City of Aledo

The Transfer Station Meeting at the Aledo Community Center is over. Attorneys have set future dates to move forward with the legal proceedings.

Aledo Mayor Kit Marshall and Willow Park Mayor Ken Hawkins have been officially been denied party status, Judge Richard R. Wilfong said.

Party status is when certain witnesses are approved to present things such as evidence and discovery at a later official hearing. Thus far land/property owners near the proposed transfer station site have been granted party status along with the Aledo ISD.

Keep checking community-news.com for the full story when it becomes available. You can also read it in the print edition Friday morning.

The first phase of a contested case hearing regarding Republic Waste's proposed waste transfer station in east Parker County will be held Wednesday, March 10 at 10 a.m. in the Aledo Community Center.

Republic Waste applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a permit to build the Waste Transfer Station on Nu Energy Drive between Bankhead Hwy. and I-20 in 2008. The TCEQ ruled that Republic has met all technical requirements to be issued a preliminary permit.

Because of the proposed facility's proximity to Aledo High School and athletic complex, as well as proximity to other educational outlets, residents and public officials have protested the location of the facility. Parker County Judge Mark Riley, the Aledo Independent School District and the City of Aledo have all fought the application, so far to no avail.

The Wednesday hearing is the next step in the process for those who oppose the waste transfer station.

Cold job: In the snow and cold, a crew for Texas Gas Services conducted regular maintenance repair on a natural gas line in front of Aledo City Hall. The work has caused the natural gas service to the Aledo Community Center to be shut off. However, Lori Moreno with Texas Gas Services, said the crew is working to repair the line in time for tonight's Economic Development Corporation (EDC) meeting at 7 p.m. at the center.

Parker County Sheriff's Department: Mark Gregory Owens, 44, of Aledo received a life sentence for child molestation following a jury trial in Weatherford on Feb. 16.

A 44-year-old Aledo man with a prior conviction for indecency with a child was sentenced to life in prison for molesting a 2-year-old girl in a trial that ended Tuesday morning, Feb. 16, in Weatherford.

A Parker County jury found Mark Gregory Owens guilty of the Halloween 2008 aggravated sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography.

Jurors assessed the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison for the pornography case and confirmed that Owens was previously convicted of a sex offense, which resulted in Visiting Judge David Cleveland assessing the life sentence mandated by law.

The Pinewood Derby planned for Saturday, Feb. 13, at Jerry’s Chevrolet in Hudson Oaks has been postponed due to the weather.

The event, hosted by Cub Scout Pack 1099 of Aledo, was to include a food drive. The public may contact Cub Scout leader Rene Chavez, 817-538-7515, with non-perishable food donations that are still being collected by the cub scouts. The food items will be donated to The Center of Hope, Aledo.

The time and date of the re-scheduled Pinewood Derby will be announced when it becomes available.

Randy Keck/The Community News: Jaycie Case and Olivia Dickey work on the midsection of a snowman during snowfall in Aledo.

Due to snow and possible ice with near-freezing and freezing temperatures, which will make roads hazardous, Aledo ISD announced at 5:50 a.m. this morning (Thursday, Feb. 11) that all campuses will be closed for the day.

The nativity scene at the East Parker County Library took on additional meaning with the arrival of snow and strong winds Christmas Eve.