AUSTIN — The Marble Falls Independent School District and a former head coach showed little regard for a football player who suffered 30 concussions that left him permanently disabled, the ex-athlete claims in a federal lawsuit.
MFISD and Cord Woerner, the district’s former athletic director and ex-head football coach, are named as defendants in the suit filed Sept. 7 by Blake Alan Ripple, 20. He graduated in 2011.
According to the suit, Ripple, at one time a lineman for the Mustangs, National Honor Society student and Academic All-District, “is unable to live independently, let alone go to college.”
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MARBLE FALLS — A shuttle service dubbed the Mustang Express is available for fans on Sept. 14, the night of the traditional Burnet vs. Marble Falls high school football game.
The contest will be played at Marble Falls High School’s Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. Officials expect thousands of spectators at the game, the latest grudge match in a cross-county rivalry that has continued for more than a century.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
One shuttle will run from Colt Elementary School, 2200 Manzano Mile, to the gate on the visitor’s side of Mustang Stadium.
The other will run from Fellowship Baptist Church, 2702 Mormon Mill Road, to the north side of the stadium.
Once the game ends, the shuttle will pick up at the north gate.
“They will be handicap-accessible buses,” said Allen Roberts, assistant superintendent of operations at the Marble Falls Independent School District.
The shuttles will start at 6 p.m. and run every 15 minutes, Roberts said, and will end 30-45 minutes after the game is over.
The school district also has added extra handicap parking, he said.
Attendees are being asked to:
• Purchase game tickets in advance at the field houses at Marble Falls, 2101 Mustang Drive, or at Burnet, 1000 The Green Mile.
“We’ve added extra gate workers,” Roberts said.
• When driving to the stadium, Mustang fans are asked to stay in the left lane to turn onto Mustang Drive.
• Bulldog fans should be in the right lane until they go past the red light at Mustang Drive. After the light, get in the left lane to turn left onto Manzano Mile.
The district is bracing for a large group of fans from both schools. Mustang Stadium seats more than 5,000 people, and Roberts believes there won’t be an empty seat.
“Even with everything we’re doing, we still encourage fans to come a little earlier than they usually do,” Roberts said. “What we do know is the Burnet-Marble Falls rivalry is one of the most intense in Texas. We also know that both communities of Burnet and Marble Falls work very closely together to make sure these events come off in a manner in which everyone can enjoy.”
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SHOVEL MOUNTAIN – Community members have come to the aid of a woman who advocates for animals and her family after a fire destroyed their home in south Burnet County on Sept. 10.
The fire, which investigators say may have been caused by a candle, occurred in the two-story home at 308 CR 403-A owned by David and Patricia J. Walker.
Friends said “Tish” Walker, an avian enthusiast, lost five pet birds in the fire. She is a past board member of the Highland Lakes Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and has volunteered with Pet Pals.
“She came to our school last year and did a demonstration,” said Highland Lakes Elementary educator Debbie Nelson, who also volunteers with Highland Lakes SPCA. “She’s done a lot of wonderful things in this area. Now it’s time for the community to help her.”
An account to assist the family has been set up under “Tish Corvidae” at American Bank of Texas, 418 U.S. 281 North in Marble Falls.
Call (830) 693-3676 for more information or send a donation to the bank at P.O. Box 888, Marble Falls, TX 78654.
The family — including a young granddaughter — escaped the blaze safely, but were displaced, officials said. Burnet County deputies have put them in touch with the Red Cross for assistance.
According to fire officials, the alarm was turned in shortly after 6 p.m. as fire crews rushed to a call for flames on the second story.
The Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department, the Spicewood Volunteer Fire Department, Granite Shoals Fire Department and Horseshoe Bay Fire Department were among the agencies called to the scene.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control in less than an hour.
“The only thing that we determined as a possible cause based on the occupants was that there was a candle lit upstairs that was real close to the origin of the fire,” said Terry White, chief of the Marble Falls volunteers.
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MARBLE FALLS — A city commissioner raising questions about the cost of a proposed multimillion-dollar sports complex says the city already has athletic fields that could be upgraded for a lot less.
The debate surfaced Sept. 10 as the seven-member Parks and Recreation Commission heard about the complex, which was first vetted during four previous steering committee meetings.
The complex, if eventually approved by City Council, could cost $36 million.
While most of the commission absorbed the information presented by Parks and Recreation Department Director Robert Moss, one commissioner expressed doubts.
“It’s not first-class or nothing,” said Steve Manley. “We should look at what we can do for a whole lot less money at existing fields and add new fields. To just buy this thing hook, line and sinker, I think, is wrong. It’s amazing we would even consider that.”
But Moss said the city’s current fields are below standard.
“If they are below standard, how is it we’ve got to the point the current fields are below standard and we’re looking at a $36 million sports complex when (the city) would have to maintain them?” Manley said.
Moss said most of the city’s fields were built years ago by volunteers and now the city has to keep them up.
“Aside from the economic impact, it’s something that is just good for the community, regardless of bringing anyone else in,” Moss said.
City Manager Ralph Hendricks agreed.
“If you look at the growing communities in our state, they are all on this or working on it,” he said. “You take care of the youth coming up, and give an area for those who are retired to exercise and continue quality-of-life issues.”
For several months the steering committee, which includes representatives of area athletic leagues, has been reviewing a feasibility and economic-impact study that looks at whether a sports complex is right for Marble Falls.
Consultants CSL International and Baker-Aicklen & Associates conducted the study, which could be considered next month by the City Council and commission in a joint workshop.
The consultants indicated the region would support a sports complex with softball, baseball, soccer fields and tennis courts. The study said that people typically travel within a 200-mile radius for tournaments.
More than 19 million people live within that radius, and 3 million participate in those core sports, officials said.
Based on those numbers, the consultants recommended building facilities in phases. The first would include baseball fields, a multi-purpose field and tennis courts at a cost of $4 million-$5.1 million. A second phase of soccer, football and softball fields would cost $4.1-$4.7 million.
The economic impact study said that the first two phases could bring more than 230,000 visitors in the first year and create more revenue than expenses.
A third and fourth phase, consisting of a 60,000-square-foot indoor sports facility and a 40,000-square-foot swim center, would cost $12 million and $14 million, respectively, and make less than 50 percent of expenses.
The first two phases of such a complex could bring hundreds of new jobs to the area and tax revenues of nearly $10 million over 30 years, the study said.
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Teachers briefly evacuated hundreds of Marble Falls High School students just after 10:30 a.m. Sept. 11 when smoke billowed from an air-conditioning unit on the campus, 2101 Mustang Drive. Marble Falls Fire Rescue crews aired out the main building and students and faculty returned to class a few minutes later. Staff photos by Connie Swinney
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A 78-year-old man was uninjured Sept. 10 after a Ford Expedition he was driving accidentally backed into a storage facility, damaging three units, according to Horseshoe Bay police. The accident happened about 11:15 a.m. at Horseshoe Bay Climate Controlled Mini-Storage in the 9700 block of FM 2147 West. Police reported the driver attempted to back from a parking space on the east side of the Horseshoe Bay Post Office when the vehicle veered across the parking lot headed backwards, hit a fence, struck a utility pole and came to rest inside one of the units. No citations were issued. Courtesy photo
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MARBLE FALLS – A Texas-size celebration for Olympian Leonel “Leo” Manzano is scheduled for Sept. 30 in Marble Falls and his hometown of Granite Shoals, officials announced.
Manzano returned to Central Texas Sept. 9 after winning the silver medal in the men’s 1,500-meter race in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, held last month.
PHOTO: Leonel ‘Leo’ Manzano, a 2004 Marble Falls High School graduate who in August won the silver medal in the men’s 1,500-meter race in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, answers questions outside the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after returning to Central Texas Sept. 9. He’s been competing in Europe for about two months. Marble Falls and Manzano’s hometown of Granite Shoals are planning a celebration for him Sept. 30. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
According to officials, Manzano and his family are scheduled to arrive at Marble Falls High School, 2101 Mustang Drive, at 3 p.m. Sept. 30 where the band, cheerleaders and Starlette dance team will be ready to greet them.
Manzano is a 2004 graduate.
The public is encouraged to arrive from 2-2:45 p.m. to participate in the homecoming festivities, which will stage in the auditorium when Manzano arrives.
Parking will be in the main parking lot of the high school.
The celebration in the auditorium is scheduled to finish by 5 p.m. Manzano will sign T-shirts and autographs.
Afterwards, a motorcade will eave the high school for Manzano’s hometown of Granite Shoals.
The procession will travel west on RR 1431 to Phillips Ranch Road in Granite Shoals with a stop at the Leo Manzano Hike, Bike and Run Trail at the Granite Shoals Municipal Complex.
Along with a groundbreaking at the trail, there will be refreshments and a performance by local musicians while Manzano visits with family, friends and guests. At 7 p.m., the University of Texas at Austin graduate will give some closing remarks and outline future goals for his athletic career.
Clubs and civic organizations are asked to make decorative signs of encouragement along the route.
The signs should be street signs on stakes and are to be delivered to Debbie Brown for distribution, officials said. Call (512) 968-3973 or email dab@zeecon.com for more information.
The hashtag #ManzanoHomecoming will be used for updates on social media outlets, officials said.
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.
MARBLE FALLS — The metal frame is up and the first healer hired for a Scott & White Healthcare clinic south of town that will eventually anchor the region’s newest hospital, officials have announced.
More doctors have also confirmed they will be working at the clinic.
“We’ve got a skeleton and we’re putting skin on it,” said Kevin Leeper, Scott & White Hill Country Region CEO.
PHOTO: Scott & White Hill Country Region CEO Kevin Leeper (left) with Dan Stogner, territory manager with Carrier Air Conditioning, and custom home builder Larry Reben of Reben Builders discuss the latest on the Scott & White Healthcare clinic under construction south of Marble Falls. Leeper spoke during the Building Industry Association of the Highland Lakes breakfast Sept. 6 in Marble Falls. The clinic will eventually anchor the region’s newest hospital. Staff photo by Connie Swinney
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.
MARBLE FALLS – A Texas-size celebration for Olympian Leonel "Leo" Manzano is scheduled for Sept. 30 in Marble Falls and his hometown of Granite Shoals, officials announced.
Manzano returned to Central Texas Sept. 9 after winning the silver medal in the men’s 1,500-meter race in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, held last month.
PHOTO: Leonel ‘Leo’ Manzano, a 2004 Marble Falls High School graduate who in August won the silver medal in the men’s 1,500-meter race in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, answers questions outside the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after returning to Central Texas Sept. 9. He’s been competing in Europe for about two months. Marble Falls and Manzano’s hometown of Granite Shoals are planning a celebration for him Sept. 30. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
According to officials, Manzano and his family are scheduled to arrive at Marble Falls High School, 2101 Mustang Drive, at 3 p.m. Sept. 30 where the band, cheerleaders and Starlette dance team will be ready to greet them.
Manzano is a 2004 graduate.
The public is encouraged to arrive from 2-2:45 p.m. to participate in the homecoming festivities, which will stage in the auditorium when Manzano arrives.
Parking will be in the main parking lot of the high school.
The celebration in the auditorium is scheduled to finish by 5 p.m. Manzano will sign T-shirts and autographs.
Afterwards, a motorcade will eave the high school for Manzano’s hometown of Granite Shoals.
The procession will travel west on RR 1431 to Phillips Ranch Road in Granite Shoals with a stop at the Leo Manzano Hike, Bike and Run Trail at the Granite Shoals Municipal Complex.
Along with a groundbreaking at the trail, there will be refreshments and a performance by local musicians while Manzano visits with family, friends and guests. At 7 p.m., the University of Texas at Austin graduate will give some closing remarks and outline future goals for his athletic career.
Clubs and civic organizations are asked to make decorative signs of encouragement along the route.
The signs should be street signs on stakes and are to be delivered to Debbie Brown for distribution, officials said. Call (512) 968-3973 or email dab@zeecon.com for more information.
The hashtag #ManzanoHomecoming will be used for updates on social media outlets, officials said.
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.
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