Jan 26, 2021
DYESS GETS $1.8M GRANT FOR FLIGHT LINE SECURITY
Dyess Air Force Base is in line to receive a grant for more than $1.8 million.

Governor Greg Abbott announced the grant Monday from the Texas Military Preparedness Commission’s (TMPC) Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (DEAAG) program.

According to a news release issued by the governor’s office, the grant aims to assist military communities across the State of Texas that might be impacted by any future Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round.

The $1,888,700 grant is earmarked for flight line security at Dyess, according to the release.

Abilene is one of six recipients of the grants announced Monday, which total $16.3 million.

Click here to read the original news release.
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE BREAKS GROUND ON NEW VISITORS CENTER
Military personnel and the City of Abilene broke ground Monday on the new visitors center at Dyess Air Force Base.

If you’ve ever had to drive onto Dyess Air Force Base, chances are you’ve either seen or walked through the visitors center.

“It may be their first impression of not just the Air Force base, but Abilene, Texas,” said Abilene Mayor Anthony Williams.

The building was constructed more than 50 years ago, and Major Michael Morriss says the Security Forces Squadron is outgrowing the building.

The Military Affairs Committee (MAC) with the Abilene Chamber of Commerce took on the task of acquiring funding for the project. MAC officials applied for and won a Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (DEAAG), administered by the Texas Military Preparedness Commission, and a matching grant from the Development Corporation of Abilene. Under the terms of the DEAAG contract, the City of Abilene will serve as the project manager. Fletco Services of Abilene was the low bidder on the construction project.
HENDRICK MEDICAL TO COVER TAX LOSS
Hendrick Medical System will finalize an agreement with the City of Abilene this week to make three "community support payments" to offset the loss of tax revenues from Abilene Regional Medical Center. 

City Manager Robert Hanna says the payments will help cover gaps until new revenue sources can organically develop in the area. 

"I think it's just another example of the partnerships that we have with Hendrick. They've always been community-focused and I think this underscores that again. They are under no obligation to do this. It's just something they are trying to do to take care of the community." 

The purchase of Abilene Regional by Hendrick converts the hospital from a privately-held and publicly-traded entity to a not-for-profit status. The payments will total four hundred fifty thousand dollars from October of 2022 through 2024.(Source: KACU)
HEARING FOR POLITICAL REDISTRICTING BEGINS
Texas lawmakers are getting input on how to redraw political boundaries. The state is expected to gain three congressional seats based on the results of the 2020 US Census. Lloyd Potter heads the Texas Demographic Center. He told the state Senate Redistricting Committee today only 29 of 254 counties met or surpassed their census self-response rate from the last nationwide population count in 2010. "And then 283 of our 1221 places or cities met or surpassed their self-response rate." Potter said he's especially concerned communities of color were undercounted because Latino and Black residents tended to have lower self-response rates to the Census. He adds self-response to the survey is the most accurate way to count the population. (Source: KACU) 
NEXSTAR INC. TO HOST STATEWIDE LIVE TELECAST OF TEXAS GOVERNOR’S 2021 “STATE OF THE STATE” ADDRESS AND A DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE ON FEBRUARY 1ST AT 7 PM
Nexstar Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST), announced today that its television stations across the state of Texas will carry a multi-market live telecast of Governor Greg Abbott’s 2021 “State of the State” address on Monday, February 1, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. CT. The speech will air on 16 Nexstar television stations serving 14 Texas markets and be telecast throughout the state. As a public service, Nexstar will make the live feed of the telecast available to every broadcast company serving Texas.

The 2021 State of the State address is expected to be one of the most widely watched and scrutinized speeches in years. The live address will update viewers on Covid-19 vaccine distribution, reopening small businesses closed due to the pandemic, and managing funding for public school education. The Governor will also list the most important “emergency issues” he wants state lawmakers to address during the 2021 legislative session. Following Governor Abbott’s address, the Texas Democratic Party will respond by detailing its own agenda for the future of Texas.

The one-hour address will bring together potentially more than 21 million viewers across Texas and will air on 16 Nexstar television stations serving the state, including KTAB-TV (CBS) in Abilene. Local viewers may also access a livestream of the broadcast online by visiting the website of their local Nexstar station (see table below for more information).
WHAT WE'RE READING

Historic restoration of old Taylor County Courthouse underway

On Thursday afternoon, a group of construction company representatives met at the old Taylor County Courthouse to develop plans and bids for its historical remodeling.



New crop insurance options for farmers in 2021

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has new crop insurance coverage options this year designed to accommodate the wide variety of crops and cultivation practices across the United States.
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JAN 26 TEXAS ALLIANCE OF ENERGY PRODUCERS At 12:00 p.m. noon, join Alliance President Jason Modglin for an engaging discussion with newly elected Texas State Senator Drew Springer (District 30) who will share his priorities for session, any energy related matters he will be focused on and his thoughts on moving to the Senate. Register Now.

JAN 26 CYPERSECURITY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES: THE FUNDAMENTALS This "Cybersecurity for small business: The Fundamentals" webinar is intended to share the "how to's" of cybersecurity as recommended by NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. You, your team, company or community group will learn the steps for understanding cybersecurity, the risks and steps to mitigate them. Presented by SBDC Business Counselor, Manzel McGhee and CARES Act Coordinator, Kenny Heaton. Register here.

JAN 26 SBA SURETY BOND GUARANTEE PROGRAM WEBINAR We would like to invite you to attend our upcoming Surety Bond Guarantee Program Webinar that will be held Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. This one hour webinar will cover details regarding our SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program and how it can help small contractors and subcontractors obtain bonding on reasonable terms. Please click here to join the meeting.

JAN 27 GOVERNOR'S SMALL BUSINESS WEBINAR SERIES: INFORMATION ON THE NEW ROUND OF PPP FUNDING The Governor’s Small Business Team will host a webinar for Texas small business owners to provide an update on recovery resources through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), specifically the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Our panel of experts will include senior executives from the SBA and Small Business Development Centers. They will explain the recent changes and provide up-to-date advice on the new round of PPP funding, loan forgiveness, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and other important resources. The event will also feature a live Q&A session with our expert panel. We hope you will join us for this informative virtual event! Register here.

JAN 27 TAKING THE PULSE OF U.S. BUSINESSES DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Knowing how the business community is changing because of Coronavirus is critical for your business model and marketing strategy.  From April 26 - June 29, the U.S. Census Bureau collected data for the first phase of the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS). The SBPS measures the effect of changing economic conditions during the Coronavirus pandemic on our nation’s small businesses. SBPS phase 2 data collection began August 9th and through the end of October. This presentation will provide an overview of the data products available through the Small Business Pulse Survey and a live demonstration of the interactive data visualization. Register here.

JAN 27 MICROSOFT TEAMS 101 In this demo we will walk you through a day in the life of a Microsoft Teams user. We will weave in best practices and etiquette to help you optimize your work and get the most out of your Microsoft 365 environment. Connect, communicate and collaborate! This virtual webinar event is free and open to the public. Register here.

JAN 29 TEXAS ECONOMIC OUTLOOK PANDEMICS AND THE TEXAS ECONOMY: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas will host its annual Texas Economic Outlook on January 29 virtually. At this event, Keith Phillips, assistant vice president and senior economist, will release the Dallas Fed’s 2021 forecast for Texas employment growth and share more details on the factors likely to influence Texas in 2021. Texas Economic Outlook will provide business and community leaders from across the state of Texas with the most up-to-date economic information to help them make informed business decisions. Register Now.

FEB 24 MICROSOFT 365 PRODUCTIVITY & PLANNING Get the most out of your Microsoft 365 applications! In this training we’ll show you how to use the tools available in Microsoft 365 to maximize your business’s productivity and organization. This virtual webinar event is free and open to the public. Register here.

MARCH 24 SECURITY AWARENESS Did you know your team is your first line of defense when it comes to your business’s cybersecurity? Learn how to boost your defenses by training your team on Security Awareness. This virtual webinar is free and open to the public. Register here.