Antonio Cordova with taekwondo Grand Master William Clark at the American Taekwondo Association World Expo in Little Rock, Ark. in July. Cordova was awarded a scholarship in Clark’s name from the ATA.

By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Steiner Ranch resident and recent Vandegrift High School graduate Antonio Cordova was awarded the $3,500 Grand Master William Clark scholarship in July, one of ten American Taekwondo National Scholarships awarded every year.

The ceremony took place as part of the Taekwondo World Expo hosted annually by the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) in Little Rock, Ark., the organization’s home. Scholarships are made possible by the H.U. Lee Foundation. Lee, now deceased, founded the ATA.

Applying for the scholarship involved a vigorous application process. Criteria include exemplary academics, including GPA and SAT/ACT scores, letters of recommendation from teachers and instructors, and several essays about the values of taekwondo.

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The Bhatt family of River Place collected $20,841 for Dell Children’s Medical Center and recently presented the check (L-R): Dr. Kunjan Bhatt, Dr. Mark Shen, president of Dell Children’s, Dr. Roopal Bhatt and Four Points Dermatology staff members: Kandena Ramirez, Jill Hude, physician assistant, Edgar Corrales, Maritza Mendoza and Carmen Navarro. In front are the Bhatt children, Sapna and Devan.

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

The Bhatt family hosted their annual fundraiser, Botox for Babes, and more than quadrupled earnings from last year to donate $20,841 to Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas.

In 2015, the fundraiser earned $4,728 with 23 participating patients. This year’s impressive growth resulted from an increase in the number of patients to 42 and the addition of corporate sponsors and local business contributions, reported Dr. Roopal Bhatt, owner and dermatologist of Four Points Dermatology.

Bhatt and her husband, Kunjan, have put on the event since 2013 in appreciation for the care their daughter, Sapna, now 9, received at Dell Children’s after a near fatal auto/pedestrian accident in the family’s River Place neighborhood.

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By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors are a major public health problem that traditional interventions have been unable to address on a large scale, reports the American Psychological Association. More and more cases are being detected and this article shares a story of one local student’s perspective on self-injury. Her name has been changed in this story to protect her privacy.

It’s the end of another day for Emma.

“You get to that part (of the day) where it’s quiet. I’ve got no more noise to take up space in my head. And here I am again — it was a great day but now I’m feeling bad, back at that same place.”

Instead of reading a book, texting with a friend, watching YouTube videos or even just crying herself to sleep, Emma, alone in her bedroom, performs a ritual form of self-medication that she first tried in the 9th grade: she cuts herself.

In the beginning, Emma used whatever she could find that was sharp, afraid to cut too deeply. She favored the blades from pencil sharpeners, which were easily removed. Then this past year she started using old razor blades, even her own fingernails.

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Oak wilt has been confirmed in the Plateau neighborhood in Steiner Ranch in approximately 30 trees, shown in red. The yellow line shows 100 feet away from the affected trees and the green line show 150 feet away.

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

A July 14 neighborhood meeting drew 85 Steiner Ranch residents to learn about ways to combat oak wilt, an infectious disease that has been confirmed in the Plateau neighborhood in Steiner Ranch as well as along Selma Hughes Park Road off of Quinlan Park Road.

“The purpose of these meetings is to educate residents about oak wilt as well as oak wilt prevention and containment,” said Steiner Ranch HOA communications coordinator Meredith Hamrick. “SRMA and SRROA Boards will determine next steps regarding possible HOA oak wilt policies.”

The meeting was led by Clay Bales, forester with Texas A&M Forest Service. Bales gave a presentation that explained the causes of oak wilt and ways to fight it.

While only approximately 30 trees locally are currently showing symptoms, if not treated and addressed, oak wilt will continue to grow and spread. One reason this is such a big issue is that mature, live oaks are all connected, Bales said.

Oak wilt moves in two ways, above ground in red oaks through mat beetles and below ground, in the roots. The roots, in time, grow together from lot to lot and connect throughout a community, he said.

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