August 2021

Despite a decrease in traffic crashes in 2020, Texas saw a dramatic rise in the number of people killed walking and biking on our roadways. Last year, 731 people died in pedestrian-related crashes, an increase of 9% from 2019. Crashes involving bicyclists claimed the lives of 82 people, up from 68 deaths the previous year. During 2020, 25% of fatalities in pedestrian and bicyclist-related crashes involved alcohol. These numbers reflect an alarming trend of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities increasing over the last five years.

Despite much lower traffic levels around Texas schools due to the pandemic, there were still hundreds of crashes in school zones last year. So as millions of Texas students return to class, the Texas Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to watch out for kids walking and biking to school to keep everyone safe.

August is “ABLE to Save” Month, and Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is promoting awareness of the program that helps provide financial security for Texans with disabilities. The Texas Achieving a Better Life Experience (Texas ABLE®) Program is the state’s savings program for Texans with disabilities.

Terrell police made the following arrests and responded to the following incidents between Aug. 12 and Aug.

On Tuesday, August 10, the Terrell Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) was the title sponsor for a real estate networking event focused on healthcare. TEDC President Ray Dunlap, who served as moderator for one of the panels, led a focused discussion on the strategy of healthcare.

Aug. 14: United Church of God in Christ will host its new/gently used clothing giveaway at 901 South Hattie in Terrell from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.. The event is free to the public. Questions about the event can be obtained my messaging United COGIC at their Facebook page.

With elections being one of the most important functions of the county, the role of an Elections Administrator is extremely vital in maintaining election integrity. Kaufman County welcomes Tandi Smith as the new Election Administrator who brings with her, a very impressive elec-tion coordination and administration background.

Terrell Independent School District officials received a dose of good news from the Texas Education Agency last week, receiving an “A” rating for “Superior Achievement” under Texas’ financial accountability rating system.

The familiar sounds of students roaming the halls and classroom instruction returned this week as the Terrell ISD kicked off its 2021-’22 school year on Wednesday. District teachers and administrators were hard at work throughout much of the summer, laying the groundwork to ensure that students had a safe return for in-person instruction. See more pictures on page 2A. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TERRELL ISD

Texas Health Resources, in conjunction with Kaufman Church of Christ, will be hosting a Pfizer vaccine clinic Aug. 16 from 9 a.m.