San Marcos preserves historic Home Economics building with $150K grant
At the Sept. 2 council meeting, the city of San Marcos took a step toward the preservation of the Home Economics Building, a building that used to be part of the Colored School campus that served Black students until public school desegregation in 1955.
The council approved a contract with Western Specialty Contractors to complete the renovations, including the replacement of the existing metal roof, repair or replacement of missing or severely deteriorated wood siding and window repairs, according to a news release issued by the city.
The details: The city stated that it was awarded a $150,000 grant from the American Express Partners in Preservation program—a partnership of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Express Foundation—to complete the repair work.
The Jump Party USA team is relocating the business to Kyle from their previous location at 10601 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. D, Austin.
What they offer: In addition to large indoor trampolines, Jump Party USA will offer bounce houses, a basketball court, a soccer court and three indoor pickleball courts during the initial phase of opening.
The team plans to add a bar and concessions in later phases.
Meet the owners: The trampoline park is family-owned and operated by local married couple Simone and Pablo Alvarez.
International Balloon Museum brings interactive, inflatable art exhibit to Northwest Austin
International contemporary art company Balloon Museum opened a pop-up exhibition at the former Louis Shanks furniture store in June.
A closer look: The Let's Fly—art has no limits—exhibit features a variety of inflatable art pieces for patrons to interact with. The exhibit is inspired by concepts of freedom, flight and lightness, exploring air as a symbol of limitless travel and movement, according to Balloon Museum information.
The Austin museum will run until Nov. 2, according to the company's website.
The background: With more than 7 million visitors worldwide, Balloon Museum has opened pop-up exhibits across the globe, including in Rome, Paris, Madrid, London, Berlin and Singapore. Pop-up locations in the United States have included New York, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
What to know: Most Texas school districts required to display donated Ten Commandments posters under state law
Most Texas public schools are required to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms under Senate Bill 10, a state law that took effect Sept. 1.
The details: On Aug. 20, a Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the following 11 school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments:
Alamo Heights ISD
Austin ISD
Cy-Fair ISD
Dripping Springs ISD
Fort Bend ISD
Houston ISD
Lackland ISD
Lake Travis ISD
North East ISD
Northside ISD
Plano ISD
Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the ruling and directed other school districts to begin displaying donated copies of the Ten Commandments.
The debate: Proponents of SB 10, including Paxton and Republican state lawmakers, have argued that seeing the Ten Commandments on a daily basis will help Texas students better understand U.S. history and learn about morality.
Some religious scholars have stressed the importance of teaching students about religion in an “appropriate educational context.” Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns that non-Christian students will feel left out or be bullied by their peers for not following the Ten Commandments.
