Here is a recap of what was featured in the Wednesday, Feb. 23, e-edition of the Taylor Press. The e-edition is mailed to subscribers and available at www.taylorpress.net.
REVIEW OF LOCAL CANDIDATES
In May, citizens will be able to choose who helps shape the city and the school district for the next three years.
Local elections are set for May 7, and the candidates have been named.
At the city, District 1 incumbent Gerald Anderson, who serves a mayor pro tem, will be contested by newcomer Stan Werner.
The seat for District 4, held by Robert Garcia, is also set to expire in May. Garcia did not draw an opponent for the seat and will run unopposed.
At Taylor ISD, three seats are up for election. Place 3, held by Cheryl Carter; Place 4, held by board President Marco Ortiz; and Place 5, held by board Secretary Thomas Rohlack all expire in May.
Ortiz will be contested by newcomer Letisia Flores. Carter will run unopposed. Rohalck did not file for re-election for Place 5. Joseph Meller will run unopposed for the seat.
MUNCH BACK ON THE MENU
Volunteers are needed to MUNCH with Taylor ISD students for 30 minutes during the week.
The Mentors at Lunch or MUNCH program has restarted after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s 30 minutes per week, 10 weeks per semester,” said John Matthews with Taylor ISD Family Support Services. “If you work in Taylor, you can mentor and return to work within an hour.”
During the program, students talk and eat with their mentor. After the meal, they can play cards, games or just have a quick chat.
“You don’t need to juggle or know any jokes or magic tricks. It’s easy. Just show up,” Matthews said. “Showing up is 99% of mentoring.”
Mentors are needed at every level. However, according to Matthews, the elementary schools are a priority.
Although volunteers have to complete a background check and orientation, there are no specific requirements to mentor. A diverse group of community members have been a part of the program.
“I love being a Munch at Lunch mentor. For the first few minutes while the students are eating lunch, we talk about everything. How their week is going, what they’ve done fun, and believe me, most of them open up and talk,” said Anita Volek, Taylor ISD board trustee. “The big idea, show up and smile. The kids do the rest. How easy is that? And, how rewarding as well.”
Matthews said mentors can help guide a student’s future with a supportive relationship, which is one reason he does the job.
“The more healthy intergenerational relationships a student has, the less likely they are to engage in at risk behaviors and the more likely they will go on to a postsecondary education,” he said. “When you mentor, the student begins to confide in you and starts to trust you. You can watch it happening. They begin to believe in themselves, and that’s the idea.”
For more information or to sign up to volunteer, call Matthews at 512-352-3910.
VIRUS RATE STAYS ON DROP
The rate of new weekly COVID-19 cases in Williamson County continues to drop and has escaped four digits.
Confirmed cases, which include past and current cases reported to the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD), increased by 791 in Williamson County Feb. 15-21.
As of Monday, Feb. 21, WCCHD confirmed a total of 109,224 COVID-19 cases in Williamson County during the pandemic.
The previous week, Feb. 8-14, Williamson County recorded 1,299 new cases, which was nearly cut in half from the 2,532 new cases Feb. 1-7. In the week of Jan. 25-31, there were 5,404 new cases in Williamson County. Based on weekly tallies, the Jan. 11-24 average of 7,938 new cases each week was the peak rate increase of new weekly cases since Dec 21, 2021. Before then, new cases each week had been well below a thousand since September.
Quality assurance (QA) by the health district indicates past cases that need to be added or subtracted to the complete case total. In the past week, 136 cases were added to the cumulative total through QA.
WCCHD’s toll for deaths linked to the disease went up by 15 last week. The number stands at 845 as of Feb. 21.
For more local stats on COVID-19, visit http://www.wcchd.org/COVID-19/dashboard.php.
