By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Oak wilt, an infectious disease, has been confirmed in the Plateau neighborhood in Steiner Ranch and is also confirmed along Selma Hughes Park Road off of Quinlan Park Road.

“I looked at about 10 home lots and oak wilt is affecting 30 trees,” said Clay Bales, forester from the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Bales said there is very little oak wilt in Steiner now but that “it won’t stay that way. Constant education is needed to protect the beauty in Steiner Ranch.”

Bales said he got a call from a homeowner in Steiner about three months ago who thought they might have oak wilt. Bales investigated and it turned out to be the case.

If not treated and addressed, oak wilt will continue to grow and spread. One reason this is such a big issue is that mature, live oaks are all connected, Bales said.

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Jennifer Moran captured the event on video and posted it to Instagram reporting she was sailing when she heard the prop of the biplane die, “and suddenly they hit the water, flipped and began sinking.”

By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the biplane crash into Lake Travis on Saturday when three passengers got out safely.

The crash happened near Windy Point-Bob Wentz Park on Saturday afternoon.

Jennifer Moran captured the event on video and posted it to Instagram reporting she was sailing when she heard the prop of the biplane die, “and suddenly they hit the water, flipped and began sinking.”

The plane flipped near the shore, and it reportedly took about a minute to sink completely below the waterline.
Moran posted that everyone began boating, jet-skiing, sailing, kayaking and swimming towards the plane.

“But all three men got out before the plane sank. It was a man taking his dad on a birthday plane ride excursion over Lake Travis. The dad told me he’s been fighting cancer and the son told me he and his wife just had a new baby three weeks ago,” Moran posted. “Put life into perspective for both of them.”

After they were safe, the men were grateful for all of those who tried to help, she said.

One passenger sustained minor injuries, but was not taken to the hospital, EMS officials said.
Travis County Parks Department and Travis County Sheriff both responded to the scene.

Independence Day in Four Points was filled parades, barbecue and fun activities for families and friends in Grandview Hills, River Place and Steiner Ranch.

Nancy Kotlarz, center, and her family, (left to right) Jacqueline, George, Alex and Jessica.

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

Long-time Leander ISD volunteer Nancy Kotlarz closes the chapter of nearly two decades of local volunteering after her youngest child graduated from Vandegrift this month.

“Staying involved with your kids and their school is key to their success,” said Kotlarz, a resident of River Place. “You may think that sending in brownies for a luncheon means very little, but you are wrong. It means a lot.”

A stay-at-home mom for the lifetime of her three children, Kotlarz volunteered in local schools for the past 17 years accruing a record of dedicated service and participation in a little LISD history.

Kotlarz helped open most of the local Four Points campuses and others too. She also donated labor to just about each one including Steiner Ranch, Laura Welch Bush and River Place elementary schools, Cedar Park, Canyon Ridge and Four Points middle schools, and, finally, Cedar Park High School and VHS.

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