Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, PetSmart, Others Coming to Brenham; Bat Invasion in Dime Box, No Masks Required at Lexington ISD
Giddings Times & News
The Dime Box Post Office is dealing with major problems because of bats invading the building. It all came to light when a bat came out of the ceiling title and began flying around inside the building. The postmaster also said she started noticing a foul odor and her eyes were even watering. When a ceiling tile was finally slid out that was when a bat was later swooped out to reveal the source of the smell. The postmaster contacted Ecolab, a company that has a contract with the USPS to fix problems but she didn’t know if they deal with bat problems. It’s likely that a scout bat was sent out to find a warm spot for a bat colony during the ice storm.
Giddings and Lincoln firemen worked together to rescue a woman trapped inside her vehicle after it struck the back of an 18-wheeler and flipped in the ditch on Hwy. 21 at CR 327 on March 2. Volunteer firemen were called to the scene at 3:18 p.m. and used the Jaws of Life to free 18-year-old Sydney Holster of Fredericksburg. Holster was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin with serious injuries. She was driving a 2020 Subaru Outback SUV eastbound on Hwy. 21. The SUV landed on its front right side before overturning and coming to rest on its passenger side against an electrical pole and fence. The semi-truck, a 2019 Peterbilt driven by Russell Smith of Caldwell was stopped in the inside lane of Hwy. 21 waiting to turn left onto CR 327 when it was struck. Smith, 62, was not injured in the accident. According to a witness, it is believed Holster was distracted by her cell phone.
The 47th Annual Lee County Junior Livestock Show sale on March 6 shattered the old record with nearly $1 million in sales as buyers turned out to support the youth. This year’s total sales at the auction came in at $977,998 way above the $790,646 total last year. New records were set this year for the grand champion steer, grand champion rabbits, and grand champion decorated cake.
Despite Governor Greg Abbott’s new executive order rescinding the previous mask mandate, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has not removed contact tracing requirements for schools and has left mask policy decisions to local school boards. After lengthy debate and analysis of parent surveys and other data, the Lexington ISD School Board voted to discontinue the mask requirement for students and employees. Superintendent Dr. Knowlton stated, “We will still support anyone who wishes to wear a mask. The district will continue to operate with a no visitors on campus policy and we will clean and disinfect daily.”
The Brenham Banner-Press
Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, PetSmart, Five Below, and Burke’s Outlet are among the major retailers coming to Brenham with the new Baker Katz development located on the U.S. 290 Frontage Rd. and Chappell Hill St. The developer, Baker Katz, and contractor, Arch-Con, announced the first five shops at the groundbreaking ceremony on March 8. The Baker Katz development is expected to be open in the spring of 2022.
A fire on March 5 left multiple families without a home and without basic necessities. The Brenham Fire Department reported to a call at Stone Hollow Apartments a little after 6:15 p.m. Once on the scene, they found heavy fire on building 300. The Chappell Hill Volunteer Fire Department was requested to provide additional manpower around 6:45 p.m. Six of the 16 units within the building received damage from the fire. According to the Brenham Fire Department, Faith Mission was contacted to assist displaced residents. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A Brenham man faces a slew of charges after a police chase Monday night. At around 9:30 p.m., police attempted to pull over 24-year-old Miguel Angel Rosas Salazar of Brenham in the 2400 block of US 290 E. on a routine traffic stop. According to police, Salazar then tried to flee authorities leading to a pursuit that led to a collision with another vehicle in the 7800 block of 290 E.