The Marble Falls High School varsity boys soccer team took home the 2026 26-4A District Championship on Tuesday, March 10, in a 5-1 game against the Canyon Lake High School Hawks. The boys beat out six other teams to come out on top. 

The Mustangs won at home, for the team’s senior night. They have had a strong season so far, with a 13-3-5 overall record, and a 9-1-1 record in district. Head coach Ryan Craven along with coaches David Griffin and Roy Gatlin are at the helm this season. 

Junior Jose Campos was named player of the game.

The Marble Falls’ boys soccer team has been dominant in district play in recent seasons, with a second place finish in 2025 and first place finishes in 2024 and 2023.

Next, the Mustangs face the Bandera Bulldogs in an away game at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 13, at Bandera High School, 474 Old San Antonio Road in Bandera. 

dakota@thepicayune.com

The Burnet Police Department has once again warned residents of an ongoing phone scam involving callers claiming to be a representative of the BPD to try and steal sensitive personal information.

Burnet Police Chief Tony Hefferin shared in a statement posted on the city of Burnet’s Facebook on Monday, March 9, that the department had received multiple calls from residents claiming to have experienced the same scam.

“During these calls, the suspect tells the person that a fraudulent account has been opened in their name at a business,” reads the statement. “The caller then asks the person to provide personal identifying information, claiming it is needed as part of a police investigation.”

Chief Hefferin clarified that the calls were fraudulent, and that the police department will never ask for personal information over the phone. 

In many cases, these callers will attempt to obtain victims’ date of birth, social security number, bank information, or address to then commit further theft or fraud.

Chief Hefferin asked community members to share notice of the fraudulent activity to those at risk. 

He also advised hanging up and verifying the legitimacy of these sorts of calls prior to any action.

“If you receive a call like this, please do not provide any information,” reads the statement. “If you want to verify whether a call is legitimate, contact the Burnet Police Department directly using our official phone number.”

This ploy is the newest in a long line of text and call scams to plague the area, and one of many in recent years to mimic law enforcement agents, which, in some cases, is a felony.

For more information or to report a scam, visit the Burnet Police Department’s website or call at 512-756-6404.

caden@thepicayune.com

A tornado watch is in effect 3-10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, for several central and west Texas counties, including Llano County. Burnet County was not on the list. 

The National Weather Service issued the watch at 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday.

Residents should expect high winds, severe thunderstorms, and rain throughout the duration of the watch. 

editor@thepicayune.com 

The city of Llano will undergo a scheduled electrical outage from 8:30 a.m.-noon on Wednesday, March 11, affecting some northern portions of the city.

Llano City Hall announced the outage in a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon, stating that power would need to be cut off while city maintenance installed system upgrades.

The outage area is estimated to include parts of Hamilton Street to Taylor Street, and Birmingham Avenue to Ames Avenue.

The city added that the timeframe of the outage may change.

“Crews are hopeful the duration of the outage will be shorter, however; have planned for any change in conditions,” reads the post.

Contact Llano City Hall at 325-247-4158 with any questions or for more information.

editor@thepicayune.com

Despite missing out on a key grant, the city of Horseshoe Bay is moving ahead with plans to build a shared-use path connecting the east and west sides of the city, with construction set to roll out in phases as funding allows.

The path, designed for pedestrians, cyclists and golf cart users, was identified as a top priority by residents in a 2024 land use survey. City leaders say they are moving forward with the funds currently available while continuing to seek outside grants to complete the full project, after the city was not selected for the $10 million grant it had applied for.

“The shared-use path was indicated as a high priority by residents when the city conducted a land use survey in 2024. Even though we did not receive the grant funding we pursued in 2025, we’re still seeking ways to build the shared use path and meet the needs of our residents,” City manager Jeff Koska told DailyTrib.

The first segment, now in the design phase, will run between Azure and the City Center parking lot. Future phases will extend the path from City Center to Summit Rock Boulevard and later link Bay West Boulevard with the city’s main commercial area, including Bayside Market and nearby businesses. 

The final piece of the project would require construction of an underpass beneath FM 2147 at Summit Rock Boulevard, which will require grant funding.

“We will continue to pursue avenues for shared governmental funding to complete the project, but at the same time we are going to begin construction with funds we have available,” Mayor Jeff Jones said in a community update. “This is not exactly the construction schedule we envisioned, but we’re not giving up.”

maci@thepicayune.com

Burnet High School will host a mock car crash, several emergency response teams, and a life flight helicopter as part of the Shattered Dreams program to help combat underage drinking on the morning of Thursday, March 12.

Shattered Dreams is a program that works with high schools to educate juniors and seniors of the dangers of underage drinking, and drinking and driving, through a hyper-realistic reenactment of a drunk driving accident and its aftermath.

“The program involves the dramatization of an alcohol-related crash,” reads a BHS statement about the program. “Complete with fire, police, and EMS response, a life flight helicopter, emergency room treatment at one of the local hospitals, and the arrest and booking of the driver.”

BHS shared information about the program on Monday in advance to warn community members of the large law enforcement presence that will accompany the simulation, and assure them to not be concerned.

caden@thepicayune.com

After nearly a decade of serving up brisket, beans, and good times, Wingman Brothers Smokehouse will permanently close its doors on Saturday, March 28. The closure is due to rising economic strain according to ownership.

Co-owner Dustin Wing told DailyTrib that the barbeque joint, which opened in 2017 at 2407 N. U.S. 281 in Marble Falls, had become too expensive of an investment to continue operations despite its stellar run.

“We’ve had a great crew and great time,” Wing said. “But, the cost of goods and operating a restaurant keeps rising and we couldn’t justify it anymore.”

Wingman Brothers Smokehouse is part of a trifecta of businesses that the Wing family has owned and operated off U.S. 281 in Marble Falls, including Wingman Oil Change circa 2005, and Wingman Car Wash circa 2014.

Wing told DailyTrib that the latter two businesses would not be affected by the closure of the smokehouse, and that the daily operations and crews would be the same as they always were.

While not all for the same reasons, the Highland Lakes area has seen several well-known restaurants close down since the start of 2026. Wingman Brothers will be the third major Marble Falls business to close this year, joining Bear King Brewing Co. and Doc’s Fish Camp and Grill. In February, longtime legendary Llano bar, Fuzzy’s Corner, also shut down.

caden@thepicayune.com

Llano County bid farewell to two-term County Judge Ron Cunningham on Monday, March 9, as he officially resigned from the position to take on a new role with the Texas Association of Counties. His replacement, Rob Hardy, was sworn in immediately following the ceremonious resignation. 

Hardy was unanimously appointed to take the Llano County judge’s seat by the other four members of the Llano County Commissioners Court. He had recently won the Republican nomination for the office in the March 3 primary election. 

The plan to appoint the Republican nominee to the county judge’s seat was established in late January, when Cunningham first publicly announced his intention to resign after the primary to take on his new job with TAC. Without any Democratic challengers on the November general election ticket, the court opted to appoint the Republican nominee for the position rather than wait until 2027 for them to take office. 

There is no specific process mandated by the state for appointing a commissioner or judge at the county level; it is created and carried out at the discretion of the commissioners court. According to Cunningham, the selection of the Republican nominee for the appointment was done to ensure a fair transfer of power that was in alignment with the will of the people.

Hardy will now serve as the appointed Llano County judge until 2027, at which point he will be officially sworn in as the elected judge. His elected term will run 2027-2030.

County employees, elected officials, and members of the public said goodbye to Cunningham with a party and tokens of appreciation for his service at the close of Monday’s Commissioners Court meeting. 

Cunningham had served since 2018. During his tenure he helped guide Llano County through the October 2018 flooding of the Llano River, the COVID-19 Pandemic 2020-2021, the “snowmageddon” of 2021, and the Llano County Library System Lawsuit 2021-2025.

“I’m just grateful that everybody in Llano County – the elected officials and the employees of Llano County – work together so well,” Cunningham told DailyTrib. “It’s been a blessing having everybody working together. What we have now is a great recipe for success and I’m glad we can pass it on to Rob (Hardy).”

Hardy told DailyTrib that he was ready for the role.

“I’m just ready to do the job,” he said. “It’s something I’ve been preparing for. I’m very excited, I’m very humbled by the voters in this county that elected me. I promise to do the best job that I can.”

Hardy was in the midst of serving as the mayor of Sunrise Beach Village and is now stepping down to take the Llano County judge’s seat. He will be replaced by Mayor Pro Tem Rick Bruns. Hardy’s two-year term as mayor was set to end in May of this year. Bruns, who is running unopposed for mayor, will head the city’s meetings until the May 2 election. He will then be  officially sworn in to begin his own two-year term.

dakota@thepicayune.com 

Berkeley’s Bridge, a memorial pedestrian bridge meant to honor the pets of Horseshoe Bay residents, should be finished the week of Monday, March 9.

The new monument will be along the Elsie Thurman Nature Walking Trail at the Horseshoe Bay City Center at 9101 W. FM 2147.

Residents have the city’s blessing to adorn the structure with the collars and tags of their pets along its railings. The bridge also marks the start of the city’s growing municipal trail system. 

Construction crews are finishing final work, with completion expected this week, weather permitting.

The idea dates back to October 2022, when then-Mayor Pro Tem Elsie Thurman was approached by resident Gail Matthews with a concept for a place where the community could peacefully remember their animals.

“At the time, the idea was perfect, but the location wasn’t. We simply didn’t have the right spot to do the concept justice. However, as plans for our new City Center and the connected walking trail began to take shape, I realized we had finally found a home for Gail’s vision,” Thurman told DailyTrib.

The Matthews, who donated the bridge, drew inspiration from a trip to Vermont where they saw a similar project. Horseshoe Bay’s memorial is named after the Matthews’ 13-year-old comfort retriever, Berkeley.

“We saw a bridge similar to Berkeley’s Bridge in Vermont which was laden with collars and tags in memory of pets who had died,” Gail Matthews told DailyTrib. “Whenever we see those collars, it brings back such fond memories. We believed so many of us in Horseshoe Bay have had loving pets and would treasure a place for them to be remembered.”

A plaque will invite visitors to hang collars and tags. Fundraising continues for Phase 2 to extend the trail around City Center into a longer loop.

“My hope is that we will soon gather to bless the structure and begin the tradition of adorning its rails with the collars and tags of our loyal companions,” Thurman said. “It will be a living tribute to the pets who have graced our lives.”

maci@thepicayune.com