In Lakeway
Local election on May 7 will fill 3 Council seats.
To date, 6 residents have filed to run. Including Nina4Lakeway—that’s me!
Let’s Make Lakeway Even Better! I’m happy to “Talk Lakeway” with one and all, to get a clear idea of the current issues and concerns residents have regarding our lovely city. I would greatly appreciate your support. Yard signs will be available soon. https://www.nina4lakeway.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Nina4Lakeway Venmo: @Nina4Lakeway
Lakeway’s Wildlife web pages are ready!
The newly constituted Wildlife Advisory Committee was tasked with providing residents with helpful information on our deer herd and all the other wildlife we live with here in Lakeway. An education subcommittee was created, and we greatly expanded the existing pages. Now, there is a page for the DEER, covering everything from parked fawns to dangerous fences (and how to make them safe for animals and people). In addition, there is a page with sections on all our OTHER wildlife–coyotes, foxes, skunks, birds, snakes, and many more amazing creatures. You will find tips on co-existing with local wildlife, rescue help and info on rehabbers, links to additional resources, and much more. Of course, there are gorgeous photos, nearly all locally sourced.
Start on the deer page (link below). You can just scroll down for section after section, or use the left-side menu to jump around. Don’t forget to use that menu to access the Lakeway Wildlife page; you will see a list of species you might be curious about or need help with, and the left-side menu lets you navigate, as well.
Many thanks to the City’s Communication office for bringing our vision to life. Enjoy! https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/…/Lakeways-White-Tail-Deer-Herd
City of Lakeway is HIRING.
There are 4 positions open at The Swim Center for the summer season—Head Lifeguard, Lifeguard, Swim Instructor, and Front Desk-Concession. Plus, Lakeway is looking for a 911 Dispatcher for the Police Department. Go here for info– https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/124/Current-Job-Openings
Oak pruning season ends Jan. 31 and will not return until July.
Pruning in the interim is dangerous to the trees, due to high risk of deadly oak wilt. There is also a city ordinance fining pruning done February-June.
RESULTS of Lakeway Council’s Jan. 18 meeting:
Lakeway Council met in Regular Session on Tuesday, Jan. 18. All members attended; Councilmembers Smith and Mastrangelo did so remotely. Consequential Agenda items include:
ITEM 9: Lake Travis Film Festival requests $43,000 of Hotel Occupancy Tax funds. (POSTPONED from last meeting.) UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED
ITEM 10: Proposal to refund certain existing bonds and replace them with 1 large new bond at a better rate. UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED
ITEM 11: Proposal to move forward with engineering services ($191,000) as to several transportation projects (roads, drainage, sidewalks). UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED
ITEMS 14 and 15: Annexation into Lakeway from the ETJ and designation of R-1* zoning for 6.34 acres located at 314 Clubhouse Drive, with 16 single-family homes to be built per a Development Agreement. UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED
ITEM 16: Special use request for a medical lab on Cavalier Canyon Drive. (TABLED from the last meeting after discussion, as Council had several questions for the owner, who was not able to attend that meeting.) POSTPONED to the next regular meeting, so staff can gather information on safety procedures and equipment, waste disposal contracts, state license requirements, traffic expectations, and more.
ITEM 18: Revising the code to make the offices of physicians, dentists, optometrists, and chiropractors a permitted use by right in a commercial zoned space, while clarifying that medical offices such as rehab facilities, labs, and testing facilities remain conditional uses when within 300 feet of a residence or school, requiring Council approval. (TABLED from the last meeting for staff to refine the language used.) UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED
ITEM 19: First Reading: Amendment of Eastside Landing Development Agreement. (POSTPONED from Council’s November meeting.) NO ACTION TAKEN, SINCE FIRST READING, but there was considerable discussion on the requested changes to the development agreement and on the viability of a Flintrock Road connection.
ITEM 20: Discussion of communications strategy and new social media use policy. (POSTPONED from the last meeting, as presenter was unavailable.) The new social media policy was UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.
ITEM 21: Approval of the May 7, 2022, city election, as terms are expiring for Councilmembers Higginbotham, Mastrangelo, and Smith. UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED
ADJOURNED at 10:01pm.
Go here for the Agenda, Meeting Packet and Presentation— https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Go here to watch the Council meeting online– https://lakewaytx.new.swagit.com/videos/153088
Texas elections
This is a handy voters guide. Texas’ primary election is March 1. Here’s what you need to know to vote. 1/17/22 https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/17/texas-primary-election-2022-voter-guide/
Here are the details on the 3 Dems vying for Lt. Governor in the March primary. Meet the three Democrats competing to oust Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick 1/26/22 https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/26/texas-democrats-lt-governor-primary/
This article details contributions received by Paxton, Guzman and Bush, in addition to latecomer Gohmert. Louie Gohmert said he’d run for attorney general if he could raise $1 million in 10 days. He didn’t get close. 1/20/22 https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/20/louie-gohmert-texas-attorney-general/
How long will voters tolerate Paxton’s defiant malfeasance? Attorney General Ken Paxton defies county official’s order to release records related to Jan. 6 Trump rally 1/21/22 https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/21/ken-paxton-travis-county-jan-6-texas/
Daring Mighty Things
On Jan. 24, the Webb telescope arrived at its L2 destination and entered Earth orbit roughly 1 million miles away. WEBB update site: https://www.space.com/news/live/james-webb-space-telescope-updates
Back to me….
Having never run for elected office before, I’m learning a lot. There is so much to do, and much if it is way out of my comfort zone. The saving grace is being surrounded by a team of really savvy and helpful people. I’m confident I will be a good Councilmember, but most days I feel like a terrible candidate. And, then—something good happens! So, all’s well.
I’m seeing fewer deer these days, but that is the usual pattern this time of year. Here are a few recent photos.
Just finished this excellent book (available at Lake Travis Community Library):
Justice on the Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months that Transformed the Supreme Court (2021), by Linda Greenhouse—Fascinating analysis of the Supreme Court’s shocking shift on several areas of law, due to personnel changes on the bench, political upheaval, personal agendas, Covid-19, and more. Greenhouse won a Pulitzer Price for her lifetime spent reporting on the court, and it shows in this book; SCOTUS is notoriously opaque, but Greenhouse teases out and explains every nuance, to make sense of what they rule AND when they don’t bother to do anything at all.
On the other hand, I gave up on Diana Gabaldon’s latest in the intriguing Outlander series, Go Tell the Bees that I Am Gone (2021). I’m sure it is excellent, but at 902 pages, I can’t help thinking her editor needs to get to work; reading a book shouldn’t feel like perpetual bicep curls. I’ll just watch the series unfold on Starz.
I’m looking forward to The Olympics, despite all the weirdness due to Covid and China. I’ve been an avid figure skating fan since forever. Of the 4 skating disciplines, the US is a 2022 medal contender in Men’s and Ice Dance. 2022 Olympics: U.S. figure skating team, schedule, medal contenders 1/28/22 https://theathletic.com/news/2022-olympics-us-figure-skating-roster-schedule-medal-contenders/FSUMKOH5qN2f/
The Coronavirus
Worldwide, the Omicron surge is subsiding in some areas, while still rising in others.
New cases on the continent of Africa dropped 20% during the last week. While some European countries are seeing cases decline, Eastern Europe is still in a worsening Omicron surge. Nations reporting cases still on the rise include Russia, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia. Russia broke its record for new cases several days in a row last week.
BA.2 is the new variant to watch. It is an offshoot of Omicron and sometimes called Stealth Omicron. The new strain has been found in over 40 countries including the US, Britain, and India. Denmark reports BA.2 caused 45% of recent infections there, is more contagious than Omicron, but does not cause more severe disease than Omicron. This variant is still being studied, but so far the World Health Organization has not designated BA.2 a “variant of concern.”
New Zealand, the poster country for Covid success, announced a surge in Omicron cases on Jan. 22. As a result, restrictions were imposed including mask wearing and gathering limits. The Prime Minister also postponed her planned Jan. 29 wedding until the surge is contained.
The UK abruptly lifted most Covid restrictions on Jan. 19, including public masking, vaccine passes for large events, and working from home. New cases are on the downturn in the country. However, the move seems to be the Prime Minister’s effort to appease calls for resignation in light of an ugly scandal involving wild parties at Downing Street (then lying about it in a months-long cover-up), in violation of the Covid lockdown he had imposed on the nation.
Pacific island nations (including Kiribati, Samoa, Palau and Solomon Islands) are experiencing Omicron surges, after being largely Covid-free for the last 2 years. Caribbean island countries are seeing more new cases than ever before during the pandemic. Tourism is likely responsible for the spread in these areas. Due to limited health care and remote locations, officials are highly concerned.
Central and South American countries (including Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina) report sharp increases in cases and hospitalizations.
Bangladesh on Jan. 21 shut down all schools and colleges for at least 2 weeks, due to a rapid rise in new cases.
Canada’s Prime Minister went into isolation on Jan. 27 after being exposed to someone with Covid.
In China, as athletes and support personnel arrive for the Olympics, stringent testing is turning up a multitude of positive results, including after people have been living in the Olympic bubble for several days. As of Jan. 29, several athletes testing positive on the way to China have withdrawn from competition. On Jan. 22, Beijing residents were advised not to leave the area, due to a rash of Omicron cases found in the city; 2 million tests will be conducted there. Back on Jan. 17, China announced that tickets to Olympic events will not be sold to Chinese citizens, due to fear of Omicron spread. With foreign spectators already banned, officials said “screened spectators” (likely vaccinated government workers) would attend some events. Meanwhile, all over the world athletes scheduled to compete at the Olympics are sequestered in training bubbles away from the public, many dropping out of interim competitions to avoid possibly catching Covid and being disqualified. China has reason to worry about Omicron spread in that nation; the shots given in China are inactivated vaccines, which seem to be far less effective against Omicron than the mRNA activated vaccines.
In the US, in the last 2 weeks, cases have decreased 31%, hospitalizations are down 2%, and deaths increased 30%. We are averaging 555,000 new cases per day. 149,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with Covid, and the death rate averages 2,500 people per day.
Omicron accounts for over 99% of new infections in the US, per the CDC on Jan. 22. With new daily cases now well below mid-January’s 800,000 record, the Omicron surge has crested. Improvement is clearest in the northeastern states where Omicron struck early on. Several states scattered across the nation are still seeing rising infections and hospitalization, including Montana.
Death rates are still rising nationally, despite Omicron’s reputation for generally causing milder cases. On Jan. 26, the country’s daily death count exceeded the high during the Delta surge.
On Jan. 18, the federal site providing free test kits to Americans went live, a day early. Each household can request that 4 free rapid tests be mailed by USPS. (I ordered Jan. 18, and my 4 free tests arrived Jan. 25.) https://special.usps.com/testkits
Starting the week of Jan. 23, free N95 masks were available to the public, at retail pharmacies and community health centers. (Eventually a nation-wide program, this is rolling out regionally, and it doesn’t seem to have reached Central Texas yet.)
All over the country, Broadway road shows of Hamilton, Harry Potter and more have shut down due to infections among the players. Buffalo, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Baltimore and San Antoni had shows pause until Omicron passes.
NBC announced on Jan. 21 that ALL its Olympic coverage will be done remotely from a facility in Stamford, Connecticut. No play-by-play announcers, broadcast crews, etc. will travel to China, due to Covid concerns.
In Texas, the current positivity test rate is 31%, down slightly from the record 36% in mid-January. In the last 2 weeks, cases decreased 29%, hospitalizations rose 16%, and deaths are up 72%. We are averaging 44,000 new cases and 165 deaths daily. As of now, there are 14,000 Texans hospitalized for Covid-19.
As of Jan. 29, the Texas “hot spot” map is blazing pretty much EVERYWHERE.
For the period Jan. 9-18, Austin/Travis County posted record numbers of hospitalizations, more than ever before in the pandemic. Over 70 Texas hospitals were out of ICU beds, during the week of Jan. 17. On Jan. 27, Texas had the lowest available ICU capacity at any time during the pandemic.
While case numbers started falling last week, Austin Public Health issued a warning on Jan. 28 that the new Omicron variant, BA.2, has been found in Texas AND in our area. It is spreading quickly. Even more contagious than Omicron, BA.2 could launch a fresh surge.
Vaccinations–the safe path to herd immunity
Worldwide, 10 billion shots have been given, with 52% of the planet’s population fully vaccinated.
The billionth Covid-19 vaccine shot under the global Covax initiative was delivered on Jan. 15, in Rwanda.
Australia eventually booted unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic out of the country prior to his playing in the Australia Open, for lying on his Visa application and being a public health risk and an all-around jerk.
In Italy, nearly 2,000 doctors and dentists had their licenses suspended for failing to get vaccinated, as the national mandate requires.
Switzerland now reports Covid deaths in 3 categories—unvaccinated, fully vaccinated, and boosted. This recent table shows that VACCINATIONS SAVE LIVES, and BOOSTERS SAVE EVEN MORE LIVES.
Pakistan is only allowing fully vaccinated people into mosques.
In France, officials are questioning whether patients who refused vaccination should have their Covid hospital bills paid by public insurance in the country’s universal healthcare system.
In the US, 64% of the entire population is fully vaccinated. Average shots administered per day decreased to 865,000. 87 million booster shots have been given.
New Jersey mandated booster shots for prison, nursing home and hospital workers.
Starbucks no longer requires workers to be vaccinated or tested for Covid-19. Adjust your beverage needs accordingly….
Department of Homeland Security is requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination for ALL foreign travelers coming in via land ports of entry and ferry terminals from Mexico or Canada. (Air travelers were already subject to this rule.) This means that the previous exceptions for foreign essential workers (truck drivers, nurses, students and others) are void, as of Jan. 22.
GET BOOSTED. A recent US study found that booster shots kept people from being hospitalized due to Omicron 90% of the time. Boosters also reduced visits to ERs and urgent care centers. Another study showed that unvaccinated Americans 50 years and older were 45 times more likely to be hospitalized that were people fully vaccinated and boosted.
In Texas, only 59% of all residents are fully vaccinated.
Recent Covid articles I recommend….
New Research Hints at 4 Factors That May Increase Chances of Long Covid 1/26/22 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/25/health/long-covid-risk-factors.html
Charting an Omicron Infection 1/22/21 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/01/22/science/charting-omicron-infection.html
What we now know about lingering COVID-19 known as long COVID 1/23/22 https://www.statesman.com/story/news/healthcare/2022/01/23/what-we-now-know-lingering-covid-19-known-long-covid/6592875001/
Covid Hospitalizations Plateau in Some Parts of the U.S., While a Crisis Remains in Others 1/21/22 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/01/21/us/covid-hospitalizations.html
Booster shots are instrumental in protecting against Omicron, new C.D.C. data suggest. 1/21/22 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/health/cdc-covid-booster-omicron.html
How to Reuse N95, KN95, and Other Disposable Masks 1/20/22 https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-reuse-n95-kn95-and-other-disposable-masks/