Her commitment to excellence is evident. She is kind and considerate and, she can resolve just about any issue with a smile. Brandi Rendon was named the 2013 Employee of the Year for the City of Burleson's public works department. The winner is the utility customer service field supervisor in the utility customer service division at city hall. When she was hired in December 2006, Rendon worked at the Municipal Service Center as the administrative technician. Nine months later she moved to utility customer service as a UCS  technician. Then in October 2011 she earned an upgrade to UCS field supervisor. "I supervise three people," Rendon said. "I handle all of the billing and meter reading maintenance as well as oversee the meter change-out program. I also take payments, answer phones and handle other customer service related duties." Carol Ward, Rendon's direct supervisor, called the award winner "the techy person in the division. Her ability to quickly grasp new technology is a huge asset to the public works department." Read More

City facilities will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 1, for New Year's Day. The trash and curbside recycling collection will not be affected Jan. 1 since that is not a regular collection day. Progressive Waste will not do bulk collections Jan. 1. The BRiCk will be open Dec. 31, but the hours are shortened to 5 a.m.-5 p.m. The Compost/Mulch/Recycle Center will be open Dec. 27-28. Hidden Creek Golf Course will be open Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Read More 

Plan ahead for a sober ride home. That's the message that the Texas Department of Transportation and the Burleson Police Department are stressing this holiday season. The number of DWI-alcohol related fatalities in Texas during the 2012 holiday season (Dec. 1, 2012-Jan. 1, 2013) numbered 78. That was up 21.8 percent from the 64 alcohol-related fatalities recorded in 2012. During that same timeframe the  Burleson Police Department reported five crashes where alcohol was a contributing factor.  No injuries or fatalities were reported in those five crashes in 2012. Between Nov. 20 and Dec. 15, 2013, Burleson Police officers arrested five people for driving while intoxicated. Three of the five were women. In one case, the man's blood alcohol content was more than 0.15. The legal limit in Texas is .08. It was a second DWI arrest for a woman arrested on Nov. 24. And, on Nov. 26 a woman who was arrested for DWI had an open container of alcohol. Deputy Police Chief Chris Havens said "we encourage the public to report an intoxicated person before that individual leaves the business or the party and gets behind the wheel." Read More

She started off as a temporary employee and turned in to Hidden Creek Golf Course's "most valuable asset." That success garnered Mary Longbotham, the lead food and beverage attendant, the 2013 Hidden Creek Golf Course Employee of the Year award. "Mary came to us at a time of turmoil," Andrea Blair, the course's food and beverage manager, said. "The golf course was just reopening after a long renovation, the restaurant had been rebranded, and we had just begun building a catering business from The Terrace kitchen. The small staff was overwhelmed." The award winner is responsible for preparing and serving food for the lunch customers and golfers and at catered events. Her supervisors credit her with being instrumental in the growth and change as The Terrace becomes a full service restaurant. Read More

If you are traveling in Texas or just doing your daily driving, then the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has some good information for you. The page dedicated to the driver includes information about highway conditions, travel information centers, safety rest areas, ferry information, toll road systems, public transportation, child passenger safety laws, school bus safety, DWI laws, highway driving, driving with large trucks, railroad crossings, safety rest area map, work zones, and laws concerning cell phones, Click it or Ticket, collisions, speed limits and road signs. To get the facts, go to the Texas Department of Transportation website.

If your child is under the age of 2, should that child be in a front-facing or rear-facing child safety seat? At what age may your child ride in the front seat? How long does your child need to stay in a car seat or booster seat? Burleson firefighters are certified as child passenger safety technicians. Parents may call Fire Station #1 at 817-426-9176 and set up an appointment to have a child's car seat checked out.