Burnet County news

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

A second resident from the Bertram Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center reportedly has died while at a facility where patients who test positive COVID-19 are transferred to undergo treatment, officials said.

As of deadline Thursday, June 4, final confirmation of the cause of death was pending from Burnet County Health Authority Juliette Madrigal and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The age and gender of the patient and the official date of death had not yet been released. …

Special to The Highlander

Baylor Scott & White Health announced Thursday, June 4, they will cease providing labor and delivery services at the medical center in Marble Falls by the end of July.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Baylor Scott & White Health announced last week it will lay off approximately 3 percent of its total workforce — about 1,200 employees, including some in the Hill Country Region — due to financial hardship caused by COVID-19.

The largest not-for-profit hospital system in the state also said it plans temporarily to cut the pay of more than 250 executives, modify its physician compensation models and to flex and furlough an undisclosed amount of workers while leaving open positions unfilled to achieve cuts through attrition. …

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Two more Burnet County area food banks will now receive $5,000 each in money from the Capital Area Housing Finance Corporation (CAHFC) after Burnet County reallocated a donation during their Tuesday, May 26, meeting.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

A 57-year-old woman who was a resident of Bertram Nursing Home & Rehabilitation Center has become Burnet County's first COVID-19 fatality, County Judge James Oakley announced Thursday, referring to information provided by the Burnet County Health Authority.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Eleven Highland Lakes nonprofit organizations are splitting $100,000 in funds from the Capitol Area Housing Finance Corporation (CAHFC) after action taken by the Burnet County Commissioners Court last week.

Special to The Highlander

Governor Greg Abbott May 18 announced the second phase of the State of Texas' ongoing plan to safely and strategically open the state while minimizing the spread of COVID-19.

Under Phase II, restaurants may increase their occupancy to 50 percent and additional services and activities that remained closed under Phase I may open with restricted occupancy levels and minimum standard health protocols laid out by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

First United Methodist Church Pastor Ellen Ely said she believes her congregants will flock to an outdoor church service Wednesday, May 13 – the first time in several weeks they have been able to worship together in person.

“It's really strange to preach to empty pews. It's strange not to have people singing hymns,” Ely said of the alternative virtual worship services she has conducted since the state COVID-19 orders closed sanctuaries. …

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Congressman Roger Williams said Wednesday he believes the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other aspects of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act are beginning to create and save thousands of jobs and small businesses throughout the country.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

An April 25 testing event by the Texas National Guard at the Burnet County Fairgrounds yielded no new confirmed positives for COVID-19, officials said Saturday.