After months of guidance and regulations concerning how back to school should be handled, Marble Falls Independent School District officials finalized a plan to start instruction on Aug. 19 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burnet County logged its 11th COVID-19-related fatality this week after a 64-yearold Horseshoe Bay man died at Baylor Scott and White Marble Falls Wednesday, July 29. The number of fatalities reported in Burnet County had climbed from six prior to this week to 10 on Monday, July 27, after the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) changed how it tabulates fatalities to include information from death certificates.

Special to The Highlander Putnam Funeral Home and Crematory is proud to announce that Jessamyn Putnam, also of Cremation Advocates by Putnam, has recently earned her Certified Funeral Celebrant accreditation through InSight Institute, making her the on ly Certified Celebrant in the Highland Lakes area. Certified Celebrants, also known as Life Tribute Specialists, have been trained in the specific area of conducting funerals for families who wish to have a personalized and individualized funeral service experience; and as people move away from traditional funeral ceremonies, the demand for funeral celebrants has increased.

Marble Falls Independent School District officials are still ironing out the details for the start of the 2020-21 school year in an effort to balance varying opinions about COVID-19 prevention of parents, physicians and lawmakers.

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) updated the guidelines for summer strength and conditioning on July 8. The guidance remains in effect until the first day of instruction or the start of in-season activities, whichever occurs earlier.

Through this week, residents will see relief from scorching triple digits temperatures, before the thermometer blazes again by the end of the month. For more than a week, central Texas experienced consecutive days with the temperature at or above 100 degrees.

Llano County Precinct Commissioner Peter Jones has arranged for tours of a Collier, Inc., sand plant in Jarrell for those who want to see how a proposed plant near Kingsland might look. The tours are set for Thursday, July 16; each tour will be limited because visitors must wear hard hats.

Golfers of all ages and skill levels are in the right place for summertime strokes; the Highland Lakes offers several golf courses with unique holes, training opportunities and tournaments throughout the summer.