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2020
Volume 33, Issue 41
www.LHIndependent.com
Canady residency in question
Council member claims she gave false address on loan form
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Is Council member Kathy Canady a resident of Liberty Hill? The question was raised when a notarized affidavit surfaced from a loan application where Canady claimed a homestead in Burnet in May 2019 -- less than two months prior to her appointment to the Liberty Hill City Council. That, along with questions on the legality of residing in her downtown business since before her appointment poses the question – does Canady meet the residency requirement to hold office in Liberty Hill? Burnet address? The loan document, signed by Canady on May 29, 2019, is a “Designation of Homestead and Affidavit of Nonhomestead” and was part of the pa-
News@LHIndependent.com
September 3, 2020 | 50 Cents
LHISD goes Back to School
First day enrollment in LHISD was 5,429 compared to 4,993 on the first day of school in 2019. On Aug. 27, 65.3% of students attended class in person compared to 34.7% online. (Photos provided via Facebook. com/libertyhillindependent)
Kathy Canady said she will not resign her seat despite not having a permanent residence in Liberty Hill and admitting to falsifying an address on a legal document to secure a loan. perwork connected to financial dealings regarding her 1100 Loop 332 business, an auto repair garage. On the affidavit, Canady claims 402 S. Boundary Street in Burnet as her homestead
See CANADY, Page 4
PANDEMIC PASTIMES
Lacy finds balance through Kung Fu
By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Balancing the duties of being a mother, maintaining a sense of normalcy for her son, and working from home, Liberty Hill resident Megan Lacy is turning to the Chinese martial art of Kung Fu to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. When the pandemic first reached the area, Lacy was admittedly worried about what this meant for her and her family. “I would say I was concerned; I mean, we’re living through an unprecedented situation in our lifetime, and certainly it was disconcerting,” she said.
“I was concerned and worried -- worried I was making the wrong decisions for my family. I was just trying to gather the best information possible on what to do and what not to do and protect my family.” With a demanding career as an account director for food and marketing agency, Wild Hive, maintaining normalcy for her son while working from home at the same time was the priority for Lacy. “I think as a parent, I felt that it was really important to keep as much normalcy as possible,” she said. “When the pandemic hit and the schools shut down, my son was at home, and they transferred all of the
Kung Fu to a zoom class. They were doing it on the computer, and it was great because it was the one constant that we had. It was that, and chess. My son did chess, and they switched to an online format.” It was watching her five-yearold son Jack take Kung Fu lessons at home that served as the first spark of interest, but before diving in headfirst, Lacy had her doubts. “I was watching him do his thing, and I thought gosh it looked like fun,” Lacy said. “At first, I thought I was too old to learn a new skill. I grew up riding horses. I thought I’m
See PASTIME, Page 8
Inspired by her son, Liberty Hill resident Megan Lacy is taking on the challenge of learning Kung Fu, using the Chinese martial art to find mental and physical balance during the pandemic. (Courtesy Photo)
LIBERTY HILL BUSINESSES
Texas Taco Kitchen puts focus on fresh, homemade ingredients
By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer The tortillas? Homemade. The salsa? Homemade. The chips? Homemade. The dressings? You guessed it—homemade. At Texas Taco Kitchen, owner Jordan Melchor takes pride in offering customers delicious foods, from the high-quality meats to the freshly chopped vegetables. “I wanted to give Liberty Hill a nice fresh option,” he said. “We are a scratch kitchen. We break down all our own pork and beef, and our veggies are chopped fresh every day. There is fast food everywhere around here, but we wanted to be able to provide meals that are quick as well as high quality and fresh.” Melchor wanted to open a taco restaurant because of his love for Mexican food, and several family recipes from his grandmother, aunt, and parents that he knew would be good quality and well executed. His background is in the restaurant hospitality industry, where he ©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent
RACHEL MADISON PHOTO
The new Liberty Hill location of Higginbotham Brothers will have 10,000 square feet of retail space as well as two large lumber sheds and more than 50 parking spaces for customers. The store is set to open in October.
Higginbotham Brothers chooses local for next hardware store
RACHEL MADISON PHOTO
Jordan Melchor, owner of Texas Taco Kitchen, shows off a couple of his restaurant’s most popular dishes, like the beef fajita taco and build-your-own salad, in the dining area of Texas Taco Kitchen. The restaurant is not currently open for dining in, but curbside orders are available. spent several years working for Smokey Mo’s BBQ. “My family owned several Smokey Mo’s franchises, so I was brought up through the restaurant world,” Melchor said. “I started as a dishwasher and eventually moved up to the business side of things. I guess
I liked it so much I decided to get out and open a restaurant on my own. I love interacting with people and building relationships. It’s not just about serving food and running a restaurant, it’s about the
See TACO, Page 4
By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer Across the state of Texas, dozens of small towns are home to Comanche-based lumber and hardware store Higginbotham Brothers, and Liberty Hill is about to be added to that list. Jace Mattinson, chief financial officer for Higginbotham Brothers and Liberty Hill resident, said the company opened its first store in 1881 and has been expanding ever since. The stores, which provide everything from lumber and building materials to lawn and garden products, are staples in a number of small towns across Texas—and one
in Oklahoma—and are still owned by descendants of the original Higginbotham family. The Higginbothams moved to Dublin, Texas, from Water Valley, Miss., in 1880. The very first Higginbotham Brothers store, opened in 1881, was a general mercantile in Deleon. By the early 1900s the brothers, along with other relatives, had opened eight more general stores in Texas towns like Ballinger, Comanche, Dublin, Rising Star and Stephenville. The organization continued to grow and evolve into a hardware and lumber supplier, and in 1999, current CEO Rufus Duncan, Jr., a great-grandson
of one of the original founders, purchased Higginbotham Brothers. Duncan also owns several Big Tin Barn hardware stores in Texas. The Liberty Hill location will be Higginbotham Brothers’ 42nd store. “This store is being built from the ground up, basically to custom fit the Liberty Hill area,” Mattinson said. “Liberty Hill has been growing like wildfire and a lot of people have to go into town to either Lowes or Home Depot for hardware and lumber, which is really quite a way to go to get the products they want.” The parking lot will have
See BROTHERS, Page 5