The Allen family of Volente — Steve, Jodi, Steven and Taylor as seen in this photo from 2011 — earn top honors for the two, Lake Travis marinas they own and operate with Steve’s mom, Janet Caylor.

Dual “Marina of the Year” honors

By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Two, family-owned Lake Travis marinas were awarded top, Marina of the Year honors by the Marina Association of Texas, but the accolades have not come  without challenges.

The recognition comes after both local businesses have weathered and survived many storms and a historic drought.

“During the five-year drought, which was the worst in Lake Travis history, we had to move the marina docks further into the deeper areas of the lake and out of our protected cove home-base,” said Jodi Allen, manager of Lakeway Marina.

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Two dog therapy teams from The Austin Dog Alliance helped create a stress-reducing experience at Vandegrift.

By JENNIFER WALKER, Vandegrift Voice

After 80 percent of Vandegrift students reported feeling “often or always stressed by schoolwork” on the Stanford Survey of Adolescent Experiences, VHS counselors knew they needed to find a way to combat this complicated issue. The solution? Furry friends. Dogs trained by The Dog Alliance and Hounds for Heroes visited students a few weeks ago during lunch breaks.

“This whole year is basically in response to the survey we did last year and trying to help our students find a little more balance,” counselor Amy Rodriguez said. “We’re also trying to provide tools for (students) to use to just feel like they have a chance to take a breath during the day, and so what better way than to pet a puppy and hug them.”

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By MOSE BUCHELE, Austin Monitor

A website that warns Central Texans about road flooding is getting an overhaul this month. The designers of the new site say the changes should give visitors more detail about flooding near them.

ATXfloods.com is basically a map that shows which low-water crossings are underwater. On a sunny day, it should be full of green circles to say the crossings are Okay. During heavy rains, those green circles turn to red.

The site was launched by the city of Austin in 2012 and has been visited 9 million times, a number that makes sense when you consider how many floods the area has had since then.

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Rules on election signs in Four Points

Campaign signs remained at Quinlan Crossing shopping center last week, two days following the state’s primary election. LESLEE BASSMAN

By LESLEE BASSMAN, Four Points News

With the March 6 primary election over but the upcoming May 5 election campaign in full swing, Four Points’ lawns and thoroughfares are dotted with candidate signs. Continue reading →