LH Independent 2-18-21

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2021

Volume 34, Issue 13

www.LHIndependent.com

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The Big Freeze

February 18, 2021 | 50 Cents

Liberty Hill weathers week-long deep freeze

CHARLEY WILKISON PHOTO

A view of downtown Liberty Hill as the sun set Thursday evening. While power has been restored to much of the newspaper’s circulation area, water customers of the City of Liberty Hill, which includes the downtown area, remain without water.

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor While everyone across Liberty Hill is expecting a weekend thaw, the updated forecast Thursday afternoon called for another 24 hours of bitter cold and potential precipitation. The freezing temperatures – which first reached the area Feb. 11 – turned that day’s freezing rain into ice that has not melted in seven days as temperatures dropped to as low as one degree in Liberty Hill. The temperature has not risen above 32 degrees since Feb. 13, and is expected to remain below freezing until Friday afternoon. The loss of running water and electricity plagued area

See FREEZE, Page 4

Residents weather area’s winter challenges

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer For the second time in five weeks, Central Texas has been covered in an unfamiliar blanket of snow, but this time the winter wonderland was accompanied by a week’s worth of hazards and challenges. What began as an ice storm Feb. 11 evolved into a weeklong winter storm with more ice, snow, power outages, road hazards and water issues. But Liberty Hill residents made the best of the chilly situation, coping with the frozen fallout as well as possible. Many lost power. “We were able to light the gas stove burners with a lighter to make some extra heat,” said resident Lynda Hampton Jones of the outages. “I had coffee and oatmeal prepped and ready to go as soon as the power came back on. We dressed in layers. We shoveled snow off the front

and back porch before letting the dog out.” Taking advantage of the cold days at home, Jones hunkered down in her kitchen to whip up some sweet and savory treats, even finding the time to work on some crafts. “I’ve been doing more cooking and decided to shabby chic an old dresser. The dresser was one my husband had when he was young,” said Jones. “I made basic sugar cookies for my husband as a sweet gesture on Valentine’s Day. Some we sprinkled with red sugar, some with white, and some with cinnamon/sugar mix. Nothing fancy, baked with love. I made homemade vegetable soup from my mom’s recipe and cornbread.” Tiffany Skaggs’ children put their craft room to good use, while the adults enjoyed the snowy conditions Monday morning around a warm fire. “The kids have been making bracelets, necklaces, painting, coloring, making dream

County threatens legal action against City of Austin

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer With the support of State Sen. Charles Schwertner and Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, Williamson County sent a clear message to the City of Austin and Travis County last week over the purchase of a hotel intended to eventually ©2021 The Liberty Hill Independent

house people experiencing homelessness. During a press conference, Williamson County representatives reprimanded the City of Austin’s purchase of the Candlewood Hotel, which is inside the Austin city limits but also in Williamson County. Those in attendance included County Judge Bill Gravel, Pct. 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long, Schwertner, Deputy Attorney General Aaron

See COUNTY, Page 5

catchers,” she said. “They have made snow cones with the snow and some melted popsicles. They made snow angels. We started a fire outside and have been standing outside watching the weather. Great conversations always happen by a fire with a beer in hand. We haven’t had any issues from the weather at our place.” Before the harsher days of the winter storm rolled around, Lori Hartsfield and her family noticed issues with their heater. “Our heater went out in the middle of the night on Thursday,” said Hartsfield. “We woke up to the house being 58 degrees Friday morning. Fortunately, the guys from Liberty Air HVAC came out, They were able to get the part the same day, and they fixed us up. I know people are without power today, but it would’ve been miserable to have to go through this cold streak with no heater.” Kathy Witherspoon and her

husband thought about more than just their own wellbeing during this teeth-chattering weather, making an effort to help out some of their feathered neighbors. “We’ve spent the day filling our feeders and providing warm water for our feathered friends,” she said. “The birds have kept us thoroughly entertained. It’s a winter wonderland, and we’ve stayed nice and cozy with a fireplace and hot chocolate.” Danette Robles’s husband and 10-year-old son used the extreme weather as an opportunity for some creative fun. The pair transformed a surfboard into a sled. “They spent majority of (Monday) outside in their ski gear,” she said. “When I went to call them inside a neighbor was towing an adult in a motorcycle helmet in an animal feeder bucket/storage bin going over a speed bump.”

Tiffany Skraggs (right) and her son Skyler (left) enjoyed the snowy weather bundled up from head to toe. (Courtesy Photo)

May ballot crowded with options

Voters in Liberty Hill will have options up and down the ballot with five contested races, a list of school bond propositions, and a sales tax election for the Emergency Services District (ESD). Filing for all three City Council places and two of the four Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustees places closed Feb. 12 with two or more candidates. In the school board race, four candidates will be on the ballot for Place 3 – Steve Messana, Michel Ferguson, Charlene Stevens and Antonio Canas – while incumbent David Nix did not file seeking reelection. In Place 6, most recently held by Vickie Peterson who re-

signed in January due to work obligations, there will be six candidates. On the ballot for the one-year remaining on Peterson’s term will be Aurora Trahan, Robert Baughn, Lockie Ealy, Cory Milam, Kristi Hargrove and Jennifer Williams. It is not necessary for any candidate to achieve a 50-percent majority in either race, so a runoff election will not be necessary in the pair of crowded places. Incumbents Kathy Major (Place 4) and Anthony Buck (Place 5) did not draw an opponent and will serve another term. In the race for three City

Council seats, Chris Pezold, Kim Sanders and Michael Helbing filed to run for Place 1. Incumbent Steve McIntosh did not file for reelection. Place 5 Council member Liz Rundzieher is seeking another term, but Angela Lynn Jones has filed to run against the incumbent. Crystal Mancilla is running against incumbent Gram Lankford in Place 3. In addition to the School Board and Council places, voters will decide the fate of a $491 million bond election that will appear on the ballot as four separate propositions. The first proposition totals $457.7 million, and makes up

most of the total bond package. It includes funds for new schools, campus renovations and expansions, planning funds for additional new campuses, land purchases and a variety of other infrastructure projects. The second proposition voters will decide on is $8 million for technology devices for both teachers and students. Proposition 3 is for $6 million for the expansion of Panther Stadium at the high School, and Proposition 4 is for $20 million to construct a stadium on the second high school campus.

See ELECTION, Page 5


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