Jose and Marielle Osuna enjoyed breakfast and photos with Santa with their children Mia, Alexa and Nicholas at the annual Steiner Ranch event. SARAH DOOLITTLE
By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News
Santa is making his way through Four Points, posing for photos and hearing many wishes.
The 2018 Breakfast with Santa, hosted Dec. 8 in the Towne Square Community Center in Steiner Ranch, was a festive event attended by 175 Steiner parents and children.
By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News
Steiner Ranch resident Animon Jose has begun another year of fundraising with his charitable project, Giving Portraits, to help less fortunate in India while helping local families with their family Christmas card photos.
Every year in December, Jose, a computer programmer by trade, rents a local photography studio and invites anyone to sign up for family or individual photos. In lieu of payment, Jose asks for donations of any amount, which he then donates to a charity in India.
Jose and his wife, Suja, and their daughter Anupriya and son Pranav all help with Giving Portraits. Even now with his daughter away at university studying biomedical engineering and his son a busy sophomore at Vandegrift, Giving Portraits is a family affair.
Oak wilt disease is prevalent in these oak tree leaves. Courtesy Texas A&M Forest Service/April Rose, City of Austin
By LESLEE BASSMAN, Four Points News
While many may be focused on Christmas trees right now, oak trees may also need attention as it is prime time to trim both.
Experts agree that trimming limbs off oaks from Feb. 1 – June 30 puts the trees at a greater risk of becoming infected with oak wilt, a disease that cannot only shut down the system of a tree but spread throughout neighborhoods, changing their landscapes. Steiner Ranch has a case of oak wilt.
“I think the pruning dates [for oak trees] are really important,” said Don Gardner, an ISA certified arborist who practices across from Steiner Ranch on Lake Austin.
Brian Thompto, Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association chair, moderates the Dec. 11 meeting with Travis County in Steiner Ranch. LYNETTE HAALAND
By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
More than 150 people crowded into Towne Square Community Center on Dec. 11 as Steiner Ranch residents listened to Travis County’s presentation about proposed evacuation routes, asked questions and gave feedback.
The project has been in the works for years since the 2011 fires that destroyed 23 homes in Steiner. The project was approved $2.7 million in funding in early 2017.
Lately the county shared that more funds are needed to build an evacuation road. That is one reason last week’s presentation from the county focused on route F which is the only option that also would be a permanent road.
Creating a permanent road would allow the project to be eligible for funds from other sources such as Texas Department of Transportation and CAMPO, according to Brigid Shea, Precinct Two County Commissioner who was at the Dec. 11 meeting. Continue reading