That humming sound you hear might be the electric vehicle market buzzing all around Central Texas. Many automakers have added at least one all-electric vehicle model to their fleets and have plans to sell more electric vehicles than gasoline-powered ones by 2040.
Going solar or already gone? The next hot sellers in Central Texas homes are battery storage systems, which can conserve that power for later use.
By Alyssa Dussetschleger
It's been a long time coming, but home battery storage of solar-generated power has started showing up on the walls and garages of homes in the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative service area.
Despite a year of surgery, treatment and tests, the 9-year-old from Rosanky keeps bouncing back
By Melissa Segrest
It's been a long year for 9-year-old Viviann Snow and her mother, Kelsey Snow.
There have been exhilarating ups and depressing downs, a successful surgery and return to Smithville Elementary School, but also medical complications — two serious infections and a second bout with COVID-19. There were seemingly unending days and nights in hospitals, and lots of waiting.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Board member Bryan Bracewell, center, earned his Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents more than 900 of the nation’s electric cooperatives.
Bracewell has served as a Bluebonnet director from District 3, Bastrop County, since 2018. To earn this certification, Bracewell completed dozens of hours of classes on topics ranging from board governance to cooperative finances.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Board member Debbi Goertz earned a Director Gold credential from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents more than 900 of the nation’s electric cooperatives.
Goertz has served as a Bluebonnet director from District 3, Bastrop County, since 2017. To earn this certificate, Goertz completed two other certifications and three courses, and she will complete three continuing education courses every two years. Of the more than 500 electric cooperative directors in Texas, only 95 have received this credential.
It was like asking a parent: Which is your favorite child?
Museums and historical archives across the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative area are filled with thousands of fascinating items that have taken decades to select and acquire. It takes dedication and a love of history to tell the story of a community through a collection of artifacts.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative will send two journeyman line worker teams, seven apprentice line workers and six competition judges, as well as a barbecue team and additional volunteers, to the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo at Nolte Island Park near Seguin on July 16.
After the event was canceled for two years, everyone from participants to volunteers are ready to return to the competition fields.
The event gives line workers a chance to compete against peers from across Texas, and to demonstrate the skills they use in their jobs.
For decades, on the second Tuesday of every May, hundreds of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative members have gathered to attend the co-op’s Annual Meeting.
“I moved here [to Bluebonnet’s service area] in 2002,” said Debra Irvin, a Bluebonnet member in Lee County. “I still enjoy coming to the Annual Meeting. It’s fun.”