r a e Y New
MULCH • GRAVEL • TOPSOIL TURF • SAND • ROCK COMPOST • PATIO STONE
NEW LAWN!
CURBSIDE PICKUP & DELIVERY AVAILABLE
BRING YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE FOR
FREE
RECYCLING
PLEASE REMOVE ALL LIGHTS & ORNAMENTS BEFORE RECYCLING
Closed 12/31 and Jan. 1 |
2021
Volume 35, Issue 6
www.LHIndependent.com
News@LHIndependent.com
December 30, 2021 | 50 Cents
City loses over Football players spearhead ‘gift of $169,000 in two love’ for beloved substitute teacher cyber crimes
By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer Two cases of cybersecurity fraud committed in October against the City of Liberty Hill, which resulted in a loss of $169,015.95, were reported by city staff to the Liberty Hill Police Department on Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, according to records recently obtained by The Independent. The first incident was reported to LHPD Detective David Bonessi by Interim Finance Director Misti Hancock on Nov. 30. According to the police report, which The Independent acquired though an Open Records Request, Hancock said City Accountant Lindsay Strothman first notified her of a possible banking scam on Nov. 12. Strothman said she was communicating with vendor Silsbee Fleet via email about an outstanding invoice when she received an email from them with updated banking information to send the payment to. Strothman updated the banking information she had on file and electronically trans-
ferred $45,522.35 to Silsbee Fleet to pay the invoice. Strothman said at a later date, she got a call from Silsbee Fleet saying the invoice still had not been paid, according to the report. This is when Hancock and Strothman reviewed the email correspondence between Silsbee Fleet and Strothman and noticed during the back-and-forth communication the emails she was receiving changed slightly, by just one letter. Hancock said she contacted Wells Fargo Bank to alert them of the fraud, but they stated the account was legitimate and there was nothing they could do to reverse it since the City of Liberty Hill initiated the money transfer, according to the police report. The second incident was reported on Dec. 7 to Bonessi by Consultant Staff Accountant Jennifer Calvert. According to the police report, Calvert stated she started receiving emails on
See CITY, Page 2
By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer A trio of football players at Liberty Hill High School took their teamwork above and beyond when they set out together to start a fundraising page for their beloved substitute teacher, Terry Cork, when they found out she was going through some tough times. The players, sophomore running backs Noah Long, Ben Carter and Joe Pitchford, came together in the midst of preparing for their state championship game to help Cork, who was subbing in their AP World History class before the holidays, when she made the announcement that she could no longer work as a substitute teacher. “She told us she was going to have to take on a full-time job,” Long said. “She said she needed to take care of her family and she mentioned her heater was out, so we thought if we started a GoFundMe, we could maybe help her out a little bit and raise a couple hundred dollars. Ms. Terry is a very positive person, so it worried us when she brought this up because she never brings up From left, Noah Long, Terry Cork, Ben Carter and Joe Pitchford stand together at Cork’s home anything like that.” just before the Christmas holiday. Together, the three Liberty Hill High School sophomores spearheaded a GoFundMe page that raised more than $13,000 to help Cork, who is one of their See DONATION, Page 4 favorite substitute teachers, care for her family. (Courtesy Photo)
LHISD hoping to attract next generation of educators
By KRISTEN MERIWETHER Staff Writer As potential applicants came in to the Liberty Hill ISD Job Fair at Santa Rita Middle School on Dec. 8, they walked past the gym where a basketball game was being played. They could hear the roar of the crowd and see how involved parents are in the school. As they stepped down into the cafeteria to speak with individual principals, the smell of a freshly baked pizza lingered in the air. Hors d’oeuvres and bottled water were waiting in the kitchen. Applicants also had individual face time with Superintendent Steven Snell and Executive Director of Human Resources and Operations Bob Mabry. Open conversations were welcomed, no questions were off-limits. With exponential growth projected for the district and open positions to fill now, LHISD is doing everything it can to entice the next generation of educators to Liberty Hill. “Traditionally, the past few years, you’ve posted on the website, and people come to ©2021 The Liberty Hill Independent
you,” Mabry told The Independent. “Now we’re trying to get it out there a little more.” In November, the district attended a job fair at Texas State University in San Marcos. Instead of just setting up a booth and hoping graduates would come to them, the district also organized a meet and greet outside the event. They invited everyone who signed up for the job fair and had younger LHISD teachers on-hand to share their experiences working in Liberty Hill. The turnout was lower than expected, but it allowed the district to test new ways to reach recent grads. It also provided a way to get contacts and get LHISD’s name in front of coveted graduates. Snell stands behind the extra effort, but he also knows he has a winning product to sell. In a time when educators can choose to work anywhere in the country, he is banking on the work the district has put in to create an environment where educators can succeed and grow as professionals. “Employees take care of each other. There’s a friendly atmosphere focused on students and there’s opportunity for growth inside our system,” Snell said. He said both the current and
next generation of teachers want to be empowered to do great things for students, including working in an environment where they can take creative risks to create great lessons for the students. Since those are already part of the strategic plan and part of the daily actions, the district is in prime position to acquire top talent. LHISD is starting to become a destination district. Mabry said they regularly hire teachers that were working in nearby Leander ISD and Georgetown ISD. “We have really been fortunate with experienced teachers who will come here, even if pay isn’t as high as their former district, just to be a part of our Panther family,” Mabry said. Part of that is due to the district’s reputation for success, not just in the classroom, but at
See RECRUITING, Page 4
Local lost in fatal Christmas Eve crash on RM 1869
By KRISTEN MERIWETHER Staff Writer A local family is in mourning following a fatal Christmas Eve crash on RM 1869, two miles west of Liberty Hill. According to a preliminary report from the Texas Department of Public Safety, two off-road motorcycles were traveling westbound in tandem on RM 1869 at approximately 6:14 p.m. on Dec. 24. Neither motorcycle had front or rear lights, according to the report. A 2009 Ford Escape traveling westbound struck both
motorcycles, causing both riders to be ejected. Cheyenne Mather, 48, of Liberty Hill, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The second rider, whose name was not provided in the report, was transported to Seton Williamson Hospital in Round Rock. A GoFundMe set up by Garrett Hicks said the second rider was Mather’s boyfriend, Matt. A last name was not included. The Independent was unable to confirm the identity of the second rider with DPS by press time this week. The driver of the Ford fled the scene, but was later located, according to the report.
CHEYENNE MATHER The name of the driver was not provided. The preliminary report did not indicate any charges filed against the driver.
See MATHER, Page 3
Liberty Hill Youth League addresses growth with additional fields, split leagues
By KRISTEN MERIWETHER Staff Writer When Jake Thomas, president of the Liberty Hill Youth League, saw the signups for the 2021 Fall Baseball Season it was almost double the previous year. With only two fields and growth projections expected to increase in the coming years, he knew the league had to make changes—and quickly. The LHYL recently invest-
ed $52,000 for fencing and dugouts for two new fields behind the Liberty Hill Independent School District Administration Building. The league will use volunteers to get the fields ready to play by spring, but amenities such as lights, scoreboards, stands and a sprinkler system will have to wait. The league is hoping to raise an additional $100,000 to help finish the amenities for the fields and also hopes to
add five new batting cages adjacent to the new fields that everyone in the league can use. “That $100,000 would really help us get to a better fan and player experience,” Thomas told The Independent. “The on-field stuff is where we would really put that money.” The two additional fields will provide much-needed relief for the upcoming season, but
See LHYL, Page 3