The grant was awarded through the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund and will support a program that The Safety Navigator said will work with camps in the region to develop and test safety training, emergency preparedness resources and other tools.

The organization said the resources developed through the program will eventually be made available to camps nationwide at no cost.

The Safety Navigator was founded in October 2025 following the July 4, 2025, floods in the Hill Country. According to the organization, the floods claimed the lives of children and camp staff at camps along the Guadalupe River.

The organization said its founders created The Safety Navigator to help Hill Country camps and camps across the country translate new youth camp safety legislation into practical safety procedures.

The grant will establish a dedicated Hill Country camp safety program, according to The Safety Navigator. Planned activities include end-of-season reviews with camp leaders to identify areas that worked well and areas that need improvement.

The organization also said the funding will support safety training for camp directors, leadership and seasonal staff. Training will cover areas including aquatics, transportation and emergency response.

Other planned resources include a transportation safety toolkit addressing vehicle use, staff driving rules and the vetting of bus and charter companies, according to the organization.

The Safety Navigator also plans to develop a Hill Country version of its AI-assisted risk assessment tool. The organization said the regional version will include risk categories and controls specific to the area.

The program also will include a drill package with new drills and tabletop exercises based on regional hazards, according to The Safety Navigator.

The organization said it plans to develop an AI-powered emergency action plan builder to help camps create customized emergency response plans.

The grant also will fund a summer content series documenting safety work at Hill Country camps and a locally hired program coordinator who will serve as a point of contact for camps participating in the program.

The Safety Navigator said the tools developed through the program will be designed for use outside the Hill Country and made available to camps nationwide at no additional cost.

“The Hill Country is where this started for us, and we’re grateful to be pioneering it here too, alongside the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country,” said Charlee Johnson and Marleyna Palin, co-founders of The Safety Navigator.

“This grant lets us build the industry’s best practice safety materials with a community that needs them, so Hill Country camps can lead the response for camps everywhere, not just the recovery,” they said.

Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, said the investment is intended to support long-term recovery efforts while improving camp safety.

“Long-term recovery means preparing communities for what comes next,” Dickson said. “Camps are an important part of life in the Hill Country. This investment will help protect campers here and make practical safety resources available to camps across the country.”

Tim Huchton, president and CEO of Mo-Ranch, said The Safety Navigator has worked with camps to develop safety tools and resources.

“The work that The Safety Navigator team has done to assist camps such as my own better prepare and operationalize our safety protocols has been incredible,” Huchton said.

The Safety Navigator is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in October 2025 and launched nationally in February 2026. The organization says its mission is to make safety resources free and accessible to youth camps.

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country is based in Kerrville and serves 10 counties, according to the foundation. It manages charitable funds and grants supporting nonprofits, scholarships and community initiatives.

The program is funded through a grant from the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s Kerr County Flood Relief Fund.

The dual event drew over 50 members of the public who were served birthday cake and ice cream as well as a fascinating display of quilting projects.

Library Director Allison Harbour served home made cake and ice cream to birthday party participants composed of children, mothers, grandmothers, Medina citizens and County visitors.

The library provided a variety of entertainment for the adults and youngsters to enjoy. Bandera City Council member Debbie Breen even brought her mother to the quilt show and party.

Library Assistant Missy Solbrig led a children’s group in a round of Freeze Dance in the Children’s Room with the assistance of library favorite Rosa Hendricks.

The adults present seemed to enjoy the activities more than the children.

Library Assistants Dana Jones and Ann Wells helped Harbour helped with the refreshments. The Assistants wore birthday tiaras to celebrate the day.

Gummi worm guessing games for adults and children entertained the group. A treasure hunt was a novel activity provided to keep everyone entertained.

There was even a station where visitors could write love letters to the library detailing their favorite library activities.

Everyone was given a ticket for prize drawings which were conducted at the end of the celebration.

The Library and its patrons could not have had a better celebration for its 25th birthday.

While the children were having fun in the library, the adults could wander across the courtyard to view some outstanding examples of heritage quilting.

The Medina Quilter group hosts a biannual show to display quilts made by county locals or their families. Two antique quilts were displayed for visitors to view. Quilt group member Nancy brought her sewing machine to demonstrate quilting techniques.

Just over 60 entries, both traditional quilts and smaller fiber art projects, were displayed in the Rodney Camp Pavilion.

The quilt show began on Saturday, September 19th and ran through September 26th. Visitors were encouraged to stroll through the show and pick their favorite entry for the People’s Choice Award.

Each visitor was given a small jar gripper made by members, as a memento of the show.

The theme for this year was “America the Beautiful.” Quilters were urged to add eagles to their quilts in honor of the US’ 250th birthday.

A contest to find the number of eagles hidden in the quilt designs engaged many visitors.

Each quilt project can take between a few weeks to five years to complete. Entries can be hand stitched, machine stitched or can be antique legacies from ancestors.

Designs can display traditional patterns or use photo realism.

One black and white quilt of a horse head was an example of the use of photo realism when quilting.

Quilt group volunteers agreed that people take up quilting as a hobby to “keep their hands busy” and to sew with a practical product that expresses their creativity. The volunteers; Sherry Green, Shonda Atkins, Faye Hubble, and leader Karen Laurance; urge patrons who have an interest in quilting to join the group. They meet at the Medina Community Library on the third Friday of the month at 10AM.

“Everyone is welcome, we have a group of really good people that enjoy working together,” said Faye Hubble.

For those of us who are not directly involved, the conflicts with Iran and Ukraine seem a useless waste of lives and resources that we would prefer to devote to other uses. We were just fine before they started and we’d like to be done with them; in other words: quit and call it a win.

For mysterious reasons, many of our fellow Americans rally to support any oppressed or self-described marginalized group’s cause making it our obligation to cure. They seem to believe that any amount of suffering, self-induced or not is equated to righteousness.

The quitters that criticize Israeli efforts to defend their one small country where Jews can manage their own destiny are doing so with no risk to themselves. Israelis are more than capable in their righteous response to terrorism if we back their cause and don’t pull the rug out from under them.

These wars will end with the defeat of the agressors and economies will prosper even more than they are currently, if the USA keeps up the economic and military pressure.

Quitting now will only allow evil regimes to rearm and survive to continue to plague the world. Russia and Iran are on their backs and their own populations are turning against them.

Russia has sacrificed over 1.2 million soldiers trying to overcome Ukraine. The foreign ideologies derived mainly from former and current adversaries, Germany, Russia and now Islam, have infiltrated our country with ideologies to undermine our effectiveness in opposition to a right resolution to the conflicts. T hey were all developed in reaction to societies unlike ours and are subversive to our founding documents, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

They have nothing to do with an individual’s rights, nevertheless are being promoted to re-distribute power away from the people governed toward a remote elite using the votes of a naive population.

Our unique in world history governing ideas have been responsible for the generational prosperity our country has experienced while allowing us to extend benefits to foreign entities.

In a few weeks, we will be given the choice to select our next senator, James Talerico or Ken Paxton. Prudence and perserverance used to be considered virtues. Wisdom takes time to manifest itself.

At 37 Talerico is unmarried, but close to his left-leaning activist marching mother. With a good deal of higher education credit and some limited teaching background, his legislative work reflects interests in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and excusing juvenile offenders from facing law enforcement.

Someone who has never been and apparently has no plans to ever be a father has no business making policy for those of us who do. In my 20s, as a junior officer in a wartime Marine rifle company, I witnessed some young men rise to maturity and leadership far beyond their years when faced with adversity while others wilted.

I don’t see James as ever having faced any adversity that would prepare him for high office. James Talerico has extensive Biblical education but has publically denounced the posting of the Ten Commandments as a violation of the separation of church and state illusion. He also finds Biblical support for abortion, homosexuality and transexual operations.

Apparently, James T, believes God makes mistakes but blesses us anyway when we “correct” them. Mature Christians understand that Christ’s moral teaching should advise government. That is not even close to actual theocracy.

When considering someone to hire for an important position, a resume is presented for review. It illustrates what the candidate has done with his life in the past, which is the best predictor of what he will do in the future.

While James seems to be a nice boy who did eliminate Jasmine Crockett to his credit, I don’t see him standing for a difficult principle or as anything but a dependable Democrat lever puller for the Leftist leadership that guarantees unthinking lock-step solidarity.

Without a doubt, he will quickly abandon his centrist themes and revert to his Progressive (Leftist) ways should he prevail in the election as do all Texas Democrats. His TV ads about not receiving PAC money are lies as exposed by the Texas Tribune.

Admittedly, Republicans have been unable to agree on support for much good reform, but patience is required when thinking people deliberate.

No legislation is much to be preferred to the kind of toxic change the Left will bring us. Voting Left will return us to wide-open borders, inviting malign challenges to our culture, more government programs supporting corrupt NGOs that launder our tax money for the benefit of a chosen few, and more DEI perks for the non-productive class.

They constantly crow about protecting our “democracy” while lobbying to stack the deck by adding more reliably Democrat senators for Washington, DC, at less than 700,000 population and Puerto Rico with less than Harris County, each of which would be another Vermont who will send Bernie Sanders until he is unable to stand.

Lowering the voting age to easily manipulated 16 year olds and alien immigrants are their stated goals. Their desire to pack the Supreme Court is evidence that they only want a democracy they can control. This part of the country was built on the shoulders of people who managed their own defense, governance, food and shelter. Protecting your way of life requires vigilance. Please don’t fail to vote Republican, but be discerning and be certain to avoid the RINOs.

The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bandera Brewery, 3540 Texas 16.

Mercy Gate, a faithbased nonprofit founded in Kerr County, opened its Bandera office in 2025 and is building long-term programs and support services specifically for residents of Bandera County.

While the organization serves communities throughout the Hill Country, Mercy Gate said funds raised through its Bandera efforts stay in Bandera County and directly support programs and services for women and families in the community.

“When [people] give in Bandera, that support stays here,” Executive Director and co-founder Chae Spencer said. “We are investing in Bandera County and building something that will serve this community for the long term.”

Mercy Gate’s Bandera expansion has received support from the Albert & Margaret Alkek Foundation, the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation and a private donor whose support helped make the opening of the Bandera office possible.

Mercy Gate says the local office provides a point of access for women and families who need support and connects them with Mercy Gate’s services and community resources.

The organization’s work includes advocacy, mentorship, counseling, court advocacy, jail ministry and other support for women who have experienced trafficking, sexual exploitation or abuse.

Mercy Gate also works with local agencies, churches and other organizations to coordinate resources and identify gaps in services.

The organization participates in the Bandera County Interagency Coalition, which brings together community organizations and agencies working to address local needs.

The organization has said its goal in Bandera extends beyond maintaining a local office. Mercy Gate is working to develop programs and services tailored to the needs of Bandera County and hopes to eventually provide housing locally for women in need.

The Hope in the Hill Country event is intended to give the community a closer look at that work.

Attendees will hear about the impact of Mercy Gate’s programs, the women and families being served and the organization’s plans for its continued work in Bandera County.

The event also will provide an opportunity for residents to learn how they can support the organization’s local efforts.

The organization also operates a jail ministry, connecting mentors with women in local jails, including women who have experienced exploitation but later became involved in the criminal justice system.

Mercy Gate’s church partners in the area have included Ridin’ the River Cowboy Church, Bandera Christ Chapel Church, Medina Community Church, Gateway Fellowship Church and Walker Community Church.

The Hope in the Hill Country event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, at Bandera Brewery.

More information about the event and registration is available through Mercy Gate Ministries at mercygateministries. com.

“

When [people] give in Bandera, that support stays here. We are investing in Bandera County and building something that will serve this community for the long term.”

— Chae Spencer, Mercy Gate Executive Director and co-founder

The Frontier Times Museum will host its fourth annual Moonshine & Moon Pies Bash at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, on the museum grounds at 510 13th St. in Bandera.

The event will feature moonshine tastings, a catered dinner from The Hungry Hustle and live music from MishMash, according to the museum.

Dinner will include catfish fried on-site, pulled pork, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese and other offerings.

The museum said the Bandera Brewery crew also will be on-site serving craft beer and wine.

MishMash, described by the museum as a variety band, will provide live music during the event.

A silent auction also will be held to raise funds for the museum’s educational programs, including Archaeology Day, Native American Heritage Day and Fridays at the Museum, a newer museum initiative. The museum listed Bandera Brewery, Falling Rock Ranch and Bill and Judy Pannebaker as Full Moon sponsors.

Tickets are $65 per person and include the tastings, dinner, entertainment and other activities, according to the museum. Presale tickets are available at the museum or through its website.

For more information, visit the Frontier Times Museum website or call 830-796-3864.

The event will feature Dr. Kristin Hook, candidate for U.S. House District 21; Joe Paz Herrera, candidate for Texas Senate District 24; and Kathryn Hartmann, candidate for Texas House District 53, according to the Kerr County Democratic Party.

The candidates will discuss their views and positions on key issues. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and address the candidates with concerns and comments.

The party said U.S. House District 21 and Texas Senate District 24 include Gillespie, Kerr and Bandera counties. U.S. House District 21 also includes Kerr and Bandera counties, according to the party’s Sept. 27 press release.

Yard signs and candidate information will be

The fair opened Thursday with the Little Mr. Bandera Contest, carnival rides, food, vendors and live entertainment. Friday brought mutton bustin’, a Forty-Two tournament, ranch rodeo and the Cactus Country Concert and Dance.

Saturday featured the 4-H Horse Project Horse Show, Prospect Show, carnival rides, mutton bustin’, the Toman Brothers Band and other fair activities.

Sunday marks the final day of the 2026 fair.

Full details are at BanderaCountyFair. com

Although reasonable care is taken, clerical errors may exist.

In the section where those individuals who are arrested and booked are listed, law enforcement entities are denoted by the following abbreviations: SO – Sheriff’s Office; BTM – Bandera Town Marshal; DPS – Texas Department of Public Safety; PCT – Precinct/Constable; TPW – Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Max Allen Maxam, 60, of Tarpley was arrested on September 28 on local warrants.

George Zamora Jr., 35, of Lakehills was arrested on September 28 on a local warrant.

J Isabel Garcia, 55, of Bandera was arrested on September 28 for possession of a controlled substance (PG 1/1-B < 1G).

Kenneth W. Naylor, 44, was arrested on October 5 for driving while a license was invalid with a previous conviction/suspension without financial responsibility.

Justin Alan Masters, 42, of Pipe Creek was arrested on October 5 for driving while intoxicated, evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

• Sunday Horseback Ride & Chuckwagon Cowboy Breakfast, 9-11 a.m., Major Hope Corral, 830-328-2203.

Horseback ride, cowboy breakfast, music, roping and ranch animals. Reservations required.

• Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Farm, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Pipe Creek Christmas Tree Farm & Pumpkin Patch, 210-426 6191. Hayrides, farm animals, fall activities and Christmas trees.

• Live Music at the Ice Haus, 1 p.m., First National Ice Haus, 646-734-9754.

• Arkey Blues October Live Music, 3 p.m., Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar, 830-796-8826.

• Live Music at The Longhorn, 3 p.m., The Longhorn at Way Back Texas. Live bands, acoustic shows, open mic nights and other entertainment throughout October.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 • Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch, Sovereignty Ranch, 818-939-7248. Runs Oct. 6-Nov. 1.

• Come Salsa Dance at Monte Alteza, 5 p.m., Monte Alteza Tapas & Wine Garden, 210-889-1000. Beginner salsa class with instructor Maureen Kelleher of Stardust.

• Monday Potluck at Paniolo Winery, 6 p.m., Paniolo Winery. Bring a themed dish and join the monthly Monday gathering.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 • Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch, Sovereignty Ranch, 818-939-7248. Runs Oct. 6-Nov. 1.

• Putt-Putt, Wagon Rides & Campfires, Flying L Ranch Resort, 830-796-7745. Wagon rides, campfires, s’mores and all-day putt-putt golf.

• Mahjong Tuesdays at the Library, 10:30 a.m., Bandera Kronkosky Public Library.

Introduction to Americanstyle mahjong. Beginners welcome.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 • Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch, Sovereignty Ranch, 818-939-7248. Runs Oct. 6-Nov. 1.

• Live Music at 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 830-796-4849.

Live country music throughout October.

• Putt-Putt, Wagon Rides & Campfires, Flying L Ranch Resort, 830-796-7745.

• Everyday Technology Skills Workshop, 10:30 a.m., Bandera County Public Library, 830-796-4213.

Beginner workshop covering smartphone use, apps, texting and email.

• Art Appreciation & Creation at the Museum, 11 a.m.-noon, Bandera Natural History and Art Museum, 830-328-5090.

Guided discussions, hands-on activities, artist-led programs and master classes.

• Arkey Blues October Live Music, 2:30 p.m., Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar, 830-796-8826.

• Steak Night at 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 6 p.m., 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 830-796 4849. Bring a favorite cut of meat and cook it on the barbecue pit.

THURSDAY, OCOTBER 15

• Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch, Sovereignty Ranch, 818-939-7248. Runs Oct. 6-Nov. 1.

• Putt-Putt, Wagon Rides & Campfires, Flying L Ranch Resort, 830-796-7745.

• THCTR October Meeting, 1:45 p.m., Texas Hill Country Trail Region. October meeting in Boerne featuring food and fellowship.

• Live Music at The Longhorn, 7 p.m., The Longhorn at Way Back Texas.

• Arkey Blues October Live Music, 7:30 p.m., Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar, 830-796-8826.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 • Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch, Sovereignty Ranch, 818-939-7248. Runs Oct. 6-Nov. 1.

• Live Music at 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 830-796-4849.

• Putt-Putt, Wagon Rides & Campfires, Flying L Ranch Resort, 830-796-7745.

• Golf Tournament at Flying L Resort, noon, Flying L Ranch Resort, 830-796-7745.

Eighteen holes with cart, prizes, games, contests, dinner and awards.

• Friday Night Bingo, 5-10 p.m., Pipe Creek VFD, 830-535-4511. Bingo, cash prizes and a snack bar.

Proceeds benefit the fire department.

• Family Movie Night in Lakehills, 6 p.m., Lakehills United Methodist Church, 830-751-2404. Free showing of Disney-Pixar’s Coco.

• Moonshine & Moon Pies Bash, 7-10 p.m., Frontier Times Museum, 830-796 3864. Annual event featuring moonshine tastings, homemade moon pies, music and dancing.

• Arkey Blues October Live Music, 8 p.m., Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar, 830-796-8826.

• Live Music at The Longhorn, 8 p.m., The Longhorn at Way Back Texas.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 • Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch, Sovereignty Ranch, 818-939-7248. Runs Oct. 6-Nov. 1.

• Live Music at 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 830-796-4849.

• Monthly Shooting Matches, Bandera Gun Club, 210-287 3785. Monthly matches for shooters of various experience levels.

• Putt-Putt, Wagon Rides & Campfires, Flying L Ranch Resort, 830-796-7745.

• 3rd Saturday Market & Craft Meet, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., The Sheepwalk Ranch.

Crafting, campsite competitions, barbecue and a mystery-solving activity.

• Art Appreciation & Creation at the Museum, 10 a.m.-noon, Bandera Natural History and Art Museum, 830-328-5090.

• Fallfest at New Life Resale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., New Life Resale. Annual fundraiser benefiting Pipe Creek Christian School.

• Needle-Felted Pumpkins, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., The Sheepwalk Ranch. Hands-on workshop to create a felted pumpkin.

• Wild Horse Saloon Gumbo Cook-Off, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 830-328 5064. Gumbo competition, live music and food.

• Cowboys on Main, 10 a.m. and noon, Western Trail Heritage Park. Free Old West demonstrations and activities.

• Bandera Gunfighters, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Rattlesnake Ridge. Family-friendly Old West reenactments.

• Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Farm, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Pipe Creek Christmas Tree Farm & Pumpkin Patch, 210-426-6191.

• Arkey Blues October Live Music, 2-11 p.m., Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar, 830-796-8826.

• Live Music at The Longhorn, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., The Longhorn at Way Back Texas.

• Old West Gunfighters at the General Store, 2-4:30 p.m., Bandera General Store, 830-796-4925. Old West skits, costumes and shoot-outs.

• Shorty’s Lounge Live Music, 8 p.m., Shorty’s Lounge, 830-328-0005. Live music throughout October on Saturdays.

• SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18 • Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch, Sovereignty Ranch, 818-939-7248. Runs Oct. 6-Nov. 1.

• Sunday Horseback Ride & Chuckwagon Cowboy Breakfast, 9-11 a.m., Major Hope Corral, 830-328-2203.

Horseback ride, cowboy breakfast, music, roping and ranch animals. Reservations required.

• Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Farm, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Pipe Creek Christmas Tree Farm & Pumpkin Patch, 210-426-6191.

• Bandera Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, 2-5:30 p.m., First National Ice Haus, 646-734 9754. El Verde Boys, Dub Robinson, Lee Wright, Brent Buchannon, Buck Shannon, Steve McClintock, Russell Green and the First National Ice Haus will be honored.

• Live Music at The Longhorn, 3 p.m., The Longhorn at Way Back Texas.

D’Anna Baucom from AMBA spoke on aging in place and protecting your nest egg. She outlined the benefits available to retirees from AMBA and MASA. She provided a checklist for aging in place for the membership.

Patricia Moore spoke about the Bandera County Fair in October. Moore detailed how the fair would be family friendly. She discussed the pageants that would be held at the fair – Little Mr. Bandera and Little Miss Bandera.

John Milner, former President of the Bandera County ATPE, spoke about joining that organization. He also listed the benefits from membership.

In regular business, the minutes of the last meeting were approved, the treasurer’s report was approved for filing, the membership report showed eighty-five paid members, and the correspondence consisted of a letter from UTEP (University of Texas El Paso) thanked the organization for their student scholarship contribution.

Committee Reports were given for membership/ volunteers, book project, legislative, and Healthy living.

There was no unfinished business. Mazurek encouraged members to collect books for grades 3-5 for the Christmas book giveaway.

Treasurer Sharon Anderwald presented a budget for 2026-27. The membership passed it. Deniese Van Dyke passed out the 202627 yearbooks. School supplies were taken up for the Boys and Girls Club. President DeeAnne Mazurek spoke about the fall bake sale in October and the District 20 Fall Conference in Boerne. She encouraged all members to attend this event on October 22.

October 21 is the date of the next meeting as well as the Fall Bake Sale at the Dough Joe.

The varsity girls finished second overall with 42 points. Kaylee Fried led the Lady Bulldogs with a sixth-place finish, followed by Milesia Casas in seventh, Cassi Williams in ninth, Aubrie Moore in 12th, Veronica Ibarra in 13th and Addison Ashcraft in 14th. All six runners earned medals.

The junior varsity girls also finished second, scoring 46 points. Autumn Prater led Bandera with a fifth-place finish, followed by Amy Rodriguez in sixth and Jayla Hinojo in 14th. All three earned medals.

The varsity boys finished eighth overall. Luciano Martinez led the Bulldogs with a 32nd-place finish and a time of 18 minutes, 40 seconds.

The junior varsity boys finished 11th overall. Kohltun Richardson led Bandera, placing 48th with a time of 22:49.

At a gas station in Carrollton, Talarico called on Paxton to condemn the Iran war and join his call to suspend federal gas and diesel taxes. Hours later, Paxton said the gas tax should be permanently eliminated.

Talarico first called for pausing the gas tax in April until prices fell below where they were when the war began in February, when the U.S. and Israel conducted joint air attacks against Iran. He has urged Paxton to join his call several times since.

He has termed the war a “disaster” and blames it for exacerbating affordability issues for Texas families.

“Ken Paxton supports this disastrous war in Iran that’s driving up our costs,” Talarico said. “Today, I am calling on him to oppose this war and support my plan to suspend the federal gas tax and the federal diesel tax so we can provide Texans some necessary relief.”

Paxton responded by saying he supports suspending the gas tax permanently.

“Repealing those taxes would put money straight back into drivers’ pockets every time they fill up, and Washington should fund roads by cutting waste, not by taxing Texans at the pump,” he said.

The federal gasoline tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gas and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel. Nearly all the tax collected goes in the Highway Trust Fund for federal highway and mass transit spending.

The average price in Texas last week was $3.94 per gallon for gasoline and $5.90 a gallon for diesel, according to AAA.

ABBOTT LIFTS RESTRICTIONS ON DYED DIESEL Gov. Greg Abbott has lifted restrictions on dyed diesel usually allowed only in off-road and industrial equipment to lower diesel prices, the Houston Chronicle reported.

He issued a disaster proclamation last week expanding its use. Dyed diesel is exempt from fuel taxes. Abbott also requested a waiver to the Clean Air Act from the Environmental Protection Agency to get around federal limits on which diesel can be sold.

“Texas agriculture and freight run on diesel,” Abbott said in a statement. “Record prices put both industries at risk and raise costs for every Texas family. Farmers and truckers can now use dyed diesel on Texas roads, and fuel, crop, and timber loads can move at a higher weight.”

The three-term governor is locked in a close reelection contest in the Nov. 3 midterm election dominated by cost-of-living concerns. His Democratic opponent, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, had earlier called for suspending all diesel taxes, which Abbott said is not in his power to unilaterally do.

VOTER SNAFU HIGHLIGHTS DIFFICULTY IN REGISTERING A Texas backlog of at least 200,000 voter registration applications and updates was caused by a state error. Now election officials are scrambling to respond before voting begins.

Texas is one of only eight states that doesn’t have universal online voter registration. The state Department of Public Safety’s web portal is the only option for registering online or updating a voter registration. That option was ordered by a judge after a six-year legal battle.

Votebeat and The Texas Tribune recently reported a flaw in the system where DPS failed to send counties thousands of voter applications and updates submitted through its web portal, dating back to October 2025. There have been bipartisan calls for an investigation into what went awry. State officials so far have provided few details.

“We live in a system that has been designed to make things harder for voters,” said Sarah Chen, the senior supervising attorney at Texas Civil Rights Project. “We don’t have online voter registration, except for this teeny little carveout, and because of the teeny little carveout, now we have these technical glitches resulting in this backlog.”

CRUZ SCORES WIN ON COLLEGE SPORTS BILL

The U.S. Senate passed a major bipartisan bill last week that would overhaul the college sports industry — a bill heavily backed by Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz of Texas, Politico reported.

The bill was supported by members of both parties and President Donald Trump. It would replace a patchwork of state laws governing student-athlete pay, transfers and eligibility with a single federal set of rules.

“Today the Senate has the opportunity to protect the half-million college athletes and the millions more who follow in their footsteps,” Cruz said in a floor speech last week. “Students are transferring three or four times. Pros are trying to play ball against college kids. Conflicting court decisions have created a fragmented system — one that no one intended.”

The measure passed 7722 but faces an uncertain future in the U.S. House, where Republicans oppose some of its provisions.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS COULD LOSE $227M TO STUDENT VOUCHER EXODUS Rural school districts in Texas could lose millions of dollars in funding this year after thousands of students turn to using vouchers to leave for private and home schools, the Houston Chronicle reported. A new analysis of state data indicates at least 28,200 public school students took a voucher instead, resulting in a loss of at least $227 million in state funding for their public schools.

While large urban school districts have seen the most students leave, the loss could be felt more acutely by smaller school districts, where losing a handful of students can dramatically affect their budgets.

Of the 725 school districts that saw at least one student take a voucher and leave, 514 — or 70% — have fewer than 2,000 students. Most of those districts don’t have a private school within their boundaries, meaning the children are either being homeschooled or are attending a virtual private school.

Public schools are state funded based on student attendance. The average loss for each student who takes a voucher is $8,200 on average, though it varies depending on the students and where they live.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published community newspapers in Texas during a 30year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park.

Following three above-average years of fawn survival, the Texas white-tailed deer population has climbed to an estimated 5.64 million.

“Texas leads the nation in terms of number of deer hunters, annual harvest and deer population,” said Blaise Korzekwa, TPWD white-tailed deer program leader. “Even an average year in Texas is worth hunting and those landowners who properly manage the state’s natural resources have shown year after year that their management can pay off.”

Rainfall and habitat conditions go hand-inhand and fluctuate seasonally throughout the state, officials said. Nearly all of Texas started the spring in some form of drought, but late spring and early summer rain drastically improved habitat conditions, TPWD officials said.

While late spring drought conditions improved throughout much of the state, areas in the Cross Timbers, the Edwards Plateau, Eastern Rolling Plains and pockets of the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie fared better than other regions and should expect a slightly above average season, according to biologists.

Pockets of South Texas and the Pineywoods didn’t receive the increase in habitat conditions in late spring but did see rainfall and below-average temperatures mid-summer that should increase fawn survival, according to officials.

The general season opens Nov. 7 and runs through Jan. 3.

Sure, it’s easier if you just look for the letter after the candidate’s name, and vote for the ones that have been endorsed by your party of choice. That’s partly why political parties exist: to help voters organize around shared ideas.

But our two-party system can also reduce complicated questions to yes-or-no choices that deserve more thought, discussion and compromise.

In our current political climate, conservative voters in particular are having to decide whether to continue their traditional support for Republican candidates. The Trump administration and its MAGA candidates have created a dilemma for voters who value limited government and fiscal responsibility while watching an expansion of executive power and federal involvement in areas traditionally left to the states.

Thoughtful Republicans are taking this dilemma seriously. Recently, even Karl Rove, who spent decades building the modern Republican party as a strategist and eventually senior advisor to George W. Bush, stated that he was planning to vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal for the Texas Railroad Commission.

Let’s look more closely at this race.

First, do you even know what the Texas Railroad Commission deals with? Surprise: railroads have not been part of their purview for twenty years. The Commission regulates the oil and natural gas industry, including drilling, production, pipelines, and well safety and plugging.

Clearly this body has a great deal of power in a state like Texas. Its current members have been criticized for potential or perceived conflicts of interest when they vote on permits and enforcement matters affecting companies in which they have financial interests.

In keeping with the point I made at the start of this column, I’m going to introduce the two candidates with only their qualifications and experience, not with their names or party affiliations. See what you think.

Candidate A is a businessman and investor with longstanding ties to the oil and gas industry. He grew up in a Texas family involved in the oil business and worked for about a decade as an energy trader. His political experience includes serving as chair of his county party and two unsuccessful runs for a seat in the Texas House. His case for your vote for the Railroad Commission rests primarily on his familiarity with the energy business and energy markets.

Candidate B is a mechanical engineer who spent 25 years working in the oil and gas industry as an engineer, engineering and project manager, and subsea-systems specialist. He has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Texas and graduate training in subsea engineering. He has served four terms in the Texas House since 2019, so he brings both direct technical experience in the industry the Railroad Commission regulates and several years of experience dealing with Texas law and public policy.

Candidate B has a detailed list of priorities that includes plugging orphan wells and better management of saltwater disposal, weatherizing natural gas facilities, stronger enforcement of existing regulations, and making the commission more accessible and transparent. He also wants a statewide policy for data centers, particularly their enormous demands for water and electricity.

Candidate A has stated fewer specific priorities. He has emphasized reducing what he calls excessive regulation of oil and gas producers, eliminating DEI-related practices or spending at the commission, combating what he describes as Chinese influence in the oil industry, and issues involving Islam, immigration and other culture-war subjects.

You just read four paragraphs about two very different candidates. It didn’t take long, but I think it gave you a picture of what each man has to offer in solving problems and shaping the future of our state. With the search tools available today, it isn’t difficult to learn enough about candidates to make an informed choice. Why should we let a political party make that decision for us?

Candidates should be seen as suggestions by the party, not tests of party loyalty. Our job as citizens is to evaluate those suggestions in terms of our principles and our vision for the future of our state and our nation. Crossing the party line for one race does not require abandoning whichever political philosophy you generally hold.

Wow, what if nobody had a letter after their name?

Susan Hull is a retired clinical psychologist, a horse trainer, and an independent voter. Early voting starts October 19, and you can let her know if you need a ride to the polls.

Although the council voted earlier this year to set an Aug. 31 deadline for all HOT applications, several businesses said there was confusion surrounding the new date.

“The deadline was always the end of September,” said Arlene Guerra, owner of TJ’s at the Old Forge. “That’s what I had on my calendar. So, I don’t know when we put it out or when we got a notice saying this is the deadline.”

After discussion, the council unanimously approved a late application from Riding on Faith.

The council awarded $21,707.75 to 11th Street Cowboy Bar, $21,707.75 to the Bandera Business Association, $6,081.55 to Bandera Pro Rodeo and $9,798.05 to Riding on Faith, for a total of $59,295.10. The current HOT policy for the city is to award businesses 25% of the request.

Council members noted that HOT funds remain available and may be used for future applicants.

The application deadline for the 2027 funding cycle will be Aug. 31, 2027.

The council later discussed a proposal to remove $30,000 from the city’s 2026-27 budget, a topic that put council members Debbie Breen, Tammy Morrow and Deanna McCabe at odds with Kunz.

Breen, who requested at the Sept. 22 meeting that budget-cut amendments be placed on the agenda, objected to the resolution presented Tuesday.

“This is not my motion,” Breen said. “The motion I made was to make budget cut amendments. So, I’m not interested in this resolution.”

Kunz argued that Breen’s original request lacked specificity.

“It’s recommended that we be more specific in agenda items,” Kunz said. “I apologize if it has upset you in any way, shape or form.”

McCabe also voiced concerns, saying she believed a position was intended to be removed from the budget.

“I think we made a motion to cut a position, and that was my concern, is the position wasn’t cut with the salaries, so it’s not removing the cut,” McCabe said.

Allen Jehle, who was sworn in at the previous meeting as a temporary council member through Nov. 3, argued that the $30,000 should remain in the budget to provide flexibility for future hiring. He noted the city is already operating short-staffed.

“You have been doing a great job, and then for us to say we’re going to kneecap you and take $30,000 away,” Jehle told Kunz. “We should have stability and repeatability with Bandera, where we shouldn’t have people come and look at jobs and leave afterward.”

The council ultimately took no action on the resolution after members agreed Kunz would revise it for future consideration.

Earlier in the meeting, the council unanimously approved applying for the 2027 and 2028 Texas Community Development Block Grant Program in an effort to repair roads within the city limits.

The grant program, which city officials said is new to Texas, offers up to $750,000 and requires a $15,000 local match.

“If we got the grant for $750,000, and the match is only $15,000, that would cover year one and two of the 2025 street assessment plan,” City Secretary Jill Dickerson said.

While the council ultimately supported moving forward with the application, Breen questioned the makeup of the grant selection committee, which included Kunz, Mayor Denise Griffin and Dickerson.

“I don’t remember us discussing the people here on the committee,” Breen said.

Kunz responded that the original committee members were unable to participate.

“We are the selection committee because we did not have those people,” Kunz said.

Local businessman Russell Hevenor introduced the candidates.

Virdell, a freshman member of the Texas House, spoke first. He discussed his experience in the Legislature and his previous work as a state director with Gun Owners of America.

Virdell, who described himself as a ninth-generation Texan, is an Air Force veteran, business owner and father of three.

He began by discussing electrical transmission lines and the use of eminent domain, an issue of particular interest in Bandera County following opposition to large transmission projects in the western portion of the county.

Virdell said he opposes using rural areas to generate electricity that would primarily serve urban populations. He also discussed the growth of solar farms in Texas and their effects on neighboring landowners.

Virdell said he supports some regulation of largescale facilities when they have significant effects on surrounding rural areas.

He said he is not opposed to data centers but expressed concerns about their water usage, particularly in a state facing increasing demand. He cited San Antonio's water needs and said densely populated areas should develop better ways to obtain the natural resources needed to support growth.

Virdell also described water acquisition as a critical issue for current and future Texans.

During a question- and-answer session, Virdell addressed cloud seeding and weather modification. He said he had looked into the practice and found that it is, in many cases, prohibitively expensive.

He also discussed 'trap bills,' legislation that can be used to gather information about lawmakers' positions on issues.

Taxes and property taxes were also discussed. Virdell said he opposes additional taxes and supports limiting property tax increases. He cited legislation that would cap annual property tax increases at 1.5%.

Teixeira then addressed the crowd.

Teixeira is the Republican nominee for Texas' 21st Congressional District and a former professional baseball player who spent 14 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees. He and his wife, Leigh, have three children. He also discussed six scholarships the couple has established in the Dallas- Fort Worth area and at Teixeira's high school.

Teixeira discussed transgender issues, including testimony involving transgender children before Congress. He also addressed the Texas Women's Privacy Act, which regulates restroom use in government and public buildings. The law does not apply to private properties.

Teixeira criticized what he described as efforts by the Democratic Socialists of America to undermine American democracy. He said he believes the country needs a new generation of leaders in Washington.

'We need a new generation of leaders in Washington ... career politicians have forgotten how to serve,' Teixeira said.

Teixeira also expressed support for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

'Ken Paxton is not part of the problem. He's part of the solution,' Teixeira said.

The national debt was another topic raised during the question-and-answer session.

Teixeira said government agencies should undergo extensive spending reviews, using the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, as a model. He also said he supports eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.

Teixeira said the country needs a long-term plan to address the national debt, which he cited as approximately $41 trillion.

Special interest groups and U.S. policy toward Israel also came up during the discussion. Teixeira said he would not allow outside interests to influence his votes. 'Nobody is going to buy my vote,' he said.

A question about H-1B visas brought Teixeira to the subject of immigration. He said he opposes policies that he believes take employment opportunities away from U.S. citizens.

Teixeira also said he supports eliminating sanctuary cities. He said he believes a major conflict currently exists between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and federal judges over immigration enforcement.

Several local elected officials and candidates attended the event.

Among those in attendance were Bandera County Judge-elect Susan Junker, Sheriff Josh Teitge and County Commissioners Troy Konvicka and Jack Mosley.

County Commissioner candidate Phil Schaefer and Tax Assessor-Collector/ Elections Administrator Andrea Jankowski also attended.

Independent candidate for Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Leah Peterson was also present.

Bandera City Administrator Toni Kunz attended with City Councilwoman Tammie Morrow. Council members DeAnna Mc-Cabe and Debbie Breen and Mayor Denise Griffin also attended.

Local businessman Johnny Boyle attended with his sons, John and Milam Boyle. GOP Precinct 203 Chair Brandi Conover distributed campaign posters and yard signs.

Bandera realtor Cari Rene Leith and Faith and Freedom organizer Vicki Shroyer were also among those attending.

After about an hour, the formal portion of the event concluded, with attendees remaining to speak with the candidates, socialize and take photographs.

The annual fundraiser will feature dinner, live music, auctions and a patriotic celebration. Proceeds will support the clinic’s mission of providing health care to uninsured and underserved residents throughout the Texas Hill Country.

Among the evening’s highlights will be the presentation of the clinic’s 2026 Hometown Hero awards to Susan Junker and Buck Murray.

The awards recognize individuals whose generosity, leadership, volunteerism and commitment have strengthened Bandera County and improved the lives of its residents.

“Through their service and dedication, they embody the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors and remind us that thriving rural communities are built by people willing to invest in one another,” the clinic said in a news release.

The gala also will feature the inaugural Champion of Care Rural Healthcare Excellence Award.

Established this year, the award recognizes individuals whose compassion, leadership, innovation and commitment have advanced access to quality health care in the Texas Hill Country.

The first recipient will be Susan Broa, the clinic’s clinical director.

According to the clinic, Broa has devoted more than 18 years to improving the health of Bandera County residents through patient care, clinical leadership and community service.

“We are proud to present the first Champion of Care Rural Healthcare Excellence Award to Susan Broa,” the clinic said. “Her steady leadership and dedication have helped shape the clinic into the trusted health care resource it is today.”

The gala follows another recent milestone for the clinic. Arthur Nagel Community Clinic recently earned the TXACC Gold Seal from the Texas Association of Charitable Clinics, recognizing its commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care and continuously improving its services.

“This recognition reflects our commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care, and continuously improving the services we provide to our community,” the clinic said. “Thank you to our staff, volunteers, partners and supporters who make this work possible.”

Tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities for the 12th annual Cork and Fork Lone Star Liberty gala are available at nagelclinic. org/events.

President Booker Young opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. and updated members on events held during the past year, as well as what the new year will bring for farmers and ranchers in Bandera County.

Members enjoyed a fajita meal catered by El Jacalito, along with numerous door prizes and music by Lew Pewterbaugh and the Frontier Times Band.

The Bandera County Farm Bureau also recognized its oldest members in attendance with special gifts.

Tina Valdez was recognized as the oldest female member in attendance. Valdez, 93, received a fall floral arrangement.

Buddy Sandidge was recognized as the oldest male member and oldest Bandera County Farm Bureau director in attendance. Sandidge, 87, received a gift card to The Trail Boss Restaurant.

The Bandera County Farm Bureau expressed its appreciation for the Bandera community's support of the organization and the local farmers and ranchers it serves.

Grohman embraced her love of painting after a 33-year career in project management with AT&T. Her passion for art eventually inspired her to share what she describes as “accessible creativity” with others.

Grohman began painting in 2014 after discovering a renewed interest in art. Since then, she has continued developing her skills and sharing her work with the community.

Her acrylic paintings feature a variety of subjects and styles, reflecting her belief that creativity should be accessible to everyone.

Vera is a metalwork artist whose work demonstrates the versatility of metal as an artistic medium. His pieces include handcrafted designs that combine creativity with the durability and character of metal.

The library will display examples of both artists’ work throughout October, giving visitors an opportunity to view their pieces while visiting the library.

The featured artwork includes Grohman’s scarecrow painting and Vera’s handcrafted metal pumpkin.

Texans should pay attention, and not because drug prices aren’t a problem, but because their plan sounds like another attempt to bring California-style politics to the Lone Star State. I saw firsthand while attending this month’s Republican midterm convention in Dallas: Texans want none of what California is offering.

Big Pharma deserves scrutiny. The skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs are a financial burden many working families can’t afford, and no one should have to choose between filling a prescription and buying groceries, paying the mortgage, or filling up the tank. Drug manufacturers, insurance companies, medical-services providers, and policymakers all share the blame in a broken system that too often leaves patients footing the bill.

But Texans should be wary anytime politicians claim the solution is for government to forcibly reorganize an entire industry.

Talarico’s proposal would push for antitrust legislation that targets vertically integrated healthcare companies, such as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), insurers, and hospital systems. Talarico has blamed healthcare consolidation and a lack of competition for rising care costs. Cuban, whose online pharmacy Cost Plus Drug Company sells generic drugs directly to consumers, praised the effort as a way to break up healthcare conglomerates and lower prescription drug and medical costs.

Cuban’s reinvention as a healthcare policy crusader is an interesting turnaround, considering that during COVID, he required his staff to be vaccinated as a condition of their employment, which was directly at odds with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibiting employer vaccine mandates. Of course, Cuban’s ability to transform himself when it’s politically expedient was on display when he actively campaigned for Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential race but then scrubbed all Harris- related posts from his X page after her defeat.

Texans can draw their own conclusions about Cuban’s character. But that kind of political flip-flopping and fair-weather opportunism is a good indication of what his approach to Texas healthcare policy might look like. Progressives like Talarico and Cuban want to transform Texas into California, where the instinct is to treat government intervention as the answer to every problem. High prices, complex markets, and policy disagreements are met with forced business divestment, micromanagement, and an imposition of new mandates and regulations. This approach is why California is the most heavily regulated state in the country, and now Talarico and Cuban want to try the same experiment here in Texas, with our healthcare industry in their sights as the first target.

Texas is an economic leader in the U.S. because the state has consistently prioritized free markets, competition, innovation, and accountability over heavy-handed regulation and centralized bureaucracy. We must hold drug companies accountable for pricing abuses, demand transparency and oversight from PBMs, and protect local pharmacies without adopting policies that hurt private businesses, hinder innovation, or limit patient access to affordable medication.

We don’t need California politics wrapped in a Texas flag. The Lone Star State has never been afraid to take on powerful interests, and we need practical healthcare reforms that put patients first, preserve consumer choice, and respect the competitive, free-market principles that have given Texas the most Fortune 500 companies of any U.S. state.

Texans should think twice before letting progressives like Talarico and Cuban gamble with Texans’ health.

Cindi Castilla serves as the president of the Texas Eagle Forum, a conservative grassroots organization that advocates for policy at the state legislature. She lives in Dallas.

In March 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began ramping up the deportation of illegal immigrants, prioritizing those with criminal records and beginning by targeting “sanctuary cities” that limit cooperation with federal agents and shield criminals.

Throughout the spring and summer, ICE deportations steadily climbed. In March, ICE arrested 18,877 illegal aliens. The Trump Administration crossed the 20,000 threshold for total arrests within a single month in May, arresting 22,636 illegals. It crossed the 30,000 threshold in June with 30,436 arrests. July and August both saw over 50,000 arrests.

The Department of Homeland Security also reported in August that since President Donald Trump has taken office, more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the United States voluntarily. DHS notes that staying in U.S. detention centers is a choice, as the United States offers streamlined self-deportation with the CBP Home App.

Democrats have been saying for years that the GOP’s approach to deport illegal aliens and reverse open borders policies is structurally and politically untenable. But in a year when deportations spiked across the country, Americans are more supportive of President Trump’s immigration agenda than they were in January, according to new polling.

Ten months into 2026, with deportation numbers in July and then August breaking records for the largest numbers of illegal alien arrests, voters are more supportive of President Trump’s handling of immigration than they were in January of this year.

The New York Times/Siena College survey from Sept. 8–13 asked voters to rank President Trump’s performance on a number of issues, including immigration. While 55 percent of voters disapprove of his immigration strategy, 43 percent approve. This translates into a net approval rating of -12 points on immigration.

In the Times/Siena survey from Jan. 12–17, before deportations of illegal aliens began setting records, voters disapproved of President Trump’s immigration agenda by 18 points, 58 percent to 40 percent. As voters observed Trump’s deportation plan in action, more of them came around to supporting it.

Support for Trump’s immigration strategy shifted at the margins across several demographics since January, but the largest shift occurred among non-college voters, indicating that the original demographic concerned with cheap foreign labor and rising crime is more supportive of the president’s immigration agenda now that it is being enacted.

Non-college voters shifted +9 points toward supporting President Trump’s handling of immigration since January, going from 42 percent approval to 51 percent.

Non-college whites shifted five points toward supporting President Trump’s handling of immigration since January, going from 54 percent support to 59 percent. However, it wasn’t only whites. Non-college minorities improved their support for President Trump’s handling of immigration by three points since January, going from 23 percent approval to 26 percent.

While the largest shift occurred among non-college voters, a core Trump demographic, swing voters shifted toward supporting President Trump on immigration at the margins as well.

Voters under age 30 shifted two points toward supporting the president on immigration, going from 24 percent approval to 26 percent. While not a large move, it questions the narrative that immigration policy is driving young people toward the left.

Immigration policy and deportation show a mixed bag in polling, with the mainstream media constantly pushing the narrative that Trump’s immigration policy is pushing away voters who believe it is too radical. In August, Politico published a poll showing that “half of Americans still say the president’s mass deportation campaign is too aggressive.” That is exactly what the poll found, though presumably the other half did not think so.

When it comes to deporting illegal aliens who have committed other crimes — which the Department of Homeland Security documents with weekly memos detailing the administration’s commitment to deporting the “worst of the worst” including gang members and those convicted of manslaughter, murder, sexual battery, and spousal injury, among many other crimes —support for deportation skyrockets.

A Harvard-HarrisX survey from May 29–31 found overwhelming support for deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, with voters saying 80 percent to 20 percent that these individuals should be deported. Seventy-one percent of Democrats, 90 percent of Republicans, and 79 percent of independents support mass deportation for criminal illegals.

The reality is polls consistently show about half of Americans reject the president’s core immigration premise — that deportation of criminals must be enacted to make the country safer — and about half support it. This is not surprising; a little over half the country voted for President Trump, who made it clear that mass deportations were on the agenda. What is interesting is that as mass deportations have been carried out, support has not deteriorated, instead it has slightly risen.

While polling continues to show a mixed bag of views on immigration, the data shows that Republicans have suffered very little political repercussion for supporting mass deportations, despite vehement warnings from Democrats. The people wanted a reversal of the Biden-era mass influx of illegal aliens, and they voted for exactly that in 2024. Disapproval of President Trump’s immigration policy has decreased, not increased, over the past ten months, which saw record-high numbers of arrests and deportations.

Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.

I was born just before World War II. Shock was common. Kids pretty much yelled that a lot back then. We couldn’t use cuss words. If we did, we’d get our mouths washed out with soap.

Today, I have to say “Holy Cow” every time I turn on my computer. Because….

HISTORY’S REPEATING ITSELF We’re facing things that can hurt our freedom like people were hurt before the American Revolution In 1776. Our founders started the revolution 250 years ago because the king of England had a “wide array of powers” that attacked their ”unalienable rights.”

In 1763, England’s king had “…refused to protect their rights and defend their liberties” and had in essence …”become a tyrant,” according to The National Constitution Center. · The Bill of Rights Institute lists 27 of those rights King George III violated. · The Declaration of Independence lists those “core rights” — dissolving colonial legislatures when they opposed his rules, denying the right to a trial by jury, making judges entirely dependent on his personal will, keeping standing armies in the colonies during peaceful times, ruining local economies by cutting off colonial trade with the rest of the world.

The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, ratified in 1791, protects us from elected officials trying to rule America like a king. We can protest and speak our minds without fear of being arrested by any level of government — state, local or federal.

But now, America has a “ wanna be king.” He’ll keep fighting for a new form of our U.S. government — one he alone can run. To date, he has lost “75 of the 93 First Amendment cases” brought against him. That many cases prove Donald Trump is determined to consolidate total power in the Oval Office, but the courts are winning most First Amendment cases against him.

VOTE NOW

Our freedom has been shielded since 1791 under the First Amendment. It protects freedom of speech, of the press, and the right of people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Our founders warned those freedoms will always have to be protected.

• George Washington — “The spirit of party…serves always to distract.”

• Thomas Jefferson — “Liberty… yields as government gains ground.”

• James Madison — “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands…may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”

• Benjamin Franklin — “A republic… if you can keep it.”

So quit hollering “Holy Cow.” Vote in November. Protect our Republic.

Jodie Sinclair is an award-winning writer who holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and resides in Bandera.