By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Despite a slowdown in growth over the last several years, Leander ISD continues to be ranked the 12th fastest-growing large school district in Texas, thanks in large part to the district’s high quality of life.

Demographers determine a district’s quality of life by looking at criteria such as the number of economically-disadvantaged students, median income levels and home values, and the overall education level of residents. Dr. Stacey Tepera, a demographer with Population and Survey Analysts, presented the findings to the LISD Board of Trustees in October.

“People move here for the good schools and for the perceived quality of life,” Tepera said. Continue reading →

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

Dr. Julia Hawthorne and her husband, Andy, were faced with a decision on Nov. 13, the day terrorists opened fire on Paris. Sitting on a park bench under starry skies at the Eiffel Tower, they asked themselves and each other, “Who wins?”

Residents of Grandview Hills, the couple was on a “bucket list” vacation.

“It was my 40th birthday and I was surprised by husband with a trip to Paris,” said Hawthorne, her face beaming with appreciation. She is a dentist and owner of Steiner Dental. They left Austin at noon, Nov. 12 and arrived in Paris at 8 a.m., Nov. 13.

Their room, reserved in a hotel across from the Presidential Palace, wasn’t ready. Time ticked by, however, and they went to their lunch reservation but then returned to sleep off jet lag. They woke for dinner and a late-night visit to the Eiffel Tower.

The Hawthornes of Grandview Hills were in Paris, on top of the Eiffel Tower when terrorists attacked the city. “On the elevator down, we started getting text messages and there was a lot of chatter from people around us,” said Julia Hawthorne, owner of Steiner Dental. “The text messages to us were ‘Are you safe? Are you okay?’ – things like that. I thought, ‘What? Why wouldn’t we be okay? We’re in Paris.’”

Continue reading →

By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Three owls were released into the wild at Longhorn Village in September, thanks to the efforts of resident Marc Bernat, a self proclaimed birder. The owls’ story was an eventful one that all started earlier this year when their mom, who eventually disappeared, took up residency in one of Bernat’s flowerpots on his balcony.

“Longhorn Village had not yet organized its resident birders when I came four years ago,” Bernat said. “Since then we have Beak Week in the spring, and we have speakers and field trips.”

Bernat is a lifelong Texan, retired attorney, avid bird enthusiast and four-year resident of Longhorn Village, the University of Texas Exes-linked retirement community.

So it was a lucky coincidence when an owl decided to nest on Bernat’s balcony at his apartment this past February. Continue reading →