After citizens protested at the county courthouse last month and spoke to the commissioners court, asking that the Confederate monuments on the courthouse lawn be removed, the Bastrop County Commissioners Court hosted a three-hour special public hearing on Tuesday, July 7. The hearing was held at the Jerry Fay Wilhelm Center for the Performing Arts, which was chosen because it could accommodate a large meeting while still maintaining social distancing and other COVID-19 safety precautions. “This is a historic meeting ,” County Judge Paul Pape said at the beginning of the meeting. “We are here to listen to you.” The first invited speaker ...