Smoking and vaping are officially outlawed in Marble Falls public parks.
During its regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Marble Falls City Council approved a ban on puffing pastimes in city-owned parks going forward. The decision was made following a series of complaints from park visitors about dealing with second-hand smoke/vapor at community events, youth-sports activities, and near playgrounds.
The ban comes in the form of Ordinance 2026-O-01A, which implements a clear prohibition on “smoking” and “vaping” at all Marble Falls city parks. It would make the activities Class C misdemeanors punishable by up to $500 in fines.
“Really, our goal at this point is just to promote park spaces as a safe and healthy environment,” Parks and Recreation Director Lacey Dingman said during Tuesday’s meeting. “But, ultimately making sure that we are balancing public usage within our park spaces.”
The decision on the ban was not made unanimously. It was ultimately passed with a 5-1 vote, with Mayor John Packer as the sole opposer. Place 4 Councilor Karlee Hubble was absent, and did not vote.
“I do have a little bit of a problem for a blanket thing of no smoking for all parks,” Packer said.
The ordinance does allow for “exceptions” at the discretion of the Parks and Recreation director, who has the power to permanently or temporarily create “designated outdoor smoking areas,” as needed.
Part of the enforcement of the new ordinance would include signage at parks to spread the word on the ban. Parks included are Lakeside Park, Johnson Park, Westside Park, Villa Vista Park, Falls Creek Park, and the upcoming Mormon Mill Nature Park. It also includes the various city-owned sports fields throughout town.
The ordinance was developed by city staff and initially approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission in November.
Dingman elaborated further on her thinking with the ban.
“This (ordinance) came out of a series of complaints we’ve had at special events in parks, in public spaces, and youth athletic programs and ultimately decided to take a look at how we can address that,” she explained. “It’s a tool in our tool box. We don’t have to swing a hammer every time.”
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Jordan Shipley, a former Burnet High School and University of Texas football standout, remained in stable, but critical, condition on Tuesday, Jan. 6, after suffering severe burns in an accident at his Burnet County ranch.
According to a statement from Texas Athletics, Shipley was airlifted to a hospital in Austin on Tuesday after the ranch equipment he was operating caught fire. He was able to escape from the blaze, but sustained severe burns in the incident.
In a Wednesday social media post made by Shipley’s wife, Sunny, she expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community.
“I am nothing but humbled by the love and support from our family, friends and the most amazing community in the world, Burnet, TX,” the post read.
She said details about the accident remain unclear, but emphasized how close the situation came to being fatal.
“We don’t know exactly what happened yet but, from what we’ve gathered so far, it’s an absolute miracle that he is still here with us,” Sunny Shipley wrote. “He was in the middle of nowhere and any other person would’ve gone into shock. He somehow made it to the only other person out there who was over 10 miles away.”
She added that doctors’ primary concerns remain his hands, infection risk, and kidney function.
Jordan Shipley during his time with the Burnet High School Bulldogs in the early 2000s. File photo
Shipley, a Burnet native and former Burnet Bulldog, returned to the area after concluding his NFL career in 2014. He and his wife recently opened Airy Mount, a local coffee shop in Burnet, and Shipley owns Shipley Ranches, a farm and ranch real estate brokerage.
Shipley is known locally as one of the most accomplished athletes in Burnet High School history. As a wide receiver for the Bulldogs, he led Burnet to a 28-2 record and back-to-back Class 3A state championship game appearances in 2002 and 2003.
He earned Class 3A Offensive Player of the Year honors and two-way, wide receiver and defensive back, all-state recognition both seasons and was selected to the Texas Football Super Team and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl before signing with the University of Texas Longhorns.
Shipley went on to a record-setting career with the Longhorns, finishing as the program’s all-time leader in receptions with 248 and achieving numerous other milestones.
He also played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars before retiring in 2014.
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Marble Falls residents can expect new zoning and pickup days for trash, recycling, brush, and bulk pickup due to citywide changes that took effect on Monday, Jan. 5.
The new zoning and pickup dates can be seen below:
City of Marble Falls new waste management zones took effect on Jan. 5 along with new pickup dates. Waste Management & City of Marble Falls photo.
Zone 1
Trash pickup on Monday, recycling every other week
Brush pickup on the first full week of the month; must be placed out by 7 a.m.
Bulk pickup on the Monday of the second week of the month
Zone 2
Trash pickup on Tuesday, recycling every other week
Brush pickup on the second full week of the month; must be placed out by 7 a.m.
Bulk pickup on the Tuesday of the second week of the month
Zone 3
Trash pickup on Wednesday, recycling every other week
Brush pickup on the third full week of the month; must be placed out by 7 a.m.
Bulk pickup on the Wednesday of the second week of the month
Zone 4
Trash pickup on Thursday, recycling every other week
Brush pickup on the fourth full week of the month; must be placed out by 7 a.m.
Bulk pickup on the Thursday of the second week of the month
The first week of recycling pickup will begin on the week of Jan. 12.
The city renewed its partnership with its trash and recycling service, Waste Management, in September of 2025. Waste Management will continue to operate in the area for at least another three years.
For more information on the new pickup zones and dates, visit the City of Marble Falls waste pickup web page.
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The Llano County Junior Livestock Show is back Jan. 7-10 at the John L. Kuykendall Event Center and Arena, 2200 W. RR 152 in Llano.
The annual show features the young agricultural stars of local FFA and 4-H chapters showing off their annual projects and raising money for future club programs.
Competitors will bring in their cattle, lambs, goats, hogs, rabbits, turkeys, and fowl for weigh-ins throughout the week leading up to their showtimes.
The show time schedule is:
-Cattle shows begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8
-Lamb shows begin at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8
-Goat shows begin immediately after lambs on Thursday, Jan. 8
-Hog shows begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 9
-Turkey shows begin 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9
-Cockerel and pullets shows begin immediately following turkeys on Friday, Jan. 9
-Rabbit shows begin immediately following cockerels and pullets on Friday, Jan. 9
The show auction will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, with all proceeds going to the contestants.
Aside from the normal showings, there will be a few special events throughout the week.
The Shining Star Show
The Shining Star Show will be held at the same venue at 5 p.m. on Thursday at the event center. This show gives children with disabilities a chance to compete in a special showmanship class event where they can lead their sheep around the show ring and participate with the other 4-H and FFA competitors.
Little Britches Show
The Little Britches Show will take place immediately following the hog show on Friday at the event center. This event is reserved for kids ages six and under. The show will provide animals for the children to participate with.
Llano County 4-H Stock Show BBQ
The Llano County 4-H Stock Show BBQ runs from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. on Friday at the event center. Plates are $15 and include chicken, pork, sausage, beef, and “fixings.” All proceeds support the local Llano County 4-H program and its members.
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D’Lites Marble Falls, a low-carb, low-sugar, and low-calorie ice cream shop, reopened Jan. 1 under new management after closing in November.
New owner Sarah Ross said the reopening has brought a mix of returning customers, first-time visitors, and holiday vacationers, and the response so far has been positive. Sarah and her spouse, Kelly Ross, are the new owners and welcome input from the community.
“We reopened on Jan. 1, and it has gone well,” Sarah told DailyTrib. “We look forward to hearing from returning customers about their favorite flavors they’d like to see brought back.”
D’Lites is located at 2511 N. U.S. Highway 281, Unit 400. The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. For more information, call 830-262-1305.
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The Burnet County Livestock Show returns Jan. 8-10 at the Burnet County Fairgrounds, featuring livestock raised by local FFA and 4-H students.
The annual event, held at 1301 Houston Clinton Drive, is an opportunity for local youth to show off their project animals and see where they stand locally. Admission is free, and community members may participate as buyers in the premium auction, with proceeds supporting students’ future projects. The show also features competitions, displays, and agricultural mechanics exhibits.
This baby pig is one of the 24 animals currently cared for by the Marble Falls FFA program. It is part of the hands-on agricultural learning students get in the organization, and what they’ve done will soon be put to the test at the Burnet County Livestock Show. Staff photo by Maci Cottingham.
The morning of Thursday, Jan. 8 begins with rabbit and poultry check-ins, followed by ag. mechanics displays and the first round of livestock showings. On Friday, the show continues with market goats, swine, steers, and heifers. Saturday will include special awards, scholarships and dedications.
Marble Falls High School FFA students have spent months preparing under the guidance of agriculture science teachers James Conner, Madison Crane and Jessica Ferguson.
“All of our kids are hard workers – no one works harder or less than the other,” Crane told DailyTrib. “They improve every year.”
Sydney Belk shows off one of her projects at the 2025 Burnet County Livestock Show auction. Another auction is planned at the close of the 2026 show on Saturday, Jan. 10. Photo by Talyn Eaton Photography
Those livestock projects are part of each student’s Supervised Agricultural Experience, a required FFA component tied to advancement and scholarships.
“The whole goal of it is when they get to junior and senior year, they get their own star degree, and they can put in for scholarships,” Conner told DailyTrib.
The Lone Star Degree is the top level of FFA membership, requiring months of work on livestock projects. That work will be on display this week, including junior Abi Boucher’s 2-year-old heifer, Lulu, and her newborn calf, born Dec. 27. 2025.
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A grassfire grew to about an acre at the Meadowlake water treatment plant on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 3. While the blaze was dangerously close to Meadowlakes infrastructure and the Marble Falls City Cemetery, local fire departments were able to quickly get it under control.
“A thank you to our mutual aiding departments for a quick, efficient response,” reads a Facebook post made by Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday. “This fire was in a highly populated neighborhood close to multiple exposures and could have turned south quickly. The fire was contained to about an acre or less and will be monitored throughout the evening.”
This map shows the general location of the Meadowlakes grassfire at the city’s water treatment plant on Saturday, Jan. 3. Google Maps
According to the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department, first responders were toned out to the fire at around 12:49 p.m. and the blaze was out by around 2:22 p.m.
The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated. No structures or property were reportedly damaged.
Marble Falls Fire Rescue, Spicewood Fire Rescue, Granite Shoals Fire Rescue, and Horseshoe Bay Fire Rescue all supported MFAVFD in the incident.
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Construction of the new TownePlace Suites hotel in Burnet is on track, eyeing an opening day in the latter half of 2026.
The planned four-story TownePlace Suites will be located near the Burnet Municipal Airport and Burnet Police Department, at 1750 Cary Johnson Parkway off of U.S. 281.
The project was first introduced to the city in 2023 when developers TEKMAK Development and ARK Hospitality and Development bought 2.76 acres of land from the Burnet Economic Development Corporation for $436,000. City Manager David Vaughn told DailyTrib that the hotel is expected to open before the end of 2026.
TownePlace Suites is a Marriott Bonvoy brand that focuses on accommodating extended stays through amenities like a full in-room kitchen.
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.
Agendas for Highland Lakes governments are posted 72 hours before a meeting so are not always ready by the time this story is published. Check the links for more information.
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Marble Falls City Council
6 p.m. regular meeting
Council Chambers, 800 Third Street in Marble Falls
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