News

In a June 1 announcement, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said state sales tax revenue totaled $3.4 billion in May, the highest-ever monthly total and 30.1 percent more than in May 2020. As with April’s results, year-over-year increases for most tax revenues this month and in the coming months will be among the highest in the history of the data series.

The Jason Guilbeau Memorial Scholarship for German was awarded to Faith Morgan, who completed four years of German and was named this year’s outstanding Sealy High School senior German student. The Jason Guilbeau Memorial Scholarship for German was given in recognition of Jason’s role in leading the effort to offer German as a Foreign language at Sealy High School.

Two Austin County 4-H Teams advanced from the county contest in October and earned wins in the District 11 Food Challenge contest in Victoria April 10. In the Main Dish category, the Food Squad, comprised of Katelyn Krenek, Darcy Luedke, Jacie Menefee, and Madilyn McCullough, won first place for their efforts.

The Austin County Retired Teachers Association, a local unit of the Texas Retired Teachers Association, recently awarded two scholarships to local Austin County high school graduates. The scholarships were initiated in 2015 when the association began supporting local students interested in pursuing education as their profession. This year’s recipients are graduates from Bellville and Sealy High School.

May 7, the Faith Academy of Bellville FFA had their end-of-the-year Awards Banquet. The 2020-2021 FFA officers kicked off the meeting at 6 p.m.

Recently, 3rd graders at Sealy Elementary School participated in the Annual Youth and Safety Day presented by the Austin County A&M AgriLife Extension Office. Each year, thousands of kids are injured, and hundreds of children are killed due to injuries related to firearms, water, farming equipment, improper use of car restraint systems and electricity.

OakBend Medical Center’s Restaurant Month was celebrated from April 8 through May 6 with 10 separate events from private dining to crawfish boils. “Our goal was to reach $25,000 this year and with the help of our community we raised almost $41, 000,” said Joe Freudenberger, CEO of OakBend Medical Center.

20 students recently completed the Blinn College District Pharmacy Technician Program and are prepared to seek national licensure. Bellville’s Katy Goodman was among the graduates.

Sam Houston State University hosted nine in-person Commencement ceremonies for Spring 2021 at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum, May 13 through 15. Six Sealy High School alumni were among those who received their degrees in Huntsville.