response capacity, with a long-term goal of transitioning to a combined full-time and part-time fire department by March 31, 2029.
Background
Cottonwood Shores became increasingly dependent on neighboring agencies in recent years as staffing and certification issues left the city’s volunteer fire department unable to fully meet the community’s needs. These lopsided dependencies came to a head in September 2025 when the city temporarily came under the protection of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department after Horseshoe Bay ended its mutual aid agreement with Cottonwood Shores, which had routinely responded to as many as two calls per week, far beyond typical neighbor-to-neighbor support.
According to Cottonwood Shores Councilor Michael Ritchie, who spoke with DailyTrib during the initial September 2025 troubles, the city had ceased paying the Cottonwood Shores VFD for fire protection services in October 2024 due to inadequate staffing and certifications. By 2025, the department had dwindled to just one certified firefighter, Fire Chief Ray Schwartz, and the council did not believe the department could fulfill the city’s needs.
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The Marble Falls High School boys soccer team (15-3-5 overall, 10-1-1 district) took a decisive 6-1 win over the Austin LBJ Jaguars (10-5-2 overall, 9-3-1 district) in the 2026 26-4A bi-district playoff game on Friday, March 20.
The Mustangs next face the Uvalde High School Coyotes (12-10-1 overall, 8-3-1 district), at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24 in a neutral-ground game for the area championship at Antler Stadium in Kerrville, 1310 Sidney Baker Street.
Jose Campos (left) poses for a photo alongside his fellow player of the game Eli Chocoj. These Mustangs helped lead the Marble Falls High School boys soccer team to a 6-1 victory over the Austin LBJ Jaguars on Friday, March 20. Courtesy photo Marble Falls High School
The players of the game in the Austin LBJ bi-dsitrct match last Friday were Jose Campos (also player of the game in the district championship match against Canyon Lake) and Eli Chocoj.
The Mustangs also made it to the area championship game in their 2025 season, but fell short to the La Vernia Bears 1-0. This year, with a stronger record than the Coyotes, they could be poised for a deeper playoff run than their previous season.
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News stories, staff photos, and other online content are copyrighted property of Victory Media. Reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited without the express written consent of the publisher.
The Water Ambassador Program shuttles high school students around Texas to learn from industry professionals and educators about water-related subjects like aquifers, groundwater, and drinking water.
Selected applicants will participate in one of two summertime sessions – June 7-12 or June 14-18 – of the 4-H2O Leadership Academy, beginning in San Marcos and ending in Waco.
Interested applicants must be in high school or entering high school in the following academic year, be 14 years of age or older by Sept. 1, and be a current 4-H member or willing to join a local 4-H club if selected.
Information on important dates and deadlines, as well as expectations for ambassadors are as follows:
Important dates and deadlines
March 1 – Online applications open
April 15 – Online applications close
May 1 – Applicants notified of acceptance status
June 1 – $300 program participation fee due
June 7-12 – Session 1 4-H2O Leadership Academy
June 14-18 – Session 2 4-H2O Leadership Academy
Expectations
Commit to advancing their water knowledge throughout a 12-month term of service
Participate in the summer Tier I 4-H2O Leadership Academy
Commit to a minimum of 40 hours of education and service annually
Complete all monthly assignments and attend all monthly Zoom seminars.
Notify and meet with his/her county extension agent regarding the new leadership role
Report activities regularly and maintain contact with the 4-H2O Program Coordinator
Board members of the CTGCD echoed excitement about the upcoming program at their March 18 board meeting, mentioning that they hoped to see more young community members apply for this year’s program.
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Below is the weekly schedule of sporting events for Burnet High School for the week of March 23-29. Tournaments are all-day events unless otherwise noted.
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The city of Burnet has spent a significant amount of time, effort, and money on key revitalization and reconstruction projects over the past several months, reflecting a broader trend towards modernization and beautification kicked off by the city’s adoption of its seven City Council Priorities in May 2025.
Five of those priorities – beautification, the historic downtown square, parks and recreation, street improvement, and smart growth – were directly aimed at improving various buildings, facilities, and infrastructure of the city, some of which were already aging and in need of repair, and most which were left in worse condition after the Fourth of July floods.
Several initiatives have taken off to promote these priorities, including recent projects like the Economic Development Corporation’s Business Grant Program, creation of a designated downtown district, purchase of downtown property for parking, and street repaving efforts.
Beautification
In July of 2025, the city created the Business Grant Program, aimed at renovating the facades, parking lots, and exteriors of businesses, especially those located on the square, through a 90/10 grant program that offers funds of up to $10,000 or more at the EDC’s discretion.
Several businesses have applied for the grant since, with many projects already underway or completed. Key examples are Burnet Cleaners and Title Euphoria on the downtown square, with revamped signage, paint jobs, and awnings.
Historic downtown square
The downtown area gained further improvement in February through the purchase of two properties between W. Washington and W. Jackson streets off U.S. 281 to demolish and create additional downtown parking to ease congestion during high traffic hours.
The city also formally designated a downtown district that would allow grant applications for revitalization projects such as repavement of downtown streets. Assistant City Manager Keith McBurnett told DailyTrib that the designation would allow similar opportunities in the future.
Parks and recreation
Several parks have received facelifts since being impacted by the floods, accomplishing another one of the city’s priorities, and efforts on such projects are still underway.
The Hamilton Creek Park playscape was recently reopened, and significant progress has been made to the Galloway-Hammond ballfields at the YMCA, though both parks face continued recovery efforts.
Potential repaving of the sidewalks at Haley Nelson Park is also in the works.
Smart growth
The EDC has focused significant funding into several performance agreements for businesses and housing projects interested in settling within city limits.
Two recent performance agreements for Sunset Ridge Apartments and an HTeaO storefront, totalling $320,000, highlight the EDC’s efforts to spark a controlled growth.
Street improvements
Street improvements have been plentiful, with repaving projects on Houston Clinton Drive and Wood Street as key examples as of recent.
The city has also been developing a Transportation Master Plan aimed at relieving congestion near highly-traveled highways such as Texas 29 and U.S. 281, and surrounding streets such as Pecan, Hill, Coke, and Boundary.
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