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2020
Volume 33, Issue 25
www.LHIndependent.com
News@LHIndependent.com
May 14, 2020 | 50 Cents
LHHS sets graduation June 5th
ROYCE GRAETER Liberty Hill Police Chief
Council picks Graeter as new Chief
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The City of Liberty Hill didn’t have to look far for its next police chief as the Council voted unanimously Monday to hire interim Chief Royce Graeter. Graeter most recently served as lieutenant in the Liberty Hill Police Department under former Chief Maverick Campbell, and was named interim chief when Campbell was terminated in March. Mayor Rick Hall told The Independent Tuesday he believes Graeter has the qualities to lead the department. “We feel that Graeter is the right choice for the position of chief of police because of his background in law enforcement with over 24 years of service and extensive training and knowledge and previous experience,” he said. “Integrity and honesty is something that we should also be looking for in any leadership position. His department highly respects him and that is a good thing for that department.” The Council deliberated the decision as one of five
See COUNCIL, Page 3
(ABOVE) Parents and teachers set up in the parking lot at the high school May 8 to cheer on the Class of 2020, who filed through in cars to pick up their caps and gowns. Masks and social distancing were the order of the day, but the message was clear, Liberty Hill was going to give this year’s seniors a special send off “whatever it takes.” (LEFT) Seniors enjoyed some special attention and a lot of smiles when they drove through to pick up their cap and gown for the June 5 graduation ceremony.
Salons adjust to new guidelines as they reopen
By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer When Gov. Greg Abbott announced businesses could begin to reopen in early May, salons were not part of that order. But just a few days later, Abbott announced salons could open their doors beginning May 8. In Liberty Hill, many salons worked hard to prepare to reopen, while others
are taking a more cautious approach to seeing clients once again. Dana Clark, owner and stylist at Dana’s Hair Salon, was able to get back to work right away, but not without some changes to support social distancing. “I used to be a two-chair salon, but I had to rearrange to be a one-chair salon,” she said. “I lost the income of renting a
©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent
providing a home and mentorship for two young adults herself. “In 2007, my husband and I took in our first student that was homeless,” she said. “After helping her, it was on my heart that there are just so many kids that need help.” Community Pathways aims to help guide at-risk teenagers and young adults through life’s challenges by pairing them with mentors that can provide a positive influence. “If they have someone to help them figure out life challenges and navigate through them, then they have a better chance of being a successful adult,” she said. A combination of working with the high school for almost a decade and her time at OLH,
McCown saw how much help could be provided. “There continued to be a need for students that needed shelter or assistance, so I started volunteering at Operation Liberty Hill,” said McCown. “A lot of the students that I knew would come and see me and want to sit and talk. I figured out that this was something that was needed.” The experience of working with OLH allowed McCown to put her skills as a youth minister into action. In one case, she was able to help someone struggling with substance abuse reconnect with her family, fight temptation, and ultimately find a job. “She looked at me and said, ‘I’m tired of this life. I have the money in my purse to go to
See GRADUATION, Page 6
second station, but I had to get rid of a station because my salon is so small.” She is also no longer double-booking clients, which she used to do. “I’d do a color and do a cut in between, but now I can’t do that,” she said. “That’s really different for me. I usually
Dana Clark, owner of Dana’s Hair Salon, is one of many local stylists who made adjustments to reopen their salons May 8. See SALONS, Page 6 (Courtesy Photo)
Nonprofit charts path for young adults By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Discovering the path that one is meant to walk in life can be clear to some, hazy to others, or for others may take ages to reveal itself. For Vicky McCown, the executive director of Community Pathways, a new nonprofit in Liberty Hill, her life calling is now clear as day. McCown, a volunteer at Operation Liberty Hill (OLH) and a veteran of 20 years working in youth ministry, decided to create Community Pathways after
MIKE EDDLEMAN PHOTOS
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Not many things have been a sure thing for Liberty Hill High School seniors since they left for spring break in mid-March. What was to be a celebratory week before kicking off the home stretch in a 13-year journey that promised to be filled with celebrations and accolades turned into unending questions and uncertainties for the Class of 2020. But now those seniors have one date to circle on their calendar and that’s the grand finale – a graduation ceremony at Panther Stadium. District officials announced last week – following guidance issued from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) – that Liberty Hill High School graduation ceremonies will take place June 5 at Panther Stadium. “The goal was always, if possible and if we could safely do it, to have a somewhat traditional graduation in Panther Stadium,” said Superintendent Steve Snell. “I think that’s an important rite of passage for our seniors.” For all adjustments and changes this school year, and the oddity of how it will come to a close, capping it with a ceremony.
my dealer, and I don’t want to live this life anymore. I can’t even talk to my family or see my children,’” McCown recalled from one conversation. “I told her we would pray for strength and that any time she struggled with this addiction that she needed to take a few minutes and seek someone out, to work on something else, and try to keep her mind busy. We talked quite a bit, and as of now, she is drug-free and working.” On another occasion, McCown and her husband took in the troubled grandson of a friend as he was getting out of prison. For the McCowns, it was almost Divine intervention that led to this. Vicky McCown and Kayla Johnson, a student McCown helped guide and one of the inspirations for the start of Community See PATHWAYS, Page 8 Pathways. (Courtesy Photo)