A woman from Austin died in a single-vehicle crash on SH 71 Monday. The accident happened around 3:18 p.m.

A man accused of money laundering last year in Fayette County got some of his money back after his case was dismissed for lack of evidence. Fayette County officials recently returned half of his money and his pickup truck.

The Hilltop water tower in La Grange looks like it’s wearing a crown. That’s actually rigging and framework for a shroud that will cover the water tower for a paint job. The City of La Grange hired A&M Construction and Utilities of Rowlett to repaint the water tower. City Manager Shawn Raborn said the water tower needs to be repainted about once every 20 years to extend its service life. He said workers will scrape rust, prime and then paint the interior and exterior of the water tower. He said work on the inside is complete. Workers will soon raise the shroud to prime and paint the exterior. He said the project should be complete by early June. The water tower will feature a “La Grange” logo in the school colors, purple and gold. Photo by Andy Behlen

The Louisiana Livestock Brand Commission arrested a Muldoon man for livestock theft last month. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF’s) Livestock Brand Commission reports that 33-year-old Saxon Beck Jr.

Make plans to attend the Fayette Public Library Book Sale at the Fayette Public Library in La Grange from Friday, April 29th, through Sunday, May 1. The sale will be in the conference room on the first floor of the Library located at 855 South Jefferson (South US Highway 77) in La Grange.

While the Federal Reserve is worrying about inflation, local governments in South Central Texas are rejoicing over increased sales tax revenue from all that spending. As of April, all nine area counties tracked by the Record have double-digit sales tax gains, compared to this time last year.

The American Automobile Association’s (AAA) distracted driving awareness campaign titled Don’t Drive Intoxicated, Don’t Drive Intexticated is a reminder that distracted can be as dangerous as driving drunk. In a study done by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety researchers found that even using a handsfree system or texting when you are stopped at a light can produce a ‘hangover’ effect where your mind stays distracted for up to 27 seconds after using smart phones or even voice to text systems in vehicles. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month: A time to raise awareness of the dangers associated with distracted driving.

Fayette Electric Cooperative, in partnership with CoBank, is seeking applicants for a grant program. The Sharing Success Charitable Contribution Program is a partnership between FEC and CoBank, a cooperative bank serving agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States, and one of FEC’s lending partners.

The Navidad Valley Community Connections (NVCC) board of director’s has now grown from eight to 12 community leaders. They have started work on the strategic planning process with Vicki LaRue, an active board member from the Round Top Family Library, as facilitator. The community support has been a catalyst for NVCC.

The Schulenburg Shorthorn marching band was set to go to Washington D.C. this year to march in the Memorial Day parade there, but the decision had been made to postpone that trip until next year. Here’s a message from director of bands Justin Bartlett about the decision: