BURNET — The Highland Lake’s state representative said Tuesday he will fight to keep a controversial proposed high-voltage line from being built along the eastern border of Lake Buchanan.

“It will affect so many Burnet County residents in a very, very bad way,” said Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen.

Aycock said he plans to write a letter opposing the route to the state Public Utilities Commission, which will soon hold hearings on the Lower Colorado River Authority project.

LCRA says the line will transfer wind-generated power from West Texas while crossing Burnet County and going north to Lampasas County.

The hearing is 9:30 a.m. April 15 in Austin at the William B. Travis Building, 1701 N. Congress Ave.

The Burnet County Commissioners Court, which also opposes the line’s route, urged residents to show up at the hearing.

The commissioners met Tuesday.

Also, Burnet resident Jo Karr Tedder said a chartered bus will bring concerned locals to the hearing. Passengers can board at 7 a.m. that day at the Galloway-Hammond Recreation Center, 1601 S. Water St., which is also U.S. 281.

“I think it is very important that all members of the Commissioners Court go to that meeting,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Bill Neve.

The commissioners plan to attend the PUC hearing as a workshop, added County Judge Donna Klaeger said.

There will only be space for about 50 people in the hearing room, Neve said.

“We need to there early,” he added.

Each Burnet attendee can wear a sticker to show their opposition to the proposed line, Neve said.

“We will not be allowed to say anything (at the meeting), but they (the PUC commissioners) will know why we are there,” he added.

Only the “original interveners” in the matter may address the PUC commissioners, Neve said.

The controversy began several months ago, when the LCRA Transmission Services Corp. discussed building a new line from Gillespie County to Lampasas County at the proposed Newton station in Kempner.

LCRA said the $162 million line would connect wind-powered electricity generators in West Texas to competitive renewable energy zones to the Hill Country.

Also, the route proposed by LCRA would run through Burnet County on lattice towers along the eastern border of Lake Buchanan.

However, commissioners and local residents cited several environmental concerns and voiced objections to the eastern route.

Last January, PUC staff recommended another route that would go through Llano and San Saba counties below Colorado Bend State Park without touching any part of the lake in Burnet County.

Part of the route recommended by PUC would run across the northern part of the county through FM 1478, U.S. 281 and U.S. 183 to Kempner, officials said.

The commissioners applauded that recommendation.

However, State Administrative Law Judge Wendy Harvel recently issued a proposal that recommends the line run east of Lake Buchanan.

Extension of the line east of the lake “is the better choice” because it would extend along existing right of way, cost less money and would have less of an environmental impact, Harvel said in her proposal March 18.

North of Lake Buchanan, the line would run mostly through rural, sparsely populated land.

On the other hand, the route favored by commissioners and others would run without existing right of way and threaten the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo, two endangered bird species, Harvel said.

However, the proposed line along east Lake Buchanan would be set on a lattice tower structure 18 stories tall, Neve countered.

“It would be the tallest structure in Burnet County,” Neve added. “There would not be a place along the lake where it would not be intrusive to the scenic beauty of the area.”

If accepted by PUC, the proposed line will thwart many residents who want the Legislature to declare Texas 29 as a scenic route, Neve said.

In addition, the line would increase the risk of an accident for pilots landing at the Cassie Volunteer Fire Department heliport, the commissioners said.

As the representative of several residents who own land near the proposed line, Austin attorney Jim Boyle recently filed several exceptions to Harvel, Neve said.

The proposed line along the east side of Lake Buchanan may affect 164 “habitable structures” compared to no more than 48 structures along the proposed northern route. Also, “certain businesses and residences” near the east side of the lake may have to be condemned to make way for the line, including the popular Danny’s Country Diner near Buchanan Dam, 16082 Texas 29 East, according to the brief filed by Boyle.

Much of the support in Precinct 1 for the proposed eastern route may come from the Goodrich Ranch in northwest Burnet County, Neve said.

“I do not want to divide my constituency, but I do not believe (acceptance of the eastern route) is the right thing to do,” Neve added.

PUC is expected to make a final decision April 26.

raymond@thepicayune.com

LLANO — The family of a 16-year-old girl missing after meeting a "talent agent" through a vampire-Goth website is hoping somebody can help them find the teenager.

Julia Hinton’s family hasn’t seen her since 1 p.m. March 23, they said.

The Llano High School student may have disappeared after someone claiming to be a talent agent met her through a website catering to those interested in vampires and the Goth lifestyle, relatives said March 27.

"We’re very concerned," said grandmother Patricia Shannon. "Nobody’s heard from her since Friday when she checked out of school."

The high school junior is 5-feet 7-inches tall, weighs 155 pounds and has reddish-brown hair she may have dyed black. She also has the remnants of the word "love" imprinted on her left leg about a year ago, relatives said.

The Llano County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the disappearance, but can’t release many details at this stage, said Chief Deputy John Neff.

Shannon said the girl became involved with the vampire-Goth website about a  year ago, where the family believes she "met" a man who identified himself as Joshua and said he was 29.

Another family member said the man claimed to be a talent agent and planned to pick up Hinton, telling her that he was taking her to Austin or Dallas for a photo shoot.

Calls to the teen’s cell phone went straight to voicemail, the family member said.

Anyone with information regarding Hinton’s whereabouts should contact the Sheriff’s Office at (325) 247-5050; the Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers at 1-866-756-TIPS (8477); or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678).

daniel@thepicayune.com

BERTRAM — By all accounts, mayoral candidate Winnette Morris is lucky to be alive — let alone run for public office.

“She is walking and talking,” husband Wayne Morris said earlier this week during the City Council meeting.

Morris suffered a brain aneurysm in January, he said.

All council members and audience members applauded the news of Winnette Morris’ recovery, including Mayor JoAnn Stephens, who is running against her in the May 8 election.

“It is very difficult to come through,” Wayne Morris said.

His wife entered University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin for treatment, where doctors “coiled” the aneurysm to save her life, the husband added.

His wife is undergoing additional rehabilitation in Georgetown Hospital until her release in two weeks, he added.

“She is truly a miracle,” resident Marilynn Goode said.

raymond@thepicayune.com

MARBLE FALLS — The School Board March 26 got a good look at a leaner future as a consultant laid out a suggested austerity package designed to trim staff and save more than a million dollars.

Marble Falls Independent School District trustees also approved for the second year an early-out incentives program to pay teachers who announce their retirement over the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, a future plan to absorb positions through attrition could target instructional aides, non-campus clerical positions, physical education staff, vacancies at Marble Falls Middle School, vacancies at Marble Falls High School, special needs and physical therapists and library staff. It could also reorganize nursing services.

"These are not designed to be recommendations," said Richard Lane, a consultant who prepared a report for trustees. "The idea of this report is to lay out some options for you."

The costs in savings is more than a million dollars, according to figures presented during the MFISD’s board’s meeting.

But Trustee Kevin Naumann said it’s important to look past the data and see the staff and campuses that would be affected.

"Data-driven decisions are good, but it’s this humble board member’s opinion it’s a whole lot different when you’re out there in the trenches," he said. "I think it’s important to note these are just suggestions."

The board took no action.

However, trustees did authorize offering up to a $2,500 incentive to teachers who turn in their resignations before April 9.

The district has alloted funds for up to 25 staff to voluntarily submit their notices. Last year, 14 employees participated, said Wade Stanford, the district’s executive director of business and finance.

The district will pay a staffer 5 percent of his or her annual salary not to exceed $2,500 for giving early notice of their resignation, Stanford said.

Employees eligible for the program can begin notifying Human Resources March 28.

The cost-saving measures presented to the board are prompted by deep cuts — about $4 billion — the Legislature made to the state education budget in 2011.

Lane said there probably wouldn’t be a brighter budget picture for Texas schools until 2014-2015.

Other Highland Lakes school districts are also facing some tough choices. The Burnet Consolidated School District last week discussed a deficit budget of more than $1 million and possible staff cuts.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of the March 28 River Cities Sunday Tribune.

daniel@thepicayune.com

BERTRAM — A dangerous section of road is prompting the City Council to ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a $210,00 loan to extend a traffic turn lane on Texas 29.

The extension to the eastern city limits is needed to make the roadway safer in an area where an automobile accident claimed four lives several months ago, Councilman Mike Richardson Jr. said.

If approved by USDA, the loan will cost the city about $210,000 over a 30-year period, Richardson added during the Tuesday night council meeting.

“It is a capital investment,” he said. “Yes, it is a lot of money, but what is one family in a car worth?”

The Texas Department of Transportation plans to build a new turn lane from East Street to the Big’s Shell Station No. 106 along 29, Richardson said. The city would spend USDA funds to extend the TxDOT lane about 700 feet from Big’s to Winkley’s Trading Post on 29 to a point just a few feet past Castleberry Court, he added.

Also related to roads, the council authorized City Secretary Polly Krenek to ask TxDOT officials how much it might cost to build a new turn lane on 29 from North Gabriel Street to East Street.

“From my perspective, that just makes sense,” Richardson said.

There is an existing turn lane on 29 in Bertram that extends from Grange Street to North Gabriel. In the future, a turn lane may stretch 26 miles from U.S. 183 through Bertram to Burnet, Richardson said.

Turning to another matter, the council accepted the donation of a statue of former Bertram resident J.V. “Pinky” Wilson from Gene Taylor.

While serving with the Army during World War I, Wilson composed the Texas A&M University “Aggie War Hymn.”

“That is very generous,” Mayor JoAnn Stephens told Taylor.

Plans are under way to place the statue of Wilson at the Bertram train depot, Taylor said.

Also during the meeting, the council:

Presented appreciation plaques to 16 businesses and individuals from Bertram, Burnet, Cedar Park, Florence, Leander, Liberty Hill and Marble Falls who helped Bertram recover from the June 2009 windstorm.

• Waived all fees for the May 9 benefit at the City Pavilion for the Helping Hand fund.
• Granted a permit to J.D. Pruett to use of a recreational vehicle as a temporary rental residence for 30 days.
• Agreed to pay no more than $400 for restroom facilities and trophies for a barbecue cook-off sponsored by Todd Heath April 16-18 at the Rodeo Grounds.
• Agreed to hold a public hearing on the possible conversion of North Gabriel Street into a one-way street during a future council meeting.
• Waived tap fees for the JoAnn Cole Mitte Memorial Library now under construction.

raymond@thepicayune.com

GRANITE SHOALS – The crash of an experimental aircraft March 24 claimed the life of the pilot and sent a teen passenger to the hospital after the plane plummeted into a front yard.

Resident Brian Brookins said he “started screaming, ‘Call 911!’” as the crash unfolded about 6:30 p.m.

“I was in the backyard. I saw the plane coming at an angle toward the house. I heard the engine sputter,” said Brookins, who lives in the 200 block of North Shorewood Drive. “I heard the plane hit and that was it; like the branches breaking. “

A volunteer emergency worker at the scene said the pilot was a man, possibly in his 60s.

An 18-year-old male, the sole passenger, was airlifted to University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin, said police Capt. Clint Low.

“We had a call a little after 6:30 (p.m.) that a plane had crashed," Low said. "Witnesses said it sputtered prior to landing. It came down between two houses. It was a homemade plane. We believe it took off from an airstrip in Sunrise Beach.”

Authorities closed off an area around the property at the intersection of Sweetbriar Street and North Shorewood  out of concerns about a possible fuel spill caused by the crash.

Release of the victims’ names is pending notification of relatives.

Investigators say the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are expected to investigate the crash.

BURNET — A warning to boil water after a weekend pipeline break has been lifted, city officials said Tuesday morning.

“Test samples taken as a result of a water-line break in the city of Burnet have returned an all-clear, according to Water Superintendent Steve Lance,” said city official Crista Goble Bromley in an e-mail release. “Citizens no longer need to boil their water.”

According to Bromley, the boil water-notice was issued after a break in an 8-inch water line overnight Saturday that fed the southern end of the city as well as the Eagles’ Nest subdivision.

No cases of illness were reported by the city.

Officials said the break in the water line was repaired that night.

“While the break was quickly isolated, the boil-water notice was issued in accordance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requirements and as a precautionary measure,” Bromley said.

The state commission requires a warning notice to be issued whenever a system is exposed to untreated water regardless of the severity of the breach, city officials said.

For more, go to www.cityofburnet.com or call (512) 756-2402.

editor@thepicayune.com

BURNET — House Bill 3 recently adopted by the Legislature does not require Health Education for high school graduation, according to Burnet High School Principal Craig Spinn.

“But we are still required to offer Health Education,” Spinn told the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District board during the regular meeting Monday.

“It is a kind of funny catch-22,” Spinn added.

During future months, the high school may find it “problematic in practical terms” to offer Health Education classes to students because they might “mess up schedules” for other classes, Spinn added.