Big coal gave a tiny Texas town free land. There’s a major catch.

BY KIAH COLLIER | www.texastribune.org

Sulphur Springs leaders say they want Luminant — Texas’ largest electricity generator — to leave in place a 120-foot-tall mound of excavated dirt at the site of a shuttered coal mine so they can build an amphitheater. But the soil contains potentially dangerous materials, according to state regulators. …

… A 2017 poll conducted by KSST-AM, a local radio station, showed overwhelming support for outfitting the property with hike and bike trails — and a Target or Whole Foods. …

B-geO Magnolia Miles 2020 Ride

I received this email on 10/30/2019

Dear B-geO Magnolia Miles Ridership Alumni, Sponsors, Volunteers, Friends and Supporters,

We would like to thank each and every one of you for 12 years of exciting and stimulating rides in the greater Magnolia and Waller areas. On March 9 of this year, this awesome event celebrated its 12th anniversary. Over those 12 years, the ride has raised over $208,000 for the three charities that the ride supports:

-The Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center to foster their 12 step addiction recovery programs;
-The Greater Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce to support the various businesses and individuals who partner with the ride in the Magnolia area to make it safe and successful; and
-TOMAGWA Healthcare Ministries which provides inexpensive health and dental care for under-resourced and uninsured individuals and families.

These non-profit organizations have expressed their continued appreciation and support for the ride over its history.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the ride has encountered several challenges in its quest for continuing success:

-declining ridership participation;
-multiple other non-profit fund raisers competing for the same limited sponsorship resources;
-increasing safety and security challenges in one of the most rapidly growing regions in the nation.

In addition to these already burdensome challenges, our B-geO Magnolia Miles’ Ride Director recently received a notice from the Manager of Event Production for the National MS Society with the following statements among others:

“Recently, the National MS Society’s Legal and Risk Management Departments have re-evaluated the recommended rides and determined that to reduce the National MS Society’s risk it is best that each of the recommended rides remain entirely the responsibility of the ride directors and ride organizers.

With the new training ride/recommended ride guidelines, the National MS Society is taking all necessary measures to distinguish our organization from the appearance of collaborating/sponsoring a recommended ride including giving guidance or direction or any act that would lead to the recommended rides being perceived as National MS Society hosted events. These measures include the Society no longer holding the recommended ride director’s meeting.”

The notice goes on to list a number of additional caveats and restrictions that ban any references to the MS Society’s annual MS 150 event.

As a result of this confluence of recent unfortunate events, the B-geO Magnolia Miles Steering Committee has reluctantly decided to end this great event. It breaks our hearts to do this, however we have to adjust to the realities of the environments in which we operate.

Once again we would like to thank each of you for your diligent participation and support of the B-geO Magnolia Miles ride over the past 12 years. We wish you continued success in your charitable endeavors. We know that each of you will move on to new areas of opportunity that support those in need.

Bike Tour of Affordable Housing in East Austin (Saturday Nov 2 @ 10am)

hypbiker | bicycleaustin.info

See and support affordable housing in our local community! Join Austin Habitat Young Professionals on a leisurely 10 mile ride this Saturday for some insight on the broad spectrum of affordable housing in East Austin. The ride starts at 10am from Texas Coffee Traders located at 1400 E 4th St. We aim to end by 1pm at Lazarus Brewing Co. for discussion over tacos.

Register at …

Bicyclist killed after colliding with pickup on North Side

By Ivan Herrera | www.ksat.com

SAN ANTONIO – A bicyclist is dead after crashing with a pickup truck on the city’s North Side, police said.

The collision happened near the intersection of Blanco Road and Dresden Drive on Wednesday evening. …

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar