THE DAILY RECORD • San Marcos, TX. • Sunday, April 25, 2021 Page 7A •

More than 1.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses Texas-bound

AUSTIN (AP) — More than 1.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses are headed Texas’ way for next week, state health offi-cials said Friday.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said that 708,460 first doses of the two-dose Pfiz-er and Moderna vaccines have been allocated to 928 providers in 129 Texas counties, while 570,520 second doses also have been ordered.

An estimated 470,000 first and second doses were allocated to pharmacies, federally qualified health centers and dialysis centers.

Also, with the federal pause on the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine now lift-ed, the federal government is expected to make doses of that vaccine available as soon as this weekend.

So far, more than 23.4 million doses have been dis-tributed to Texas, and more than 36% of the state's population has received at least one dose, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 24% of the population has been fully immunized.

New Texas COVID-19 cases were reported at below-average levels Fri-day, but new deaths were above the seven-day roll-ing average computed by Johns Hopkins University researchers. State health officials reported 3,306 new cases and 69 deaths, compared with averages of 3,403 new cases and 54 deaths per day.

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KZSM — San Marcos High School Radio Plays

At noon this Friday, April 30, and again at 4 p.m. Sat-urday, May 1, KZSM.org will proudly present radio plays written and produced by Theatre II students at San Marcos High School.

The project was developed by Abigail Hopkins, a student teacher and theatre major at Texas State University. She was “inspired to develop ra-dio plays with the students after observing Mrs. Rowe’s unit on Foley art and sound design.” Working alone or collaborating in groups, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students completed one-to-five-min-ute radio dramas that incor-porate music, sound effects, and dialogue to tell a story. As

Hopkins explains, “students had complete ownership of their amazing creations as they picked their topic, wrote their script, designed their Fo-ley sound effects, and created fun-to-listen-to characters.”

The students made their own sound effects using random objects available to them to create unique sounds specific to their ra-dio drama. For instance, they used paint rollers to create the sound of bikes and a metal plant hanger and a spoon to create the sound of a cow bell. 

Their stories include mur-der mysteries, comedies, and dramas—“something for every listener,” as Hop-kins describes them. You will have to tune in to ap-preciate the full range of

the imagination displayed in these productions. “I am extremely proud of their ac-complishments,” she says. “The excitement and en-gagement from the students that I have received from this project is unmatched from anything else since the start of lockdown last year.” 

The project succeeded de-spite being planned and ex-ecuted during the transition from distance learning to in-person instruction, Hop-kins explains. “Just two weeks ago I hadn’t even met half of the class because we were still faced with the challenges of hybrid and virtual learning.”

When the radio plays have been recorded and broad-cast, with editing help from KZSM.org Program Manag-er Steve Jones, students will

have achieved more than a sense of accomplishment. “Whether these students are going to continue in theatre, radio, or something com-pletely different, everyone will walk away from this project and this class with a valuable skill set that they can use in their other classes and everyday life, including cooperation, project man-agement, problem-solving, leadership, creativity, public speaking, time-management, and goal setting.”

We at KZSM.org agree with Hopkins: “It’s been an amazing experience to get to know these incredible and creative students and to be more involved within the community.”  

SUNDAY6 a.m. - 7 a.m.

Sunrise Soul Food - Carole11 a.m. - NOON

Veterans Hour - Diesel Dee & Steady Steve

NOON - 2 p.m.Philosophy & Popular Music - Paul Wilson

6 – 8 p.m.Revolving Door - Rob Roark

9 – 10 p.m.The Pork Walks at MidnightMitchell Oden & friends

10 p.m. – MIDNIGHTSwamp Gas Uggos - Jordan Pilkenton & Lexi Morris

MONDAY11 a.m. – NOON

Freethought Radio - Dan Barker & Annie Laurie Gaylor

4 – 6 p.m.Sid’s Place - Sid Braverman

7 – 9 p.m.Dead Air Radio - Vance Osborne

9 – 10 p.m.The Mop Tops and the King - Steven Chelmsford

10 p.m. – MIDNIGHTVinyl Confessions - The Wiz

TUESDAY4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Bookmarked – Priscilla & Guests6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Handsomest Boy on the Radio - Dave Wendel

8 p.m. – 9 p.m.Reel Movies - Josh Davis & guests

WEDNESDAY7 – 8 p.m.

Real Estate 101 - Salana Henderson

10 p.m. – MIDNIGHTThe Ground Under the Rock - John-Luke Pretard, the Human Cannonball

THURSDAY8 – 10 p.m.

Rock Your Face - Dave Wendel10 p.m. – MIDNIGHT

Metal Mark LIVE - Metal Mark

FRIDAY 10 a.m. – NOON

Into the Gray - Ray Howard

6 p.m. – 7 p.m.Creator’s Corner (1st & 2nd) Friday - Mandi Miller Martian Message (3rd & 4th Friday)- Kelsey Huckaby

7 p.m. – 8 p.m.We the People - Rob Roark & Quad-D

8 p.m. – 10 p.m.Friday Night with Care- DJ Care

SATURDAY11 a.m. - NOON

The Blitz - Damian & GuestNOON – 2 p.m.

Celtic Corner - Limey’s Lass2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Indigenous Freedom RadioUncle Gene & Marisa

8 p.m. - 10 p.m.Noise Therapy - The Rev

KZSM LIVE BROADCAST SCHEDULE

SAN MARCOS COMMUNITY RADIO* This schedule is subject to change throughout the month.

KZSM.org

PRISCILLA LEDERKZSM

vices that TDS provides, but said they owed it to residents to ensure they are getting the best value for residents.

Staff recommended that the city accept the five-year extension with the knowl-edge that longer terms pro-vide better rates and that they can begin the RFP process at any point in the contract and terminate with a 30-day no-tice for any reason.

In an October city council meeting, the councilmem-bers approved a five-year ex-tension of the agreement for the collection and disposal of solid waste and recycla-ble materials after adding an amendment directing city staff to begin preparing a new request for proposals.

The decision to extend the contract was made with the knowledge that anytime during the next five years, the city can decide to terminate the contract and go out for bid, and the councilmembers made sure this work would begin soon. The change re-sulted in an estimated annual increase of $400,000.

Staff surveyed the commu-nity for information about what services should be in-cluded in the RFP and pre-sented it to the city council

in their work session.“We are also going to want

to confirm with the council if you are going to want to proceed forward with the RFP process at this time, or honor the five-year exten-sion with TDS that was ap-proved this year,” City Man-ager Bert Lumbreras said.

Staff would go out for bid May 1, 2024 if the council decided to finish out the five-year extension.

“Considering that it was a different council, really that provided the direction that started the process last year, just to make sure that the current council in its current makeup wants us to move forward with an RFP before the end of the five-year extension that was signed and granted last year,” Public Safety Direc-tor Chase Stapp said.

“Just thought we would take a pause here and make sure that before we put all this work into this process that it's still the rule of their council that we go forward and do that,” he continued.

Councilmember Shane Scott felt that it was best to focus staff time on helping the community after the pandemic and winter storm

instead of going out for bid.Councilmember Mark

Gleason agreed and add-ed that he did not want to create a reputation that the city does not follow through with contacts.

Councilmember Maxfield

Baker was the sole vote in favor of continuing with an RFP to make sure the city is getting the best deal.

sgates@sanmarcosrecord.comTwitter: @StephJGates

CONTRACT FROM PG. 1A

Family: Man fatally shot by Dallas police had mental illness

DALLAS (AP) — A man who Dallas police fatally shot after he pointed what turned out to be a replica handgun toward officers was recently discharged from a treatment center for mental illness, his family said.

Officers shot Edgar Luis Ti-rado on Monday as he bran-dished the replica firearm, which police said he’d used in a series of robberies. The Dal-las police chief said officers thought the gun was real, and the department released heli-copter and body camera video that appeared to show Tirado pointing it at them.

Tirado’s parents said the 28-year-old had a bipolar disorder and that they’d been trying, unsuccessfully, to have him committed to a long-term mental healthcare facili-ty. They said he was failed by the mental health treatment system and placed his death in a long line of fatal encoun-ters between police and peo-ple with mental illness.

“Our country has failed us, and it’s not just my son," Edgar Tirado Sr. told The Associated Press Friday. "This happens many, many, many times.”

Late Monday afternoon, police said they received a call about a man with a gun trying to steal a woman's car. Police confronted the

man, who pulled a gun but ran off without the officers firing, said Dallas police Chief Eddie Garcia.

A little while later, police said they got a call about a man robbing a CVS. When officers responded, he again ran, cross-ing several lanes of a busy high-way. Police said the man pulled out a replica revolver and was shot by the officers. No one else was injured or killed.

Police later identified the man as Tirado and released photos of the replica gun. At a Tuesday news conference, García highlighted detailing on the gun’s barrel that he said led the officers and the people robbed to believe it was real.

“Unfortunately, I don't

know this individual's state of mind,” García said.

Tirado's a parents said he spent much of the last year in and out of mental health treatment centers. Susana Tirado said her son appeared before a Dallas County judge last week to request treatment but that they'd been struggling to have him committed be-cause he was homeless and had no fixed address.

“This is our kid who was reaching out for help,” Tirado said. She also expressed frus-tration over police's portrayal of her son, saying he was “not a criminal” and "he stole like half a gallon of milk.”

JAKE BLEIBERGASSOCIATED PRESS

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