The Llano High School football team ended its historic 2025 on Friday, Dec. 12 in the semifinal round of the University Interscholastic League 3A D1 State Football Championship. This was only the second time in program history that the Yellowjackets made it to the fifth round of the playoffs.
Llano (13-2 overall, 5-0 district) lost a tough game, 71-27, against the Yoakum Bulldogs (13-2 overall, 3-1 district) last Friday. According to head coach Matt Green, Yellowjackets fans turned out in force for the contest, held at The Pfield in Pflugerville.
“We won 13 ball games and it has been an amazing year,” he told DailyTrib. “These kids fought hard and inspired this community. It’s bittersweet, but it’s a lot more sweet than it is bitter.”
The only other Llano team to make it to the semifinals was the 2020 squad, also coached by Green. This season also saw the Yellowjackets, on Dec. 5, defeat longtime rival Edna for the first time ever in a nail-biting, 38-35 quarterfinal game.
“Anytime that your season comes to an end you’re not going to be happy without a state championship,” Green said. “But, in the grand scheme, we are proud. Losing in the semifinals isn’t what you want, but playing in the semi finals is a dream that most kids in Texas will never realize.”
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The Granite Shoals City Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 17, to consider whether to hire an outside firm to investigate internal complaints made about “city manager pay increase,” fire department equipment purchases, and travel expense reimbursements.
The complaints, made by an unnamed city employee according to Mayor Ron Munos, prompted the council to call for Wednesday’s special meeting, which was added to the municipal docket on Dec. 11. It is open to the public and scheduled for 2 p.m. at Granite Shoals City Hall, 2221 N. Phillips Ranch Road.
Munos told DailyTrib that the meeting will be used to evaluate the complaints and determine if there is merit to the allegations.
“You have to do these things the right way,” Munos said, emphasizing that any and all allegations must be handled seriously and can not be ignored.
Novo began serving as interim city manager in January 2024 following the resignation of former City Manager Peggy Smith. She was formally appointed in May of that year after a 90-day probationary period, with a salary of $158,000. Her starting pay was higher than Smith’s $150,000 annual pay but lower than that of Smith’s predecessor, Jeff Looney, who earned $162,000.
Smith resigned after months of public backlash related to her involvement in a 2023 discussion on lethal feral cat management methods. Looney was fired in 2022 amid allegations of poor professional conduct and ongoing conflict with a city council member at the time.
The city manager oversees city operations, including budget administration, policy implementation, supervision of all departments, and serving as a liaison between the City Council, staff, and the public.
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The online payment portal for the city of Marble Falls is temporarily down as of the afternoon of Monday, Dec. 15. The city is working on fixing the outage, but there is no clear timeline on when it will be resolved.
Water and other utility payments can still be made in person at City Hall, 800 Third Street in Marble Falls or by using the payment drop box at City Hall. The credit card machine on site is still working.
Late fees and shut-offs will not be applied until Jan. 16, 2026 for payments that are due during the system outage.
Auto-draft payments scheduled for after Dec. 12 will not be processed this month. The city advises paying manually at City Hall to avoid a double payment when the next bill is due, on Jan. 15.
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Matthew James Cooper, 39, has been identified as the suspect in a Dec. 5 Llano shooting that sent one victim to the hospital.
The incident in question alleges that Cooper shot Cody Dwayne Perry, 37, in the abdomen with a rifle on the morning of Dec. 5 at a residence on West Leon Street in Llano. Perry survived the ordeal and was said to be in stable condition after being airlifted for emergency medical treatment at a regional hospital. He was discharged from the facility on Dec. 11.
Cooper, of Llano, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony. The charge comes with two to 20 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. The crime of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon refers to when a suspect intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes serious bodily injury to another person using, or exhibiting, a deadly weapon during an assault.
Llano police arrested Cooper at the scene of the shooting. He was immediately taken into custody and confined at the Llano County Jail. He has since been released on a $75,000 bond.
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Burnet has a new coffee shop, Airy Mount, which recently opened at 1819 E. Polk Street. The shop offers coffees, teas, blue matcha, ice cream, merchandise, and more.
“Airy Mount is a historic property that is home to three of the oldest structures in Burnet County,” owner Sunny Shipley told DailyTrib. “We are so excited to be able to open it up to the community so everyone can enjoy a piece of history and find a new home away from home.”
The cafe held its grand opening in November following a successful soft opening last summer.
Airy Mount is open Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m.- 6 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m., and is closed on Sundays.
“Airy Mount” refers to the property the cafe rests on. It was the original homestead of Adam Rankin Johnson, who named the property and is famous for founding Marble Falls and helping to tame the Texas frontier in the 19th century. While the building that houses the new ice cream parlor is not one of the original structures from the property, the barn beside it was built in the early 1880s.
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The Burnet community is invited to the grand opening ceremony of the city’s new city hall on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 301 E. Jackson Street.
The new civic center officially opened in late September, but Tuesday will serve as a celebratory milestone for the project.
“This project represents an important investment in customer service, accessibility, and our community’s future,” reads a statement from the city on Facebook. “We look forward to celebrating with you and officially opening the doors of your new city hall.”
The festivities run from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, with the ribbon-cutting scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Guests can tour the grounds of the new 18,000 square-foot city hall, enjoy light refreshments, and visit with city staff.
Work began on the city hall in May 2024. The $8 million project was over 20 years in the making. It was undertaken to help consolidate city offices, modernize municipal infrastructure, and to bring city business closer to the historic downtown of Burnet.
The new, custom-made building houses Burnet City Council chambers, development services, utilities billing and customer service, municipal court, city administration, and human resources.
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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.
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Marble Falls Handmade Market, a growing seasonal event that highlights local creativity while supporting area seniors, will take place on Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. indoors at the Marble Falls Senior Center, 618 Ave L.
Organizers say the Christmas market will be the largest yet, bringing together over 30 artisans including bakers, jewelry designers, woodworkers, and others who design or create every item they sell.
“The Market is a way to support local artisans and connect them with the community,” organizer Ashley Ward told DailyTrib. “The market facilitates broader engagement between artisans and the community and provides a space for artisans to showcase their work and connect with customers, collectors and friends.”
Ward’s family launched the event to celebrate the Hill Country’s rich creative culture. The pop-up events are held a few times a year. The best way to stay up to date is to sign up for the market’s newsletter at this link.
“Basically, we started with a circle of friends who love to create and want to share our work with others,” Ward said.
She added that the market reflects a shared appreciation amongst her family for craftsmanship in an age of mass-produced goods.
“We love buying, using, or viewing handcrafted items from other makers. We are often in awe of the story and people behind the beautiful and often unique creations. We love the meaning of a handcrafted item when we have an over abundance of mass-produced products to choose from,” Ward said.
The event also doubles as a community fundraiser. Vendor fees are donated to the Marble Falls Senior Activity Center, which provides activities for seniors and conducts outreach to nursing homes.
“Our vendor fees are donated to the Marble Falls Senior Activity Center to support their mission of enriching the lives of seniors,” Ward said. “At Christmas, (the activity center) collects and donates items to be gifted to seniors for Christmas.”
With rising attendance and increasing vendor participation, the Handmade Market continues to spotlight what Ward describes as the area’s artistic spirit.
“The market shines a light on the amazing creative culture of the Hill Country region and the people who make our area so special,” she said.
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The Llano County Commissioners Court officially approved an order on Monday, Dec. 8 to form Llano County Emergency Services District No. 6. With the district’s formation, property owners within its boundaries will see a small property tax increase, but also major improvements to fire protection services from the Tow Volunteer Fire Department.
Residents within the freshly-formed ESD No. 6 voted strongly in favor of forming the district at the polls in the Nov. 4 election. Now, a board of volunteer directors will be formed to oversee the district, which will begin levying a new property tax on residents to help pay for fire protection in the area.
The exact amount of the tax has not yet been determined, but it will be up to 10 cents per $100 property valuation, a cap set by state law.
The district covers a large swathe of land on the west side of Lake Buchanan. This area has traditionally relied on fire protection services from the Tow VFD. That department has been totally reliant on volunteer hours, donations, and fundraisers to function until now.
According to the Tow VFD, dwindling donations and a desire for better training and equipment for local firefighters were the biggest motivators for forming ESD No. 6.
“On behalf of all of Tow VFD, we want to extend our gratitude to each one of you that supported (ESD No. 6) for the November election,” reads a statement from Tow VFD following the election. “Your support will greatly enhance emergency services in Tow, Bluffton, Paradise Point, Shaw Island and (Buchanan Lake Village).”
What is an ESD?
An ESD is a political subdivision that generally supports, funds, and provides emergency services to a defined geographical area, or “district.”
The emergency services district functions by collecting a small tax from residents within its boundaries, then using that money to fund emergency services. This could include paying for professional firefighters, buying new equipment for an existing fire department, stationing EMTs and an ambulance in the area, or anything that boosts a local response to fire and medical emergencies.
The maximum property tax an ESD can levy is 10 cents per $100 property valuation.
ESDs are run by a board of volunteer directors appointed to their positions by the respective county commissioners court in which the ESD resides.
An ESD is put on the ballot when a petition that contains at least 100 signatures from qualified voters who own taxable real property in the proposed district is filed with a county and then approved by commissioners. The petition for ESD No. 6 received the required number of signatures, was filed with the county, and accepted by the Commissioners Court.
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