Circle C - July 2022

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Volume 19, Number 07

July 2022

www.circlecranch.com

JULY news & Announcements Fireworks Reminder

Important Dates for JULY 2022 Saturday, July 2nd 4th of July Parade @ Swim Center 9am – 11am. Monday, July 4th HOA office closed. Pools Open. Friday, July 8th Food Trailer Night Monday, July 11th City of Austin Large Brush Collection Tuesday, July 27 CCHOA Board Meeting Upcoming: Monday, Aug 1st City of Austin Bulk Pick-up (south of Slaughter Lane) Monday, Aug 29th City of Austin Bulk Pick-up (north of Slaughter Lane)

The City of Austin does not allow individuals without a permit to use fireworks within the city limits. Those found in violation could be fined up to $568.00. If your fireworks cause bodily harm or property damage, you can be charged with assault and/or arson, both felony crimes. Aside from the legal aspect, please be respectful of your neighbors. Fireworks are disruptive and can be outright terrifying to young children, babies, some war veterans, and pets. Please enjoy the professional displays on the 4th of July and keep Circle C quiet and safe during the holiday!

HOA Dues Mailed the first week of July The second half of your annual dues assessment will be mailed the first week of July; they will be due August 1st! There are three payment options: • Pay your dues online through the association’s official website, www. circlecranch.com • Make your payment through Bill Pay through your financial institution • Mail your payment to PO Box 163541, Austin, TX, 78716. Please do NOT postdate your check or staple your invoice to your check but do include it in the envelope. Payments will NOT be accepted at the Circle C HOA Office. Please call our Financial Office at 512-451-9901 if you have any questions or do not receive a statement by mid-July. Thank you for your cooperation.

Watering Restrictions Please visit your Water Provider’s website to view current watering restrictions: City of Austin entered stage-1 Drought Water Use Restrictions: https://www. austintexas.gov/department/find-your-watering-day; Midtex (Southwest Water Company): https://www.austintexas.gov/department/find-your-watering-day Continued on Page 3

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Announcements - Continued from Cover

Food Trailer Night Join us Friday, July 8 from 5:30pm-8:30pm at the Community Center (corner of Spruce Canyon and La Crosse) for good food, fun activities and great company! Please remember, glass is not permitted at this event. We encourage neighbors to walk or ride to the party but ask that scooters, bikes, skateboards etc. not be ridden through the parking lot for the safety of those in attendance. More information about this event, such as the Food Trailer Lineup, will be posted on https://hellocirclec.com/.

CCHOA Board Meeting The Circle C HOA Board of Directors meets the last Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm via ZOOM. Homeowners may sign up to speak for the Homeowners Forum at the start of the meeting by calling the HOA office at 512-288-8663 or by sending an email to info@circlecranch.com. The agenda for the board meeting and prior board meeting agendas and minutes can be found on our website, www.circlecranch.com, under the Resources Tab. The agenda for the upcoming meeting will be posted the Wednesday prior to the meeting.

Removal of Tree Stakes Staking a new tree gives the root system a chance to establish itself in the soil and provide the tree with a strong anchor. The stakes are not meant to be permanent and should be removed to benefit further growth and strengthening of the tree. In general, the tree should not need the support for more than six months or a year or after one growing season. After that, stakes left too long can hinder development. Stakes and wires are also unsightly and over time become increasingly difficult to remove.

Parking at the Swim Center and Mail Center Our neighborhood pools have a very limited amount of parking spots as many of you know. We greatly encourage our already very active neighborhood to take advantage of the sunny days and walk or bike to the pool to avoid the everlasting wait for a parking spot. The spaces in front and surrounding the Child Development Center building are designated for the CDC during hours of operation. Outside of the CDC’s operating hours residents are welcome to park in these spaces. There are also spaces in front of the mailboxes at the Swim Center designated for mail pick up only. Please refrain from parking in the 4 designated mail center parking spaces for any use other than mail pick-up. This mail center is the largest of all the mail centers in Circle C and services over 900 residents so please keep your neighbors in mind. Continued on Page 4

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HOA Mgmt Office................................. info@circlecranch.info or 512.288.8663 HOA Financial Office................................tgiles@mgilescpa.com or 512.451.9901 Aquatics Director....................................... director@ccswim.net or 512.363.5578 Newsletter Publisher Peel, Inc....................................................advertising@PEELinc.com or 512.263.9181 Circle C Amenities Circle C Avaña Pool.........................................................................512.292.1518 Circle C Café...................................................................................512.288.6058 Circle C CDC..................................................................................512.288.9792 Circle C Swim Center......................................................................512.363.5578 Circle C Community Center Pool....................................................512.301.8259 Grey Rock Golf Course (City Owned/Operated)................................512.288.4297 Grey Rock Tennis Club....................................................................512.301.8685 Circle C Grey Rock Pool..................................................................512.291.8398

CIRCLE C GATED COMMUNITIES Enclave off Spruce Canyon Spectrum Management...................................Colleen Pritchard, 512.834.3900 Enclave off of La Crosse Relevant Management................................................... Kim Todd, 512.580.4212 Fairways Estates Spectrum Management...................................Colleen Pritchard, 512.834.3900 Park West Goodwin Management...................................Marilyn Childress 512.502.7509 Hillside Estates Real Manage.................................................. Christine Gamache, 866.473.2573 Avana Estates Relevant Management................................................ Kim Todd, 512.580.4212 Muirfield Real Management.......................................... Victoria Escamilla, 866.473.2573

Theresa Bastian................................................................. President Stephen Bega............................................................ Vice-President David La Chance............................................................. Treasurer Trinh Bartlett................................................................... Secretary Russ Hodes, Jason Bram, & Kimberly De La Garza..........Board Members Contact the Board at: directors@circlecranch.info City of Austin Solid Waste................................................512.974.1945 Dead Animal Collection....................................................512.974.2000 Abandoned Vehicle............................................................512.974.8119 Pothole Complaints...........................................................512.974.8750 Stop Signs.........................................................................512.457.4885 Street Light Maintenance..................................................................311 Schools Clayton Elementary..................................................512.841.9200 Kiker Elementary......................................................512.414.2584 Mills Elementary.......................................................512.841.2400 Bear Creek Elementary..............................................512.414.0040 Cowan Elementary....................................................512.841.2700 Bailey Middle............................................................512.414.4990 Gorzycki Middle School............................................512.841.8600 Bowie High School...................................................512.414.5247 UTILITY PROVIDERS Electric Pedernales Elec.................................................... 512.219.2602 City of Austin. .................................................................512.494.9400 Texas Gas Service .............................................................800.700.2443 Water City of Austin ........................................................512.972.1000 MidTex Water Company...................................................866.654.7992 Solid Waste City of Austin ...............................................512.974.1945 Post Office Oak Hill Station .............................................800.275.8777 Circle C Ranch Newsletter - July 2022

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Around Circle C Announcements - Continued from page 3

Check your fence We are seeing many fences in need of repair of full replacement especially with the recent storms. Check your fence for missing pickets, broken pickets and pickets tattered at ground level, unattached sections at the posts, unstable leaning sections. If you are replacing your fence with the same fence, no changes, you may do so without submitting for a review. Any other changes must be submitted to and approved by the Architectural Control Committee. You can find a submission form at www.circlecranch. com under the ACC tab.

Trash Cart Reminder The CCHOA receives several calls in regards to visible trash and recycling carts. Please remember to pull trash cans into your garage or at least out of sight from the street after trash is collected. Please do your part to help keep Circle C a beautiful place to live!

Not receiving the HOA Blast Emails If you’re not receiving the blast emails the CCHOA sends out periodically, you probably are not registered. To register for the website, go to www.circlecranch.com. Once you are at the website, click the “Member Log-In” at the top right corner of the page. Here you will register and create a user name and password for your profile; once registered, you can access the resident only portions of the website which includes important documents and member directory.

Planning Home Improvements The Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions of the Circle C Homeowners Association state that all improvement to all single-family homes and lots must be approved by the Architectural Control Committee (ACC) prior to construction. The ACC Committee is appointed by the CCHOA Board of Directors. This committee has 30 days to review submitted projects so keep this in mind when you are planning your home improvements. You can find guidelines for commonly proposed projects at our website, www.circlecranch.ocmand click on the “ACC” ta. From here, you can also view the ACC FAQ’s and submit a project for review. Projects will not be review until the review payment is made.

Scoop The Poop We continue to receive reports of residents that are not picking up after their dogs. We also receive complaints that although the poop is scooped, the bags are then deposited in our common area landscaping. Please do your part as a responsible pet owner and also as a Circle C Resident by picking up after you dog and depositing the waste bag into a proper trash container. It is not only the responsible thing to do but also the sanitary thing to do. Continued on Page 5

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Around Circle C Announcements - Continued from page 4

The City of Austin Large Brush Pick-up (week of 7/11/22) • • • • • • • •

Brush should be between 5 and 15 feet in length. Tree trunks more than 8 inches in diameter should be 3-feetlong or less. Place large brush at the curb in front of your house by 6:30 a.m. on the first day of your scheduled collection week. Cut ends should face the street. Stack loosely along the curb in one row, not more than 15 feet across and no higher than 4 feet. Do not block the sidewalk. Do not extend into the street. To prevent damage to your property, keep items 5 feet away from your trash cart, mailbox, fences or walls, water meter, telephone connection box and parked cars. Do not place any items under low-hanging tree limbs or power lines.

The City of Austin Bulk Pick-up (South of Slaughter-week of 8/1/22; North of Slaughter-week of 8/29/22)

Austin Resource Recovery customers receive twice-per-year collection of bulk items. For the full list of items that are included and those that cannot be collected, visit austintexas.gov/bulk.

Collection guidelines: • Place bulk items at the curb in front of your house by 6:30 a.m. on the first day of your scheduled collection week • Separate items into three piles as described below • To prevent damage to your property, keep items 5 feet away from your trash cart, mailbox, fences or walls, water meter, telephone connection box and parked cars. Do not place any items under low hanging tree limbs or power lines • Do not put items in bags, boxes or other containers. Bulk collection is for items too large to fit in containers. Bags will be treated as extra trash and are subject to extra trash fees.

Separate items into three piles: 1. Metal items - Includes appliances (remove doors). These are taken to our Resource Recovery Center for recycling 2. Passenger car tires - Rims must be removed. Limit of eight tires per household. We cannot collect truck or tractor tires. Tires will go to a tire recycling facility 3. Non-metal items - Includes carpeting and nail-free lumber. These items go to a landfill. Austin Resource Recovery is working on plans to salvage reusable items from bulk collection to help meet the City of Austin's Zero Waste goal Because these piles are collected by different trucks, they may be collected at different times throughout the week. Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

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Around Circle C

Pool Safety Reminders

Summer is here, and Texas temperatures have already hit record 3-digit numbers. For many Texas families, the best respite for our summer heat—other than remaining in cool air-conditioned homes or businesses—is to jump in a lake or a pool. With Circle C pools closed in 2020 and at very limited capacity in 2021, this year we will probably see a record number of residents at our 4 neighborhood pools. Crowded pools bring inherent risks for drowning. Safety is a concern. We spoke with the Circle C Aquatics Director, Brody McKinley, about pool safety measures and drowning prevention.

CROWDED POOLS: “We have heavy-use facilities that see over 80,000 entries each year,” Brody informs us. “When you are dealing with that many people, there is always a higher chance of a rescue or first aid incident.” While all aquatic environments hold risks for injuries and drownings, crowded pools increase that chance. The Circle C pools alone average 25 water rescues each year and approximately 45 first aid incidents per year, according to Brody. 6

Circle C Ranch Newsletter - July 2022

With crowded pools, not only does the increased activity in the pool create more of a risk for injury, but parents tend to be more distracted as well. “Children will wander away from their parents [from the splash pools] and head over to the main pool, which is deeper water,” says Brody. “We see a lot of this at the Swim Center.” Videos available online offer accurate glimpses into the challenges of trying to find a child drowning in a crowded location. For example, SpotTheDrowningChild. com has an interactive video that allows one to click on the person they think might be drowning. The video pauses when a person is clicked and reveals whether the chosen person is just playing or truly in need of help.

FATAL VERSUS NONFATAL DROWNINGS: Ac c o rd i n g t o t h e Wo r l d He a l t h Organization (WHO), drownings are the third leading cause of unintentional injury deaths with an average of 320,000 fataldrowning incidents per year worldwide. According to the American Red Cross, drownings are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths (after motor vehicle crashes) in the

U.S. for children 1-14 years of age. The American Red Cross also states that drowning is the leading cause of death for children and adults with autism, and that a child with autism is 160 times more likely to experience drowning than their neurotypical peers. In addition to deaths from drownings, nonfatal drownings (formerly called near drownings but renamed by the WHO in 2002) are a cause for concern. Nonfatal drownings can either be hypoxic (when the amount of oxygen in the body is lessened for some time causing injury to tissues) or anoxic (when oxygen is completely stopped for at least four minutes, thus increasing the likelihood of permanent brain injury, paralysis, and/or severe disabilities). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that over 50% of nonfatal drowning victims treated in emergency departments require hospitalization or transfer for further care. “We have had several nonfatal drownings at our facilities and each incident is different with unique challenges,” states Brody. Continued on Page 8 Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.


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Around Circle C Pool Safety - Continued from page 6

WHO IS AT RISK FOR DROWNING:

METHODS TO PREVENT DROWNING:

“No one is drown proof,” warns Brody. “Even strong swimmers and people on swim teams can become a drowning victim.”

On their website, the CDC lists the following methods to help prevent the risk of drowning: 1. Take Formal Swimming Lessons: Formal swimming lessons help provide water survival skills for swimmers. 2. Learn CPR: Seconds can matter in drownings. In the time it takes for help to arrive, severe damage can be done to victims of drowning. Bystanders schooled in CPR have saved many drowning victims’ lives and lessoned the severity of injuries. 3. Don’t Substitute Toys for Life-Saving Devices: Air-filled or foam-filled toys (such as noodles, arm rings or water wings, and/ or inner tubes) are not life-saving devices and should never be used in place of life jackets. Brody offers his thoughts on additional methods of drowning prevention: “There are layers of protection that lower the risks of drowning and injuries: lifeguards, parent supervision, swim lessons, life jackets…etc. However, the risks are always present and must be managed.”

In 2010, U.S. Olympic swimmer Fran Crippen died while swimming in the United Arab Emirates when he was 26 years old and in prime shape. The water and outside temperature were too hot and he suffered heat stroke. Strong swimmers tend to feel confident enough in the water that they take risks. This puts them in a higher risk for drowning than if they were conservative in the water.

DROWNING DOESN’T LOOK LIKE DROWNING: The image of a child splashing and flailing as they drown is misleading. Children that are splashing are the ones that have the energy to play. It’s the children in the most trouble that are the quiet ones. “Drownings in real life look nothing like in the movies,” explains Brody. “There is not typically loud splashing or calling for help. With the incidents at our facility, the child slipped under the water silently and struggled below the surface of the water.” Continued on Page 13

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News You Can Use Pool Safety - Continued from page 8

In fact, in real life, drowning victims look quite the opposite of what one might expect: •

Drowning children cannot kick their legs because they utilize any and all energy in the legs to remain afloat and in an upright position so that the nose and mouth are on top, closer to the surface.

Drowning children cannot splash or wave for help because their arms must remain lateral to keep them afloat as much as possible.

Drowning children cannot cry out for help because they instinctively use all the energy of their mouth and nose to try to capture air whenever possible if they can get above the surface again. The need for oxygen supersedes language or making sounds.

Drowning children struggle silently and with very little visible movement. Most of the struggle happens beneath the surface of the water, so the struggle is mostly unseen and unheard. According to SpotTheDrowningChild.com, “Drowning children can only struggle on the surface of water for an average of 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.”

BENEFITS OF LIFEGUARDS: A few residents have asked why other neighborhoods offer “Swim at Your Own Risk” policies while Circle C chooses to require lifeguards. “We do get this question a lot,” muses Brody. “State Law requires the Swim Center and Community Center facilities to both have lifeguards.” This is because the Swim Center contains an Olympicsized pool (the only neighborhood Olympic-sized pool in Austin) and the Community Center contains a slide. Both features greatly increase the risk of drowning. “I know that our current insurance provider requires that if we have lifeguards at some facilities, we must have them at others.” Brody and the Circle C Aquatics Team make a practice of prioritizing safety at all Circle C pools. “A lot of facilities that aren’t required to have lifeguards don’t do it because of the management, staffing, or financial requirements that are needed to start a lifeguarding program.” “We have lifeguards, we have the programs in place, we have the financial resources to do so, therefore it would be irresponsible and negligent of us not to provide this additional level of safety to all of our facilities.”

Brody reiterates this information with his own experiences at the Circle C pools. “With the incidents at our facility, the child slipped under the water silently and struggled below the surface of the water. There was no noise to indicate anything was wrong. Warning signs that a child is about to become a drowning victim include having their head tilted back, body in a vertical position, while they struggle to reach the side/stair/place where they can reach the bottom, struggling below the surface of the water, unable to make any forward or upward progress; a child in a lifejacket in shallower water can potentially tip face down and be unable to right themselves.” At no time will any source be allowed to use the Circle C Ranch Newsletter's contents, or loan said contents, to others in any way, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in the Circle C Ranch Newsletter is exclusively for the private use of the Circle C HOA and Peel, Inc. DISCLAIMER: The Circle C (HOA) has partnered with Peel, Inc. to publish our monthly newsletter gratis for our residents. We target our content to keep homeowners updated on appropriate Circle C announcements and notices. In addition to the printed version, residents may find past newsletters on the Peel.com website with a search for “Circle C.” However, the most current news and announcements may be found at www.circlecranch.com. Articles herein are intended to offer information that might be of use to our residents and to share current or historical events. We do not provide legal, medical, or expert advice but welcome input from our neighbors with expertise. We would love to hear from you! If any of our residents have an idea for an article or would like to nominate a neighborhood teenager or volunteer for a featured article, please feel free to reach out to our HOA manager at info@circlecranch. info or call 512-288-8663. Please note that, in an effort to not interfere with our advertisers that fund this publication, we may not promote or mention businesses. We also do not publish letters or op-eds because we wish to keep our newsletter factual and neutral. Thank you for being a part of our community.

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News You Can Use Barbara Jordan’s Final Wish

We Would Like to Acknowledge One of Texas’ Most Accomplished Women bar exams for both Massachusetts and Texas, then returned home to Houston as a lawyer. But no law firm in Houston would hire a Black woman, so she set up her practice on her parent’s dining room table. Barbara’s parents—through their gratitude for Franklin Roosevelt’s strategies of Relief, Recovery, and Reform after the Great Depression—had taught her that U.S. Presidents can make a difference. As part of his New Deal Programs, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) was created, which funded the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) to help with mortgage lending. As a result, Barbara’s parents were able to purchase a home.

As a little girl growing up in Houston, Barbara Jordan attended segregated schools and was not allowed to drink from water fountains that were reserved for white people. She could ride on the city bus, but only in the back, and if she wanted to attend a movie, she could watch only from the balcony, with entry through a side door. When Barbara was in high school, she attended a career day and watched a Black woman lawyer, Edith Sampson, speak. Right then, Barbara decided she wanted to one day become a lawyer. After high school, she was not allowed to attend the University of Texas because they did not allow people of color, but the state quickly created a new university for Black students: Texas Southern University. Barbara joined their inaugural class and signed up for debate. She took her school team to national debate competitions, winning against white universities and ultimately tying with Harvard’s debaters. She knew then that she was on the right path. She applied and was accepted to Boston University’s law school, graduating in 1959. She took, and passed, the state 14

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So, when John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, Barbara volunteered, organizing a voter drive in Harris County that garnered an 80% turnout. After that, her political career took off. In 1966, Barbara Jordan became the first Black woman elected to the Texas Senate. The next year, in 1967, she became the first Black elected official to preside over the Texas Senate, the first Black state senator to chair a major committee, and the very first freshman senator named to the Texas Legislative Council. A few years later, in 1972, Barbara Jordan served for one day as acting governor of Texas, became the first Black woman to serve as president pro tempore of the state senate, then became the first Black woman from a southern state to be elected to the United States House of Representatives. (All in one year!) In 1974, she famously spoke as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, delivering a revered speech that highlighted the legal standard for the impeachment of Richard Nixon. In 1976, she gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention and sponsored legislation to include voting rights for Mexican Americans under the Voting Rights Act. In 1977, she sponsored the

Community Reinvestment Act, requiring banks to extend lending and other services to underserved communities. In 1979, she became a professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. In 1992, she was, once again, a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. In 1994, Barbara Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and in 1995, she was awarded the prestigious United States Military Academy’s Sylvanus Thayer Award. In her later years, while still teaching at the university, Barbara Jordan quietly suffered from both leukemia and multiple sclerosis, ultimately needing to use a wheelchair. On January 17, 1996, she finally succumbed to complications of leukemia; her cause of death: pneumonia. Posthumously, however, Barbara Jordan managed to accomplish one final feat, the breakdown of yet another racial barrier in Texas. Barbara had mentioned several times to close friends of hers that she wanted to one day be buried in the Texas State Cemetery “on the highest hill overlooking the capitol.” This was impossible, however, because not only did the cemetery not allow people of color to be buried there (unofficially, of course; there were no written rules against it), but the hill in the Texas State Cemetery overlooking the capitol happens to be Historic Hill, and it was full. Historic Hill is, naturally, where Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas,” is buried. And the spots surrounding him on the hill were either already inhabited or reserved for high-ranking military officials, mostly comrades of his. One of those spots happened to be reserved for Colonel James Walker Fannin, Jr.—a fellow leader in the Texas Revolution and Commander of the Texian Army in the Goliad Massacre of Continued on Page 17 Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.


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News You Can Use Continued from Page 14

1836. Although Colonel Walker Fannin, Jr.—a known slave trader— was a controversial and unpopular commander, his high rank and connections to Stephen F. Austin, James Bowie, and Sam Houston served as a requisite for a site next to Stephen F. Austin in the state cemetery, and his family continued to hold his spot on the chance that they might want to move his remains from Goliad to Austin one day. As Barbara Jordan’s colleague and friend, Max Sherman, rode in a golf cart—along with Harry Bradley, the administrator of our Texas State Cemetery—searching for the perfect spot for his recently deceased friend, he discovered the only remaining spots were on the far east side of the cemetery, far from the capitol and at the bottom of the hill. Max shook his head at each suggested spot. None seemed sufficient for his much-accomplished friend. Max expressed his dissatisfaction. “She always said she would be at the top of the hill overlooking the capitol,” he reiterated. “Hold on a minute!” said Harry. “Let me check something out.” Minutes later, Harry reported that coincidentally, they had received notice the week before that Fannin’s family had finally, after 160 years, decided to keep him in Goliad and relinquished his reserved spot. The paperwork had not yet been processed, so the spot hadn’t been registered as available, but Harry had vaguely remembered noticing papers indicating that a gravesite might be opening up soon.

Circle C Aquatics News YEAR-ROUND YOUTH SWIMMING – OPEN ENROLLMENT Our year-round youth group swimming team, Circle C Select, is currently accepting new and returning swimmers. For more information on our swim team, including information on how to enroll, please visit www. circlecranch.com/select.

ADULT MASTERS SWIMMING – REGISTRATION OPEN Masters Swimming is back! Masters Swimming is an adult technique and conditioning program. This program will help you learn how to swim faster and with less effort, in a fun, group environment. This is for adults of all abilities. Come join Coach Amy and Coach J for a Masters swim workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 8a-9:30a, and on Saturdays, 11a-12p. Email Amanda at coordinator@ccswim.net for registration. For more information, visit www.circlecranch.com/masters

And so, Barbara Jordan was posthumously honored with her last wish—a coveted graveyard spot in the formerly white-only Texas State Cemetery, atop a hill overlooking the capitol, higher than all the confederate soldiers, and in a premier spot formerly reserved for a slave-trader. Barbara Jordan’s burial in the Texas State Cemetery paved the way for other Black people to be buried there as well as other people of color. She continues to serve as an inspiration for people in Texas and across the world. Sources used in this article are available on request. Contact CCWriter@CircleCRanch.info

Teenage Job Seekers! If you or a someone you know is interested in being added to the Teenager Job Seeker list for babysitting, house sitting, pet sitting, yard work, or tutoring to name a few jobs, please submit their name, number, contact information, and job interests to reservations@circlecranch.info. The information is published in the printed, hard copy of the monthly newsletter and is never accessible in the online edition. For questions or to get further information, please contact the Community Coordinator at the email above or call 512-288-8663. Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

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News You Can Use How to Identify Ant & Termite Swarmers Connection I remember way back when I was in college and I called my mom, excited to share with her that I decided to change my major. It went a bit like this….. Me: “Mom, I decided to change my major. I’m going into entomology!” Mom: “What?” Me: “Entomology. It’s the study of insects.” Mom: “What are yovu going to do with that? Do you plan on spending your life spraying bugs?” Me: “I have no idea, but it will be fantastic!” While at the time, my mom could not see exactly what I was going to do with a career in entomology, fortunately, for me I found an amazing job with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension where I have the opportunity to educate people on insects. Fortunately for my parents, they now have someone to identify all their insects. So why the story? Well, you all have the same opportunity as my parents to become educated on various insects. There are a variety of ways to do this, and all are resources that I directly post or am involved with in some way. If you want to learn more about insects, you can connect with me (or my colleagues in some cases) through: Instagram: urbanipm Facebook: www.facebook.com/UrbanIPM YouTube channel: Wizzie Brown Podcasts: I am involved in two different podcasts. Bugs by the Yard- this one covers insects in the landscape Unwanted Guests- this one covers structural pests Insect ID requests• Email me at ebrown@ag.tamu.edu • Submit images to http://texashighplainsinsects.net/ Educational webinars on various insect topics- email me to get onto the list for sign up links

Soon it will be time for swarming insects to emerge out from their homes in the ground and fly into the air in search of a mate. Usually, this event coincides with warm temperatures and a significant rainfall event but can also occur if you forget to turn off your irrigation system. “Swarmer” or “alate” are other terms used to describe the reproductive stage of ants and termites. These insects have wings when they initially leave the colony, but the wings are either shed or chewed off after they land on the ground and before they form a nest. So, how do you tell them apart? Ant swarmers have antennae that are bent at a ninety-degree angle and are said to be “elbowed”. The area where the thorax and abdomen meet, sometimes called the “waist”, is constricted, narrowed, or pinched. If you find a reproductive that still has wings- they chew off their wings once they have mated and land on the ground- the front wing will be larger than the hind wing and all wings will have few veins. If the wings are missing from the ant swarmer, there will not be a wing stub left on the thorax from where the wing was attached. Male ant swarmers retain their wings after landing on the ground, but they die after mating. Termite swarmers have antennae that are straight and a thoraxabdomen area, or “waist”, that is broadly joined together. Termite reproductive wings are similar in size and shape and tend to have a lot of veins. Sometimes with termites you may find only wings that have been left behind due to shedding when the termites land on the ground or you may see the termites themselves with or without wings still attached. If you find a termite reproductive without wings, there will be wing stubs, called “scales”, left behind on the thorax. Male and female termite reproductives shed their wings after landing on the ground, pair up, and find a site to begin a new colony. For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check out my blog at www.urban-ipm.blogspot. com

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check out my blog at www.urban-ipm.blogspot. com

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is implied.

This work is supported by Crops Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program [grant no. 2017-70006-27188 / project accession no. 1013905] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides equal access in its programs, activities, education and employment, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity.

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