WEATHER UPDATE: According to Sarah Barnes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Temple likely will wake up to a winter mess Thursday morning.  Rains are expected to start Wednesday night, transitioning to freezing rain and sleet around 3 a.m. There’s no snow in the forecast, but expect about a quarter-inch of ice topped with an inch of sleet. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-teens Thursday and Friday night, and the Friday morning wind chill will be minus-3.

LATE WEDNESDAY EDITION FEBRUARY 2, 2022

• Temple’s own REGINA CORLEY shares her favorite chili recipe!

• BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE RESEARCHER says obese COVID patients with multiple metabolic issues are at greater risk of death.

• 10 QUESTIONS with Temple City Council member Judy Morales.

• The CENTRAL TEXAS FILM SOCIETY has announced its monthly lineup for 2022, and the list is full of classic films.

• THE LINKS: NEWS TO EVERYWHERE! Click the link for the latest Texas, US & World, weather and sports news.

• WHAT’S HAPPENING? Biggest events calendar in Central Texas. Lots of new activities have been added!

FOREIGNER TICKETS: Tickets for the April 22 Foreigner concert go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the Bell County Expo Center. Tickets may be purchased at BellCountyExpo.com. Tickets will range from $38 to $100 depending on package and seat location.

A little history about the State Dish of Texas

By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

When the weather outside is frightful, it’s time to cook up somethin’ delightful — by itself or with Fritos: Get a bowl, get a bowl, get a bowl.

Fill it up, there is no stoppin’; the peppers have me a-hoppin’. There’s one thing that I know — a bigger bowl, bigger bowl, bigger bowl.

OK, OK. I’ll stop.

The temperature is dropping fast, and folks all over Texas are putting a big pot on the stove. It’s chili time.

Fans of chili know the State Dish of Texas can come in endless varieties — most notably, spicy AND hot.

But there’s also turkey, venison, beef and even elk chili. Some folks add veggies like celery and carrots. Some add beer. Most like a bit of cheese on top. And everyone has their favorite chili pepper.

Some of these new Texans even like a vegetarian version. That’s cool — this is a judgement free zone.

Then there’s the big debate: Beans or no beans.

Personally, I do chili either way as long as it’s heaped over a bowl of Fritos. Or, scooped inside the Frito bag itself.

Growing up as a Little Leaguer, the game wasn’t over until I hit the concession stand for a split-bag of corn chips with a scoop of chili inside.

Texans love chili — most people would agree with that — but many folks don’t really know where it came from or why it’s such a Texas thang.

Chili is a simple dish that we’ve made complex with a variety of species and an evolving list of ingredients. But in its simplest form, it’s meat, tomatoes and pepper cooked into a tasty stew. The ancients probably figured that out thousands of years ago.

Legends abound when it comes to the origin of chili. One popular tale is about a Spanish Nun — Sister Mary of Agreda — who supernaturally appeared to Native Americans in the early 1600s and presented the first recipe for chili: peppers, venison, onion and tomatoes.

That’s likely just a myth, but here’s a tale that may have feet.

Immigrants from the Canary Islands — an archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa — came to America in the 1700s and many of them eventually settled in San Antonio and in Mexico.

The Canary Islands are known for two things —rugged volcanic peaks and spicy cuisine. About the same time they arrived in San Antonio, chili stands started popping up around the Spanish missions.

Women known as “chili queens” served “bowls o’ red” to customers, and the fame of chili con carne began to spread across the country. The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago featured a San Antonio Chili Stand, and soon afterward, chili Mac became a Cincinnati standard.

Yep, chili became a favorite across the country, but it remains exceptionally strong here in Texas. In 1977, Lone Star legislators made it official: It’s the state dish of Texas.

I recently posed a question on social media: Where can you buy the best bowl of chili in Temple? There were many responses, but only three answers. Bird Creek Burger Co. was the hands-down favorite, followed by Best Quality Meat & BBQ and Old Jody’s. I’ll add a shout-out to Chock Full of Cheese for their version of the Frito pie. It’s very good.

Here’s a recipe for a non-traditional chili — yes, it has black beans — by Temple’s own Regina Corley.

New research co-authored by a Baylor Scott & White physician claims COVID patients with a combination of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol are at a much higher risk of developing severe respiratory issues or even dying. Photo courtesy of Baylor Scott & White

Study: COVID patients with metabolic factors at greater risk of death

By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

According to research co-authored by a Baylor Scott & White research investigator, COVID patients with a combination of high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or high cholesterol are at a much higher risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome and death.

These conditions — known as metabolic risk factors — can lead to dire results, especially if a patient has more than one of the factors.

“The frequency of ARDS increased with the number of metabolic risk factors,” said Dr. Valerie Danesh, the BSW researcher. “Our community should know that — in our study — hospitalized patients with fewer metabolic risk factors had lower odds of requiring mechanical ventilation in an iCU.”

The study by Danesh’s team has been published by the American Medical Association.

The risk for developing ARDS, a life-threatening lung condition, grew with each additional metabolic syndrome condition, Danesh said.

The study, one of the largest to examine the link between metabolic syndrome and outcomes for COVID-19, examined the hospitalizations of more than 46,000 patients admitted in 181 hospitals across 26 countries.

"Our study found that if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, mild obesity and pre-diabetes or diabetes and are hospitalized with COVID-19, you have a 1 in 4 chance of developing ARDS, which is significant," said Dr. Joshua Denson, lead author of the study.

According to the study, patients with metabolic syndrome were 36 percent more likely to develop ARDS and almost 20 percent more likely to die in the hospital.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of adults in the U.S. meet the criteria for metabolic syndrome.

Q: When you first sought office, what were your goals for the city?  Have those goals changed and has Temple reached them?

Morales: My first goal was to learn how I could be of service within the city that would make a difference and bring about needed changes for our citizens.  

My reasons have not changed, in fact, I feel blessed to be part of a city team that is working toward bringing about positive changes in all our neighborhoods, our economic development and in our local businesses. We will always have more to do, but the important thing is that we have started and are seeing results. 

The city leaders have developed and approved not a one-year plan, but a six-year plan in our budget. This will allow us to have growth in a well-planned manner. Setting a master plan for each of the identified 18 district neighborhoods is one example of safe planning and smart growth. 

Q: Temple’s approach to developing Downtown has been a huge success. Define the strategies the city used, and can similar strategies be used to drive businesses and customers to other parts of the city?

Morales: I believe the first most important factor is building relationships and trust. The city has invested in this by hiring professional staff to work closely with prospective businessmen and women. We — the City Council and city staff — have the attitude that we will work with businesses until we can find a ‘Yes’ to their goals. The city has also invested money to upgrade the infrastructure needed by the businesses and continue to partner with others to make it happen.  

We are working closely with developers in the North and East parts of our city and we are seeing roof-tops being built in these areas. This will encourage businesses to want to build in these areas. The build-up in East Temple will allow Temple ISD to grow.

The city is planning a business navigator that will help navigate the red tape and guide businesses to their goal.

I understand that expanded lighting in the Downtown area is planned in the near future. This will make the business look more attractive and citizens will feel more safe walking in the Downtown area.  

Two of the most successful strategies were establishing the Main Street Program and strategic investment zone incentive. The Main Street Program has done a great job of creating different types of events, including First Friday and historic preservation activities, that help drive foot traffic, which has created a more attractive downtown for small businesses to open.

The strategic investment zone incentive has provided property owners with additional funding needed to make improvements necessary to accommodate new businesses opening because of the interest and activity downtown.

Q: What is the city’s stance on panhandlers soliciting for money in Temple?

Morales: The city is working closely with the Police Department to curb this situation. The city is also investing to have a county-wide homeless study that will identify the needs, resources, gaps and develop a plan that will strive to address this situation by working with other cities such as Killeen and Belton. We are also working with local agencies, organizations and churches to address the present situation. The city has been a member of the Bell County Homeless Coalition to build communication and support to the organizations/agencies that presently provide services to the homeless.

Q: In your opinion, what are the top concerns for the city and how can they be addressed?

Morales: The top concern is safety for our citizens. I believe we are addressing it by making sure we have top leaders in our police and fire departments. The city has invested in reaching out to the nation to draw and attract the best candidates, which is in process now. We also support these departments in other ways, such as purchasing needed equipment and providing an increase in salaries and benefits.

Education. The city is working with Temple Independent School District, Temple College and local organizations that offer the necessary skills that are needed in businesses and industry. 

Economic development is key to keeping our city prosperous and providing citizens with the opportunity to work in jobs that will assure they can take care of their families. The city oversees and works closely and partners with TEDC, RZ and other groups that make sure it happens. 

Water. As we are moving forward and seeing more demand for water — especially in new industries — the city has been improving and expanding our water supply. We also are looking at other ways to access water for future endeavors and needs. 

Q: City Council will soon take action on the Downtown Plan. What are some elements of the plan that you like and maybe some that you don’t particularly care for?

Morales: I have not studied the complete plan yet, but I am excited to see the revitalization that is happening with the Hawn, the Professional building, the two new parking garages, the living apartments that will bring people to live downtown, the Plaza with TEDC, Chamber & Workforce and opening the gateway to East Temple on Ave. C. All these efforts will only bring people working together and living together.  

Q: Let’s talk about the old Katy Depot. There’s been a lot of talk about it being renovated.  What are your thoughts on its future and how could that become a reality?

Morales: I think the opening of the gateway to East Temple by cleaning it up is key. Avenue C .is in the process of being revitalized and Central could use more attention. This is important because people need to feel safe before anyone would want to be there. Once that is done, the sky’s the limit as to what the Katy Depot could be turned into. Maybe a museum or a business that sells Bar-B-Q or a steakhouse. The building has lots of character and is part of Temple’s history. 

In the Placemaking Strategy completed by Hunden Strategic Partners, KPA and Covey, they recommend this historic building be repurposed into an extension of BJ’s Tasting Room to include an indoor/outdoor experience or to attract a unique brewery, ice cream shop, or café.

From the consultant’s analysis, it looks like this location would be great to have for private development. With the trail recommended along 14th Street in the Ferguson Park Plan this location is in walking distance from the East Side neighborhoods and Downtown. The Katy Depot analysis is just one of several options for the Katy Depot and it has not yet been presented to City Council for consideration.

Q: Temple is working on a Mobility Master Plan. What do you hope the plan includes? More bus routes.  Shorter waits at traffic lights? New roads? Anything else?

Morales: Bus routes that include routes to the industrial park and hospitals, schools, major stores for shopping. Route schedules should expand to benefit those who work late shifts. Bus service also is needed on Saturdays. 

Many of our older neighborhoods and main roads in South and East Temple need sidewalks replaced or installed. They should include ramps to assure they are accessible.    
The streets in many of the older neighborhoods are in need of repairs and overlays.

We need to upgrade our overpasses to make them accessible. South 1st Street, Adams, Avenue H and South 24th Street are in need of major upgrades.

Q: Temple’s animal shelter is getting an expansion. What steps could be taken to make the shelter a no-kill facility and is that something that could be coming in the future?

Morales: Spading animals at a reasonable cost would encourage owners to limit the number of animals they own. This could be a way to lessen the animal population. More promotion of the animals that are in the shelter that need a home would help.

Providing the animals with immunization before they are given a new home. We need online workshops that teach new pet owners how to properly take care of the animal. 

Q: Going back to the Downtown plan. Do you favor the idea of an underground garbage system, especially in the downtown district? It’s now being done in Ennis, and cities in Florida are big proponents of the concept. Would it work in Temple?

Morales: Good question. I am not sure. I think the first look is the cost to the city and the business owner. It may work, I would like to do more research before I respond.  

Q: What is Temple’s biggest “need” or “want”? Commercial air service? A Downtown music venue? Minor League baseball? I’m just throwing these out there. What’s on your list and how could it become reality?

Morales: I need to think about this. It seems right now we need to take care of what we have and continue to improve, i.e., neighborhood revitalizations, schools, job opportunities, etc.  

It would be helpful that we look at other ways to draw people to Temple, like more festivals Downtown, more big conventions, etc. We are just now able to draw people to our area for baseball, softball and soccer in our new park in West Temple.  

The question I have is: “What does Temple want to be known for?”  I know we have the railroad, and that is important, but is that enough?  I think it would be something we need to really “dig in and identify” in the future. 

NOTE: Temple’s mayor and four City Council members were invited to participate in Our Town Temple’s 10 Questions. A big “Thank You” goes to those who responded.

Do The Right Thing, a 1989 movie about race relations in the United States, will be the featured Central Texas Film Society ‘Movie of the Month’ on Feb. 27 at the Cultural Activities Center. Show time is 2 p.m. and will feature a post-movie discussion by Dr. Joseph Tabarlet of UMHB.

Central Texas Film Society’s monthly lineup features classic movies

By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

The Central Texas Film Society has announced its monthly lineup for 2022, and the list is full of classic films.

According to Jeff Swindoll, a Central Texas Film Society board member, all of the monthly showings are free and will be on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. inside the Cultural Activities Center.

Each showing will include a discussion about the film led by Dr. Joseph Tabarlet, chairman of the Department of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Swindoll, a lifelong film buff, said the post-movie discussions can cover a wide range of topics.

“We might discuss the message in the film, or something less involved like special effects and what other movies the actors have starred in,” he said.

Here are the 2022 movies:

Do the Right Thing — Feb. 27. “On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes.”

My Favorite Year — March 27. “An aging, dissolute matinee idol is slated to appear on a live TV variety show in 1954, and a young comedy writer is tasked with the thankless job of keeping him ready and sober for the broadcast.”

Roman Holiday — April 24. “A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.”

Wages of Fear — May 29. “In a decrepit South American village, four men are hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.”

The Trip to Bountiful — June 26. “In 1940s Texas, an elderly woman is determined to visit her childhood home for one last time..”

Jaws — July 31. “When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Long Island, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.”

Life of Pi — Aug. 28. “A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.

Amelie — Sept. 25. “Amélie is an innocent and naive girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love.”

The Changeling — Oct. 30. “After the death of his wife and daughter in a car crash, a music professor staying at a long-vacant Seattle mansion is dragged into a decades-old mystery by an inexplicable presence in the mansion's attic.”

Rear Window — Nov. 27. “A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window, and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend.”

An American in Paris — Dec. 18. “Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.”

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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