Vandegrift teacher Martin Wiedenmeier, standing next to his patent, patented his idea for testing heart valves when he worked as a biomedical engineer.

By ASHLEY CHASE, JENNIFER WALKER
Vandegrift Voice

Martin Wiedenmeier, who teaches Introduction to engineering design/aerospace engineering at Vandegrift, holds one patent, has another pending and has sought four other patents in his career.

He worked as an engineer for many years before he started teaching.

“I spent five years working for IBM in the semiconductor path, as a process development engineer, and then 10 years as a biomedical engineer,” Wiedenmeier said. “I liked the 10 years as a biomedical engineer because I was in research and it was something new and different every day; you never really knew what you were going to get into.”

Wiedenmeier spent his 10 years as a biomedical engineer working on making medical heart valves with a company in Austin before he decided to get into teaching.

“We got bought out,” Wiedenmeier said. “I basically didn’t want to move out of Austin. I got some job offers on the East Coast and in the Midwest but didn’t want to take any of those, so I decided to get into teaching.”

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By SARAH DOOLITTLE
Four Points News

Mark and Carrie Kudela will soon open the Rock House Bar and Trailer Park near the intersection of RM 620 and RM 2222.

Rock House will feature a full bar and, “a limited menu inside with some salads, sandwiches, heavy hors d’oeuvres. So it’s completely different than (what the food trucks offer),” explained Mark. “We have Mighty Fine… Big Kahuna, Tika Express and then Gebby’s BBQ.”

Though the bar is still undergoing renovations, the food truck court is already open.

The Kudelas live in Steiner Ranch with two of their three children, Taber, 14 and Gabbi, 12. Their oldest, Tanner, 24, graduated from Texas A&M University and lives in Houston.

The couple bought the property in August, as soon as it came on the market. They have no previous restaurant experience but for years, they had been thinking of opening a “dive bar,” something that feels like a comfortable neighborhood bar where the whole family can hang out, they said.

“We’ll have some yard games… horseshoes, cornhole, some different stuff for people to do,” said Carrie. “We’ve always wanted to have a bar, something kind of casual. Shabby chic, that’s what we’re calling it.”

Mark and Carrie Kudela, of Steiner Ranch, are opening Rock House Bar and Trailer Park near the intersection of RM 620 and RM 2222. Already four food trucks are open at the new venue, and the family dog, Scout, enjoys the scene.

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Vandegrift High School had 538 graduating seniors in the class of 2017. Commencement ceremonies were held June 3 at 4 p.m. at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park. The class is larger than last year’s class of 460 graduates.

Photos by Lela Coker, VHS Journalism & Leander ISD

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By JO CLIFTON
Austin Monitor

A group of Lake Austin homeowners on Monday sued the city of Austin, claiming that the city’s notice concerning the zoning and waiver of environmental regulations on what is known as the Champion tract off of RM 2222, was inadequate and therefore violated the Texas Open Meetings Act.

According to the lawsuit filed by the Lake Austin Collective Inc., when City Council approved new zoning for the tract on City Park Road on Nov. 10, the notice failed to mention that it would also be approving waivers of environmental regulations as well as the Hill Country Roadway Ordinance.

As the Austin Monitor reported in April, the group notified the city of its intention to sue and gave council 45 days to post the item on its agenda again with notice of the pertinent waivers. However, the city failed to do so.

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