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For Georgetown plastic surgeon, patient motivations can go beyond

Dr. Craig Staebel has a Post-it note on his office computer that reads, “People may forget what you say but they don’t forget how you made them feel.”The sentiment is important, he said, because the patients who come into his office aren’t just looking to change how they look — they’re trying to change how they feel.Dr. Staebel has been operating at his practice, Georgetown Plastic Surgery, for the past 20 years. He is a board-certified plastic surgeon and has his own private operating room atta...

Georgetown square dancer earns aviation scholarship

Eighteen-year-old Evan Rhinehart has been square dancing with his family in Georgetown for five years, and now the hobby is helping him take his next step toward a career in aviation maintenance.Evan received a scholarship from the Shirts ’n’ Skirts Square Dancing Club Georgetown, which will cover his first semester at Texas State Technical College.A homeschooled student, he has been square dancing with the club to complete his physical education credit. His younger sisters, parents and grandpar...

Haven GTX opens day program for adults with disabilities

The Haven GTX, a new nonprofit, is giving adults with intellectual disabilities a place to learn, socialize and stay active through a five-day-a-week life enrichment program offered at First Presbyterian Church.The tuition-based program was started by Randy and Cindy Smith, who have a 28-year-old son with a disability named Cole. The Smiths have designed the program alongside Executive Director Ivonne Rodriguez to stimulate the mind, body and soul of each Friend who enters the door. Rodriguez ha...

Freedom for a price: Bail bond industry is a quiet but thriving part of downtown Georgetown

Within a mile of the Square, there are eight bail bond businesses — some in small houses with neon signs, others in unassuming office buildings — working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to get people who are innocent until proven guilty, out of jail. The bail businesses are not heavily trafficked — or even noticed — by the typical visitors who seek out shopping and dining options around vibrant historic downtown Georgetown. The thriving industry, however, is crucial for people sitting in the...

Making custom hats the old fashioned way

Nathaniel Funmaker makes custom hats the on the Square old-fashioned way, using equipment that is more than 100 years old.“There is newer equipment, but I won’t have it. I don’t like that. I like what I like,” he said. “This was how it was originally done.” Nathaniel's Custom Hats offers 12 different named styles, like cowboy hats, crossovers and fedoras. Mr. Funmaker also allows clients to customize the height of the crown as well as the width and curl of the brim. Sometimes, the measurements d...

Georgetown discuss economic future of the city

State and local economic development leaders gathered June 25 to discuss Georgetown’s rapid growth, expanding manufacturing sector and long-term workforce needs during a Georgetown Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Sheraton Hotel.The panel was moderated by Kaitlyn Wilkes, the city reporter for the Sun, and featured Dave Porter, the executive director of Williamson County's Economic Development Partnership; Cameron Goodman, the economic development director of Georgetown; and Janie Havel, the N...

Papa Frank’s Barbershop moves to new location

“Cutting hair is super satisfying to me,” said Nik Shanklin, the owner of Papa Frank’s Barbershop. “I love the artistic part of it, the connection you build with the clients, the way you make them feel, because when you make people look bitter, they ultimately feel better.”Three weeks ago, Papa Frank’s Barbershop downsized to a booth inside of Premium Blend Studio, 612 East University Avenue Suite 2. The booth displays posters of icons like Muhamad Ali, Doc Holiday and John Wayne. There is also...

Businesses professionals get crash course in AI for marketing

The Professional Women of Williamson County — an organization that hosts educational luncheons and offers education scholarships for young women — learned about artificial intelligence and how AI platforms can help small businesses during a luncheon June 24.  The presentation was led by Georgetown entrepreneur Laura Capes Terry, publisher of BeLocal Magazine. She explained how ChatGPT helped her to “find her voice” in business. Ms. Terry said she uses AI to help create two podcasts: “Be Locally...

Waterloo Gin brings spirit to Georgetown

For drinkers who grimace at the bitter bite of London-style gin, a gin infused with floral botanicals from the Texas Hill Country may be the secret to a refreshing summer cocktail. 
Waterloo Gin, a spirit brand owned by John Paul DeJoria, has its headquarters in the historic Gold’s building on the Square. “There's a big opportunity for more American style gin, and one that has the kind of history and origin story that we have,” said David Kerston, the President of Waterloo Gin. “We're just super...

Seeds of Strength hits milestone

Has distributed more than $2.5 million since 2010Seeds of Strength, a women’s philanthropic giving circle founded in 2010, announced that it has raised and distributed $2,547,488 for Georgetown nonprofits since the group’s inception. The group’s spring meeting and awards ceremony was held on May 21 at Grace Bible Church, during which $180,000 in grants was presented to eight nonprofits.“Surpassing the $2.5 million threshold is a monumental milestone for Seeds of Strength,” President PamCarlson s...

Author Mark Pryor speaks at Hill County Author Series

Mark Pryor, a mystery novelist and criminal defense attorney, spoke about his new book The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris on May 14 at the Georgetown Public Library as part of the Hill Country Author Series. The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris is part of a series that features Hugo Marston as the protagonist. In previous novels, Hugo was a Security Ambassador for the United States Embassy in Paris. However, in the latest novel, Hugo retires and opens his own bookshop — only to be pulled int...

Catching life: inside Haven Birth and Wellness

A woman squatting in an inflatable tub releases a purposeful moan— followed by a deep, soft scream, as licensed Georgetown midwife Ashley Collie instructs the expecting mother to “Get your baby! Your baby’s in front of you. Get your baby.” The mom swoops her baby up out of the water while dad comforts her from the other side. “Oh my god, oh!” the mom said. Her baby releases a healthy, choking scream. A nurse in the background prepared the couple’s bed by placing a sheet of plastic painters drop...

Farmer looks at shifting agriculture landscape

The thing Dwight Arldt loves most about farming is that he doesn’t have to deal with people.A mile north of Weir, along County Road 194 — known locally as “Redneck Road”— Mr. Arldt grows wheat on 45 acres. He leases the land, along with a couple other properties, and owns some of his own. In total, he farms about 450 acres —  growing wheat, corn, maize and grain sorghum.Like many farmers, Mr. Arldt relies on leased land. He’d renewed his agreements year-to-year for 41 years. However, the land ma...

Teen court hears real traffic ticket case

A teenager shifted nervously in his seat on March 24. He had already paid his traffic ticket for failing to stop for a school bus, but now he had to go before the Teen Court to remove it from his record. Teen Court is a diversion program within Williamson County’s juvenile justice system that allows some teens who have committed a crime to participate in a peer-led court process with volunteer teen judges, attorneys and jury members.Teen court volunteers, ages 13-18, learn all aspects of courtro...

Judge helps teen struggling to support family

Sixteen-year-old Kevin Rodriguez was riding down the sidewalk on his e-bike when a car came around the corner and hit him. He wasn’t hurt, however, his bike was broken — leaving him without transportation to get to his part-time job at McDonald’s. Kevin’s dad had just had surgery and was out of work for six months, so Kevin couldn’t miss a shift. Most days — trying to work around school, ROTC and wrestling practice — he walked to work for an eight-hour shift. He had no time to do his homework, a...

Williamson County Cold Case Unit working on 12 unsolved cases

Debra Jackson was found strangled in Williamson County, only wearing orange socks, on Halloween in 1979. Rachel Louise Cooke went on a run in 2002 and never came home. When these cases, and many others, came across the desk of the Williamson County Cold case detectives — they had no suspects and no leads. With each cold case, the detectives started the investigation from scratch. “Our job [as cold case detectives] is to bring a case from 1979 or 2002 up to the level of professional standards of...

A piece of Greece in Georgetown

Plaka Greek Cafe is the only Greek restaurant in Georgetown, and it’s the type of place only residents would know about. The buffet serves food specifically inspired by Plaka— the oldest neighborhood in Athens, Greece. The narrow stone streets are pedestrian only and adorned with small shops, tavernas and picturesque churches. The experience of walking through the Plaka Greek Cafe parking lot — with cars zooming past on Williams Drive and the nearby I-35 service road — may be different than wand...

Storm chaser calls Georgetown home

“I've never been scared looking at a tornado,” stormchaser Gabe Cox said. “It's kind of like atmospheric performance art, if I could say it that way. [...] It’s only when they intersect with humanity that it becomes potentially tragic.” Mr. Cox is a Georgetown resident who works as a storm chaser— driving across the county to document tornadoes and hurricanes. He currently reports storms closer to home working with KXAN news to livestream footage of local weather events. His footage has been use...

Couples counselor, sex therapist offers relationship advice for Valentine’s Day

Special occasions like Valentine's Day or an anniversary can put a lot of pressure on a couple. “When you put pressure on something, that’s usually the opposite of arousal, said Sonya Jenson, a Georgetown couples counselor and sex therapist.  “As you start to think about love and passion and the celebration of your relationship, you start to also notice [things] about the relationship that aren’t functioning,” Ms. Jenson — whose practice is in South Georgetown at 601 Quail Valley Drive, Suite 11...

Kilwins wins heart this Valentine's season

“Valentine’s Day at Kilwins is the most fun circus you could ever go to,” said Teresa Bostick, Team Lead at the Kilwins chocolate shop on the Square.Throughout the year, Kilwin’s offers its well-known chocolate truffles, caramels and ice cream, aw well as specialty products like caramel apples and chocolate dipped items, including Oreos, marshmallows and pretzel rods. There are 32 different flavors of ice cream with cake cones and housemade waffle cones. They recently added Dubai Buckeyes to the...

Annual gem show highlights local collectors' passions

Ken Oliver has been collecting rocks ever since he got a Rocks and Mineral Kit in fifth grade. Now at 86, he has a collection of several hundred rocks and minerals. Some are glistening in display cases in his living room while others are stored in boxes. “Rock collecting is very easy,” Mr. Oliver said, citing a joke. “You can pick it up as you go along.”Mr. Oliver serves as an education ambassador for the Williamson County Gem and Mineral Society, a group of about 15 members who meet monthly and...

Georgetown takes to Square to protest administration

During the national Walk out for Freedom on Tuesday, January 20, Williamson County residents took part by protesting Immigration Customs Enforcement, President Donald Trump and his recent talk of making Greenland the next U.S. state. Protestors walked around the Williamson County Courthouse and the Square in downtown Georgetown. (Photo by Kaitlyn Wilkes)

During the national Walk out for Freedom on Tuesday, January 20, Williamson County residents took part by protesting Immigration Customs Enfor...

Healthcare providers give updates on insurance, expanding medical services

As federal insurance policies face possible major changes and Georgetown’s population continues to grow, area healthcare leaders say they are bracing for challenges and new opportunities. 
At the November 19 Georgetown Chamber of Commerce luncheon, representatives from Lone Star Circle of Care and St. David’s Georgetown Hospital outlined expected spikes in the uninsured population, concerns over possibly expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits and new medical services coming online to keep resid...

Water-based cremations offer gentle, natural sendoff for beloved pets

In a shopping center shared with a gym, salon, Vietnamese restaurant and liquor store, Carlson Pet Memorial quietly offers pet cremation through aquamation, a water-based process that releases no carbon into the atmosphere.Owners Abraham and Laura Nimeh describe the water process as a gentler alternative to fire cremation. The alkaline hydrolysis machine, a large metal cylinder, uses alkali-charged water heated to 204 degrees. The remains are reduced to an ash-like substance over 20 hours, and l...
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