May Ukraine Have Peaceful Skies Again.
During April, Lakeway’s LOCAL ELECTION SEASON, my blog splits into TWO ISSUES. Today’s blog is the usual version–Lakeway’s upcoming events, space news and images, women’s rights updates, deer photos, etc. Tomorrow, April 7, I’ll post the ELECTION ISSUE, covering everything you will see on your ballot—Lakeway Council, $22MIL Parks Bond, Lake Travis ISD Board, and Travis County Appraisal District Board. The same split will happen next time—April 20 and 21.
Here is what is happening in Lakeway….
Saturday Night Concerts at The Galleria
FREE weekly concerts through May 11, every Saturday, 7-9PM, on the Central Plaza Lawn of the Hill Country Galleria. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs to get comfy. Performance schedule is here: https://www.hillcountrygalleria.com/event/saturday-night-concert-series/2145580934
Solar Eclipse–Monday, April 8
Per Lakeway PD and Mayor Kilgore: Due to the anticipated VERY LARGE number of people visiting our area and just driving through town, residents should plan ahead (for example, gas up your car and shop BEFORE MONDAY) and stay close to home on eclipse day.
All classes and programs are CANCELLED at the Swim Center and Activity Center on Monday, just like they are at LTISD. Lakeway administrative offices will be closed.
Eclipse timeline (per City of Lakeway site):
12:17pm eclipse begins/1:35pm FULL eclipse begins/1:38pm FULL eclipse ends/2:27pm eclipse ends.
See the above image for eye safety tips, courtesy of City of Lakeway’s eclipse page.
In addition to viewing the eclipse from home, to see professional images along several states you can tune into “Eclipse Across America,” a 2-hour show in ABC, National Geographic and several other channels, starting at 1PM Central. Or—watch online at www.space.com
Lakeway is hosting its own outside viewing party, on Monday, April 8, noon-2PM in the Activity Center parking lot (105 Cross Creek). Extra parking is available nearby at the Justice Complex and City Hall. (If it is storming or raining, this event will be cancelled.) Go here for info: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/2081/Solar-Eclipse
Mayor Kilgore’s Facebook Update
The mayor gave a 12-minute live update INCLUDING ECLIPSE INFO FOR RESIDENTS, on April 4. Go here to watch: https://www.facebook.com/cityoflakeway/videos/338104202591114
TRAFFIC ALERT: Top section of Lakeway Drive CLOSED April 9 through July.
Culvert replacement will take place starting April 9, with Lakeway Drive CLOSED between Cross Creek and Lakeway Boulevard. Through traffic will need to use Cross Creek and Lohmans instead. This is part of the recent Transportation Bond, improving Lakeway’s roads. The project will likely be in progress through July.
Solid Waste Bill Increase
The city’s new contract with Waste Connections has gone into effect. Residents will see a small rate increase for trash and recycling. Quarterly payments have gone up to $80.55. Still the best deal in town….
Wilderness Run/Walk
Sponsored by Lakeway Friends of the Park, this year’s run/walk is on Saturday, April 13. There will be a 5k main course, as well as a 1-mile course for the kids. This FREE EVENT has prizes for the top finishers. Registration is at 8:30AM. The walk/run starts at the Hurst Creek Sculpture Garden located next to the Lakeway Justice Complex (104 Cross Creek). Details here: https://www.lakewayfop.org/
Lake Travis Democrats Club
–April 16, 6:30- 8:30 PM: The Local Election Candidate Symposium, at the Lakeway Activity Center. This will include candidates for the Lakeway City Council, LTISD Board, and the Travis County Tax Appraisal District. Plus–Merrie Fox, State Senate Candidate 25, and an overview of the City of Lakeway Parks Bond proposition.
–April 23, 6:30PM: Banned Book Club, at Lake Travis Community Library. Book: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Critically acclaimed, this novel is said to be the most frequently challenged book from 2010 to 2019, due to how it depicts alcohol, poverty, bullying, violence, sexuality and bulimia.
–May 19: Picnic in the Park. Details to come.
Check https://www.laketravisdemocrats.com/ for details and activities each month.
Singalong Dinner Shows
Lakeway Singalong presents “That’s Life” for its spring performance, at Lakeway Activity Center. Two dinner shows are on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20. Doors open at 6PM, with dinner at 6:30PM. Tickets are $45; get reservations NOW, as these performances sell out fast. For reservations, go here and click on the City Events and Performances tab: https://secure.rec1.com/TX/lakeway-tx/catalog
ArtWalk
Join in on the first Lakeway Art Walk–featuring local art, crafts, music, performing arts, food, and more–over the weekend of April 19-21. Activities happen at the Activity Center, Hamilton Greenbelt, Hurst Creek Sculpture Garden, and various art studios around Lakeway. Go here for a full schedule of activities over the 3 days: https://lakeway-tx.gov/2129/ArtWalk
Beautify Lakeway for EARTH DAY
Volunteer to plant flowers at the Lakeway Swim Center, on Monday, April 22, 11AM. Everything you need will be provided, plus snacks. Go here for full info and to register: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1838/Earth-Day
Fox on the Fairway
The Lakeway Players will present “The Fox on the Fairway,” on May 9-11. Doors open at 6:30PM; curtain rises at 7:30PM. The Spring Show is, as usual, BYO Dinner Theater. The production is billed as a hilarious romp about life, love and golf. Tickets are $20-$33. Go here for info and tickets: https://www.thelakewayplayers.com/
Heritage Trail Bus Tours
The spring tours are scheduled! Grab a reservation early, as these always fill up. Bus tours visit 20 historical locations, narrated by a member of the Lakeway Heritage Committee. Tour day is Friday, May 17. Times: 9:15 AM, 11:15 AM and 1:15 PM. Board at Lakeway City Hall (1102 Lohmans Crossing), where you can also visit the historic Liebelt Cabin. Go here for info and to reserve your seat: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1171/Heritage-Trail
Council meets on April 15.
About a week prior, check here for the Agenda: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Daring Mighty Things
Destruction on a scale visible from space…. The above images show Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge back in 2023, and then after it collapsed when a cargo ship rammed a support pillar on March 26. The satellite images were taken by Colorado-based Maxar Technologies. Tragic Baltimore bridge collapse aftermath seen from space 3/27/24 https://www.space.com/satellites-baltimore-bridge-francis-scott-key
Forget the romantic notion of the moon as “timeless.” (Image credit: NASA.) The White House last week directed NASA to establish a unified standard of time for the moon and other celestial bodies. International norms in space are needed due to the lunar race among several nations and private companies. The plan is to have Lunar Time in place by 2026. White House directs NASA to create time standard for the moon 4/2/24 https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/white-house-directs-nasa-to-create-time-standard-for-the-moon-1.6830658
As Women’s History Month ended, coming to a close, Space.com reached out to over 50 women leaders in space exploration, asking for advice, inspiration or general thoughts about their journey. (Image credit: Space Frontiers/Archive Photos/Getty Images.) The group ranges from astronauts to CEOs and government officials to private entrepreneurs. We asked over 50 women space leaders for words of inspiration. Here’s what they told us 3/30/24 https://www.space.com/women-in-space-quotes-inspirational-science-history-month
The above left-hand image (credit: Phil Hart) from Australia shows the solar corona at the peak of the April 20, 2023 total solar eclipse. The above right-hand image (credit: Dan Bartlett) shows the comet known as Pons-Brooks, soaring over Earth on March 30. This stunning comet, with its ion tail and green coma, should be visible on April 8 during solar eclipse totality. To find it, look AWAY from the solar corona of the eclipsed sun. Check out this government site to see daily space-related images, with understandable explanations: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
With liberty and justice for all … except women.
Texas Republicans got caught on video, stating their plans for women in our state. The death penalty for women seeking abortion was just the start. The video shows Paul Brown, the director of policy for AATX, saying all women who have abortions should to be prosecuted for murder. “The same penalty for harming or killing a born person is also imposed by God in his law for killing a preborn person.” Incest and rape make no difference. Brown also says that IVF and Plan B are murder. Texas GOP Meets Group Suggesting Death Penalty for Women Who Seek Abortions 3/28/24 https://www.newsweek.com/texas-gop-meeting-death-penalty-women-abortions-1884950?fbclid=IwAR0YbZqKxkPSfmV-Ju6EUBetfXgrFlT8oUOOyb8oeju3pC6dAOQim0kLiVQ_aem_AVULQBt4IEr54EnjJlh5YkZCYSZrge8oqcpKp38-ngEJNchp3PjmjPpDbZCNetW6_PbdzEy-SWegMVHkxQxzHRJb
The Florida Supreme Court approved a 6-week abortion ban, starting in May. But, it also approved a November ballot proposition to amend the state constitution to allow abortion until 24 weeks, with exceptions for later abortions when needed for the patient’s health (as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.) NOTE: The constitutional amendment requires 60% of voters to approve it. Florida Supreme Court allows 6-week abortion ban to take effect, but voters will have the final say 4/1/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/florida-supreme-court-abortion-rights-ballot-measure-rcna142568
After Dobbs, the number of abortions rose, as woman all over America turned to medication abortion. What used to be relatively rare became mainstream, allowing women to coordinate their own medical care in relative privacy. Tele-health consults, mail order prescriptions, online help desks, and peer-to-peer networks combined to make medication abortion a safe and manageable option. US Supreme Court abortion drug hearing looming, study shows how self-managed abortion became more common post-Dobbs 3/5/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/25/health/self-managed-medication-abortion-surge-post-dobbs/index.html
Dobbs has downgraded health care for women eager to become mothers, by making the recommended early prenatal care hard to find. Some doctors hope to avoid difficult situations by refusing to see women less than 12 weeks along; after that, miscarriages are less likely, but this policy denies women valuable early care and testing. Other doctors refuse to act on early indications of problems, making women wait until serious complications arise; then, the risk of infertility and death are higher for women, but doctors aren’t likely to be questioned. Louisiana shows the risks for pregnant women in a post-Roe America 3/21/24 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/abortion-ban-louisiana-pregnancy-health-care-rcna144379
On March 26, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the Texas case attempting to ban or at least severely limit use of mifepristone, the main drug approved by the FDA over 20 years ago and now used in medication abortions world-wide. You can listen here to listen (click on FDA v. Alliance Hippocratic Medicine, March 26): https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_audio/2023
I listened live on March 26. Easily, half the discussion was on the shaky standing of the anti-abortion plaintiffs (a few doctors, a theologian and a dentist) who claim they at some point MIGHT be called on to assist a patient suffering side effects of the drug, despite existing federal protection for conscience objections. All the Justices aside from Alito seemed skeptical, to varying degrees. The merits of the case were not fully explored. Justices Thomas and Alito did squeeze in the antiquated Comstock Act (passed in the 1800s to suppress everything related to sex) as grounds to prohibit mailing of the drug. Also, Justice Barrett waved her flag for fetal personhood. However, those parts of the conversation were pointing the way for future cases. The discussion wrapped up after just 90 minutes; 2-3 hours is not uncommon with major cases. It felt like most minds were already made up, although a decision probably won’t be released until June. SCOTUS will likely take the easy road and dismiss this case for lack of standing.
However, the far-right will have learned much from the process, and next time will likely argue the Comstock Act bans mailing of mifepristone, tele-med consultations, and so on, all on the specious grounds of mifepristone being a risky drug. In fact, in the last 24 years, mifepristone has been proven safer than Tylenol and Viagra. Yet, no one is trying to stop tele-med consults and mailing for Viagra. Be assured, that if the far-right defeats the FDA as to mifepristone, it will then go after contraceptives. Also, if Trump becomes President again, he would name a new FDA Chief, who could immediately make mifepristone hard to obtain or simply take it off the market entirely—with zero help from the courts.
Here is a great idea—Congress should repeal the Comstock Act. But, only a BLUE WAVE of Representatives and Senators in November will allow that. Justices Thomas and Alito want to use a ‘zombie law’ to restrict abortion 3/28/24 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-comstock-act-rcna145147
ANOTHER abortion case is scheduled for SCOTUS oral argument, on April 24. This one regards EMTALA (the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act), which requires federally funded hospitals to give patients, including pregnant patients, with stabilizing care. The case deals with that federal law’s conflict with state laws restricting abortion, like in Idaho. Arguments balancing the woman’s life and welfare with that of the fetus will almost certainly allow the most conservative Justices to tout fetal personhood, which has far-ranging implications for IVF, contraception, and more. The Supreme Court Got It Wrong: Abortion Is Not Settled Law 3/26/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/26/opinion/supreme-court-abortion-mifepristone.html
A NYTimes editorial in the aftermath of the March 26 mifepristone oral argument is worth reading in full. But here is its conclusion:
“In short, there is no silver bullet for reproductive rights. The judiciary is no haven, not as long as the current Supreme Court majority holds; state and lower federal courts aren’t much better, going by the Alabama I.V.F. ruling and the decisions that pushed the mifepristone case to the Supreme Court. At the same time, voter support for reproductive rights won’t make a difference if they can’t use ballot measures to make that support known. That is why any successful strategy to protect or restore abortion rights must understand reproductive rights and representative democracy as inextricably linked. That means understanding the stakes of the elections in November. If Mr. Trump’s party wins solid control of the House and Senate, this could put Americans’ reproductive rights at further risk, especially if Republicans first decide to do away with the filibuster. That would lower the threshold for passing legislation such as a 15-week abortion ban, which Mr. Trump seems likely to support. Voters will be faced with a stark choice: the choice of whether to protect not just reproductive rights, but true equality for women.” The Persistent Threat to Abortion Rights 3/30/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/30/opinion/abortion-drug-supreme-court.html
Back to me….
I have been frantically busy lately. Just not really sure doing what…. I’m trying to increase my cardio, while still keeping up with yoga and weights. Started spring cleaning. Wrapped up several online projects, but as always new ones popped up in their place. Decided to cut WAY back on sodium intake, which is loads of fun….
My senior cat, Maxie, is now 17 years old. Her thunderous purr has been the background music of my life all that time. Always happy and healthy, Maxie suddenly became frail and ailing. Our vet did exhaustive testing, with 3 scary and seemingly unrelated results. For now, 2 medications have helped a lot, and Maxie is maybe 75% back to her normal wonderful self. She sees a specialist in May.
Here are a few new deer photos. Lately, I have been walking later in the day, when they are less visible and mostly nestled in the trees.
Coronavirus Update
The New York Times discontinued its weekly Covid updates, in late March.
I’m now watching the CDC’s Data Tracker. As of March 30, it shows the various Covid-19 indicators (test positivity, ER visits, hospitalizations and deaths) all trending down over the last week. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home
There is a new drug to fight Covid-19. Pemgarda was approved recently by the FDA to help prevent Covid in those most at risk from the virus. It can be used preventively for immunocompromised people ages 12 and older. It keeps virus from attaching to human cells and is given through an IV. Pemgarda is intended for those not currently infected or recently been exposed; it cannot be given within 2 weeks of a person getting a COVID vaccine. (See the link below in the Articles section.)
REMINDER— Over 95% of adults hospitalized in 2023-2024 due to COVID-19 had not gotten the latest vaccine. So, if you never got the updated Covid booster, get it now. Those age 65 and older should get ANOTHER dose of the updated vaccination this spring (if 4 or more months have gone by). Shots are available at local pharmacies. If you catch Covid, consider taking Paxlovid. It prevents severe illness and death in people at high risk; studies show it is effective in nearly 75% of cases. And “high risk” covers most American adults, including those with depression, obesity, asthma or a history of smoking. Anyone age 50 or older should take Paxlovid, regardless of health status. Lots more good info in this article: I Have Covid. Should I Take Paxlovid? 1/11/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/well/covid-paxlovid-treatment.html
Recent Covid-19 Articles
—CDC Vaccine Update: Recommendations, Data on COVID-19, RSV, Influenza, and PCV21 4/5/24 https://www.pulmonologyadvisor.com/home/topics/lung-infection/cdc-vaccine-updates-on-covid-19-rsv-influenza-pcv21/
—FDA OKs New Treatment to Prevent COVID in High-Risk People 3/26/24 https://www.webmd.com/covid/news/20240326/fda-oks-new-treatment-to-prevent-covid-high-risk-people\