E-EDITION HIGHLIGHTS

Here is a recap of what was featured in the Wednesday, Feb. 28, e-edition of the Taylor Press. The e-edition is emailed to subscribers and available at www.taylorpress.net.

Academic decathlon claims state title

Taylor High School’s Academic Decathlon team won gold at the Texas Academic Decathlon state competition in San Antonio Sunday, Feb. 25. The ACDEC team competed Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24 in the small school division.

Academic decathlons are a 10-leg scholastic challenge that involves music, art, language and literature, math, science, economics, social science and a super quiz oral relay.

The results of each leg are compiled into an overall team score.

ACDEC teams are divided into three different teams: honors, scholastic and varsity. Each team requires certain criteria, but all three teams contribute to the overall score.

As the winning team, Taylor ACDEC members will receive a $1,250 scholarship from the Texas Academic Decathlon.

Taylor ACDEC has won five state championships under Rowe’s tenure. The team will be one of three teams to compete at the United States Academic Decathlon national competition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in April.

City ready for new “golden age” The Samsung Austin Semiconductor plant being constructed has changed Taylor forever, but from Mayor Brandt Rydell’s State of the City address Feb. 26, it seems the city is determined to not lose sight of its past as it speeds into an uncharted future.

According to data supplied by Samsung Austin Semiconductor, in 2023 construction activities at the Taylor site pumped $11.7 billion into the local economy and supported more than 18,000 construction jobs. The city received $711,005 in property taxes. Taylor Independent School District received $1,243,858 in property taxes. Added to that is a 193% increase in sales tax, much of which was related to Samsung and the more than 20,000 jobs it created last year.

Rydell said, discussing the thought process behind the city’s Envision Taylor Comprehensive Plan.

The city has used the additional funds provided by recent growth — more than $61 million in revenues for 2023 — to add amenities for residents and start the process of upgrading infrastructure previously neglected due to lack of budget. That includes starting on a new city headquarters.

The State of the City address was held as a part of the Greater Taylor Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheons. The next luncheon will be held Monday, March 18, and will be the State of Our Schools address by Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen.