Issuu

2020

Volume 33, Issue 17

First 4 COVID-19 cases conﬁrmed in WilCo

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Williamson County health ofﬁcials announced the ﬁrst four known cases of the COVID-19 virus in the county Wednesday afternoon, and said with the expansion of testing for the virus that number is expected to climb. The four cases include a female in her 40s who has been self-quarantined, a male in his 50s with exposure to a known case, an infant who is a close contact with a separate known case, and a female in her 40s who has known travel history to France. The Williamson County and Cities Health District will identify potential contacts exposed to the virus and provide close contacts guidance about the virus and monitor them for the development of symptoms. In response to these cases, County Judge Bill Gravell announced two additional measures in the county intended to help minimize the spread of the virus. Days after issuing rules limiting gatherings to 50 people, Gravell dropped that number to 10, saying that the rule applied to all gatherings including church services, weddings and funerals. Gravell also announced that during the county disaster declaration – which was extended Wednesday until the Commissioners Court takes action on it – common dining areas in restaurants and common indoor and outdoor bar spaces are to be closed. Restaurants will be able to remain open for carry out and delivery service only. Local changes Mayor Rick Hall signed a disaster declaration Monday for the City of Liberty Hill. The City joins the cities of Georgetown, Leander, Cedar Park and Williamson County locally in making the disaster declaration. “It sets us up in case anything escalates with coronavirus so that we can receive federal and state funds when they are

See CASES, Page 4

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March 19, 2020 | 50 Cents

Local businesses get creative during pandemic

By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer Small businesses across Liberty Hill have been forced to think outside the box in order to keep serving customers amid the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. From shutting their doors and moving to a completely online platform to taking extreme sanitation measures, local companies are doing their best to keep their lights on, pay their employees and continue to serve the Liberty Hill community. Retail stores have taken different approaches to allow customers to still shop while practicing self-quarantine and social distancing. For example, Dollar General has dedicated the ﬁrst hour each day to senior shoppers, who are the most susceptible to COVID-19; and Pep & Punch is offering a “doorbell dash” service where customers can place an order and store employees will deliver their items to their homes. Kami Pogue, owner of the Blue Door Gift Store & Boutique, said she is keeping her doors open for now, and has

MIKE EDDLEMAN PHOTO

RACHEL MADISON PHOTO

Tiffany Miller, patient care technician at Care First Walk in Clinic, waits in the outside screening area at the clinic. Anyone planning to enter the clinic is required to be screened before going inside. instituted a strict sanitizing FaceTime her and she can shop program. with them over the phone. “We can walk around with “We are preparing for the worst, but expecting the best,” them and they can pick out she said. “We keep everything what they want,” she said. wiped down, and anytime any- “That way it’s a more personal one touches our doors we clean experience and we get to visthem, and anytime a customer it with our customers. That’s comes in we clean behind our primary goal anyway—to them. We also have hand san- love our community well and itizer everywhere.” minister to them. When people Pogue has also been ramping do come in, we have a positive up her online store and is inSee BUSINESS, Page 5 viting customers to call in or

LHISD Superintendent Steve Snell joined superintendents and County Judge Bill Gravell in Georgetown to address how districts are working together during school closures.

Schools closed, opening new ways to meet needs

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor GEORGETOWN -- Liberty Hill ISD announced Monday that students would not return to class until April 6 -- a decision made by all Williamson County school districts as the list of districts closing across the state swells daily. “This is unlike any other emergency situation,” said LHISD Superintendent Steve

Snell. “I’ve dealt with hurricanes, I’ve dealt with school closures and we’ve dealt with bad weather days, obviously, but this is a new and interesting front. It’s the enemy we can’t see and the enemy we don’t know a whole lot about. We’re taking steps that the experts in the health department say we should take

See SCHOOLS, Page 8

Food stores adjusting to panic-buying

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer As worries grow about the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and the rest of the world, local grocery stores are having to cope with increased demand for food, water, toilet paper, and other items. In downtown Liberty Hill, Parker’s Market is providing locals with the essential items they need, working hard to meet an ever-growing demand. “H-E-B doesn’t have anything, Costco doesn’t have anything, and Restaurant Depot is on limits for everything, if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have anything,” said Manager Kimberly Woolsey. “Business is really good, but for people who need just a couple of things, there’s nothing left,” said Woolsey. Woolsey worries about a possible time when people have so much at home that

ANTHONY FLORES PHOTO

Shelves where toilet paper and paper towels should be are often bare at the H-E-B in Leander as customers clear them out as fast See FOOD, Page 4 as employees stock them.

Local charities see heightened need

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor As items at local grocery stores ﬂy off the shelves as fast as they are stocked, a pair of local charitable organizations are feeling the pinch in their efforts to serve others. Operation Liberty Hill and Hope House are already identifying needs the community can help meet as preparation for the unknowns of the immediate future begin. “We really just started talking about it early this week when they started closing the school districts in Austin,” said Operation Liberty Hill (OLH) Executive Director Susan Baker. “We

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started talking about the people we’re going to need to deliver food to, the lack of volunteers we will be faced with because of this, and I don’t think anyone knows the impact this is going to have on any organization, especially a food pantry. I don’t know how it will impact us in the end, we just don’t know what to expect.” It is the unknown that has led OLH to make the call to the community for food and monetary donations. “If the food is clearing off the shelves at the grocery store, people are going to come to us,” Baker said. “We’ve got to maintain our stock. We already buy meat, and we’ve had to tell people that come in on a weekly basis that they can only get the meat once a month. With the shortage we just don’t have enough for everyone to get it every single week. Unless we

get some funds we will just have to do the once a month for the meat.” Monetary donations are needed to purchase meat and necessity items, and a tax-deductible donation can be made online at operationlh.org or by mail at PO Box 1081, Liberty Hill 78642. The following items are needed to increase stock: • Bottled water (gallon or smaller) • Canned meats (tuna, chicken, Vienna sausage, Spam, etc.) • Dry pinto beans • Spaghetti • Canned beans • Shelf stable milk • Toiletries (shampoo, body soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toilet paper) • Detergent • Dish soap

See CHARITIES, Page 5

Dean out as EDC head

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation (EDC) voted Monday to accept the resignation of Executive Director Lance Dean -- nearly a month after the Board voted not to renew his contract. The resignation is effective March 27. Dean was hired in March 2017. The vote was unanimous, with Director Steve Snell absent, and followed a 50-minute executive session on the matter. As part of the motion accepting the resignation, the Board also “authorized the EDC Board President to enter into a consulting services agreement on the terms discussed in executive session.” On Monday, The Indepen-

dent requested details from the City on the consulting services agreement, including who it was with, but did not receive a response by press time Wednesday. The Board put Dean’s future with the Liberty Hill EDC in question at a Feb. 20 meeting when it voted not to renew his contract. In that meeting, called for the sole purpose of discussing the issue in executive session, the Board chose not to renew the contract – which is structured to be renewed annually – based on the desire to make changes to that contract. According to Board President John Johnston, no details of the decision could be shared because the issue was a personnel matter taken up in closed session. “We wanted to do some

Lance Dean resigned this week as Liberty Hill EDC Executive Director. changing on (the contract), and all that was in closed session,” Johnston said at that time. “To do that, the ﬁrst thing we have to do is not renew it if we’re

See DEAN, Page 3

Page 2

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Liberty Hill Police Blotter Prepared by Liberty Hill Police Department

Week of March 9-15, 2020 The Liberty Hill Police Department responded to or self-initiated a total of 319 incidents resulting in eight cases, 31 citations, 61 warnings and two arrests.

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Weekly Highlights: - On March 9 at approximately 1:20 PM, officers responded to the 12000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident. - On March 9 at approximately 6:30 PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic hazard resulting in the arrest of a male adult for driving while intoxicated. - On March 9 at approximately 9:44 PM, officers responded to Stonewall Parkway to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On March 10 at approximately 5:48 AM, officers responded to Ford Street for a suspicious incident. - On March 10 at approximately 8:55 AM, officers responded to Ronald Reagan Blvd. for an accident. - On March 10 at approximately 3:44PM, officers responded to 1000 block of Loop 332 for

suspicious activity. - On March 10 at approximately 8:09 PM, officers responded to Continental Ave. for a runaway. - On March 11 at approximately 7:12 AM, officers responded to W. SH 29 and Stonewall Pkwy, for an accident. - On March 11 at approximately 12:26 PM, officers responded to 700 block of Loop 332 for suspicious activity. - On March 11 at approximately 9:05 PM, officers responded to Independence Ave for a suspicious incident. - On March 12 at approximately 9:59 PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic hazard. - On March 13 at approximately 5:52 AM, officers responded to the 1000 block of Loop 332 to assist the Liberty Hill Fire/ EMS. - On March 13 at approximately 10:08 AM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for an animal bite complaint. - On March 13 at approximately 9:51 PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a noise complaint.

- On March 14 at approximately 3:08 PM, officers responded Ronald Reagan Blvd to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On March 14 at approximately 6:26 PM, officers responded to San Gabriel Ranch Road to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On March 14 at approximately 11:05 PM, officers arrested a male adult with outstanding warrants, as the result of a traffic stop at the 2000 block of RM 1869. - On March 15 at approximately 4:22 AM, officers responded to the 9000 block of W. SH 29 to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On March 15 at approximately 11:30 AM officer responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident. - On March 15 at approximately 6:45 PM, officers responded to Forrest Street for a trespassing complaint. - On March 15 at approximately 8:50 PM, officers responded to the 3000 block of RM 1869 for a suspicious incident,

Shin Oak Ridge Bulletin Board Send news to: News@LHIndependent.com

Public Meetings

The following are standing open meetings that are subject to change within the guidelines set forth by the Texas Open Meetings Act. For the most current meeting postings, and meeting agendas, visit the respective websites. - Liberty Hill City Council, 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 23 at City Council Chamber, 2801 RR 1869. libertyhilltx.gov/agendacenter - Liberty Hill ISD Board

of Trustees, 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, 2020, at LHISD Administration Bldg., 301 Forrest Street. libertyhill.txed.net

Liberty Hill Garden Club

The April 14th meeting of the Liberty Hill Garden Club is cancelled so that members can stay secure at home and remain healthy. We will resume meeting on May 12th; this meeting will be induction

of new ofﬁcers, pot luck and voting on next years budget. Visitors are welcome. We will then take the summer off as usual and start the next ﬁscal year in September. Happy Gardening!

Event Cancellations

Readers are encouraged to visit www.LHIndependent. com for rapidly-changing announcements regarding public events, business closures and more.

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Thursday, March 19, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

New normal, same focus

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Normal is not a word we can apply its normal definition to these days. My 12year old thinks she might enjoy being out of school a few more weeks, but she also wonders why the grocery store is overrun and she can only get a hamburger through the drive thru. She told me she wished there was more on the news than coronavirus. I wish I could give her an answer to all those questions that made sense. For today, this is the new normal. Tomorrow, it will surely be slightly different, and so on. For some, the answer is to cling to normal to the last breath, choosing to ﬁght change, knowing deep down it means an admission that normal can’t be what it was even a week ago. Others scoff at normal as a sign of ignorance, or some insanely cavalier reaction to a new threat that endangers us all. Hopefully, today’s normal

can be somewhere in between. What we really want is some clarity and a plan. It’s not the virus and it’s not what we will have to do to cope with it. It’s the unknown that deprives us of our normal. We don’t like disruption. We don’t like having to pinpoint that middle ground between worrying we aren’t doing enough and looking foolish for overreacting. If we had a speciﬁc plan that led to speciﬁc outcomes we would all play our part and reach that end. We would do it together, with everyone understanding their role. But we don’t know our parts or the plan beyond the next few hours. As fast as we have digested the changes dictated by this pandemic, the next plate full of news has been pushed in front of us to swallow. The indigestion and heartburn are real. There are a lot of things happening today that drown out the word normal. Countries are closed down. Sport doesn’t exist on any level. People are getting sick, and some of those people are dying. Restaurants are closing, movie theaters have shuttered and concerts have been postponed. School is not in session. People cough

and we wonder immediately, and yes, toilet paper and hand sanitizer seem nowhere to be found. Words like disaster and pandemic don’t ﬁt well in a sentence with the word normal. We wake up not knowing what the day will bring and we go to bed too tired to even make sense of all we went through and heard. This reality exhausts us and it creates anxiety and worry. We should be thinking in terms of precautions and minimizing the impact rather than fretting over a solution. Plenty of people – the same ones who have helped us all understand the important prevention measures we practice today – are working on treatment options and vaccines for this virus. Our responsibility, in many cases, is more personal and much closer to home. Real normal, right now, is nothing more than deciding what we can do each day to bring some comfort and joy to that day, and working toward a better tomorrow. The normal we knew 10 days ago may be back very soon. It may be back in two weeks, or perhaps a few months. It may never return completely. But achieving that

normal we’ve had to detach from all of the sudden can’t be the gauge of our success and happiness today. My advice to my daughter is trust those she loves as she always has. I remind her that there will be moments in life that seem so unreal and different that we feel like things have changed forever. But even in those moments we swing back toward the generic normal where a day is just a day and doesn’t come with an overload of what ifs and decisions that seem more weighty than ever. Today, normal is doing what we can to keep ourselves and those around us safe and healthy. Normal is doing our jobs the best way we can in the face of dramatic change. Normal is ﬁnding happiness in the smile on our children’s faces and seeking ways we can give comfort and inspire conﬁdence. In this normal we help each other where we can, and we reassure one another that together, life will one day resemble that almost indistinguishable every day normal once again.

Toilet paper hording is instinctive, not learned

By WILT CUTTER Columnist Back before Joseph Gayetty invented the ﬂat sheets of toilet paper, people were using all manner of personal hygiene materials. Around here, stories are handed down about the afterglow of corn canning season and the abundance of the abandoned cobs being cut, shaved of all left over corn material and dried and then being pressed into service for the unmentionable task. I’ve heard it was a rough time. Think about it. The more corn you grew the more food for your family and your livestock, and the byproduct was stacked neatly in the corner of the barn for easy transference to the outhouse. Having a good supply of corn cobs on hand

DEAN

was a sign of the Shin Oak Ridge middle class. Face it, humans have been stacking leaves and hording all manner of butt cleaning materials since they swung down out of the trees in the Garden of Eden, which is still located between Liberty Hill and Cow’s Creek. So, hoarding toilet paper is instinctive, muscle memory back to a time when entire tribes of hillbillies were stranded in outhouses all over Western Williamson County. Families stuck on the foul smelling potties of yesteryear. And we are bred with that horriﬁc memory that causes us to rise up in a time of upper respiratory crisis and cling to our guns, religion and toilet paper. This part of Texas has a rich history of people burying the hatchet during times of crisis. Sworn blood enemies laying down their pistolas and shaking hands (or virtual elbow

Continued from Page 1

going to change it. It was all stuff in closed session so I really can’t talk to you about it.” When asked why the Board chose not to renew the contract as opposed to negotiating changes through the renewal process, Johnston insisted it was necessary to vote not to renew it. “We didn’t want it to stand for another year,” he said. “We had to cancel so it would not renew.” As far as what changes the Board was considering for the position or the contract, Johnston again cited his inability to disclose information regarding

personnel matters discussed in closed session. “(The changes have) yet to be determined,” he said. “(The) changes are up to the Board and we have not met to discuss those changes.” Board member Jack Harkrider, one of three members tasked with looking at the contract and potential changes along with Johnston and John Clark, said at the time he hoped to clear the issue up soon, and said he had “no inclination to let Lance go,” adding, “we just need to get the contract set up then we will discuss it at some point.”

bumping) in order to make peace during a time of hardship and turmoil. Today, at the gas station that doubles as a hard luck restaurant, I nodded to a man who has hated the Cutters since my granddaddy’s time. Something to do with the price of a goat -- details are sketchy when it comes to real, legitimate feuding. But because of the coronavirus and things being uncertain, and we might never be facing across the beds of our pickups pumping gas ever, ever again, I felt a funny scratchiness in my throat. The Oak, Cedar and Mold allergens went to bothering me, all sudden like. So I took a big chance and looked over at him and nodded. He nodded back and asked if momma and them were doing alright. And I asked about his boy. Not the one that went to jail, the other one. It was nice. However, some of you are

going to need to go to confession about this pushing and shoving that’s been going on in the embattled aisles of the Walmart, and the H-E-B. By the way, they don’t put up with that in the Target. They’ll call the police on your crazy behavior. That mean stuff isn’t instinct, that’s learned. Talking trash to the other rude mommies. Pushing them out of the way to snatch toilet paper? Why that has to be some kind of learned Austin/Houston/Cali behavior. We don’t act like that around here. I don’t care what selfhelp church you attend. Out here on the Shin Oak Ridge our kids may knock the hell out of one another on the line of scrimmage but we’ll split the last roll of toilet paper with you, even if you’re from Burnet.

It is unknown whether the three members met to discuss potential contract changes between the Feb. 20 and March 16 meetings. The decision left Dean in limbo with a contract expiring at the end of March and no public indication about whether he might be offered a new contract following any possible changes. He declined to comment on the issue in February, but at the time said he had not expected the renewal of his contract to be an issue. Dean could not be reached for comment following his resig-

nation Monday. Mayor Rick Hall refused to comment on the decisions of the EDC Board in February, saying he was unaware of the Board’s plan. “I have no clue, that is the EDC’s decision,” Hall said in February. “They have their board that the position is reporting to and if they make any decision it will have to come to the Council for ﬁnal approval, but no decision is to be made by the City before they bring it to us. In a nutshell, I have no comment.”

Page 3

EDITORIAL:

Economic health another critical concern

First, we think about the health of our friends and families. Nothing can be more important than that as we deal with the unknowns surrounding COVID-19. But we don’t have to look very far to identify other residual concerns we must cope with as we tend to our physical health. The health of our businesses, which is forever tied to the health of our community as a whole, is a second concern that creates more worry among business owners every day. But just like we can take precautions to minimize the impact of the virus on our physical health here in Liberty Hill, we can work to minimize how it impacts our economy as well. Local businesses are the lifeblood of Liberty Hill. The city and school district rely on these businesses, and residents need local shops, restaurants and services to live the life they expect and desire in Liberty Hill. The Independent is not immune to the concerns local businesses are experiencing. But like all other small businesses in Liberty Hill, the 32-year-old newspaper is adjusting quickly and is dedicated to weathering the storm. We are also focused on offering what we can to help minimize the impact on our partners in the community. Other businesses rely on us just as we rely on them. It is no different than neighbors calling on one another. We are determined to continue to strengthen the local business community even in the face of an unknown future. How has your business changed? What do customers need to know about how you have adjusted how you operate? The Independent doesn’t

want to break the rule of no more than 10 people together, but the newspaper can bring your message to 1,500 homes and virtually to more than 7,500 social media followers. If you have different hours, tell us and we’ll tell everyone else. A limited menu or online-only sales? We can get that message out for you. All you have to do is let us know, and each week The Independent will be publishing important changes and information from local businesses to make it that much easier to connect them with their customers. The only way to minimize the pain and anxiety for local small businesses is to keep the business going. While you can no longer go sit down for a meal, many area restaurants are preparing to offer expanded take out or delivery services. Caution doesn’t mean you have to go without your favorite local meals. Maybe it doesn’t seem like the time to go on a shopping spree, but there’s still that aunt in Lubbock that has a birthday coming up and one of our local shops probably has the perfect item. Insurance still has to be purchased, taxes still have to be ﬁled and of course, doctors have to be seen. This is as good a time as any to make the decision not to leave Liberty Hill for any of these necessities. Our businesses and area non-proﬁt organizations need our support more than ever. And if we all have one eye on a future that resembles today, we need to do what we can to promote the health of every part of Liberty Hill so that this virus and the current state of affairs don’t claim any economic victims.

For more than 32 years, THE INDEPENDENT has been the trusted source of local news. During these rapidly-changing, challenging times, you can continue to trust our coverage of COVID-19 and the virus’ impact on our hometown. If you’re not already subscribing to the newspaper, please consider it now. Your subscription (only $25/year) - either in print or online - helps our locally-owned small business continue to provide critical advertising support for other small businesses in our community. Your subscription also ensures that we can continue to provide you with the most current news from trusted, experienced journalists. Journalism Matters! Thank you for reading. Subscribe today online at www.lhindependent.com/Subscriptions

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

OBITUARIES Robert Edward Harris Jerry Wayne Payne

Robert (Bob) Edward Harris, 80, died Friday, February 21, 2020 at home surrounded by family. Being an avid HAM radio fan, he was determined to live one more day, not to miss Thursday’s HAM radio night! Born and raised in Clarkesville, GA, the son of William Roscoe and Bertha Jane (Senkbeil) Harris. He was the baby of five, having three sisters and one brother. Bob joined the U.S. Army where he dedicated 20 years of service and eventually retired as Sergeant First Class. A major highlight during his service was meeting his wife, Lisa (Liesel) while stationed in Germany. They were married in 1964. After retiring from the military, he settled in Liberty Hill. He then started working for 3M in Austin and spent the next 22 years there before retiring a second time. Amazingly, he never took a sick day while in the service or at 3M. Bob had a passion for Ham Radio, because he loved meeting and talking with people. He got his license in 1965 and his call sign was “WD5BNB”. He drove to Jarrell and helped communicate with red cross and first responders during the horrific tornado.

CASES

He leaves his wife of 55 years, Elisabeth (Lisa) Harris; his daughter’s, Marita Lloyd, Chris Copeland (James Copeland), Linda Harris (Reggie Leuty), Jill Cearley (Nathan Cearley); grandchildren, Victoria Knam, Stephanie Brown (Jeffrey Brown), Nicholas Copeland, Carson Cearley, Kinley Cearley; great grandchildren Samantha Lloyd, Perry Brown; siblings Elizabeth (Liz) Simmons and Susie York; many nieces, nephew, cousins, and close friends. A heartfelt thanks to Nurse Debbie, Martha, Lucy, and Claudia. The care you gave Bob was truly remarkable! You are all Angels! A graveside service was held in February at Liberty Hill Cemetery.

Continued from Page 1

allocated,” Hall said. He said public meetings are cancelled with the exception of City Council, the Economic Development Corporation and Planning and Zoning up to May 11. The City announced Wednesday that while City Hall, the planning department and municipal court will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, there would be no access to the public. Online payment options for court and water bills will continue to be available as well as the drop box behind City Hall. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott approved the suspension of certain open-meeting statutes this week, allowing for telephonic or video-conference meetings of governmental bodies that

are accessible to the public in an effort to reduce in-person meetings that assemble large groups of people. Requirements for holding a telephonic or video-conference meeting include: allowing the public to participate and address the governmental body during any telephonic or video-conference meeting; the governmental body must post a written notice that gives the public a way to participate remotely, such as a toll-free dial-in number, and that includes an electronic copy of any agenda packet that ofﬁcials will consider at the meeting; and the governmental body must provide the public with access to a recording of any telephonic or video-conference meeting.

Jerry Wayne Payne, born on September 13, 1951 to Hazel and Arlie Payne, passed away on March 14, 2020. Known to many as the Mufﬂer Man, loved most of his 34 plus years of exhaust work. A funeral service is planned for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 18, at First Baptist Church of Bertram with interment to follow at Mt. Zion Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday evening at the funeral home. Jerry is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sue Pearson Payne; daughter, Wendy and husband Mike Dominguez; son, Jerremy and wife Cassie Payne; Anthony and Susan Valdez; seven grandkids, Nick, Dylan, Emily, Jadan, Justin, Holden, Serrie; brother, Robert and wife Penny Payne; sister, Gloria Jackson; brother in law, Lacy and wife Rhonda Pearson; Billy and Louise Pearson; sister

The City of Liberty Hill and Liberty Hill ISD, both of which have meetings scheduled for Monday, March 23, have not indicated they plan to use the telephonic or videoconference option for their meeting. Community events Hall added that two downtown music events slated for Friday and Sunday had been canceled. The Liberty Hill Fair and Rodeo and the Panther Pit Crew BBQ Cookoff have been postponed with a new date yet to be determined. At the present time the Whimsy & Wonder Festival planned for May 16 is still scheduled. Municipal court dockets for April 6 and May 4 have been canceled. The March Chamber of Com-

in law, Gail Pearson as well as several nieces and nephews, great and great great nieces and nephews. Also, adopted kids, grandkids, great grandkids and great god granddaughter. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hazel Carpenter and Arlie Payne as well as younger brother, James Payne. Honoring Jerry as Pallbearers will be, Brandon and Keith Reese, Cody Payne, Collen Ratliff, Kerry Zinz and Colton and Casey Moore. Honorary Pallbearers will be Alan Payne, Paul Reese, Bill Burgess, Terry Zinz and Justin Mathers. Arrangements under the care of Jenkins Funeral Home, Burnet, Texas.

merce Lunch & Learn and the police department’s Donuts with the Chief have been canceled as well. Public Library closure The Liberty Hill Public Library announced the library will be closed through April 2, with a current plan to open again at 10 a.m., April 3. No ﬁnes will be assessed during the closure and patrons are encouraged to keep all library materials until it reopens. Liberty Hill Youth League All Liberty Hill Youth League facilities are closed effective immediately and all scheduled practices, on and off-site, have been suspended until April 6, and league ofﬁcials have said their future plans for resuming

See ANNOUNCEMENTS, Page 8

In response to the National Emergency due to the COVID-19 Virus, here is how we are doing our part to help contain the virus. Farmers Insurance and our local Liberty Hill office will remain open. However, face to face visits may need to cease. Phone calls, video calls, texts, and emails will continue daily without interruption. Farmers Insurance will continue with Customer Service Support, Quotes, Claims and all other Online Services as normal. The McCoy Agency is taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our family, friends and clients. Forgive us for not shaking hands or extending hugs, as usual. Please know we are here in our community to help anyway we can with this emergency. Our Goal is to help PROTECT what’s important to you and your family. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to continuing serving you and your family.

Honest, Local and Trusted David & Christa McCoy – Agents Wendy Neill – Agent April Cameron – Agent

512 900-4422 • 12780 W Hwy 29, Liberty Hill

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Thursday, March 19, 2020

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venturing out to the store isn’t necessary. “I don’t think the rush is going to last for that long,” she said. “Pretty soon, everybody is going to be so stocked up that they won’t need anything else, and then the business is going to be slow.” Dollar General on SH 29 is facing the same challenges as many other stores in the area – long lines and a shortage of supplies. Aisles usually filled with toilet paper and paper towels are empty. Oklahoma native Celia Fink, shopping at Dollar General Tuesday, said she believes COVID-19 is serious and that people need to view it as not just hype. “I just wish everyone would get together on the same page because it’s severe,” she said. “Our President, too, because this is serious.” Fink, who is worried about the severity of the issue, is hearing similar stories from her home state of Oklahoma. “I got an email from a friend in Oklahoma who comes from a very small town, and she said it was nothing like down here,” said Fink. “The next day, she sent me a picture, and all the shelves in this small, small town were gone.” The reason for the wild reactions from people across the nation is a fear of the unknown, of what’s to come next. Ms. Brown, a Dollar General shopper who preferred not to have her first name published, believes the media has played a large part in the negativity being spread. “It’s not a hoax, but more people have died from the flu than they have this thing,” said Brown. “The media has made it out worse than what it is. Eighteen thousand people died from the flu last year. They never tell you about the people that have recovered from this.” She believes there should have been a swifter response by stores to limit the number of items people can buy. “These stingy people buying in mass quantities need to be punished because it’s wrong

what they’re doing,” Brown said. “When this thing hit, they should have started limiting how many things people could get.” H-E-B is now limiting the quantities that customers may purchase. Along the aisles, and on many of the glass doors in the frozen foods section, there are notes informing customers of the limits on particular items. Like in a majority of other places, Leander’s H-E-B Plus earlier this week was short of poultry and beef, and there were no paper towels or toilet paper. On their website, H-E-B included a list of items and the maximum quantity allowed for purchase. The Texas grocery chain has adjusted store hours to allow time for restocking. Store hours are now from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. until further notice. H-E-B Food Item Limits Chicken – 4 units Ground beef – 4 units Water – 2 multipacks and 2 gallons, a total of 4 items Eggs – 2 units Frozen vegetables – 4 units Frozen breakfast – 4 units Frozen pizza – 4 units Boxed dinners – 8 units Pasta – 4 units Pasta sauce: 4 units Rice – 4 units Canned soup – 8 units Canned vegetables – 8 units Canned beans – 8 units Canned seafood – 8 units Canned meat – 8 units Dried beans – 4 units Nut butter – 4 units Oatmeal – 4 units Cereal – 4 units Bread – 4 units Milk – 2 units Powdered milk – 2 units Non-food Item Limits Baby diapers – 2 units Baby wipes – 2 units Toilet paper – 2 units Paper towels: 4 units Disinfecting & antibacterial sprays/wipes – 4 units Liquid bleach – 2 units Hand sanitizer – 2 units Hand soap – 2 units Hydrogen peroxide – 2 units Rubbing (Isopropyl) alcohol/ swabs – 2 units Latex gloves – 2 units Masks – 2 units

Thursday, March 19, 2020

BUSINESS

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

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attitude. We’re trying to get their minds off all this and spread joy.” Tami Spearman, owner of Simply Home Decor & More, said as an established and thriving business, it’s been interesting to see the last two weeks unwind and wonder what’s ahead. “Traffic has certainly been lower,” she said. “However, we still have shoppers. We are remaining open unless told otherwise or feel led to close for the safety of ourselves and others. We are in prayer about our decision and feel this is best for us at this time.” Spearman added that she’s adjusted the store’s everyday procedures. Cleaning and sterilization have increased, and she is pushing online sales more. “We also have advertised that we will help customers via FaceTime or messenger or text,” she said. “They can tell us what they need, we send pictures, and they purchase. They can then pull up to the store, text us and we will carry their bags out. They never have to leave their car if they choose that option.” Spearman added that she is remaining positive and upbeat for the community and will continue to serve people as long as it’s an option and not detrimental to anyone’s health. “Our store’s purpose has always been to be a mission field for the community, and I feel strongly that we are still carrying out that vision right now,” she said. “That could change quickly as new developments and updates occur, but for now we are happy to be open and serving our Liberty Hill community.” Christina Hobbs, co-owner of The Wildflower Republic, said last week, she and the other store owners weren’t sure what the pandemic would mean for their business, but by the first of this week, they knew they had to do something. “Last Saturday, we only had two people come in all day, and usually we are pretty busy on Saturdays,” she said. “We realized people weren’t shop-

ping and we also know in Liberty Hill there are a lot of kids that have autoimmune issues and we were thinking about them and wanted to protect Liberty Hill from this virus as much as we can, so we ultimately decided to close our physical doors.” At first, Hobbs said there weren’t any plans to move to a completely online platform at the store, but several community members reached out and asked how they could support their business. “We were going to just close, but enough people reached out to us over the weekend that we decided to move everything online,” she said. “We won’t ship out of the city, but we uploaded all our inventory online and we will offer a porch pickup from our porches.” Hobbs added that closing their physical doors was also a decision they made to encourage people to stay home. “If we’re open that gives people a reason to go out, and this is how we can help the community and try to stay virus free,” she said. While business owners are making modifications in order to keep customers, they also worry it may not be enough. “It’s concerning because even though our store is closed, we still have to pay rent, electricity, Internet,” Hobbs said. “We still have bills while we aren’t necessarily selling product. The scariest thing is we don’t know when this is going to end. We keep hearing May or June. That gets kind of scary because that’s months of bills.” Pogue echoed similar concerns. “We have to make rent,” she said. “I’m going through my bills and cutting things that aren’t necessary to lower my overhead as much as possible. That’s what it’ll be over the next couple of months to keep the lights on. We’re happy to meet people at the door with the items they need or drop them off at their house. We will go above and beyond to keep our business afloat through this time.”

Real Estate When it comes to buying and selling homes, the local and national economy’s unsure futures are what might keep people from moving, said Shane White of RE/MAX Town & Country. “When it comes to real estate, it’s more about what the market is doing versus the virus itself,” he said. “This is just really uncharted territory about how the virus will affect the local and national economy. We have seen a little bit of fallout, but not a huge amount so far. I think we’ll see a dip in the market, but I don’t think it’ll be long term.” White said he and his agents are working on different ways they can continue to help people buy and sell their homes while also protecting their health and safety. Virtual meetings, via platforms like Zoom, and helping sellers keep their homes sanitized during walk-throughs of potential buyers are two things he has implemented. “I’ve told my ofﬁce that if they don’t feel comfortable meeting with clients or showing properties because of what’s going on, that we could work around that,” he said. “We’ve also put a message out to current sellers that if they have concerns about people coming in and looking at their homes, we would be glad to put instructions on using hand sanitizer and supply that at the property.” White added that as uncertainty progresses, the real estate industry has several options when it comes to staying aﬂoat. “I just read something from another agent that they’re going to do video walk-throughs of houses and 3D imaging, where people can get an idea of what that house offers without physically going there,” he said. “We may need to set up some videos like that, so that we have virtual showings.” White said interest rates are at historical lows for buyers, so from that standpoint it’s still a good time to purchase a home if buyers aren’t fearful of what

the economy may bring as a result of the pandemic.

Baker anticipates the need to increase food and meal deliveries as well. “We will probably be delivering more meals to our elderly clients, or the ones that have compromised immune systems because they won’t want to come in when there are crowds here,” she said. “We are probably going to need more drivers. We already have a program called Drive Care, but we only have about ﬁve drivers and they’re taking people to doctors appointments and any place they need to go, so this is just going to be an extra burden on that program.” Those interested in delivering food and have the proper liability insurance are encouraged to volunteer. Baker said many OLH volunteers are over 60 and may not be coming in to work so volunteers will be

needed in the food pantry. The thrift store will be closed through April 6. “We need volunteers to help put together food orders,” she said. “There are those three opportunities just for preparing food orders as clients come in. There are also opportunities for stocking the shelves when we get donations or when we purchase food.” The food pantry distributes food Tuesday and Thursday then gives out produce and bread along with other perishable items on Saturday. While the need is greatest for items identiﬁed, Baker said any donations are helpful in times like this. “If they don’t have these items necessarily, any nonperishable food items will be good because if it gets real bad, if they have something they can put in

their belly it is better than nothing at all, of course,” she said. “These are the most popular things people ask for.” One of the biggest needs that she expects to see is not food at all. “Toiletries are something people can’t get with their food stamps, so we’re always looking for toiletry donations,” Baker said. Local food drives are encouraged as another way to help keep shelves stocked. “If people wanted to do a small drive in their own community, that would be awesome and it is something more doable with the kids on break,”

Baker said. “One of the most effective drives we’ve seen is where people will put a bag on someone’s front porch, write on it that they’ll be back to pick up this bag and here’s a list of what the pantry needs.” Items like hand sanitizer, Lysol spray and Lysol wipes for workers at OLH are also important, and that’s where Hope House also ﬁnds itself most in need. “What we’re running low on is hand sanitizer,” said Erland Shulze with Hope House. “I don’t know if anyone has any or can get any, but the state says we need a bottle for every person, and that’s 54 bottles

CHARITIES Continued from Page 1

Services At Indigo Salon, owner Jaime Amezquita said it’s been difﬁcult to make decisions around the pandemic because the beauty industry is one that is so intimate. “The CDC is suggesting a six-foot distance at minimum from your fellow man, but being in an industry that is so intimate, like as a hair stylist, you’re faced with the inability to keep up with that recommendation,” she said. “We’re probably going on the extreme side, but we are implementing a whole new set of sanitation guidelines.” She said her salon has always had very speciﬁc procedures that it must follow, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, but she has implemented more frequent hand washing among employees, and as soon as guests arrive, they’re asked to wash their hands as well. “We’ve taken out our couch because it’s a porous surface, so guests are now sitting at our table and chairs, and we’re leaving Lysol wipes out so they can clean the area they sat at,” she said. “We’re also going to take everybody’s temperature who comes in, and if anyone has any sign of coughing or anything of that nature, they’re going to be asked to leave.” Amezquita doesn’t expect Indigo Salon to stay open much longer, because the worse things get, the harder it will be to keep a full schedule of clients. “We’re at that point of do we close and let our employees suffer for hopefully not too long, or do we stay open and risk everything?” she said. “I’m hoping most people will see that we’re being proactive. If this virus has traveled all the way from China to Austin there’s something to be said about it.” WeClean Home Solutions co-owner Amy Thompson said she didn’t see an impact from the virus pandemic until earli-

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er this week. “We had ﬁve of our recurring customers cancel in one day,” she said. “I don’t think it’s so much that people are concerned about us transmitting the illness to their homes, it’s more that they are home now, so they don’t need our service. With a lot of people working from home or taking time off because their kids are home, they have time to maintain their homes themselves.” Thompson added that some customers have also canceled because they have small children in their homes and were uncomfortable with someone coming into their home. “We are understanding and respectful of where our customers come from, but these cancellations are hitting us hard because we don’t have a cancellation fee,” she said. “Our employees aren’t getting paid. Our full-time employees count on this job to pay their rent and car payments, and the hours are just not there for them.” Thompson said she’s already downsized by not scheduling any of her part-time employees, but she’s hoping the pandemic doesn’t hit her business so hard that it affects her fulltime employees. She is also offering a 10 percent discount on all deep cleanings to customers. “We’re trying to keep our schedule full,” she said. “Before all this, we had more business than we could handle.” Though business has slowed, Thompson said when her employees enter a home to clean, they are taking extreme precautions. All staff is wearing medical grade masks and gloves in the homes, and they are also using isopropyl alcohol on the bottoms of their shoes and hands as they enter each home. “We’re using Lysol in every home, and we are paying special attention to areas like light switches, doorknobs and door jambs,” she added. Ultimately, businesses in the service industry are just using their best judgment to maneuver through this experi-

ence, Thompson said. She had hoped there’d be an uptick in business because she runs a cleaning service, but the opposite has occurred because people are so unsure of what the future holds. “We’re trying to be good examples of calm and weathering the storm,” she said. “I think our company will be ﬁne; we’ll be here at the end of it and our customers will come back.”

for us. We need that, of course toilet paper, Lysol disinfectant and sanitizing cleaners.” Shulze said with an emergency like COVID-19, there are added concerns for the health and safety of Hope House residents. “Our residents are most deﬁnitely at a greater risk,” he said. “All of our residents are high risk. We have closed the houses to the public. If someone wants to donate they can

go to one of our houses in town and donate at the entrance, but we will not be able to answer the door because of that. We can’t have anybody out there now.” Shulze said the best option for donating the needed items is to leave them at 104 Nita Cove for Hope House employees to pick up.

Healthcare Healthcare is one of the most affected industries globally. Nurse practitioner Kaela Thurman, owner of Care First Walk-in Clinic, said her concerns are focused mainly on limiting the spread of infection as well as continuing to provide routine care to those who need it. “We don’t want people who need routine care to feel like they have nowhere to access it or be scared to access it,” she said. “That’s why we’re doing outdoor screening in order to mitigate the risk as much as we can, and prevent a potential positive COVID-19 patient from coming in.” If a patient screens high risk, they’re being directed back to their vehicles and asked to call Care First for further instruction. “We’re also trying to give people the option to see us virtually,” Thurman said. “With the disaster declarations from the federal and state governments, we are able to see patients virtually that are established and new to us. You don’t have to have been a patient here before to have a virtual visit. If you don’t have access to the Internet or you aren’t tech savvy, we can also do a visit by telephone, which is normally not allowed.” So far, Care First hasn’t seen an increase in visits. The number of patients is about where the clinic normally sits, if not a little lower, Thurman said, because many people are delaying routine preventive care.

See LOCAL, Page 8

SPORTS

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, March 19, 2020 Page 6

Seven Lady Panthers garner postseason honors

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Jessica Holliday does a lot for the Lady Panthers’ basketball squad. So much, in fact, the junior point guard was named District 27 Most Valuable Player by a vote of district coaches. All season long, Holliday helped lead Liberty Hill with a playing style, which belies her relatively frail frame, never shying away from contact in relentlessly driving to the basket or spotting up from beyond the arc and launching long-range missiles that would find the bottom of the net, hitting at a 36 percent rate from the floor and 80 percent from the freethrow line. Head Coach Chris Lange praised Holliday for her overall contributions. “Jessica is one of those players who is willing to step up to the challenge and do what it takes to help the team win,” he said. “We changed her position and she never missed a beat. Our entire district recognized what she did for our team and that’s why she won the award.” Joining Holliday on the district first team were junior Bailey Laird and a pair of sopho-

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

Jessica Holliday was named District Most Valuable Player after a season in which the junior guard led the Lady Panthers in scoring. mores in Regan Walker and McKenzy Wise. Laird provided a constant spark with her fearless style, whether it was driving the paint or hitting mid to long-

range jump shots from her guard position, averaging 7.8 points per game, while shooting 30 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent at the line.

Lange said Laird’s no-fear approach to the game – regardless of the situation – is what endears her to her teammates. “Baylee is a player who will get after you in a game -- she’s

never afraid of the moment,” he said. “Like everyone on this team, she’s never going to give up.” Regan Walker, also a guard, provided energy and defensive

intensity off the bench, along with the ability to hit from three-point range, hitting from beyond the arc at a 31 percent success rate, along with 66 percent from the line. Lange singled Walker out for her defensive tenacity, as well as a tireless work ethic. “Regan’s a player who is ready and willing to shoot the ball if you give her any amount of space,” he said. “She plays really big on defense and was asked many times this year to step on the court and go to work. You know what you’re going to get from her every night and that’s great for a coach.” Wise was a rebounding machine, averaging six boards per game, with the power forward often out-hustling and out-muscling faster and bigger, stronger players for possession of the ball at both ends of the court, along with a desire to chase down loose balls with reckless abandon, not avoiding contact with opponents or the ﬂoor. According to Lange, Wise is the kind of player more than worth the price of admission. “From the ﬁrst time I put her

See HONORS, Page 9

Perkins named district MVP Senior guard averaged 18.8 points per game

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor One thing Carson Perkins can do is shoot a basketball. From in-close to beyond the arc and all points in between. But, the Liberty Hill senior guard is adept at all aspects of the game and was rewarded for an excellent final season by being named District Most Valuable Player. One area Perkins improved on even more this past season was his accuracy from the free-throw line. As a junior, he hit successfully from the charity stripe at a more-than-respectable clip of 72.5 percent during a season in which he averaged 14.6 points per game. However, in his senior season, Perkins rarely missed from the line, shooting 89.5 percent, which boosted his scoring average to 18.8. According to Liberty Hill head Coach Barry Boren, getting Perkins to be even more reliable in that respect was icing on the cake. “I told Carson if he improved his free-throw percentage, he would raise his scoring average three to five points,” said Boren. “Guess I’m a prophet.” Perkins also averaged five assists per contest from his

point-guard position and shot 42.9 percent from the field, including 35.7 from three-point range. Six other Panthers were named to all-district first or second team or received honorable mention. Joining Perkins on the first team were Kadin Knight, Kaleb Bannon and Walker Baty. Knight, a junior guard, averaged 12.5 points per game and brought a timely shooting touch to the Panthers’ perimeter game, hitting at a 38.6 percent success rate from outside the arc, as well as 48.6 from the floor. Boren said Knight’s numbers improved as he got more minutes compared to his sophomore season. “Kadin took the second most shots on the team behind Carson (Perkins),” he said. “He shot it really well from three.” Bannon averaged 7.3 points per game and shot 37.4 percent from three-point range, while Baty was second on the squad in scoring at 13.6 per game and added a physical inside presence to the Panthers’ offense once he returned to the team after the conclusion of football season. Baty averaged a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per game and

neutralized opposing centers, while simultaneously providing an additional offensive dimension. Sophomore Walker Weems was named to the second team following a season which saw the 6-foot-4 forward burst onto the scene, providing inside presence to go with an accurate shot, averaging 6.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Despite his success so early on, Boren said Weems still has plenty of room for improvement moving forward. “For a sophomore who only started half of the season, he did well statistically,” he said. “Rebounding and shot blocking were his strong suit. However, he makes shots – he’s going to be really good.” Honorable mention status was granted to senior Cole Ondrasek and junior Hunter Clayton. Ondrasek played a critical role off the bench after starting at the beginning of the season in Baty’s absence and added energy to the Liberty Hill cause, as well as rebounding and timely scoring. Clayton also came off the bench, bringing defensive intensity along with an accurate three-point shot.

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

Carson Perkins (#4) was named district most valuable player after averaging 18.8 points per game during his senior season. Overall, Liberty Hill ﬁnished with a record of 28-8, including a 9-1 district mark which resulted in a district champi-

onship. The Panthers then advanced to the regional quarterﬁnals with wins in the bi-district

round over Bandera (101-42) and Needville (55-35) in the area championship.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Getting physical on the pitch

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 7

Fuller uses strength to her advantage on the soccer field

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Madi Fuller plays soccer like a girl. Only this girl is as rugged and rough-and-tumble as they come. The Lady Panthers’ junior midfielder isn’t afraid to mix it up physically with opponents whether it’s on the ball or in a battle for possession and her reputation certainly proceeds her among the ranks of the enemy. “I have some friends who play for Leander,” said Fuller. “They tell me whenever we play them, they tell their teammates to look out for me and Emma (Stephens) because we both play that way.” But, it wasn’t always that way, she said. “When I was little and first started playing, I’d get pushed around a lot,” said Fuller, who is fourth on the Lady Panthers with 17 goals and 22 assists this season. “So, my mom would tell me I had to be tough and fast and be physical back.” So, Fuller did what any good daughter does. She listened to mother Jennifer and has developed into a full-fledged force on the field, using her combination of speed, strength and skill to confuse and confound opposing defenders out on her leftwing position. But, it wasn’t an overnight process, said Fuller. “At first, it took a lot of effort,” she said. “Because I would hardly touch people until I learned how to put my body on theirs.” While marauding up and down the flanks, Fuller is often

at odds with the other team’s wing backs, which results in high-intensity battles, said Liberty Hill head Coach Darren Bauer. “Madi’s strength especially helps her in the position she plays,” he said. “She’s always looking to take somebody on or cross the ball in order to keep the attack alive.” Fuller agreed. “Out wide, you’re always looking to get the ball down the line,” she said. “I’ll dribble down the line, then look behind to see if there’s anyone on me, then I can either pass it back or cross it into the box.” Bauer is certainly aware of exactly what he has in Fuller. “She certainly isn’t one to shy away from contact,” he said. “Madi’s strong, stout and uses her body well – other teams know that.” Opponents such as district rivals Salado, who always bring a physicality to any game with its borderline style of play and seems to ratchet the intensity up when facing the Lady Panthers, such as last season when Fuller was being roughed up by the Eagles enough to bring her temper to the boiling point. “I had to have Coach Bauer sub me out for a while because I was so mad – one of them kept trying to kick me and trip me,” said Fuller. “But, when I went back in, I knew I just had to keep calm and show my skill.” Bauer also remembers well. “Madi did a smart thing in that situation because we didn’t want to let them get in her head,” he said. “Their main goal is to get us off our game.” Although playing physical

SHANNON HOFMANN PHOTO

Madi Fuller (#7) plays with a physicality which comes in handy against opponents such as Salado, who the Lady Panthers defeated at home, 4-0, on March 6. can be of benefit, one must know just how far to push the envelop, said Bauer. “I think it’s a blend of strength, skill, tactics and being friends with the referee,” he said. “You have to know where the boundaries and not cross the line, but every game it’s different, so from the mental aspect, you have to learn from game-to-game.” This season, Liberty Hill’s away game between the two sides got to the point where an Eagles player was sent off after receiving a red card for a rash challenge on Lady Panthers’ midfielder Mykenna Russo – tactics Fuller and her teammates have come to expect from Salado, she said. “They actually think they’re as good as us,” said Fuller. “But, all they do is try to fight

us instead of playing soccer.” Fuller added the physical nature of her game suits the liking of most coaches – even if it is a bit intimidation to some, she said. “I think having that extra edge is something a lot of coaches like,” said Fuller. “My club coach told me he would be afraid to play against me.” Fuller said she finds humor in the reaction her reputation gets. “I laugh because I think it’s so funny,” she said. “I really can’t believe it when I hear it – but, I like it.” Fuller’s physical prowess also comes into play when possession of the ball is fought for in the air. “I have to think about the height of the girl I’m up against,” said Fuller. “When

you’re aggressive in the air, you can bring the ball back down when it’s a 50-50 ball.” Slide-tackling is another way Fuller can bring the pain to the opposition, but it’s something she keeps in reserve for lastchance-saloon defending, she said. “Coaches want you to stay on your feet most of the time,” said Fuller. “If it’s in the defensive third, sometimes you have to do it, but never in the attacking third.” Fuller’s younger sister – also a soccer player -- is currently in sixth grade and will certainly carry on a family tradition of physicality, she said. “My little sister came to watch us play,” said Fuller. “She was amazed at how fast we move the ball around and how determined we are to get

it down the field.” Bauer said players like Fuller don’t come along very often – ones who can combine strength, speed and skill with physicality – on either side of the gender line. “It’s very rare – even with boys,” he said. “Honestly, the hardest thing is to be able to play that way while on the ball.” Sometimes, the way in which Fuller goes about her business on the pitch can send a message to opposing teams – especially early in games, she said. “If one of them takes down one of our players, usually someone on our team will stand up,” said Fuller. “We want to let them know not to mess with us or we’ll fight back.”

Opening ceremonies bring back recent, distant memories

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor There’s something about baseball. Maybe it’s because the beginning of a new season signifies the arrival of spring after a long winter. Perhaps it’s the sight and smell of freshly-cut grass framing a dirt infield. Or, it could just be knowing one’s passion for the national pastime is about to be re-ignited like a fire that was snuffed out when the leaves began to fall months earlier. For us, it’s the re-emergence of distant memories awakening from hibernation and being brought forth by all manner of reminders that trigger neurons to fire and project particular images across the movie screens in our minds. On a recent Saturday morning, Liberty Hill Youth League held its opening ceremonies for the new season and we were there to witness all the festivities as players of all ages marched onto the field for their turns in the spotlight before beginning their respective seasons. Memory Number One. The year was 1978 and it was our first year of Little League. Could’ve played t-ball a couple years earlier, but wanted no part of hitting a ball off a tee – no, sir, we wanted real, honest-to-goodness baseball with pitchers and everything, so it wasn’t until age eight when we began our quest for big-league glory. Opening ceremonies for our league were held on the football field of the same high school we would graduate from a decade later (commencement was on the same field) – a field we would also cover our alma mater’s games at in our grown-up sportswriter life 25 years on from that day. Who says you can’t go home again? We were on the Yankees (as a Mets fan later in life, I look back at this detail with disdain) and the 12 of us sat not-so-patiently as every single team

was introduced on a hot, late spring day with the Southern California sun mercilessly beating down on us. Finally, “Farm Yankees” boomed out over the public-address system and one of our coaches said, “Hey, that’s us!” to which we all jumped up for a brief hoorah before sitting back down again and waiting for its conclusion. Which, by the way, seemed like it was never going to end. Can we just play already, please? Three hours went by until the entire thing ended and us sparkies must not have been the only antsy ones because in following years there were no opening ceremonies. Hooray – that’s a real reason to cheer! Liberty Hill’s ceremonies only took about an hour – another advantage of small-town life – with only a little over 500 players as opposed to the bigcity numbers we sat through a lifetime ago. All of it was over almost too fast (but, it probably still wasn’t fast enough for the youngsters). The teams were all wearing uniforms adorned with the colors and logos of the big-league counterparts they were named after. Memory Number Two. We were the Yankees. But, somehow we wore red. Not black, or even dark blue. Red. There was another team in our league called the Reds and of course, they were maroon. Made all kinds of sense. The Phillies were green (although their famous major-league mascot is), but some semblance of normalcy was maintained as the Dodgers were blue and the hometown Padres were orange. Anyway, at that point, we didn’t care if our colors were polka dots or plaid – we just wanted to play baseball. Memory Number Three. By the luck of the draw, we happened to get uniform No. 7. Combine “Yankees” and “7” and you get Mickey Mantle. One time back on the block,

See OPENING, Page 9

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Liberty Hill’s baseball team was playing in the Fort Bend ISD tournament in Houston, when the UIL announced all activities will be suspended through at least April 6.

Liberty Hill sports on hold

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has hit home. The UIL announced March 13 all activities will be suspended until March 29 due to concerns over the global outbreak of COVID-19. On Monday, LHISD announced classes would not resume before April 6, pushing back the possible return date one additional week. However, the suspension of events – as opposed to cancellation – means the sports schedule will be completed in its entirety regardless of what is required, said Jamey Harrison, UIL deputy executive director. “We are 100 percent committed to finishing out the school year,” he said. “We have multiple plans and we’re going to be as flexible as possible.” According to Liberty Hill athletic director and head football coach Jeff Walker, his program is simply abiding by the directives that come down from the state level. “We’re at the mercy of whatever the UIL tells us to do as far as what we can and can’t do,” said Walker. “It’s not going to affect us any more than it will anyone else – we’ll just have to make the best of it.” At this point, the plan is to resume practices once school

returns. Despite the fact the UIL left it up to each individual school district to determine whether or not to continue practicing during the ban on competition, Walker said he and his staff will use next week to thoroughly sanitize the entire campus. “I’ve met with all our coaches and set up a game plan,” he said. “All of them are getting a seven-day break they ordinarily wouldn’t while we’ll have the entire place cleaned out.” As far as how the suspension will affect the resumption of events, Harrison said in order to ensure all seasons are completed in their entirety, certain restrictions that are usually in place regarding competition will be lifted. “For example, usually teams can only play two games a week, but we would allow them to play more,” he said. “We’ve also extended certification deadlines for the affected sports, which means the district season can go on longer than usual.” Harrison stressed the fact activities are being suspended and not called off altogether. “We’re absolutely committed to continuing the state basketball tournament,” he said. “But, it’s difficult to manage state competitions with so

many schools closing down.” Neither Liberty Hill basketball team is affected by the suspension, as both the girls’ and boys’ teams were eliminated in the regional quarterfinals. Both soccer squads were scheduled to begin the postseason on March 26-28, but that timetable will have to be pushed back and no plan is in place as of yet. The district schedule was set to finish up on March 17 with both Liberty Hill teams hosting Lampasas – games that will now have to be rescheduled before the playoffs begin. However, nothing is set in stone, said Harrison. “At this point, there are no options which are off the table,” he said. “What we’re facing is unprecedented and it’s a situation which changes hourly, so we don’t know.” The Panthers’ baseball team was competing in the Fort Bend ISD tournament in the Houston area this week, but returned home after its first two games of the event on Thursday. Harrison added the UIL had emergency plans in place for something such as this, but the organization has still had to improvise. “We have contingency plans, but you never know what it’s going to be contingent on,” he said. “We’re already working

on new ones.” As sports organizations at the professional and college levels have suspended or canceled operations in the face of the outbreak, the UIL made its own determination based on information they were receiving and wasn’t simply following suit, said Harrison. “We didn’t make our decision based on what others were doing,” he said. “With our situation, it’s different because we’re dealing with minors and we made our decisions largely based on our communication with state agencies.” Despite the uncertainty and ever-changing conditions the pandemic has caused, Harrison said the UIL remains steadfast in completing all seasons – whatever it takes. “We don’t know where all this is going,” he said. “But, we’re going to finish off everything – we’re completely committed.” Walker said if there’s a silver lining in the entire situation, the timing of the suspension will give coaches and athletes alike a break – albeit under unfavorable conditions. “It’ll give our kids a chance to get away and just be kids over spring break,” he said. “We’re never going to jeopardize their health. We’re going to take care of everyone.”

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Announcements practices and games will most likely follow the schedule adopted by the school district going forward. Over the Hill Gang The weekly lunch on Thursdays for the Over the Hill Gang have been suspended through April 16. Election options Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation Wednesday allowing for the postponement of local elections scheduled for May 2. Both the City of Liberty Hill and Liberty Hill ISD have elections scheduled for May 2. Under the rules of the postponement option, the filing period would not be reopened and only the candidates currently on the ballot would be eligible for the later election that would be held Nov. 3 in conjunction with the general election. Hall said the issue would be on the March 23 City Council agenda to consider. Leander precautions Leander also made a disaster declaration this week. The city has closed public access to athletic fields at Benbrook Ranch Park and Bledsoe Park. This may impact games and practices organized by Leander Little League, Leander Youth Soccer, and other teambased youth and adult sporting

Schools

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activities. The city has also postponed all scheduled Active Adult (ages 55+) programs and activities until further notice. Park open spaces remain accessible to the public, and no other regularly scheduled city programs, events, meetings or activities are affected at this time. County update The Williamson County Jail has suspended visitation until Gov. Abbott’s state disaster declaration is lifted or expires. In addition, the Juvenile Justice Center has enacted temporary procedures for phone visits only. The Williamson County Justice Center remains open to fulfill its essential mission; however, it is implementing changes to reduce public gatherings in the building. Through April 1, judges are temporarily suspending jury trials to avoid the large gathering of potential jurors, and courts will limit activity in the courtroom to maintain no more than 20 people in the courtroom at a time. State-level changes Gov. Abbott declared a State of Disaster in all Texas counties March 13, and activated the Texas Army National Guard Tuesday though there has been no corresponding call up to active service.

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Thursday, March 19, 2020

Declaring a State of Disaster triggers a number of action, including: • Authorizing the use of all available and necessary state government resources to help manage this situation. • Activating the state emergency management plan and the State Operations Center to enhance the state’s planning and response capabilities. • Giving Texas Department of Emergency Management the ability to reassign and fully utilize appropriate personnel where they are needed most. • Providing the immediate ability to move resources around the state, including resources obtained through the Strategic National Stockpile. • Empowering the Office of the Texas Attorney General (OAG) to pursue cases of price-gouging and ensure that offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Abbott also directed state agencies to restrict visitations at certain facilities. This directive allows limited exceptions for situations like end-of-life visitations and requires all individuals to go through proper screening. Agencies will be restricting visitation at the following facilities: • Nursing homes • State-supported living cen-

ters • Hospitals • Daycare facilities • Prisons, jails, and juvenile justice facilities Abbott is also directing state agencies to take any action necessary to facilitate telemedicine. In addition, he is directing state agencies to provide flexible work and telework policies to employees to give them the ability to care for their families, while ensuring the state government continues function at full capacity and provide all necessary services. Texas Public Health Labs now have the capacity to test over 270 people per day according to Abbott, with more private labs coming online every day. Additionally, the City of San Antonio has announced the opening of the first drivethrough testing facility in Texas. This facility will serve first responders, healthcare workers, operators of critical infrastructure and key resources, and certain high-risk patients. Other major cities are working to implement drive-through testing sites that will be run and managed at the local level. In response to public school concerns, Abbott said Texas is pursuing waivers for federal regulations for the school lunch program to give districts

flexibility to provide students food should districts shut down due to the coronavirus. Texans who suspect a case of price-gouging in connection to the potential coronavirus threat should file a consumer complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General or call the hotline at1-800-621-0508. Abbott has announced that Texas is waiving certain rules relating to vehicle registration, parking placards for persons with disabilities, and titling to aid the state’s efforts to combat COVID-19. These suspensions will allow Texans to avoid penalties for failure to timely title or register a vehicle, or renew a parking placard. The waivers fall within the actions the Governor is taking under the State of Disaster he declared last week, and are part of Tex-

as’ efforts to reduce in-person contact among Texans and slow the spread of COVID-19. Abbott also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to temporarily waive expiration dates for Driver Licenses, Commercial Driver Licenses, and other identification forms. The Governor will work with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to ensure law enforcement officers throughout the state are aware of these waivers. The Department of Motor Vehicles will also continue to provide registration renewal services online at renew.txdmv.gov. For additional information, Texans should contact the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles at (888) 368-4689.

MIKE EDDLEMAN PHOTO

County and school district officials held a news conference Tuesday to discuss closures, safety measures.

in order to stop the spread of this and not end up like other countries.” But closing schools is not as simple as locking the doors and telling everyone to stay home, and area superintendents have been meeting by teleconference daily – along with Williamson County officials – to answer the difficult questions of how best to try and continue meeting community needs. In a joint press conference Tuesday with Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell, eight local superintendents, including Snell, tried to answer many of the most pressing questions about the closures and what plans were being developed for dealing with the near-term issues. “The superintendents of schools throughout Williamson County all know we are a foundation for our community,” said Georgetown ISD Superintendent Dr. Fred Brent. “I can assure you that during this unprecedented time – and none of us have seen this throughout our careers – we are on the phone every day together. Seven days a week we have a conference call with our TEA (Texas Education Agency) Commissioner Mike Morath. We have conference calls together as a team and we’re always coordinating services and offering partnerships.” The two primary areas of fo-

cus for area schools are determining the best way to provide instruction and meals even with campuses locked up tight. “The cabinet-level administrators (in LHISD) got together most of the day (Monday), I’ve been planning with superintendents all weekend until late figuring out what we’re going to do,” Snell said. “We’re closed down, but there’s some expectation for school to go on, which makes it a little different. We’re prepared for the long term. I want to keep hope that it’s not going to be long term.” Snell, along with most of the superintendents who spoke Tuesday, identified step one as addressing the food and meals issue. “We’re going to feed our kids starting Monday,” Snell said. “We will have a drive-thru service and we will also provide breakfast and lunch at bus stops and children will use their smart tags for that.” More details will be available before March 23 on the district’s food service plan, specifically regarding distribution at bus stops, but meals will be available for pick up at Bill Burden Elementary, 315 Stonewall Parkway. Breakfast will be available 8-9:45 a.m. and lunch from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon. The plan for providing instruction for students is much more of a challenge. “We’re currently finalizing

plans for instructional engagement and continuing the education with as little interruption as possible online,” Snell said. “That will take a little time. I think everybody up here will agree with me when I say we need patience from our communities as we are figuring out problems and we have more questions than answers at this point. We will get through this together, I guarantee that.” One step in that process is to get technology in the hands of every student. “I think we’re going to try to ramp up and try to get every kid fifth through 12 a Chromebook in their hands,” Snell said. “I don’t know what that will look like, but that’s the plan.” Aside from the technology hurdle is how to get a program off the ground and demonstrate for teachers how it should work. “There will also be a teacher training component and how do we do that when we can’t gather in groups of more than 10,” Snell said. “We will determine what phone lines will be open so parents can call if they have questions, so we will probably have a handful of people in a call center helping with that.” He emphasized that answers would be shared with everyone as soon as they are available. “We will communicate

constantly with our parents through e-mail, through Facebook, through all those methods to make sure our kids are taken care of,” Snell said. “We’re going to do whatever it takes for the kids, so if that means long days and working on weekend we’re going to do it and will have a plan as soon as possible.” No determination has been made by the State on whether the missed days will have to be made up. “We are working through getting credit for instructional support we provide in our districts in hope that we do not make these days up,” Brent said. “Whatever is decided by the state we will be letting (people) know.” Early Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the State would waive STAAR testing requirements for the current school year. Currently, there is no indication that teacher pay will be interrupted by the closures, but the districts are looking to TEA for information and expectations. “We’re getting guidance from TEA on a lot of those things,” Snell said. “We’ll need our staff to engage in some capacity toward their job in a work at home situation or work in isolation situation in order to continue that pay based on TEA guidance, but I think we’re all building this plane while it’s in the air. My recommendation

to staff is to check that TEA COVID-19 page daily, check the website daily and we’ll update everyone as soon as possible because that’s a real fear. We will do what we can and we have a regular scheduled board meeting Monday.” The superintendents emphasized that access to campuses would be extremely limited if available at all. “We are being very strict with our shutdown of facilities,” said Leander ISD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Gearing. “We are not allowing anyone inside our facilities. All of our custodial staff is working to do deep cleans this week and then we intend to keep our buildings tightly shut down in order to keep then germ free.” As with other districts, during this time, all Liberty Hill ISD facilities will be closed for instruction, including UIL events, athletics, rentals, field trips and after-school activities. The group of students with the most questions are high school seniors looking forward to milestone events in the coming months to include prom and graduation. “Seniors want to know about all their traditional things,” Snell said. “Liberty Hill is not canceling anything. It might look different and it might be later, but we will do everything we can to let our seniors have their ritualistic stuff as they look toward graduation and

what comes next for them.” Gravell also made county-level requests for further assistance from school districts, applauding them Tuesday for taking on additional responsibilities by pledging various resources to the County. “It’s really difficult to prepare for a disaster you cannot see, but we believe that the disaster is real and we believe we need to take appropriate steps to protect our community,” he said. “Knowing that (school districts) were shutting down, I said ‘If you shut down your schools could you provide us 15 nurses to backfill and support our health district. Our school districts said yes.” The County also requested the assistance of mechanics from area school districts, and law enforcement assistance from two districts. “I asked Hutto ISD and I asked Liberty Hill ISD if you’re not having school on Monday could we please have your peace officers and could they report to the sheriff’s office,” Gravell said. “That’s what you do when you have to work together. This is collaboration and it’s teamwork. We’re being asked to solve problems we didn’t know existed yesterday. And we’re finding honorable, lawful and creative ways to meet those needs today.”

“I am concerned because I don’t feel like the community can afford for Care First to be shut down, and we can’t afford it either,” she added. “That could potentially happen if we did have a positive COVID-19 case here.” Thurman said in addition to physical health, she’s also worried about people’s mental and emotional health during this time. She suggested reaching out to local counselors and therapists and requesting virtual visits if needed. Other healthcare businesses, such as dentist offices, are also being asked to take precautions. The American Dental Association has asked that all dentists postpone elective procedures for the next three weeks, and instead concentrate only on emergency dental care.

several modifications to protect her staff and the public. She said her staff is focusing on keeping everything extra clean, and is using all disposable utensils, to go cups and bags. They are also frequently wiping down surfaces like chairs, tables, doorknobs and soap dispensers. “We’re also trying to encourage people to use our app to order their stuff to go,” she said. “We have also opened up a walk-up window to the outside, so that people can grab and go. If they do want to stay, we’re asking people to use the backyard to sit and hang out.” McGinty said she’s wanted to do a walk-up window for a long time, and now was the perfect opportunity to give it a try. “I wanted to give people another form of being able to grab something to go,” she said. “Especially in our connected society, for us to step back and not socialize, it’s kind of a challenge. This gives you a little bit of interaction.” McGinty also owns the house next door to Agape Java, which she has been renovating to create a remote worker space. In light of the pandemic, she’s opened it up to the community for a small daily fee. “We only have one private office in there now, but we’ve opened that area up to remote workers if they need high speed Internet and somewhere to work,” she said. “It has Wi-

Fi, coffee is included, and if someone decides they’re hungry I’ll deliver food to them. I’m hoping this will be another way to make this a little easier on people.” Melissa Day and Michael Biggs, owners of Malted Grains, said the weekend was tough for them, but business has slowly picked back up over the last few days. They are working hard to make sure the community knows they plan to stay open. Day said Malted Grains has always offered to go and curbside services, but they’re promoting them now more than ever. People can order over the phone, let them know when they’ve arrived, and they will bring the food out to them. “We’ve also talked about doing family style to-go meals, but we want to go through what we have on hand first,” Day said. “Our Sunday bake shop has been open for last few months and we will still sell you bread if you call ahead, but we won’t be having our bake shop for now.” Malted Grains is also offering all day happy hour, which means customers can get $3 beers and $20 bottles of wine. The restaurant has also modified staffing and is running a skeleton crew. “As far as supply chain for us, we’re pretty good,” Biggs said. “The supply chain hasn’t been interrupted just yet. Our next order comes Friday, so

we’ll see what happens then. A lot of restaurants are trying to hoard and get themselves set up, so the supply chains are experiencing some shortages on things like water and cleaning supplies.” McGinty said the unknown future of the local and national economy is a real fear for her. “We depend on local foot traffic, and I employ seven other people,” she said. “I’m definitely dependent on customers daily. If I don’t have that, I can’t go very long without letting someone go, especially because I have full-time employees. I’m doing all I can to make sure I stay in business, but also keep everybody safe and healthy. Business is definitely slower, and there’s a trend of a little bit less people every day.” Day and Biggs worry about their restaurant as well, especially because restaurants run on such slim margins as it is, Biggs said. “We’re getting like 25 to 30 percent less margins, and we are worried about our staff, because some really depend on this job,” Day said. “I don’t want to be able to not pay my staff. I’m up here working; but we have to keep money coming into our home, too. I feel better not paying myself than not paying other people. It’s a real concern.” Dahlia Café has closed its restaurant and stopped serving breakfast, but will still

do curbside orders for lunch and dinner. Hell or High Water Brewing has completely closed its doors for now, but is hoping to come up with a way to continue to serve the community safely.

and lift people up.” McGinty also asked for the community to put out good vibes and encouragement to small business owners—and if they can afford to buy a cup of coffee, to do that, too. Day said when it comes to all restaurants, if people do place to go or curbside orders, they should still tip their servers. “Make sure you tip because servers make $2 an hour,” she said. “Our economy has to keep consuming and buying to keep things moving, so try not to change your habits. Do what you normally do if you’re financially able, and keep supporting us, because it’s a domino effect to everyone.” Thurman said she’s concerned for all the local businesses, because they are all facing the potential possibility of closing. “I’m inspired by the ingenuity of some of the businesses,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of out-of-the-box thinking from local business owners to stay open. I’m hoping Liberty Hill residents will get behind them and choose to do more business locally right now instead of leaving the area.”

Local Continued from Page 5

Restaurants The food service industry is seeing a lot of ill effect from the coronavirus outbreak, as many cities across the nation, including Austin and Williamson County, have asked restaurants and bars to close to the public, and only provide drive-thru, curbside and to-go orders. In Liberty Hill, local restaurants are taking measures to modify the way they serve customers. Ellen McGinty, co-owner of Agape Java, is keeping her coffee shop open, but has done

How Liberty Hill Can Help Spearman said she knows there are several people in Liberty Hill who are affected by the changes this virus has caused, but businesses in town want to come alongside those families to help in any way they can. Likewise, she hopes the community will do the same for small business. “We love our community and appreciate all the support,” she said. “We ask that people continue to shop local and eat local as much as possible as small businesses will take a hit. We have great shopping and dining options here so keep those dollars in our community.” Pogue added that if people don’t need anything right now, they can buy gift cards from local businesses to use later, and that will help businesses pay their bills now. “We need the community’s support,” she said. “Don’t go to big box stores—shop local. If your budget is tight right now and you don’t feel like you can shop, give us a shout out on social media give or reach out to us and check in. Visit with other business owners and just help to encourage

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Thursday, March 19, 2020

BASEBALL

Liberty Hill hit the road for the Fort Bend ISD tournament March 12-14 just before the UIL temporarily ended competition. The Panthers opened on Thursday morning against Fort Bend Travis and dropped a 1-0 decision to the Tigers, only mustering two hits in the process. Rowen Guerra started and went the distance for the Panthers, hurling 92 pitches over six innings, allowing one run on ﬁve hits while walking two and striking out six. However, in a game that was a pitcher’s duel, Travis’ Alejandro Marquez pitched a shutout, allowing only two hits, while walking none and striking out 11. Only Jackson Knox Fifth-inning single and Gabe Diaz (third-inning single) reached base in the game and both were stranded.

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Travis scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the third when Brandon Evatt doubled home Christian Lyall with the eventual game-winning run. Liberty Hill 4, Bridgeland 3 On Thursday afternoon, the Panthers faced Bridgeland and came away with a 4-3 victory. Liberty Hill plated a pair of runs in the top of the ﬁrst when Guerra was hit by a pitch leading off the game, then advanced to third on a Knox inﬁeld single. Ryan Leary then grounded to the shortstop and Guerra was thrown out at home, leaving Leary at second and Knox at third for Ryan Flake, who brought Knox home with a single to right. Dillon Pogue then grounded out to third, which scored Leary for a 2-0 lead. Liberty Hill added to its lead in the third when Leary was hit by a pitch with one out, then stole second before being driv-

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en in by a Pogue single to center, which was followed by an Andon Thomas single to right, which scored Chase Maxwell and provided a 4-0 lead. However, that was all the offense the Panthers would produce and in the bottom of the fourth, the Bears scored three runs off starter Flake, after the senior left-hander had pitched three scoreless inning to begin the game. But, Ryan Rhoden came in from the bullpen to get the ﬁnal two outs and preserve to win for Flake and the Panthers. Pogue went 1-for-3 with two RBI, while Thomas was 1-for2 with an RBI and Flake went 1-for-3 with an RBI in the game. (RIGHT) Jackson Knox (#8) threw ﬁve scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in the Panthers’ 8-0 home victory against Austin Waves on March 7. ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

FISHING

The Liberty Hill fishing team competed March 7 in the Faith Angler Network division qualifier on Lake LBJ, with a field of 92 teams. Eight of the Panthers’ 10 teams weighed in fish at the end of the competition. Albert Konovalski and Ryder Martin had Liberty Hill’s best result of the day with a 10th-place finish, with five weighed-in fish tipping the scales at 12.19 pounds, good for 491 points. Michael Evans and Holt Avery were 29th (2, 6.27, 472)

and Colton O’Dell & David Wilson finished 39th (2, 4.45, 462). Liberty Hill’s team big bass was caught by Michael Evans, at 4.6 pounds. On Feb. 29, the Panthers competed at the Texas High School Bass Association Hill Country Division’s event on Lake Buchanan and finished third in the team standings. Individually, Avery and Evans finished sixth out of 51 teams competing with five fish weighing in at 11.30 pounds, good for 495 points.

(LEFT) Liberty Hill’s Holt Avery and Michael Evans, with boat captain Lee Evans, ﬁnished sixth out of 51 teams at the Texas High School Bass Association’s Hill Country Division event on Lake Buchanan on Feb. 29. (Courtesy Photo)

LHHS Tennis

Jesslyn Jackson and Grace Davis finished first in the doubles’ competition, while Nhu Nguyen and Tru Nguyen were third at the Pflugerville Connally freshman tournament on March 10. (Courtesy Photo)

Liberty Hill Golf

HONORS

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in a varsity game, she’s not once backed down or made excuses for how the game went,” said Lange. “She just gets in there and gives you everything you could ask for. There were many games this year we would come off the court and the other team’s fans would stop me and say how much they liked how our girls played and they would bring up No. 14 and talk about how hard she plays.” Selected for the second team were junior forward Morgan Jackson and sophomore center Emma Hubbard. Jackson had a knack for coming off the bench and making shots – particularly 3-pointers – at critical points in games. Lange said he could always count on Jackson to come through in the clutch. “Morgan averaged 4.8 points per game and down the stretch really started stepping up and hitting from the outside,” he said. “It seemed every time we needed a big shot, she was ready for that lightning-quick release. There were games when you say ‘I don’t know how she got that off,’ but it never seemed to bother her. She made a nice improvement this year and we’re excited to see where it goes from here.”

Hubbard came into her own physically as the season wore on, establishing a strong inside presence with scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking the lynch pins of her game, averaging 6.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Lange said Hubbard was invaluable when it came to combating opposing centers. “A lot of nights we asked her to play the other team’s biggest girl and she just went to work,” he said. “Emma really worked on improving her scoring over the summer and you could tell. She battled through injuries and played with so much heart every single game.” Named Honorable Mention was sophomore Madison Walker, who much like her twin sister, provided smothering defense and the ability to score when called upon. Madison Walker was a defensive ace and has a basketball motor which never stops running, said Lange. “Madison was in the top ﬁve on our team in scoring, but where she made her mark for the district was on defense,” he said. “She’s one that when the ball goes up, she’s going 100 mph. She’s going to be fun to watch next year. Madison is one of those girls who just wants the ball. Going into our

last game, she showed up to practice with a swollen ankle and never said a thing. She just put on her shoes and got after it -- that shows toughness and shows in her game, also.” As a team, the Lady Panthers ﬁnished with a overall record of 23-15, including a 9-1 mark in district play which earned them a district championship. The Lady Panthers lost their district opener to Salado on Jan. 17 by a score of 62-48, then embarked on a ninegame winning streak down the stretch, which included avenging their only district loss with a 44-40 home victory against the Eagles on Feb. 4. Once reaching the postseason, Liberty Hill advanced to the regional quarterﬁnals with convincing victories against Canyon Lake (46-29) and La Grange (52-28) before bowing out to Fredericksburg by a score of 67-58. Lange said his entire squad deserves recognition for all they accomplished over the course of the season. “I want to say how proud I am of our entire team,” he said. “Individual awards in basketball are won with good teammates that encourage and push the individual to be the best they can be.”

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OPENING

Liberty Hill’s Cheryl Gauthier shot a 77, which was good enough for a second-place ﬁnish at the Cedar Park Invitational. (Courtesy Photo)

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there was a ball stuck in a tree and once it was dislodged, that ball was not going to hit the ground. So, we laid out and made the catch, prompting a friend’s dad to say to me, ‘Wow, bet you’re No. 7 – Mickey Mantle.’” Indeed I was. Which was a precursor of later defensive prowess on our behalf – but we could never quite hit like The Commerce Comet (an entirely different story altogether). We also had an inclination to be a center fielder (also like The Mick) and there we were on Opening Day, when our coach was reading off the lineup before our first game and simply said, ‘Scott, center field.’” Woo-hoo! Without even waiting for our little huddle to be broken, we sprinted joyously out to a patch of empty grass where we were going to make our home, flashing leather the

likes of which nobody ‘round them there parts had ever seen. The game starts. Anytime now, I’m going to have my first ball hit to me. First inning goes by. Nothing. Second. Nothing. Third. Nothing. Any time, now. We got one ball hit to us the entire six innings (a double to the gap, which we quickly tracked down and expertly rifled back in to the infield, we might add) and quickly realized at that level the kids who weren’t so good got exiled to the outfield where they could do a lot less damage to the cause. Next practice, we go to the coach seeking a position change. “How about first?” he says. Okay, coach – anything is better than spending two-anda-half or three hours watching the grass grow. We ended up playing first the rest of our “career” and loved

it. By the way, don’t ever think first basemen aren’t athletes. Who digs all the other infielders’ horrible, hurried throws out of the dirt – forehand, backhand, short-hop – you name it? We do. To this day, it soothes our soul to watch the first baseman warm up the infield in between innings – as that was one of our favorite things to do. One of the coolest aspects of LHYL’s ceremony was having all the teams and coaches remain on the field after they were introduced – all of them lined up like a military formation (only quite understandably without the same discipline). All for one and one for all. We’ll save some of our other anecdotes for a later date. In the meantime, there are plenty more memories to be had. Play ball!

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SALES

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475,000 305,000 285,000 269,900 858,000 610,000 396,000 555,000 315,000 475,000

South Creek Circle Lot 150B Greystone Ranch Lot 14-B Commercial For Sale

$ $

26,000 1.610 acres 130,000 10.03 acres

502 Willow St

Vanderveer Stonewall Ranch Dove Meadows Sundance Ranch William Hamilton - survey 17.7 acres Santa Rita Ranch Ph 1 Dove Meadows Berry Creek (Georgetown)

402 S Pierce St 149 Granite Path 429 Dove Trail 261 N Showhorse Dr 1200 County Road 284 200 Hedgerow Lane 433 Dove Trail 31451 Kingsway Rd

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Bear Creek - 7.3 acres Rio Ancho - Cul-de-Sac Lot Stonewall Ranch Georgetown Jenks Branch Autumn Breeze Pruddy Estates Stonewall Ranch

100 Hidden Bear 129 Quiet Oak Cove 204 Drystone Trail 5626 FM 3405 107 Matthews Circle 1160 CR 226 101 Pruddy Oaks 83 Prospector Lane

Whitewater Springs Greystone Ranch - Bertram Luciano Cabasas - 2.38 acres

CLASSIFIED ADS $10/week for Minimum 30 Words Additional Words $0.20 Deadline Tuesday At Noon

(512) 778-5577 or NEWS@LHINDEPENDENT.COM

FOR LEASE

PASTURE LEASE AVAILABLE for cattle grazing and EMPLOYMENT production. 24 acres north of Liberty Hill, native grasses, EXPERIENCED DOG water, perimeter fencing. Call GROOMER needed in Lib- or text (512) 507-5191. erty Hill. 50% commission in- (3/19p) cluding tips. Contact 512-9687316. SERVICES (4/2p)

(outside Williamson County)

Sundance Ranch Bear Creek - 2.3 acres COMING SOON! Bent Tree Rock - Round Rock Bear Creek Ranch - 2.35 acres MH Survey - 25.9 acres Greatwood Estates - Leander Rolling Hills Unit 2 Meadows at Bluebonnet Hill Santa Rita Ranch North Woods of Fountainwood - Georgetown

Thursday, March 19, 2020

3 Blogs - 14 units Pending Contract 3B/2BA 3B/2BA 3B/2BA 3B/2.5BA 4B/4BA 4B/3.5BA 3B/2BA 6B/4BA Sold! 3B/2BA Lot 25 3B/2BA 2 Tracts 4B/2BA 3B/2BA 3B/2BA 5B/3BA

2620 sq ft 2130 sq ft 1806 sq ft 1360 sq ft 2608 sq ft 3060 sq ft 2560 sq ft 2909 sq ft 2258 sq ft 3473 sq ft

Cheryl Stephens Cheryl Stephens Cheryl Stephens Adrienne Hughes Shane T. White Amy Gandy Shane T. White Shane T. White Cheryl Stephens Adrienne Hughes Shane T. White Shane T. White

1,092,000 +/-10,736 sq ft Shane T. White 190,000 218,000 258,900 475,000 950,000 525,000 258,900 390,000

$ 499,900 $ 94,900 $ 1,695 $ 868,000 $ 259,900 $ 199,950 $ 325,000 $ 2,550/month

1511 sq ft 1379 sq ft 1787 sq ft 2620 sq ft 3550 sq ft 3250 sq ft 1786 sq ft 3884 sq ft

Shane T. White Shane T. White Shane T. White Cheryl Stephens Amy Gandy Shane T. White Shane T. White Cheryl Stephens

2037 sq ft 1.51 acres 1785 sq ft 31 acres 1838 sq ft 1484 sq ft 1577 sq ft 2854 sq ft

Cheryl Stephens Adrienne Hughes Adrienne Hughes Adrienne Hughes Shane T. White Shane T. White Shane T. White Adrienne Hughes

TRUSTED HOUSEKEEPING Housecleaning monthly, weekly, bi-weekly. Away with the cobwebs and dust bunnies. (512) 569-7587. Kim Glosson/ owner operator. Christian employees. 15 years experience.

(3/26p) SELL YOUR UNIQUE home made or grown items locally! The Market At Indian Mound Ranch is currently accepting Vendors for the 2020 Season. Saturday’s 9-3 weather permitting. $20 space fee. 12805 SH 29 W. Send email to imr1873@ gmail.com for details.

SUBSCRIBE 512.778.5577

ADVERTISE YOUR AGENCY! Feature Your Listings CALL 512.778.5577