May Ukraine Have Peaceful Skies Again.
Here is what’s happening in Lakeway….
Art at the Library
During February, the pen and ink drawings of local artist Jack Williams will be shown in Lake Travis Community Library’s meeting room during February. He specializes in the old buildings and churches of Southern Louisiana. Everyone is invited to an artist demonstration on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 2PM.
Love Letters on Valentines Day
For Valentines Day, treat yourself to Love Letters, a timeless love story of romance blooming through old-fashioned letter-writing. Presented at 8PM on Feb. 14 by the Lakeway Players as a Benefit Gala, at Lakeway Activity Center. Each $50 ticket includes a $30 charitable contribution. Doors open at 6:30PM for a Silent Auction, light bites, drinks, and desserts, with live music by Presley Grace. Info and tickets here: https://www.thelakewayplayers.com/home.html
Brown Bag Lunch Series is BACK in 2024!
On Thursday, Feb. 15, noon-1PM, bring your lunch to Lakeway Activity Center (105 Cross Creek) and enjoy music from Lake Travis High School Fiddlers. Free event! More info here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/932/Brown-Bag-Luncheon-Concert-Series
Lake Travis Democrats Club
Feb. 17: Phone Banking with Dem Friends, 4PM at Travis County Community Library (1938 Lohmans Crossing). Join like-minded volunteers to energize Democrats in western Travis County and help turn Texas BLUE! Sip some wine, nibble on snacks, and call local voters to remind them to vote in the March Democratic Primary. This event is organized by TCDP’s Western Travis Democrats with support from Lake Travis Democrats, Lake Travis Voices for Progress, and Tuscan Village Voters. Just click on this link to sign up for a fun and productive adventure in phone banking! https://forms.gle/nDzYbKp3qprEYMkV7
Feb. 20: Monthly Meeting, 6:30PM at Lakeway Activity Center (105 Cross Creek). Speaker is Joshua Blank, a polling specialist and Director of Research for the Texas Politics Project, College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin.
Feb. 27: Banned Book Club, 6:30PM atTravis County Community Library (1938 Lohmans Crossing). Book is: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,by Jesse Andrews (which LTISD may ban in 2024).
March 7: Happy Hour, 5:30PM at the Meridan 98 (in the Sonesta Hotel at the Hill Country Galleria).
March 19: Monthly Meeting, 6:30PM at Lakeway Activity Center (105 Cross Creek). Speaker is Wendy Davis Former Texas Representative and now the senior adviser to Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, which serves as Planned Parenthood’s political fundraising and advocacy arm.
Check https://www.laketravisdemocrats.com/ for details and more activities each month.
PRIMARY ELECTION—Early Voting starts Feb. 20.
2024 brings FOUR election cycles—primary, county/local (Lakeway has a $22MIL parks bond AND 3 Council seats on the ballot in May—see item below), primary run-off (in late May), and general (including US President, in November). So, brace yourself for a year of political sign clutter and social media mayhem.
First up is the Primary Election, for state and national offices. Early Voting starts on Feb. 20, with Election Day on March 5. Enter your address on this Texas Tribune site for your personal voter’s guide, showing the primary races you can vote in, plus everything you need to know about voting in this election. Here’s how to vote in Texas’ March 5 primary elections 1/15/24 https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/15/texas-voting-primary-2024/
Lakeway Council Election
Three Council seats are open. Two incumbents, Kelly Brynteson (16-year Lakeway resident living in Flintrock) and Jennifer Szimanski (12-year Lakeway resident living in Rough Hollow), have filed to run for a second term. (The third incumbent, Louis Mastrangelo, has served 3 consecutive terms and so is ineligible this time.) Matt Sherman (5-year Lakeway resident living in The Preserve) has also filed to run in this election, along with Chris Levy (16-year Lakeway resident living in Old Lakeway). The candidate filing period ends Feb. 16. Early voting starts April 22, with Election Day on May 4.
In addition, Council at its Feb. 5 meeting unanimously voted to put a $22MIL parks bond on the May ballot.
Lakeway WANTS You. And not in a good way….
Warrant Roundup starts March 1, when Lakeway PD will focus on locating people with outstanding warrants for the City of Lakeway. BUT, now through Feb. 29, the city will provide amnesty for those individuals resolving outstanding warrants. Contact Lakeway Municipal Court at 512-314-7560 option 8, email court@lakeway-tx.gov or visit the Lakeway Justice Center (104 Cross Creek, 2nd floor) to get things settled before March 1, when offenders are subject to arrest. Go here to check the active warrant list for your name and for more info: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=1844
Garage Sale at Lakeway Activity Center
The next community garage sale is Saturday, March 2 from 8AM to noon. Admission is FREE, but in the LAC lobby you can drop off non-perishable/canned food items, as well as pet food, to be donated to local food banks and charities. You can also donate new or gently used children’s books, for the Free Little Books bin at the entrance. Want to sell stuff? Booths are 10’X10’ and include a 6’ x 3’ foot table and 2 chairs. LAC members pay $30 per booth and can reserve a space starting Feb. 1; Non-Members pay $35 per booth and can reserve a space starting Feb. 13. Call 512-261-1010 for info. See booth locations and register online registration here (in the Garage Sale tab): https://secure.rec1.com/TX/lakeway-tx/catalog
A Night with the Austin Symphony Orchestra
Tickets are the perfect VALENTINES DAY GIFT! This 4th annual concert is set for Sunday, March 3, 4PM, at Lake Travis Performing Arts Center (3324 Ranch Rd 620 S). Members of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and student musicians with Lake Travis High School will collaborate on one stage. Symphony Maestro Peter Bay will conduct with participation by Anna Macias, director of orchestras for Lake Travis High School, and Richard Hicks, director of bands for Lake Travis High School. Tickets:$60/$40/$20. OR–the VIP package is $200 (4 tickets, VIP Buffet Dinner on Saturday, March 2 with the chance to meet the musicians, Maestro Peter Bay and other dignitaries). Go here for info and tickets: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1960/A-Night-with-the-Austin-Symphony-Orchest
Lakeway’s State of the City Meeting
On Thursday, March 7, 6-7PM, at City Hall, bring your questions and concerns and join fellow residents and city staff for a community meeting. City Manager Joseph Molis will give a presentation on how the City of Lakeway operates, as well as the latest updates from Lakeway City Council and staff. The various city departments will be on hand, as well. The meeting will also be broadcast live on the city’s site https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1062/Videos—Meetings-Events AND on its Facebook Channel https://www.facebook.com/cityoflakeway . Plus, it will be available for viewing later.
ArtWalk–Artist registration deadline is March 10.
April 19-21, City of Lakeway and its Arts Committee will bring us the FIRST ANNUAL ARTWALK! The FREE event will showcase art, music, food, community and culture in Lakeway, taking place in the Hamilton Greenbelt, Hurst Creek Sculpture Garden, and various local art studios. It will feature vocal, dance and instrumental performers, along with those in the culinary arts and visual arts and crafts.
Deadline for local artists to apply is March 10. Register to participate here: https://lakeway-tx.gov/2129/ArtWalk
EGGSTRAVAGANZA
On Saturday, March 23, bring the tots to City Park for this FREE annual event featuring egg hunts for every age group, prizes, vendors, petting zoo, bubble station, chalk art, face painting, and more. Starts at 2PM, with age-limited hunts starting every 15 minutes. Be sure to be present and ready to go for your child’s age-matched group. More info here: https://lakeway-tx.gov/717/Eggstravaganza
Get your LIBRARY TOTE BAG
Support Lake Travis Community Library AND score a great tote bag. (Image Credit: Friends of the Library.) A $15 donation at the Friends of the Library Bookstore gets you a cool tote bag, with the funds going to support the library’s second location in Spicewood. For info on the new location and the MANY donation opportunities available, go here: https://laketravislibrary.org/fundraising/
Lakeway is HIRING
Open positions include Swim Instructor, Lifeguard, Head Lifeguard, Facility Attendant, Bailiff, 9-1-1 Operator, and Police Officer. Go here for info and to apply: https://tx-lakeway.civicplushrms.com/CareerPortal/Jobs.aspx
Council met on Feb. 5.
All 7 members attended the meeting, all in person. RESULTS:
The ENTIRE Consent Agenda was APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. [NOTE: Louis Mastrangelo was designated by Mayor Kilgore as Charter Committee Chair.]
ITEM 10: Ordinance calling an election on May 4 for 3 Council seats (estimated election cost of $45,000).
APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.
ITEM 11: Ordinance calling a bond election (Proposition A) on May 4 for parks projects in the maximum amount of $19,500,000. [Per staff, this would raise the tax bill on the average Lakeway home by $8/month ($96/year). Benefiting parks projects would be prioritized in this order: Rough Hollow/Butler Park, Swim Center, City Park, Activity Center, and Live Oak Tennis Park.]
APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY but with the maximum bond amount increased to $22MIL (largely due to staff revealing that an error in past planning estimates resulted in Swim Center upgrades being under-estimated by $2MIL).
ITEM 12: Revising the ordinance as to where elections will be held (Room A vs. Room F in the Activity Center).
After considerable rigamarole, confusion and recriminations, Council VOTED UNANIMOUSLY to have Election Day Presidential election voting in LAC’s Room A, with all other voting events in Room F.
ADDENDUM ITEM A.1: Authorization to permit a fundraiser for Lakeway Police Department.
After discussion, Council UNANIMOUSLY agreed that city staff can assist the Lakeway Police Foundation in planning a charity golf tournament for this June, with net funds generated to be donated to the city and divided among the police department’s Wellness and Meals program, victim services and public safety.
ADJOURNED at 8:32PM.
View the Agenda, Meeting Packet, and/or Presentation (scrolling down to City Council documents) here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx Go here to watch the Council meeting online: https://lakewaytx.new.swagit.com/videos/296501
Next Council Meeting—Feb. 20.
Agenda will be posted the week prior: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Daring Mighty Things
Humanity screwed up coping with climate change SO BADLY that scientists are now seriously proposing that a beach umbrella the size of Argentina be hoisted between Earth and the Sun, to give us some shade. Sure, what could go wrong…. (Image credit: Technion Israel Institute of Technology and Asher Space Research Institute.) Could a Giant Parasol in Outer Space Help Solve the Climate Crisis? 2/2/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/climate/sun-shade-climate-geoengineering.html
Back in January, astronaut Marcus Wandt was working in space, aboard the International Space Station. His assignment was controlling Bert, a four-legged robot that resembles a dog. Robots have been controlled from space before, but this was the first time the robot had LEGS, instead of wheels. (Image credit: DLR–CC BY-NC-ND 3.0.) Navigating on legs means Bert can more easily climb steep terrain and explore cramped caves, a big plus on planets like Mars. ISS astronaut controls Bert the dog-like robot on Earth during simulated Mars mission 1/29/24 https://www.space.com/iss-robot-experiment-bert-robot-dog
The above image shows Pluto’s true colors, as seen by the human eye. Mostly brown with striking variations and highlights, the far-out body lost its one-of-9 PLANET distinction back in 2006 and has since been termed a dwarf planet. (Image credit: NASA, JHU APL, SwRI, with processing by Alex Parke.) The robotic probe New Horizons sped close by Pluto in 2015, and experts have been analyzing the returned images ever since. Check out this government site to see daily space-related images, with understandable explanations: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
It woke up! Japan’s lunar lander belly-flopped on its descent, landing on its nose in January. (Image credit: JAXA.) It promptly powered down, apparently from sheer mortification. But, a couple weeks passed, and the sun’s rays reached its power array, causing the lander to wake up and begin its work of surveying the area, like nothing was amiss and it MEANT to land heels up. The upended lander is expected to function during the full 2 weeks of the current lunar day. In addition, its 2 tiny robotic companions are exploring the area and sending back photos. Japan’s upside-down SLIM moon lander wakes up on lunar surface and snaps new photos 1/29/24 https://www.space.com/japan-slim-moon-lander-awake-after-hibernation
The above image shows the Carina Nebula, 8,500 light-years away, where stars are forming, dying, and leaving behind gorgeous dusty filaments. (Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Taylor.) 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.
Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court forcefully sidestepped the Dobbs decision, declaring that abortion restrictions amount to sex-based discrimination and so are presumptively unconstitutional. The decision spurned Dobbs in two ways. First, it held that laws regulating a woman’s body discriminate on the basis of sex. And second, the majority explained that rooting women’s rights in the past is, itself, a form of sex discrimination, perpetuating misogynistic beliefs about gender inequality by judicial decree. This new and smartly researched ruling signals a possible path for reasserting abortion rights. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court just issued a crushing rebuttal of Justice Alito 1/30/24 https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/01/pennsylvania-supreme-court-dobbs-sam-alito-abortion.html
This recent Tribune article does a good job of reviewing Texas’ latest efforts to control women and ban ALL abortions—by restricting travel outside the state. After Dobbs, when Texas immediately enacted its bounty-style abortion ban, many women went to abortion clinics in nearby states. Four Texas counties and a handful of cities in Texas have now passed local ordinances that prohibit using county roads to transport someone out of state to get an abortion. Abortion laws aside, the right to free travel is protected by the US Constitution. (Of course, for 50 years, we thought that was the case for reproductive care….) As the article notes, similar tactics are being used against families with transgender children, seeking medical care that Texas has outlawed. Texas conservatives test how far they can extend abortion and gender-transition restrictions beyond state lines 2/9/24 https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/09/texas-abortion-transgender-care-outside-state-borders/
Back to me….
Well, I went from footloose and sleeping in to over-scheduled in record time. I’m training for a couple upcoming jobs. First, I will be a Poll Worker for all 11 days of Early Voting during the Primary Election. Then, I will do a part-time stint at a temp job (which is PERFECT, as I refuse to commit to anything more than that). I’m also wrapping up a year as Prez of my HOA, while digging in on Get Out the Vote activities as Dem Precinct Chair for a large chunk of Lakeway. Plus, I have a weekly seminar that runs through May. Of course, my MAIN job remains pampering my 3 demanding, adorable, and absolutely perfect kitties (shown above)….
TA-DAH! Tulip FINALLY went from perching ON TOP OF IT, to crouching uneasily inside, to napping happily in the fancy new kitty bed that Santa brought. Tulip is the trail-blazer in all things around here, so Maxie and Peanut are sure to follow her lead. See the progression below.
The deer are still elusive, but here are a few shots I got recently.
Coronavirus Update
The winter surge might be in retreat. Or, it might not. Case stats dropped sharply over the last couple weeks, which seemed like great news–until I saw this notice posted above the charts:
The map of current hospitalizations now shows only patients with lab confirmed Covid cases because many hospitals no longer report counts of suspected Covid patients.
So, the rules changed between reporting periods, meaning we can’t assume infection rates dropped much or at all.
As of Jan. 20, the New York Times correlated the CDC’s statistics for the US. Across the country, a daily average of 5,755 people were being hospitalized for LAB-CONFIRMED Covid-19, which is a 23% DROP over 2 weeks ago (when SUSPECTED cases were included). Total hospitalizations for LAB-CONFIRMED Covid-19 sank by 15% over that time (when SUSPECTED cases were included), to 28,193 Americans. As noted, the numbers are being calculated more stringently now, which accounts for at least some of the drop. Next time, the numbers should tell a more accurate story. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/covid-cases.html
If anyone needs proof of ageism, Covid-19 provides it. Per the article below: “In the last week of 2023 and the first two weeks of 2024 alone, 4,810 people 65 and older lost their lives to Covid — a group that would fill more than 10 large airliners — according to data provided by the CDC. But the alarm that would attend plane crashes is notably absent. (During the same period, the flu killed an additional 1,201 seniors, and RSV killed 126.)” Thousands of seniors are still dying of Covid-19. Do we not care anymore? 2/8/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/08/health/aging-discrimation-kff-partner-wellness/index.html
REMINDER—If you still haven’t gotten the updated Covid booster, get it now. Shots are available at local pharmacies.
But, if you do 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
—Thousands of seniors are still dying of Covid-19. Do we not care anymore? 2/8/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/08/health/aging-discrimation-kff-partner-wellness/index.html
—New Report Raises Concerns About Long Covid in Children 2/7/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/well/live/long-covid-children.html
—COVID-19 behind thousands of excess US deaths, analysis shows 2/7/24 https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-19-behind-thousands-excess-us-deaths-analysis-shows