When the COVID-19 pandemic first shut down the Smithville Public Library, it was as if a vital community artery had been severed. “We did see a lot of anxiety when people felt cut off from reading materials,” recalled Judith Bergeron, the library’s director. “Some of that anxiety led to anger directed at library staff, so it was important to us to try to provide whatever services we could remotely.” But for Bergeron, libraries – especially in small Texas towns like Smithville – are more than a book lending depot. In 2018, she recognized a need for mental health services in this 4,000-person town 45 miles east of Austin, and she set up a “Coffee with a Counselor” program allowing patrons who need to, a private study room to meet with a mental health professional over coffee.

Source: Texas Tribune
Date: March 22, 2024
Author: Stephen Simpson
Photograph By: Maria Crane

Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL player who broke with his party over President Joe Biden’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, won his Senate primary Tuesday to propel an underdog campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred fended off his biggest Democratic challenger, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who became an outspoken voice for stricter gun laws after the Uvalde school shooting and courted the party’s left wing.

Source: The Associated Press
Published: March 5, 2024
Author: Paul J. Weber and Sean Murphy
Photograph By: Graeme Sloan

Folks throughout Texas remember the frigid days of power outages in some of the coldest weather the state has seen in a long time in February of 2021. As it has become known, the Texas Grid remains in question during extreme cold and heat, to the point that officials regularly ask citizens to make significant adjustments to their heating and cooling systems. Vesper Energy is helping with the situation. While it won’t be a complete fix for the entire state, it could make a big difference in DeSoto and likewise take a step in helping the grid problem.