Cleveland Browns offensive guard Spencer Drango plays in their orange and brown scrimmage at the NFL football team’s training camp Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

By KIM ESTES
Four Points News

Former River Place resident, Canyon Ridge Middle School Eagle and Cedar Park High School Timberwolf, Spencer Drango, has prevailed in final roster cuts and began his rookie season in the National Football League as a Cleveland Browns offensive lineman.

Spencer Drango #66

The Browns drafted Drango this past spring in the fifth round, the 168th pick overall in the NFL sweepstakes.

He is the son of Pamela and Gary Drango, who made a career move to San Diego in 2011, the year the future pro-player graduated from CPHS and enrolled at Baylor University on a football scholarship.

Responding from Cleveland, Drango said, “I stay in contact with some of my good friends that I played basketball and football with at CPHS. I recently saw several of them at a wedding.”

His current concentration, though, is on the Browns.

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Benefits: greater productivity, work/life balance

By CASSIE MCKEE
Four Points News

A growing number of professionals are choosing to work from home, especially in the Four Points area.

An analysis of House District 47, which stretches across western Travis County and includes Four Points and the communities of Lakeway, Lago Vista, Jonestown and Bee Cave, revealed that 12.7 percent of its residents work from home, a significantly higher number compared to the state average of 4 percent.

While many are self-employed, a growing number of companies are allowing their employees to telecommute, or work remotely from a home-based office.

Steiner Ranch resident Kristina Ritchie has telecommuted for her company Mintel International, LTD, a global market intelligence agency, since 2007.

“I am specifically responsible for a division within Mintel that monitors marketing efforts in the U.S. and Canada, and I oversee a team that establishes new partnerships for us in the U.S. and Canada,” Ritchie said.

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William “Biff” Farrell

Paul Workman

Legislation could give residents a vote in the process

By CASSIE MCKEE
Four Points News

Though it would likely be several years away, Steiner Ranch community leaders are starting to look into options to avoid being annexed by the city of Austin.

While Steiner Ranch is not currently on the proposed annexation list of the City of Austin, Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association board members believe that is only because the community still has too much debt.

“Once the debt is low enough, which I think will be early 2020, I think they are going to start taking a hard look at us,” said William Farrell, SRNA board member. “(We have) too much tax base to ignore.”

Farrell said they have seen the struggle in River Place, which is currently in the process of being annexed. Residents say annexation will lead to higher taxes with no additional services provided.

“We saw what was going on with River Place, so we decided that it might be a good idea to start getting our ducks in a row,” Farrell said.

Board members had an initial meeting with legal counsel about how to fight annexation if it gets that far; however, Farrell said he is hoping there might be a legislative solution.

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By SCOTT W. COLEMAN, Four Points News

Vandegrift will look move past any lingering effects of a close loss to Cedar Park on Friday as it hosts Killeen (1-1) at Monroe Stadium.

The Kangaroos are a familiar opponent for Vandegrift. The two teams have met four previous times in the regular season, and the Vipers have won the last three contests. Continue reading →