By CASSIE MCKEE, LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Officials from Leander ISD will meet with representatives from the City of Austin and Travis County this week to hear their proposals regarding the construction of a new 1-mile road through the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve to Vandegrift High School and Four Points Middle School.

Pam Waggoner, Leander ISD School Board President and leader of the Four Points Traffic Committee advocacy group, is ready for the Jan. 23 meeting.

“We are not discouraged. We plan to continue working to build this road along side the improvements we want to 2222,” Waggoner said. Those potential improvements would include another lane along RM 2222 and improving the road’s intersection with McNeil Drive.

USFWS permit

LISD hired Attorney Alan Glen to work on the Road to Vandegrift.

Meanwhile, LISD is also moving forward with plans to file its own permit with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would allow construction of a new road. She said the district hopes to have the application completed later this month.

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By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Drug and alcohol addiction does not discriminate. That is what two local experts have found in their work at Happy Mental Wellness Center in River Place.

“When I first entered the field, I truly thought of the alcoholic as the person under the bridge. And then I (treated) the doctors, the lawyers, the person working at McDonald’s, the homeless person,” said Rebecca Sheehan, a licensed professional and chemical dependency counselor. In other words, no one is immune from the dangers of substance abuse, she added.

Drug and alcohol abuse can stem from a variety of causes: social use, a medical condition, a family history of addiction. However, Nadia Bening, MD, a psychiatrist who treats adults and adolescents, does point out a common condition present in addicts.

“Our research shows that 75 to 85 percent of people with substance abuse problems will have a dual diagnosis (of substance abuse and) a mood disorder,” such as depression or bipolar disorder, Bening said. Substance use may start simply as an effort to self-medicate, she said.

Rebecca Sheehan and Nadia Bening, MD, at Happy Mental Wellness in River Place provide a variety of mental health services including treatment for substance abuse.
Photo by Sarah Doolittle

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By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Part I

Four Points has excellent schools, a strong economy and family-friendly neighborhoods but it also has its share of all-too-common stories of human struggle, including addiction.

In an effort to shed light on addiction, this is the first of a two part series on drug and alcohol addition, its effects, treatment and recovery. Two Four Points residents agreed to share their stories in the hope that others might learn from their journeys.

Their stories are unique and yet they share a common thread of vulnerability and strength, chaos and choice.

Image courtesy of Maggie Smith/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Steiner Ranch Elementary students, families, teachers and staff honored Mrs. Peggy Howard this week with a balloon release.

SRE students and family gathered this week to remember Mrs. Peggy Howard.

“The outpouring of support over the last week has been overwhelming, and we cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for our school and staff, from the cards and artwork for the Howard family to the calls, emails, hugs, and breakfast for the staff!  Thank you for being so kind and helping us through this difficult time so that we can remain focused on our students” Principal Susan Fambrough said in a note to families. Continue reading →

By VAL OLIVAS, Four Points News

A handful of hard working, young adults who are mentally or physically challenged have jobs each week in Steiner Ranch, River Place and Grandview Hills.

“(The students) are an invaluable resource. They want to work so much and work hard while they’re here,” said Kristi Nordin, co-owner of Cups & Cones.

These students, who are 18 to 22 years old, are part of the Leander ISD’s SELF 30 program which stands for Skills for Enhancing Lifelong Fulfillment.

The SELF 30 program, which teaches life skills, currently serves 12 LISD students.

School of the Hills photo:
Alicia Marker (Head of School)
Kelly Taylor (SELF 30)
photo by Sandy Frankum

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