CMYK Start Here. With interest rates at record lows, this is a great time to buy your first home, move up to a larger one, or refinance your existing mortgage. In partnership with CU Members Mortgage we make home ownership easy. MAKE YOUR MOVE Call or visit us w w w . g t f c u . o r g online today! 800.749.9732 ext. 1311 or ext. 1315 HILL COUNTRY NEWS Volume 44, Issue 41 • 14 pages Serving Cedar Park, Leander and Northwest Austin since 1968 • HillCountryNews.com Thursday, October 11, 2012 • 50 cents Oprah Winfrey revisits Leander children she could never forget Oprah reunites children with mom who abandoned them Oprah.com Oprah sits down with Kris and Daisy in their Leander home. LEANDER — When Oprah Winfrey started working on a new show for her OWN network that revisited past stories, one of the first ones she wanted to do involved a Leander family that she’s never been able to forget. Of the 4,500-something shows she did over the years, Oprah told 12-yearold Kris and 16-year-old Daisy, “yours is one that lived inside me — I was seared by that moment on the show,” she said on the premiere episode of ‘Oprah: Where Are They Now?’ Kris and Daisy appeared on Oprah’s show in 2007, after they had been abandoned by their mother. Earlier this year, the children’s father, Jim, began receiving letters from the children’s mother who was serving time in the Williamson County jail in Georgetown for failure to pay child support and other crimes. Winfrey’s producers were able to arrange a meeting for the children and their mother who hadn’t seen each other in seven years and the show captured that emotional and painful reunion. Before the reunion at the jail, Winfrey sat down with the children and talked about their expectations. Daisy admitted that she longed to get the apology she thought she deserved and she hoped to get some sort of explanation as to how a mother could ever leave her children. Kris said he didn’t know what it was like to have a mother, because she left when he was four years old. Excerpts from the show are available online at HillCountryNews.com, or on the OWN website. Additional episodes of OWN’s Where Are They Now? can be seen regularly on Channel 225 on Time Warner Cable. Running for Meals on Wheels Courtesy photo People of all ages participated in the 4th annual HarvestFest 5K Family & Fun Run last weekend in Georgetown. The youngest runner in the 5K was 8 and the oldest runner was 81. Awards were provided to male and female runners in each category. The overall winners of the race were George Perry (32) of Austin and Anne Nutt (35) who were the first male and female runners to cross the finish line. Inside Local ...................................2 Calendar .............................3 Opinion ..............................4 Elections .............................5 Faith ...................................6 Chalkboard .........................7 Stars of the Week ...............8 Sports Spotlight ..................9 Classifieds ....................10-11 Sports ..........................12-14 Mom, boyfriend charged in daughter’s sexual assault Cedar Park going green with conservation fair Girl: Mother held her hand during assault The city of Cedar Park and the Lower Colorado River Authority are teaming up to host the Cedar Park Conserves Annual Fair at the city rec center on Oct. 20. The fair will feature live demonstrations, informational booths, and workshops showing residents how to use our natural resources more wisely through small changes in their daily lives. Organizers are bringing in a variety of experts ranging from State agencies to local groups, including Williamson County Master Gardeners, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Water Development Board, and Wilco Recycling. Attendees will be given a “passport” card and have it stamped at each booth. Filled passport cards will be entered into a drawing for a free rain barrel at the event. One of the main attractions will be Rainwater Harvesting Basics presentations with renowned resource efficiency expert Dick Peterson, who served as the Xeriscape and Rainwater Programs Coordinator for the Austin Water Utility. The fair will also be an opportunity to distribute rain barrels to those who order them through the city, in conjunction with the LCRA, by the Oct. 15 deadline. The rain barrels are being sold for a deeply discounted price of $58 through this limited-time offer. Learn more or place an order online at cedarparktexas.gov. www.hillcountrynews.com Smith McGuckin LIBERTY HILL — WilCo authorities have charged a Liberty Hill mother and her 24-year-old boyfriend stationed at Fort Hood with sexual assault of a child, after the woman’s daughter- Thank a Veteran and Serviceman Every Day. www.ResearchPest.com Residential • Commercial BEST BEST OF THE Locally Owned & Family Operated 2 0 R E S E A RC H 1 1 2 0 1 2 came forward. Theresa McGuckin, 37, and Kelby Stan Smith were charged with sexual assault of a child. According to the felony complaint, the mother and daughter, along with the ST C ONTR 258-5228 OL Serving Cedar Park & surrounding communities for over 30 yrs mother’s boyfriend were spending the day at the Blue Hole, a swimming spot in Liberty HIll in mid September and that the underage girl had been drinking several alcoholic beverages while there. After they left the swiming hole, they all went back to the mother’s home and all three laid down on the mother’s bed, the girl said. That’s when the assault took place, according to the court document. When the assault began, the girl told investigators that her mother held her right hand tight, talking to her and telling her that it was going to be OK. Probate? VoatewdyeBr est L 1 y Hill b Divorce? Country 2 News s 00 02 20 1 Reader 8 90 Wills? 0 st Place Call for an appointment PE Saturday morning was the first significant cool morning of the season in Central Texas and it was perfect for running. Runners and spectators gathered together wearing light jackets as the sun rose and the 4th annual HarvestFest 5K Family & Fun Run began in San Gabriel Park in Georgetown. The event benefitted the WBC Opportunities Meals on Wheels program, the designated Meals on Wheels provider for Williamson and Burnet counties. “The HarvestFest 5K Run will directly benefit the seniors in our community, allowing them to maintain their independence in their own homes, and ensuring they receive a daily well-balanced meal and visit from a supportive volunteer,” stated Andrew Shell, Executive Director of WBC Opportunities. WBC Opportunities has been the Meals on Wheels provider throughout both Williamson and Burnet counties for more than 30 years. Over the past several years, the need for this service has increased significantly as the population has increased both in numbers and in age. In the past year, WBC Opportunities has provided more than 165,000 meals to homebound seniors. 259-3955 www.terrydavis.com Terry Davis & Associates A T T O R N E Y S A T L A W JAKOBI LANE RESCUED & TRANSFORMED VINTAGE FURNITURE Cedar Park • Visit Website www.JakobiLane.com for available inventory If you’re looking to retire in a setting where you can find luxury, excitement, independence, security and convenience all in a place that you can call home, look no further than Lakeline Oaks or Provident Crossings. Provident Crossings Lakeline Oaks 1950 South A.W. Grimes Blvd Round Rock, TX 78664 1905 South Lakeline Blvd. Cedar Park, TX 78613 (512) 671-7771 (512) 331-4100 www.RLCommunities.com