Lifestyle

   Two Matagorda County high school players were named to Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) All-State teams.
   Bay City Blackcat senior Marcus Edwards and Tidehaven junior Mason Perales were on All-State Honorable Mention lists.
   Edwards was named on the 4A All-State Honorable Mention as defensive back, and Perales received the 3A honor as wide receiver.
   Both were first-team All-District for their respective districts.

   During our 20 years of service in Matagorda County and more recently to include Wharton, MEHOP’s focus has been fulfilling the healthcare needs of the community. 
   We have established a robust Behavioral Health department that offers community residents support through multiple disciplines in the field of mental health and integrated Primary Care for better outcomes.  
   Through integrated care, MEHOP has removed the health care silos that often exist between the physical and mental health of individuals and their health care providers. When it comes to the health of our bodies, everything is connected. 
   Physical symptoms affect a person’s mental health, and mental health symptoms increase the risk for physical health-related issues. 
   “In the past providers were limited to their areas of expertise only, limiting how effective they were in addressing all aspects of a patient’s care,” said Clinical Psychologist Dr. John Saglime Jr. 

Bay City Public Library is hosting two story times for the community just before Christmas.
The first pop-up story time is at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, at Kate’s Coffee, Tea & More, 1606 Sixth Street in Bay City.
The event is free and open to the public featuring a story, craft, cookie and hot cocoa for children.
“We like partnering with new businesses and promoting them in the community,” said Bay City Library Youth Services Specialist Andrea Savage.
“Also, Kate’s has amazing hot coca and we thought the children would love to have some.”
Savage added that the event was scheduled at 2 p.m. so that students getting out of school could also attend.
“We’re really looking forward to having the kids there along with their families and friends,” she said.
“It’s going to be a really fun time and we hope to see a lot of people there.”
That story time will feature a Christmas book and one about a coffee shop.

   Unofficially, Matagorda County has taken first place in the 120th Annual Audubon Matagorda County Mad Island Marsh Christmas Bird Count (CBC) with 230 species reported Monday night.
   “There has not been an official report stating rankings of each CBC,” said Dr. Brent Ortego, wildlife ornithologist, and CBC compiler.
   “It’s only the third official day of counting and the count runs until Jan. 5. But, there are very few counts that can compete with us. We’ll have to see when the other groups report in.”
   “The CBC is a great collaborative effort that consistently achieves No. 1 status in the nation. 
“We attract over 100 birders to the count each year, landowners manage their land to support wildlife and allow access to their land by the birders, boat operators chauffeur birders to their destinations and many sponsors help support the cost of producing the CBC,” he added.

   City Council agreed to pursue fixing Nile Valley Road – from Texas 35 to Texas 60 – with a proposed issue of $6 million in certificates of obligation (CO).
   Council authorized interim City Manager Richard Morton during a workshop to negotiate with Bay City Community Development Corporation (BCCDC) and the Bay City Gas Company to be partners in the project.
   Morton, who is credited for doing extensive work on the CO project, told council that he had discussed the possible CO issue with Gas company officials.
   BCCDC Executive Director Jessica Russell was at the workshop meeting, pointing out BCCDC has previously identified rebuilding Nile Valley Road as a top economic development priority.
   Such a partnership could split the estimated 3.5 percent interest payments of about $354,000 yearly over the CO’s 25-year life. 

   Bay City Police Detectives are investigating a multitude of vehicle burglaries.
   The burglaries occurred at multiple hotels on Seventh Street between 10 p.m. on Dec. 16 and 6 a.m. Dec.17.
   All vehicles had forced entry.
   Windows were broken to gain access to the interior of the vehicle.
   Among the articles stolen were several guns. 
   Detectives reached out to hotel management for each hotel to get any surveillance video that might have caught the burglaries.
   There were several photos retrieved showing the same vehicle in each parking lot between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.
   The vehicle appears to be a dark colored, possibly red or maroon, smaller SUV type vehicle.