ISSUE 6 · SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2026 · LIFE BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL This Week |
Photo: Jim Evans / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tuesday is Election Day. Early voting ended Friday. On Tuesday, November 3, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Burleson County voters can use any of its nine vote centers, including the courthouse at 100 W. Buck in Caldwell. The whole ballot, race by race, is in Liberty Watch. The National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday is showers and thunderstorms before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms, 90% for the day, so plan for rain.
Also new: on October 26 the city posted a notice to everyone who rents rooms by the night, from hotels to Airbnb hosts. Caldwell charges a 7% local hotel occupancy tax, and operators must register with the city every year (details in Service Opportunities). Minutes from the October 20 council meeting were still not posted on Saturday.
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Liberty Watch |
Photo: City of Caldwell
Tue 11/3 Election Day, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. | 9 vote centers, use any one | 33 races on the county’s sample | 11 county races, one name each |
Where to vote. Burleson County is in the state’s countywide polling place program, so on Election Day you may vote at any of the nine vote centers in Burleson County. The county lists them as the Burleson County Courthouse (100 W. Buck, Caldwell), Harmony Baptist Church (6670 Hwy 36 S), Cooks Point Community Center (300 FM 1362 S), Chriesman Community Center (404 FM 1363), Deanville Hall (6785 FM 111), Black Jack Baptist Church (7866 County Road 301), the Snook Community Center (10245 FM 2155), the Burleson Health Resource Center (17202 Hwy 36 S, Somerville) and Community Chapel in Lyons (14805 Hwy 36 S).
One change. A Notice of Change to Polling Place signed by the county judge on October 29 says the Precinct 4 polling place has moved to the Burleson Health Resource Center in Somerville. Voters in every precinct, including 4, can still use any of the nine centers.
What is on the ballot. The county’s sample ballot opens with U.S. Senator (Ken Paxton, R; James Talarico, D; Ted Brown, Lib; four declared write-ins) and U.S. Representative, District 10 (Chris Gober, R; Caitlin Rourk, D). Then come Governor (Greg Abbott, R; Gina Hinojosa, D; Pat Dixon, Lib; four write-ins), Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner and Railroad Commissioner; four Texas Supreme Court seats and three Court of Criminal Appeals seats; State Senator, District 18 (Lois W. Kolkhorst, R; Erica Gillum, D); State Representative, District 17 (Stan Gerdes, R; Mary Elizabeth Klenz, D); and four appeals-court seats. The sample ballot lists no propositions.
The county races. Every Burleson County race has one name, and the county’s list of declared write-in candidates names none for a county office: County Judge (Keith Schroeder), District Clerk (Dana Fritsche), County Clerk (Anna L. Schielack), Sheriff, unexpired term (William “Bill” Rios), County Treasurer (Stephanie Jennings-Smith), Commissioner Precinct 2 (Vincent Svec, Jr.), Commissioner Precinct 4 (Robert W. “Bobby” Urbanosky) and Justices of the Peace in Precincts 1 to 4. Your own ballot carries only the commissioner and justice-of-the-peace races for your precinct. Results are not known until the votes are counted; we will report them as the county posts them.
City and county business. Caldwell elects its council in May, so no city race is on Tuesday’s ballot. October 20 council minutes are not posted yet. At the county, minutes for October 13 and October 26 are not posted either (the latest are September 28), and no November commissioners court agenda was posted as of Saturday.
| Your move: look up your choices on the sample ballot before Tuesday and take notes into the booth if that helps you. To speak at the November 17 council meeting instead, complete the city’s Citizens to Be Heard form and email it to the City Secretary before the meeting starts (forms are also at the meeting); comments are limited to three minutes (how it works). |
Sources: Election notices (county) · Dates, hours, locations (PDF) · Sample ballot (PDF) · Polling place change (PDF) · Declared write-ins (PDF) · City elections · County court agendas & minutes
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Mapping Our Community: Where Your Ballot Has a Choice |
We counted the races on Burleson County’s sample ballot: 33 in all. In 21 of them, voters have more than one name to choose from. In the other 12, one candidate is on the ballot.
Source: Burleson County sample ballot, Nov. 3, 2026; declared write-in list. Our count.
21 races with a choice | 12 races with one name | 0 county races with a choice |
Both federal races and 19 of the 20 state races are contested; the one state race with a single name is the 10th Court of Appeals, Place 2 (Lee Harris). All 11 county races have one candidate each. That pattern matters more than it looks: for the offices closest to home, the contest ended when candidate filing closed, long before Tuesday. If you want a choice next time, the moment to act is candidate filing, months before a ballot is printed.
| GO DEEPER The Caldwell record: budgets, tax rates, votes and who governs, every figure sourced — councilonlocalrelations.org/tx/caldwell/ Start here — the Primers: 01 The Long Flat Line (how the family changed) · 02 The Documents We Live Under (the written rules that limit power) · 03 The Household (what a household buys, priced in years of work) · all primers → From the Council: This week: Teach Me: Notes From the Seat That Sits Down to Learn (The Client); Wisdom That Does Not Transfer Dies (The Patron); Health Is a Project, Not a Prayer (The Physician); The Mortar Is the Part Nobody Sees (The Counselor); Before We Build Anything New, Someone Should Ask What Was Here (The Elder). Get them by email → |
| KNOW YOUR TOWN THIS WEEK One question about Caldwell every day, and every answer links to the public record it comes from. Play today’s question → |
Sources: Sample ballot (PDF) · Declared write-ins (PDF)
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL From the Council This Week |
 | MONDAY, NOV 2 · THE CHIEF OF STAFF I Hold the Map While You Run the Terrain |
Every piece, every figure linked to its source: councilonlocalrelations.org
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Around the Block |
Photo: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
| Almost Nighttime Storytime — 6–6:45 p.m., library, 704 State Highway 21 W. A traditional storytime on the first Monday of every month. | ||
| Election Day — 7 a.m.–7 p.m., any Burleson County vote center. At the library: GED-Foundations (10:30 a.m.–noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays) and Knot Just Knitting (2 p.m.). | ||
| Airport Advisory Board — 2 p.m., City Hall conference room; the agenda lists the TxDOT Aviation runway project’s closure timeline. Library Advisory Board Town Hall — 6–8 p.m., library. Also at the library: Bookworms Storytime (9:45 a.m., babies, toddlers and preschoolers, then Montessori-style play centers) and Thrillers & Killers, the adult true-crime book club (5:30–6:30 p.m.). | ||
| GED-Foundations — 10:30 a.m.–noon, library. |
Coming up: the Main Street meeting is Tuesday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m., City Hall is closed Wednesday, November 11 for Veterans Day, and the council meets Tuesday, November 17 at 5:30 p.m. Run a Caldwell event? Send it by Thursday.
Sources: City events, November · Council calendar · Airport board agenda · Library town hall · Library
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Prosperity Spotlight |
Southern Grace Boutique — a woman-owned shop on S. Hill Street
Southern Grace Boutique calls itself a “Texas-born boutique” and, on its own website, “a small, woman-owned business.” Its story says its founder is “a small-town girl with a big love for style” who wanted a shop where “you’re not just a customer, but part of the family.” The store carries women’s clothing for work, date nights, everyday and game days, plus jewelry, and sells online as well as in person. Its home page asks shoppers to email ideas for what they want to see in the boutique.
| Southern Grace Boutique · 207 S. Hill St., Caldwell (behind The Novo) Wed–Fri 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–4 p.m. · sgbtexas.com |
Sources: Southern Grace Boutique · About SGB
Photo: Southern Grace Boutique, from its website. We chose this business ourselves; no one paid for the feature.
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Food Scene |
Photo: Crazy Chicken Lady Coffee, from its website
Crazy Chicken Lady Coffee
A short drive down Highway 36 in Somerville, Crazy Chicken Lady is a family-owned coffee shop. Its own story says the idea came up when Kelly and her husband, Troy, after 20 years of working side by side in his HVAC company, were thinking about what Kelly would do next; they had already picked Somerville as the place to retire. The menu runs from a $3.80 drip coffee to signature lattes at $6.00 (Henrietta’s Brew is cake batter and vanilla cold foam), plus sandwiches it calls Henwhiches, from $10.50. Pastries vary by supply, so the menu says to call or come see what is in the case.
| Crazy Chicken Lady Coffee · 17449 Avenue B, Somerville · 979-205-0849 Mon–Fri 6:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–3 p.m., closed Sunday · crazychickenladycoffee.com |
✦ Trivia Question |
The city of Caldwell ran the local public school from 1891. In 1923, Caldwell citizens went to the polls and voted to change that. What did they vote to do? (Answer at the bottom.)
✦ Quote of the Day |
“The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.” — George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796 (text)
✦ Secret Little Hack |
You do not have to vote at your precinct’s usual spot. Since the Secretary of State accepted Burleson County into the countywide polling place program on August 30, 2023, any county voter can use any county vote center. If the line is long at the courthouse Tuesday, Harmony Baptist Church on Hwy 36 S and Cooks Point Community Center on FM 1362 S also have Caldwell addresses (county polling locations).
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Real Estate Pulse |
65 average days on market, Sep 2026 | 35 a year earlier | $234K median sale price, 3 months | 18 homes sold, Sep 2026 |
Source: Redfin, ZIP 77836
Two weeks of price and supply figures pointed one way; this week, time. Redfin’s page for the 77836 ZIP says homes there sell after 65 days on the market on average, against 35 days a year earlier. Its median sale price for the three months ending in September was $234K, down 0.33% from a year before, and it counts 18 homes sold in September, against 19. (RealtyTrac, which we quoted the past two weeks, counts 49 September sales; the two sites count differently, so compare each one only with itself.) Your move: if you are buying, a home that has sat for two months may have room to negotiate; if you are selling, price for a longer wait.
Sources: Redfin — 77836 housing market
| Looking to buy or sell? Nina Bright, Realtor — call or text 832-689-3170. Full disclosure: Nina is David’s wife. |
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Service Opportunities |
Photo: Billy Hathorn at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Run a rental? Register. The city’s October 26 notice says Caldwell’s 7% hotel occupancy tax applies to hotels, motels and short-term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO, inside the city limits and in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. With the state’s 6% and the county’s 2%, guests pay 15% in all. Operators must complete the city’s registration every year and file a report every month or quarter, even when no tax is due; reports are due the 20th of the month after the period (city notice, rules and forms).
Tell the city what its website is missing. The relaunched site asks residents to take a two-to-three minute survey (survey). Serve on a board: the city lists the Housing Authority Advisory Board and the Main Street Advisory Board as current openings (boards & committees). Get city alerts (sign up).
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Adopt a Friend |
 | Meet Nuka Kitten · Male · Domestic Shorthair His listing says he is good with kids, dogs and other cats, and litter box trained; the photo card gives a birth date of August 25, 2026. Haven adopts by application, then an interview and a meet-and-greet. See Nuka’s listing → |
| Haven Animal Rescue of Texas · havenanimalrescueoftexas.com · adoptmeathart@gmail.com (the address on Nuka’s Adopt-a-Pet listing; the city’s Animal Services page links to the rescue’s website) No walk-in hours are listed; start with an application on the rescue’s site. |
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Growth & Learning |
Illustration
Open the county’s sample ballot with your kids (here). Ask them to count the races, then find the ones with only one name. Why would a race have one name? (Only one person filed to run.) Then find the word “unexpired” next to Sheriff and ask what it might mean: someone is being elected to finish a term that is already under way. A ballot is a map of who decides what. More at unrivaledacademy.com.
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Local Theory & Remnant Radio |
 | Now playing: Sovereign Ground — the latest Local Theory album (April 3, 2026 · 15 tracks). Listen. Remnant Radio streams the whole catalog 24/7 at radio.thinkandactlocally.com · Spotify. Thirteen releases. Sovereignty through sound. In the Studio now: An Introduction to God. Vote on the mixes. |
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Weather Forecast |
Sun  Patchy fog, then partly sunny 85° 65° | Mon  Mostly cloudy 86° 66° | Tue  Showers and storms 78° 52° | Wed  Sunny 73° 50° | Thu Sunny 76° 48° | Fri Sunny 75° 47° |
Warm to start: patchy fog before 9 a.m. today, then partly sunny with a high near 85, and a high near 86 Monday with south wind gusts to 25 mph. A chance of showers and storms arrives after midnight Monday night (40%), and Election Day brings showers and thunderstorms before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms, a 90% chance, with a high near 78. Then it clears and cools: sunny Wednesday through Friday, highs 73 to 76 and lows dropping to the upper 40s.
Sources: National Weather Service (HGX), updated Oct 31, 1:21 p.m. CT
✦ CrowdHealth |
 | David and his family left traditional health insurance for CrowdHealth — a community that funds each other’s medical bills. Bills get negotiated down first. See how it works. We earn a referral if you join. CrowdHealth is not insurance. David is a paying member. |
✦ Unrivaled Travels |
 | Planning a trip worth taking? Our own travel service plans cruises, resort stays, Puerto Rico trips and group trips, and handles the flights, transfers and bookings. Its own tagline: “No surprises, no overpaying, no wasted vacation days.” info@unrivaledtravels.com · 281-241-1994 · unrivaledtravels.com One of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Candles |
 | Hand-poured jewelry candles — every one hides a piece of jewelry inside, valued from $10 to $10,000. Burn it down and find out what’s yours. Shop Unrivaled Candles. Full disclosure: one of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Marketing Solutions |
 | You built the business — now make sure your Caldwell neighbors can find it. Book a free 15-minute call with David: we’ll look at how your business shows up online and where customers may be slipping past. If you want us to fix it, that’s paid work, and David will go over the price on the call. Book a free 15-minute call. One of our own businesses. |
✦ Sponsor Spot |
This spot is open. Sponsor this spot — reach Caldwell neighbors every Sunday, in the one inbox they actually read. Reply to book it.
✦ They Told Him He Was Crazy |
David sold his metals. Not trimmed — sold. He kept the receipts, every decision sourced, so you can decide for yourself: conviction, or crazy? Read the filing →
David’s own site.
✦ Tuttle Twins: Money skills, starting in 4th grade |
Tuttle Twins’ Business Basics, Grade 4 is a 36-lesson money and business course, recommended for ages 10–11 or students working at a 4th-grade level. Kids follow Ethan and Emily from a lemonade stand to a fundraiser, learning to budget, save, spend, communicate, solve problems and give back. It fits right into TAAL’s family-budgeting work: the habits start young. The Tuttle Twins site lists it for pre-order, with the digital copy at $39 (print $49, print and digital $59), and says Grade 3 is available now.
As a Tuttle Twins affiliate, TAAL may earn a commission if you buy through our link.
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Community Voices |
Who made Caldwell a little better this week? The poll worker who will open the doors at 7 a.m. Tuesday, the librarian who ran storytime, the neighbor who checked on a neighbor. Hit reply — one or two sentences — and we’ll run the best next Sunday.
✦ Take Action |
- Vote Tuesday, November 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at any of the county’s nine vote centers; in Caldwell, the courthouse is at 100 W. Buck (dates, hours, locations).
- Read the sample ballot first so nothing on it is a surprise (county PDF).
- Rent out a room or a cabin? Fill out the city’s annual Hotel & Short-Term Rental Operator Registration (how it works).
✦ Submit Your Content |
Events, business features, volunteer calls, letters from Caldwell: david@thinkandactlocally.com. Deadline: Thursday 5 PM for Sunday.
✦ Answer to Trivia |
Set up an independent school district. The city ran the public school from 1891 until 1923, when citizens voted to establish an independent school district (Handbook of Texas).
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Keep the Herald Free |
No advertiser sets our coverage — readers keep it alive. The cheapest way to help: forward this to one neighbor who hasn’t looked at Tuesday’s ballot yet.
| SUBSCRIBE TO THE CALDWELL HERALD → |
Caldwell on the record (CLR) · CLR Primers · Think and Act Locally · Unrivaled Marketing Solutions · All Caldwell Herald issues
The Herald is published by Think and Act Locally. Its facts come from the public record kept by the Council on Local Relations, which shares a founder with Think and Act Locally. Portions drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publication. Reply anytime: david@thinkandactlocally.com.
