Source: Austin Police Department, Texas Department of Transportation

Two accident reports shared

By KIM ESTES
Four Points News

Traffic accidents on RM 2222 between RM 620 and McNeil Drive decreased by 51 percent from January through June of this year compared to the same time last year. However crashes – although low in number – have almost doubled on Four Points Drive, according to information from the Austin Police Department.

Neither the Texas Department of Transportation, with jurisdiction for RM 2222, nor APD, with oversight of Four Points Drive, can account for the differences. There were no changes in signage or signals on the roadways for the first six months of the year. Neither group is aware of an increase in patrols, said their respective law enforcement public information officers.

Also, it is not known if there has been an increase or decrease in traffic on either road. Traffic counts on RM 2222 for January through June of this year will not be available until next year, said Diann Hodges, TxDOT public information officer. Also, there are no records yet for the same period for Four Points Drive, said Joana Perez, Austin Transportation Department administrative specialist.

Regardless, information from the APD/TxDOT Dataset and Fatality Database show that crashes on RM 2222 from January to June 2016 equaled 39. That number dropped to 19 for the same time in 2017.

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Bella Benoit

Ryan Palmieri

By LYNETTE HAALAND
Four Points News

Three local volleyball players have had some impressive success at the 2017 Girls Junior National Volleyball Championship this year. Two graduated from Vandegrift and one is a rising senior.

The divisions from highest on down are: open, national, USA and American. Playing at this level and to medal in any division is challenging.

Recent Vandegrift graduate and four-year varsity member Katarina Mendez’s club team won the 18 USA Division on April 23 in Dallas.

“It was my proudest moment so far,” said Mendez, 5’10”. She started her volleyball career in Steiner Ranch with YMCA community sports at age 10 and she never stopped playing.

She was 2nd team all district and will continue her volleyball career at St. Edward’s University in the fall as an outside hitter.

“We are very proud of the 18 Austin Juniors Volleyball team Mizuno,” said Anthony Mendez, Katarina’s dad. “This age group has won this very prestigious National Championship twice and have also won many other tournaments. The entire team will be playing collegiate volleyball at various universities around the country.”

Another recent VHS graduate and Viper varsity letterman, Bella Benoit, won silver in the 18 USA division April in Dallas. She played on Austin Performance and left to join the West Point (U.S. Military Academy) volleyball team as a 6’3″ middle blocker.

“She loved her team and it was one of the best seasons of her career,” said her dad, Peter Benoit. “The club, her teammates and high profile tournament wins were so memorable.”

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Jason Dzubinski of River Place makes his way across Lake Austin in an inflatable kayak on his way to work in West Lake.

Avoids traffic while staying fit

By HADLEY HUDSON
Four Points News

In March, Jason Dzubinski decided to try a new method to get from his home in River Place to his job in West Lake Hills — kayaking across Lake Austin and hiking. Not only is he able to avoid the traffic for a couple of hours on the days he kayaks, but also he is able to train for an upcoming trip to Colorado.

“Earlier this year, I took my 3-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter on a canoe trip down the Brazos river,” said Dzubinski, who is chief operating officer at Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery.

He said it was during that trip that it dawned on him that water travel was not only possible, but a fun form of exercise. It led him to start looking for ways to cross Lake Austin on his commute.

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By KIM ESTES
Four Points News

Vandegrift High School will exceed capacity by about 10 percent this school year to house an expected student population of 2,630 in a facility designed for 2,400, said Cory Ryan, LISD communications director.

However, a recently proposed bond would expand the seven-year-old campus to accommodate 2,900 students. Prognosticators anticipate that VHS enrollment will reach 2,845 students in 2026 in the 2016 annual Demographic Update. But, the school is well beyond their 2010 forecast that said there would 2,175 Vipers by 2020.

Trustees are scheduled to discuss the bond proposition this week at their meeting on Aug. 3. They will vote whether or not to call for an election on the matter on Aug.17.

Meanwhile, as in the recent past and for the foreseeable future, VHS students will continue to walk one-tenth of a mile to Four Points Middle School where this coming year they will utilize 10 classrooms: six for Austin Community College dual credit courses, three for science labs and one for office space.

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