Opinions

Focus: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

April was a busy month for tornadoes across the United States with 373 recorded, bringing the total for the year to 549, the Austin American-Statesman reported. That is nearly double the average at this point in the year, the National Weather Service says.

Mothers, Love and Boo-boos

“Stubby is gone”

Rube Waddell was perhaps baseball’s most interesting man. Considered by many to be the greatest pitcher who ever lived, he is better known for his eccentric exploits both on and off the field. He was literally one of the weirdest players in history, but baseball fans loved him.

The growth of industrial-scale users of power could strain the Texas power grid, ERCOT’s chief announced last week. The Dallas Morning News reported Pablo Vegas, the agency’s CEO, said bitcoin miners and artificial intelligence data centers going in across the state, as well as industrial growth in the Permian Basin, could create the need for a massive buildup of power transmission lines in the future.

School bond questions - Superintendent M.I.A.

Early voting began Monday, April 22 for municipal, school board and various bond elections. It ends on April 30 with Saturday, May 4 being election day. What is on the ballot depends on where you live.

“Waiting for Estefan”

Colorado State University researchers are calling this year’s hurricane season forecast “the most aggressive” ever, the Texas Standard reported. They say there is a 54% chance a hurricane will strike the Texas coast, and a 25% chance it will be major.

I am proud to call myself an American. During the recent primary while I was doing research on the candidates to help me decide whom to vote for, I came across some facts that I felt all of you would like to know. Elections are very important and the words used during an election are also important. Saying or putting words out that are not correct is not fair to the average voter, nor is it ethical.

State agencies and regulators were heavily criticized at a Texas legislative hearing for failing to communicate during the deadly Panhandle wildfires, the Texas Tribune reported.

“Home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes, what would life be without home grown tomatoes. Only two things that money can’t buy, that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.” - Guy Clark There is nothing like eating a home grown tomato fresh out of the sun. And for us tomato lovers, there are few things more satisfying and enjoyable than tending to a garden full of our favorite fruited plants.

My husband, Peter, and I spend the winters in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The center of the town is a designated World Heritage Site, which means the facades of the buildings must remain as they were in the mid-1700s.

One economist is calling it “the most profitable 22 minutes in Tex - as history," according to the Texas Standard. The total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8 is expected to draw up to a million visitors to the Lone Star State, especially in its narrow path of totality.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

The on-again, off-again state immigration law is once more on hold while the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals considers its constitutionality. Senate Bill 4 would allow state and local law enforce- _____ _________ ___ _______ ____ __ port people suspected of entering the state illegally from Mexico, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The U.S. Supreme Court last Tuesday removed a temporary hold on the law, which allowed it to take effect for several hours before the 5th Circuit court again stopped SB4 from being enforced while it considers its constitutionality.

We have had our adopted Mexican street cat, Felix, for a month now.

Recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that six of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the United States from 2022 to 2023 were in Texas. According to the Texas Tribune, Kaufman County, just east of Dallas, led the list with a 7.6% increase in new residents that brought its population to more than 185,000. Census data shows that Rockwall and Liberty counties closed out the top three, with growth rates of 6.5% and 5.7%, respectively.

DMINISTRATOR Colorado County will hold two separate elections in May. Both elections are equally important for different reasons. It is also imperative that voters pay attention to voting locations and times because each election is different. Columbus Independent School District, Weimar Independent School District, and the City of Weimar will hold joint elections on Saturday, May 4. CISD will have a Trustee and Bond election. WISD will hold a Trustee election and the City of Weimar will have a race for Mayor and councilmen.