McMahan
Politics
Travis County has the highest rate of fentanyl deaths in Texas. Why is Austin a hot spot?
Lisa Wheeler struggled to sleep. She tossed and turned and finally woke up at about 8 a.m. on Sept. 15, 2022. Following her normal routine, she went upstairs to wake her 17-year-old son, Spencer. She opened the door and saw him lying in bed, his mouth and eyes open. She leaped on top...
'It's unfair and I've tried everything' | Central Texas CNA details months-long issues trying to renew licenses with no success
BASTROP COUNTY, Texas — Certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, in Central Texas are having trouble renewing their licenses – and some are worried it will affect their jobs. Bastrop County resident Sarah Wilson said she’s always known that she’s wanted to help people. “I used to...
$175K grant establishes traumatic brain injury research in Bastrop County
Community leaders recognized the launch of traumatic brain injury research in Bastrop County at the Festival de la Cultura event on April 27. (Courtesy Lost Pines Toyota) Bastrop’s Lost Pines Toyota is one of three dealerships across the country to receive funding for children’s traumatic brain injury, or TBI, research. The $175,000 Toyota Way Forward Fund grant was awarded to Bastrop’s Lost Pines dealership in March.
Texas family takes a $40 million hit to turn their massive ranch into a public park
Most people will never see a million dollars in their lifetime, much less tens of millions of dollars. Even fewer would pass up an easy opportunity to become $40 million richer, regardless of how wealthy they already are. That's what a family in Central Texas did when private real estate developers from around the world offered upwards of $130 for their sprawling 1507-acre ranch. Instead of taking one of those huge real estate deals, they chose to sell RGK Ranch to Travis County, Texas, for a reduced purchase price of $90 million—$30 million below its appraised value—so the land could be preserved as a public park. Nadya Scott and her brother Gregory Kozmetsky inherited the ranch from their parents, George and Ronya Kozmetsky, who purchased the land in 1970. The elder Kozmetsky was a technology innovator and co-founder of Teledyne Inc. who passed away in 2003. He was also an educator and philanthropist who gave away millions of dollars through the RGK Foundation. Now his descendants are donating tens of millions of dollars worth of their family's land rights for the public good.
City of Kyle approves third water agreement with city of San Marcos
KYLE — At the May 7 meeting, Kyle City Council approved a resolution for an interlocal water-sharing agreement with the city of San Marcos, marking the third agreement within the past two years. In October 2022, Kyle entered into negotiations with San Marcos to receive up to 125 acre-feet, or 40.7 million gallons, of water throughout the remainder of the year. The second followed a year later in October 2023, when Kyle City Council unanimously approved to gain access to San Marcos’ water permit to prevent exceeding its own maximum. According to agenda documents, both cities possess Edward’s Aquifer Authority (EAA) permits and “due to the ongoing historical drought that Central Texas is currently facing, Kyle anticipates the need for additional water during calendar years 2024, 2025 and 2026.” The proposed agreement would stretch from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 each year and prevent Kyle from overpumping its permitted capacity, according to Mike Murphy, director of water utilities for the city of Kyle. He continued by stating that San Marcos has supplies beyond its current needs, so it is willing to make water available for Kyle using its existing water within the EAA permits. The agreement lists the following: • Water will be withdrawn solely at Kyle’s existing EAA Well Numbers W100-896, W100-897, W100-898 and W105-960 • The maximum amount that may be pumped is 500 acre-feet per calendar year • Kyle will meet or exceed San Marcos’ drought restrictions • The 500 acre-feet will be subject to EAA drought stage restrictions and Kyle will be responsible for any penalties By approving this agreement, Kyle will pay $22,832 per month to the city of San Marcos, which is equivalent to 223,186 gallons per day charged at a rate of $3.41 per 1,000 gallons. Withdrawal rates exceeding 6,695,580 gallons per month will be charged at a rate of $3.41 per 1,000 gallons. “Edward’s Aquifer Authority’s allocations were based on the need for these communities a number of years ago,” said council member Lauralee Harris. “Those have not changed in recent years, so what has happened is San Marcos has not grown as quickly as they were anticipated to grow and we have grown much more quickly than we were anticipated to grow. So, [the percentages needed] have changed, but EAA has not changed that percentage of allocation, which puts us into a position of needing to work with our partner in Hays County, which is San Marcos, to acquire the right percentages of water. So, it’s not like we’re out of water or that the aquifer is out of water; it’s a matter of just collaborating and adjusting those percentages to what is equitable.” Prior to the vote, council member Miguel Zuniga stated that he is in support of the item, but he still believes that water reuse and recycling should still be a top priority for the city, despite the water they will be receiving. The item passed unanimously. Kyle City Council will meet again on May 22.
'It's unfair and I've tried everything' | Central Texas CNA details months-long issues trying to renew licenses with no success
BASTROP COUNTY, Texas — Certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, in Central Texas are having trouble renewing their licenses – and some are worried it will affect their jobs. Bastrop County resident Sarah Wilson said she’s always known that she’s wanted to help people. “I used to...
Fossler, Meyer sworn in to Bastrop City Council
The Bastrop City Council certified the election results for the city’s latest elections, welcoming Kerry Fossler and Cynthia Meyer as its newest members. Meyer ran unopposed for a second term for the Place 2 seat, while Fossler beat former Council Member Jimmy Crouch by 64 votes in the race in Place 4. The...
Overdose, fentanyl deaths increase again in Travis County for 2023. Here's what we know.
For the third year in a row, overdoses were the leading cause of accidental deaths in Travis County for 2023 — a trend that has largely been driven by fentanyl's increase in the local drug supply. These findings come from the 2023 Travis County medical examiner's report, which found overdose deaths increased...
Travis County judge decides to not issue final judgment now in case against Central Health
A Travis County state district judge has decided not to issue a final judgment in the 2017 lawsuit against Central Health for funding projects that a group of local taxpayers said were outside Central Health's mission of providing health care for poor people in Travis County. The lawsuit is expected to proceed. At...
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