By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Clara had no intention of drunk driving the night she was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

That night, she had plans with friends. Her son was out of town for the weekend and she was going to a tailgate party. By the time she arrived at the event, though, there was no food left. Clara, which isn’t her real name, stayed long enough to socialize and have a glass of wine, then left in search of food.

She found an open restaurant in Lakeway, but they had already closed the kitchen. After another glass of wine at the bar and half-way into a second glass, she realized she was tired and needed to go to bed.

On her way home to Steiner Ranch, as Clara navigated a dark and windy back road, another vehicle swerved into her lane. She turned sharply to avoid a head-on collision and drove off the road. Her car hit a fence and a utility pole, totalling her vehicle. Her airbags deployed and, unbeknownst to her, she was knocked unconscious. Continue reading →

By KRISTINA NGUYEN, Four Points News

Mariana Gama, a recent graduate of Vandegrift High School, is returning to Colombia to do her annual summer volunteer work.

Gama has been doing volunteer work since an early age. In high school, she participated in National Honor Society, a club dedicated to instilling the values of service and leaderships in students. At home, her family organizes clothing drives to provide people on the streets and in orphanages with these basic necessities. However, most of her volunteer work is through her own personal interest.

“I’ve been volunteering since I could talk and walk. This is the first year I’ll be doing it individually, with my friend and not with my family,” Gama said. Continue reading →

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

“Astonishing” is how Principal Charlie Little described the recent award of the Lone Star Cup to six-year-old Vandegrift High School by the University Interscholastic League.

“For VHS to win the Cup in that short of a time frame is truly astonishing. This award is significant in that it is a holistic award for excellence in academics, fine arts and athletics.  To win, a campus has to have vibrant, successful programs across the entire campus,” Little said. Continue reading →

Local good Samaritans help a Husky left in a hot vehicle this weekend in the H-E-B parking lot at the corner of RM 620 and RM 2222. The dog had been left in the car with the window cracked but was showing visible signs of distress in the 90 degree-plus heat.

By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

A dog was left alone in a hot car this weekend in the H-E-B parking lot at the corner of RM 620 and RM 2222, attracting the attention of concerned bystanders.

A woman in the parking lot Sunday afternoon first noticed the female Husky’s distress, who the witness says was, “whining and crying” with her head and one leg out of the car’s window, which had been left cracked.

The dog’s cries quickly drew a crowd. Several more women and an H-E-B employee arrived to help the dog by giving it water and pouring water over its head to cool it.

An eyewitness account

The first woman to help, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity, lives near Lakeway and was shopping that day. Continue reading →