Dear Editor: I found the front page of your April 13 edition with the two contiguous articles concerning wrecks on Texas 46 to be somewhat ironic. In the center top we learn of a man convicted for killing a family of three with his vehicle. Immediately below to the right, the article highlights Bandera County Commissioners’ request to the Texas Department of Transportation to make major improvements to the very same highway in order to avoid the growing number of wrecks. We cannot fault the Commissioners for their action as they are elected officials responding to public pressure; however, motorists should not evade the responsibility of always driving prudently and safely regardless of conditions or the vagaries of others. A driver sentenced to prison for 17 years proves the point. We simply do not have a right to drive the posted speed limit and should always make speed and distance adjustments in the interest of public safety. In fact, the requested TXDOT improvements would require even more driver patience and prudence because of years of single lane traffic and “follow me” pilot car delays. The “definite timelines” requested by the Commissioners will probably fall into the same crater of rectal estimates made nebulous by unforeseen engineering complications and budget shortfalls experienced with other road projects. Intelligent driving would make immediate improvements regardless of when construction begins or ends. Albert Einstein once remarked that only two things are limitless, the universe itself and human stupidity and he wasn’t sure about the universe. Lets prove him wrong.

Donald Stader Lakehills

In February, the Trump administration waived more than two dozen environmental laws to clear the way for a 150-milelong wall through West Texas, including Big Bend and the adjoining state park. Opposition quickly arose from people and politicians from both parties.

The sheriffs of Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Presidio and Terrell counties — a mix of Democrats and Republicans — wrote an open letter that said: “Based on decades of combined experience working with this terrain, we believe that construction of a continuous physical border wall in the Big Bend region would not represent the most practical or strategic approach to border security in this area.”

Now, a map on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website no longer indicates plans to construct a physical wall in the Big Bend region. It is unclear if those plans are final, since the map has been changed several times in the past few weeks.

The rugged area historically has been the least-busy of the nine Border Patrol sectors, accounting for just 1.3% of the 237,538 apprehensions recorded along the entire U.S.-Mexico border during the last fiscal year.

State sued for lack of prison air conditioning The Texas government is now on trial in an Austin federal court to determine whether it must provide air-conditioning in state prisons, kut.org reported. Inmates and their attorneys have argued for decades that summer conditions — where temperatures can reach 110 degrees — constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

“The Constitution requires living conditions that are not exposing individuals to high heat levels, and the evidence has consistently shown that what (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) has done as an alternative has just not been effective,” attorney Brandon Duke said. “It’s not a solution.”

The state counters that it is bringing more AC online at its prisons. Plaintiff attorneys say at least five inmates have died in Texas from heat-related illness since 2023.

TDCJ officials said it would cost $1.5 billion to install air-conditioning systems at all state prisons, and that Texas lawmakers must approve the funding.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pittman is expected to rule from the bench after the trial concludes.

Camp Mystic files application to reopen this summer

Camp Mystic has filed an application with the state to reopen this summer, the Houston Chronicle reported. More than two dozen children and two camp counselors were killed in the July 4 flash floods that swept the camp. The Texas Department of State Health Services, which oversees camp licensing, said it has received complaints about the camp and that it will be “investigated for violations of the laws and rules governing youth camps.”

DSHS has been sued by the parents of nine victims who contend the camp was wrongfully licensed just two days before the disaster last summer, even though it lacked an evacuation plan. In a separate case, a Travis County judge has ordered Camp Mystic to preserve for future examination the cabins and grounds damaged in the floods.

Camp leaders are asking for permission to open its Cypress Lake campus, which they said is “in compliance with all aspects of the state’s new camp safety laws and has implemented additional safety measures that exceed the requirements of those laws.”

Texas public school teacher pay drops

A new report from the University of Houston Education Research Center indicates average pay for Texas public school teachers has dropped about $5,000 over the past decade, the Chronicle reported. The decrease comes even as the cost of living has increased during that time span.

“When we look at those regional differences, there are some increases across the state, but really what we’re seeing is that average teacher salaries haven't kept up with inflation,” said Toni Templeton, the Education Research Center's senior research scientist.

Average base pay for the state’s most experienced teachers, those with 11 or more years of experience, has declined from about $73,000 to about $66,000 in 2024-25, according to the report.

The Legislature has approved pay increases based on teachers’ years of experience, and those raises could show up in future studies.

SpaceX planning what could be biggest-ever IPO Elon Musk’s SpaceX is confidentially planning to sell shares to the public in what could be the largest initial public offering in history, the Austin American- Statesman reported. It has filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission that indicates it could raise as much as $75 billion in an IPO by July.

The confidential filing allows companies to get feedback from regulators without revealing information to competitors. However, SpaceX will have to release a public filing at least 15 days before its IPO “road show,” when it presents its financial plan to potential underwriters and institutional investors.

SpaceX has become the world’s leading commercial rocket launch company. Over the past five years, it has secured $6 billion in contracts from the federal government.

TDI helps stop $400 million Medicare scheme A Texas Department of Insurance investigator and crime analyst played a key role in arresting a Russian national who submitted $400 million in fake Medicare claims. Nikolai Buzolin established a durable medical equipment company in Houston in 2025. He is charged with stealing patients’ and doctors’ identities to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare Part C.

“A few of the patients checked their explanation of benefits and noticed that they were getting medical equipment that they didn't need. And it was coming from doctors they’d never met,” said TDI Fraud Unit investigator Sgt. Kevin Mannion.

FBI agents arrested Buzolin as he was boarding a plane in Los Angeles to Russia. He faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

“TDI works with federal, state and local partners to follow cases wherever they go, whether it's California or right here in Texas,” Mannion said. “We track them down, we shut them down and we help dismantle these criminal activities.”

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

Raising awareness helps promote earlier diagnoses, better access to care, and increased support for research. Just as importantly, it reminds those affected that they are seen and not alone.

I encourage our community to take a moment this month to learn about rare diseases and support efforts that improve the lives of those living with them.

However, People can also be fooled by not being given all the information on a subject, “the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey used to say.

I, for one, do believe that the use of marijuana leads to other illegal drug use or at least the trying of other illegal drugs and the abuse of psychedelic drugs is a national health issue today. Psychedelic drugs are a hallucinogen and are illegal at the federal level but not in CA as you might have guessed. They cause profound changes in perception, mood, and consciousness, often called “trips.”

Just look at the West Coast where drug use is supported by State and Local governments. That’s scientific evidence. The majority of their liberal run cities have turned into drug shitholes and crime is rampant.. Decent people that can afford to are moving to other States by the busloads.

There is ample evidence of that. Yes, people who come to our country not to assimilate but to conquer—and to preach “convert or die”—do “make me a little jumpy, Jenny Hayden” (Starman).

What amazes me is the mainstream media and other liberal speakers has convinced people to put their life’s in danger to defend people that hate America, that steal our tax dollars, that Burn our property and Loot from us, that Murder us, that burn our flag, and who scream death to America and oppose those that are sent out to enforce our laws.

Those law enforcers are American Citizens that live among us with their families and are trying to protect us. If they had the cooperation of local officials, then they wouldn’t be forced to do these mass roundups that innocent people get caught up in.

Yea, I know she was only trying to run over Ice Agents. It’s not like she was doing something crazy like speaking freely at a Utah College Campus.

I mean don’t you have the right in the name of Social Justice to walk up behind the CEO of a corporation and shoot him in the back of the head? But of course, being a white conservative Christianmakesoneanuntrainedgoon and a mercenary nationalist i.e., a Nazi.

I just don’t get it. Many cultures eat animals that Western culture considers pets. The line between pet and food is not universal and is a complex product of human cultural and history and values. Even our society has pets what most consider food such as pigs, rabbits, geese and even fish. While some cultures do eat cats, dogs and horses, many of us would find it totally repulsive.

If you are accustomed to this in your culture and you arrive in a new country, your family is hungry and this food is just running free in the streets, well who knows for sure. The police in Springfield claim that there were no creditable reports of this happening.

By the way at time Ohio and the city of Springfield were solidly RED. Red for Republican. So, if it did happen, I doubt if it was widespread, and it probably helped out the city Animal Control Dept. Ugh!

Ms. Hull stated that if you search for recorded transgender children’s assaults or harassment of other children in restrooms that you won’t find any because there weren’t any. “Zero.” I am not sure what she means by “recorded” as recording devices are not allowed in restrooms. I think she means recorded, like in official reports.

Here’s what I found out. You won’t find any on just a plain old Google search because most Blue States say the reason that they block the reports is “ to protect the rights and privacy of students”. But you can find all kinds of stuff about other children attacking transgender children in restrooms. The reason, they state is that is necessary to report those attacks in order to protect the right of transgender children to use the restroom of their choice and to prevent future attacks.. There doesn’t seem to be any real concern about protecting the rights of non-transgender children. No surprise there, to me. So, I went to an AI application called Gemini. The free part. You have to be very specific and at least have some knowledge that something happened in CA or Va, or elsewhere, or you can’t find any info on transgenders attacking anyone. However, there is no problem finding info about attacks on transgenders. When I asked AI about its double standard of privacy, it informed me that it could no longer help me and if I wanted more info to try one of its paid apps.

Now, explain to me that Google and its Gemini App are not loaded to be Liberal Bias. Oh, please, you know it is!

5/28/21 Stone Bridge HS Ashburn VA -17-year-old male student who identified as a girl attacked a girl in the girl’s restroom. School Board hides assault and transfers student to Broad Run high school. Two months later the transgender attacks another young female. HE is convicted of rape.

Wyoming fox news.com/us/ transgender-Wyoming. transgender attacks 10 year girl in bathroom 9/23 Martin Luther High School In Riverside CA, Transgender student beats up girl in girls bathroom.

3/23 Kenosha Wisconsin, Sun Prairie School District, Naked Transgender student gets into shower with 14-year-year old girls in locker-room after swim class.

The reports are out there, but they are very hard to find due to the privacy laws protecting transgender minors and liberal bias of news blocking. I found several but didn’t refer to any that didn’t show either/or an e-mail contact, dates, or some basic info. Yes, please do fact checks as Ms. Hull suggested.

Yep, Some of the least dangerous people in the world are just wanting to live their peaceful life’s.

Just, Watch your Back and oncoming Vehicles.

John Schuetze Bandera Texas

Especially when one claims to be an Independent when their articles continuely just bash Republicans, Conservatives, Maga and Trump. It’s got to be even harder, claiming to be Purple.

As far as the Washington Post is concerned, we all know it leans far left. So, it’s no surprise that she incorrectly stated that they show Trump has voiced lies 30,573 times. A typical Lib doesn’t always tell the full story. Actually, it is the total of his lies plus his misleading statements that equaled 30,573. One might try Statista. It ranks as Center-Non-Bias and shows 103 lies for Trump.

Now, as far as Health Care for Illegals.

The Working Families Tax Cut Act (WFTCA) that was signed into law, cut nearly 200 Billion of Health Care spending dollars for Illegal Immigrants and Non-Citizens. That was enough to fund Children’s Healthcare for 10 years. The Dems were demanding the repeal of this law for their vote as a condition of keeping the government open for four weeks. It also closed the loophole that allowed CA to fund Medicare for illegals, and five other funding programs covering illegals and non-citizens. So much for immediate fact checking for the truth by Democrats. They find what they want to find and don’t report what didn’t want to find.

The WFTCA Sections are: 71109-10,71117,71201,71301-02, if you are interested in the specific programs and dollars involved for each.

I haven’t met any Maga people who abhor or who get confused by fact checking. I have met Liberals who fact check and then only report those parts of the facts that fit their narrative.

I am sure the outcry has been thunderous from the Left for Trump grabbing the Drug Lord down in Venezuela who was also the Dictator of the Country.

I don’t recall such an outcry when Obama went into Pakistan and pinched Osama bin Laden and then had him dumped dead in the ocean. How about when he used a drone to kill an American citizen in Yemen or the 3 other Americans that got killed by one of the 452 drones that he authorized to be used without congressional authorization. Then you have JFK over in Cuba with the Russian missiles and the Bay of Pigs, Reagan down in El Salvador and Nicaragua and Daddy Bush in Panama. We don’t know about Biden because he was Persistent about Secrecy undermining Transparency.

Minnesota is a good example of massive public funding in a Blue State. Maybe Elon could have caught that mess sooner if the outcry to put the brakes on stopping waste wasn’t so loud. It was racist and starving the poor.

If someone creates false evidence against you, files false charges against you and wrongly changes laws in order to just charge you with a crime, Is it vindictive to seek charges against them?

Sooner or later all Presidents are accused of acting like a King, except maybe Jimmy Carter. Biden was so charged as early as 2022 for his overzealous use of executive orders. He tried canceling student loans; he shut down oil leases on public land. he refused to enforce immigration laws, and he tried to end title 42 for starters.

Being called “the garbage floating in the ocean” probably isn’t is as bad as being called “the enemy within”, but it’s close enough for me.

Two attempts on our Presidents life, Charlie Kirk, Brain Thompson, attacks on Government and Law Enforcement, Burning, Looting and Murder by Antifa and Left -wing groups and the Right is at fault?

If you want statistics on political violence from our government, it’s still there. It depends on where you look and what they call it. FBI.gov=Hate Crimes; Congress.gov=Domestic Terrorism; Justice.gov=Domestic Terrorism: all =Political Violence.

I don’t consider myself a servant to Donald Trump or anyone else for that matter and I haven’t met a Maga person that does either.

In my opinion it takes quite a bit of arrogance for an independent professional to refer to Conservatives as stupid people who easily lie.

If this is what DEI teaches, then I respectfully suggest that one might take their Psychology Degree out to their Horse Barn and use it to clean up.

John Schuetze Bandera, Texas

Lo-Rena Scott Tarpley, Texas

I have listed a few reputable sources for further study below. They all have very similar definitions of ‘fascism’. For example, the Cambridge dictionary says this: ‘a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control of social and economic life, and extreme pride in country and race, with no expression of political disagreement allowed’.

Several such systems have arisen in recent world history: Mussolini’s Italy; Franco’s Spain; and Hitler’s Germany lead the list, with other, lesser known regimes extending the list.

In my last letter, I gave some detail about my family’s views on fascism and our actions against it, and mentioned how several other generations of Americans have actively opposed such regimes on battlefields around the world.

So, we ‘antifascists’ are here to stay (in greater numbers than you might expect) and will continue to actively oppose fascism wherever it rears its ugly head. Are you a fascist or an antifascist?

Disclosure: Any resemblances between the fascist regimes mentioned above, and the current administration in DC are, sadly, real.

‘Proud to Serve’ and ready to serve again, if need be.

James MacMillan Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Ret) Vietnam combat veteran Antifascist

• merriam-webster.com/ dictionary/fascism

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Fascism

• education.cfr.org/learn/ learning-journey/whatdoes- fascism-really-mean/ what-is-fascism#:~:text= What%20does%20 fascism%20mean?

• britannica.com/topic/ fascism

• dictionary.cambridge. org/us/dictionary/ english/fascism

I read with interest the recent Guest Column written by Jodie Sinclair. After reading the column I’ve come to the conclusion that Jodie probably is not a communist, just misguided. Jodie brought up WWII, which is a good place to begin. Why did the German people decide to follow Hitler? The reason was Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment. He knew that if you told a lie enough times, it became a truth to most people. There was an effort to discourage free thought – immediately discount ideas that don’t fit the party line.

Like Jodie I was born in the late 1930s and remember the war effort with paper drives and all manner of things to help win in both the Pacific and in Europe. I remember sitting close to the radio to hear Gabriel Heatter tell us the events of WWII. We always hoped he would begin with his famous opening line: “There’s good news tonight.”

One of the things I was able to do as I got older was to visit several of the Nazi camp sites in Europe. I visited the site of the initial hostilities of WWII and the Danzig area as well as the Japanese city of Nagasaki where the last atomic bomb of WWII was dropped. Visiting these sites was both emotional, educational and inspiring. Between reading and travel I learned so much about human nature and man’s inhumanity toward man.

It appears that Jodie is opposed to what President Trump is doing – but to be fair, we should take a much broader view of history. Look back to the Obama and Biden presidencies and see what was happening then. One example of questionable conduct was when Hillary Clinton began her campaign for President, and the infamous meeting that took place in the oval office when Obama, Biden, Comey, Clapper and Brennan all approved a plan by the Clinton Campaign to fabricate a relationship between Trump and Russia, all to detract from the emerging scandal involving Clinton’s personal email server. If you are unsure if these facts are correct, John Brennan, the Director of the CIA took careful notes detailing it all – including the motivation. The country suffered with this bit of nasty for years. Then open borders, and the lies that the border was secure. And then there is so much more.

Not only look back, but also ahead – the Antisemitic wing of the Democrat party is as rabid as any true Nazi. You best watch those folks; they are playing with fire. At Dachau, Flossenbürg and other sites, I saw the terrible remnants of what antisemitism and hate can produce.

Biden directed Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice to target enemies of his Administration, resulting in multiple indictments against Trump, and his supporters – that wrongfully cost many people their life savings and their livelihood. For what? Jodie listed two things we must do. I would respectfully ask that Jodie add number 3 and 4: 3) Try to have a conversation with someone you disagree with, and try to see events from their perspective.

4) Become a true researcher and search out truth. Do not rely on only one source for information – read several newspapers, watch multiple TV and cable channels, travel as much as you can and talk to people about what is happening to them. Remember the old song: “Don’t believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see.”

Looking at the totality of the Obama/Biden and the Trump Administrations reflects a clear difference. Trump is America first/follow the Constitution and Obama/ Biden were America last, marginalize anyone that objects. When you compare, there is no comparison.

Steve Porter Bandera, TX Steve Porter is a graduate of Boerne High School, lived the American Dream, and did a bit of travel before he retired to Texas.

Usually, Dennis Allyn’s cartoons are thought-provoking and funny.

Not so the one on 19 November. He totally misread and misrepresented the protest at the Courthouse on 15 November.

His cartoon shows a protestor holding a sign that says: ‘America Sucks!’. Had he but read some of the signs actually held by the protestors, he might have realized that they were anything but anti-American. They were antifascist. Even the banner headline on the front page clearly described the protest.

My father fought in Europe against the fascists. My father-in-law fought there, too. My Uncle fought in North Africa against the forces of fascism. I served in Vietnam in opposition to a regime that also displayed several characteristics of fascism. More recent generations have fought in opposition to regimes that could easily fit within the fascist definition.

I’m obviously not an artist, but here is a ‘cartoon’ I’ve drawn expressing my opinion.

Other propositions passed would allow judges to deny bail to people accused of serious crimes and create a $3 billion dementia research fund.

“This legislative session, we delivered the conservative victories Texans demanded,” Gov. Greg Abbott wrote in a statement. “And this November, Texans showed up to enshrine them in the Texas Constitution.”

Nearly 3 million cast ballots statewide Texans showed up in record numbers for the offyear election Nov. 4. Unofficial statewide returns indicate nearly 3 million cast ballots – about 15% of all registered voters in the state, the Austin American- Statesman reported.

That appears to set a record for off-year election turnout in Texas, driven in part by key local issues in larger counties, such as Travis and Bexar.

The statewide leader in voter turnout was tiny Loving County on the Texas- New Mexico border, where more than half of the county’s 140 registered voters cast ballots.

Nelson fighting GOP lawsuit over closed primaries The state’s top election official is fighting a GOP lawsuit that seeks to restrict the state’s primaries to registered party members, the Texas Standard reported. Republican Secretary of State Jane Nelson in her filing said that decision should be left up to state lawmakers, not the courts.

She said that a court ruling now, with the March primaries just a few months away, would “confuse voters, unduly burden election administrators or otherwise sow chaos or distrust in the electoral process.”

The Texas Republican Party claims the state’s open primaries violate a constitutional right to freedom of association. Key Republicans, such as Attorney General Ken Paxton, complain Democratic and independent voters are casting ballots in Republican primaries to back more moderate candidates.

Closing Texas primaries would require overhauling the state’s voter-registration system, requiring changes in state law and taking years to implement, the Standard reported.

Lawmakers filed at least six bills in 2025 to close the primaries but all failed. Nelson said state legislators could take the issue back up in the 2027 session.

Texas sees significant increase in whooping cough The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting a steep increase in pertussis, or whooping cough, this year. Early data indicates Texas has had more than 3,500 reported pertussis cases through October, four times the number reported over the same period last year.

This is the second straight year the state has experienced high increases in pertussis cases, according to DSHS.

Pertussis can cause serious and possibly life-threatening complications in infants and young children who are not fully immunized. About one-third of babies younger than a year old who contract pertussis need to be hospitalized.

Pertussis is a highly contagious illness with early symptoms akin to the common cold. It can lead to extended coughing fits that can last for weeks or even months.

Texas to buy 54,000 acres for new state park The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission last week accepted a gift of a 54,000-acre ranch in the western Hill Country, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The Silver Lake Ranch, about 125 miles west of San Antonio, is being acquired from the Moody Foundation.

“We actually haven’t been using it for a long time,” Elle Moody, with the foundation, said in an interview before the formal vote by the parks commission. “But hopefully it will be in the near future for camping and paddling and mountain biking. So we’re really looking forward to opening it up to the wider public.”

The parcel, located in Kinney and Edwards counties, would be second in size only to Big Bend Ranch State Park, at 300,000 acres and purchased in 1988.

“This is exactly that kind of property that could really help expand or meet the demand for recreational opportunities on public land in Texas,” said Luke Metzger with Environment Texas. “I swear, that’s just some of the prettiest country I’ve ever seen in Texas. It’s just gorgeous out there.”

The money to purchase the ranch would come from the state’s new Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, established in 2023 when voters agreed to allocate $1 billion to create a dedicated revenue stream to increase the state’s parks inventory.

State exceeds 3 million registered businesses Texas has set a record high by exceeding 3 million registered businesses, Gov. Greg Abbott announced.

“This milestone shows the true strength of the Texas economy. Texas is the land of freedom and opportunity where businesses and workers can chart their own path to succeed and thrive,” he said.

The number of registered business entities in the state has more than doubled since 2015, when 1.4 million businesses were registered.

The total includes both businesses incorporated in Texas and out-of-state entities conducting business here. The largest classification is in-state, limited liability companies, or LLCs.

Major Texas airports see flight reductions during shutdown Four Texas airports will have the number of daily flights reduced by 10% by Nov. 14, as the government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers, working without pay, increasingly call in sick or are otherwise absent.

Various news reports Monday indicated there may be a light at the end of the tunnel, with movement in the U.S. Senate signaling an end soon to the shutdown.

The Dallas Morning News reported the reduction at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport could mean 96 fewer flights a day, or more than 13,000 fewer seats. Dallas Love Field is seeing cuts of 20 flights a day, or roughly 3,000 seats.

In Houston, both Houston International Airport and William P. Hobby Airport also have seen flight reductions.

The airports have experienced major delays during the shutdown.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

The government shutdown is now entering its second month. Democrats say they will not vote to reopen the government unless the subsidies are extended. Republicans say they will not consider extending the subsidies until federal workers start getting paid again.

Nearly 4 million Texans signed up for ACA coverage during the last enrollment period, a number that health experts predict will drop by as much as 1 million if the subsidies end.

Most people who choose ACA are not able to obtain employer-sponsored insurance – the most common method – or they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid.

The nonprofit health policy group KFF projects Texans who now receive the ACA subsidies will see their premiums rise by 115%, or $456 a year, if they are not extended.

Paxton sues Tylenol company over autism claims Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the makers of Tylenol, accusing Johnson and Johnson of failing to warn women about the potential risk of taking acetaminophen while pregnant, claiming it is a possible cause of autism.

The Texas Standard reported the lawsuit is the first of its kind from a state government. It comes a few weeks after U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discouraged pregnant women from taking the drug.

Paxton, who is running in the GOP primary against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, said in a statement that “by holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.”

There are conflicting medical studies concerning the effects of acetaminophen on pregnant women. Brian Lee, a Drexel University epidemiologist who headed one of the largest studies, said that while more research is needed, “The needle is pointing strongly toward there being no causal effect of acetaminophen use during pregnancy on autism.”

Poll: Many residents oppose sending Texas soldiers to other states A poll released last week shows slightly more than half of Texans do not support Gov. Greg Abbott’s deployment of National Guard soldiers stationed in Texas to cities outside the state, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Politics Project found 51% oppose the deployment with 43% strongly opposed. Only 41% support the move, with 24% strongly supporting it.

Abbott last month agreed to send 200 Texas troops to Chicago at Trump’s request. However, a judge blocked that deployment, and the troops remain stationed outside the city.

‘Financial literacy’ class now required in high school Texas is now the 30th state to offer financial literacy classes, with a half-credit to be offered starting with the graduating class of 2029, according to The Dallas Morning News. The Texas Education Agency plans to send school districts a list of companies that will offer free curriculum.

John Pelletier, director of the Center for Financial Literacy in Vermont, says the extra classes address what he terms “financial fragility.” He notes lack of proper money management is a key reason only half of Americans could come up with $2,000 in an emergency.

He added the pandemic showed how unemployment levels could jump almost overnight, leaving people who have not saved or are in serious debt at greater risk of financial catastrophe.

Court: Texas judges not required to perform same-sex weddings In a comment added to the state’s judicial conduct code, the Texas Supreme Court said that Texas judges who decline to perform a wedding ceremony based on a “sincerely held religious belief” are not violating the state’s rules on judicial impartiality, keranews.

org reported.

This could have statewide implications for gay marriage and possibly play a role in a federal lawsuit attempting to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.

Texas Supreme Court clerk Blake Hawthorne said the court cannot comment on the rule change.

“The order speaks for itself, and the court cannot comment on its connection to pending litigation,” Hawthorne said.

Hundreds of ‘zombie’ wells found in single Texas county Researchers at the University of Houston have identified more than 600 non-operating oil wells in Reeves County — known as “zombie wells” — that are either leaking or are at high risk of doing so, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Two related problems – uncapped orphan wells and plugged wells that leak – pose a serious threat to Texas groundwater, as oil, salty wastewater and other fluids can contaminate aquifers.

With hundreds of thousands of wells across Texas, the potential for leaking wells is high, officials said. The researchers hope to pair machine learning – a subfield of artificial intelligence – with satellite imagery, wastewater-injection data and wellbore data to identify which wells pose the highest risks.

The Texas Railroad Commission announced last month the number of orphaned wells in Texas has increased by almost 1,400 this year, topping more than 10,000 for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

At the July 4th floods, mental health teams were there. In the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting, they were there. Every single day, our mobile crisis outreach teams work side by side with police departments and sheriff’s offices, responding to some of the most vulnerable moments in people’s lives. When someone is in crisis, when families don’t know where to turn, when the emergency is invisible but no less urgent—these professionals are the ones who respond.

They are deployed to every disaster, large and small. They are the calm voice that talks someone back from the edge. They are the trained professional who knows that not every crisis requires handcuffs, but every crisis requires compassion. They bridge the gap between emergency response and long-term healing, understanding that trauma doesn’t end when the immediate danger passes.

First responders come in many forms. They wear badges and carry the tools of their trade. They drive patrol cars and unmarked sedans. They speak the language of de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and evidence-based intervention. Our mental health crisis teams are firefighters for the soul, paramedics for the psyche, and anchors of stability when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

Yet they remain the unsung heroes of our community. While their work is often conducted away from cameras and commendations, its impact reverberates through families, neighborhoods, and lives saved. They operate effectively because they must, quietly because that’s what the work demands, and tirelessly because our community needs them.

It’s time we expand our understanding of what it means to be a first responder. It’s time we acknowledge that mental health professionals don’t just support first responders; they are first responders. They deserve our recognition, our resources, and our respect.

The next time crisis strikes our community, remember: help arrives in many forms. And some of the most powerful responders carry no weapon other than expertise, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to seeing every person through their darkest hour.

Sincerely, Tod Citron Chief Executive Officer Hill Country MHDD Centers Kerrville Editor’s Note: This letter is in response to Susan Hull’s column in last week’s Bulletin.

Newspaper Headlines proclaim that the President has issued a “massive, sweeping, wide ranging” executive order on something or the other. But during the Biden Administration no one was hollering that such a “massive, sweeping, wide-ranging” Executive Order was issued by one man. Yes, all President’s, not just Republican are responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress. Not to make the laws, but to enforce them. At least, that’s what it says under Article II of the Constitution. Trump is not the first President to use his office to believe his office was invested with Kingly powers. Both President George W Bush and President Barack Obama used executive orders to grant themselves extraordinary powers to deal with terrorism. Lawmaking done by the President is a clear usurpation of the powers granted to Congress and the States.

Ms. Hull is correct about Congress setting a separation of powers in the Constitution. She is also correct that we conservatives would be concerned if Obama and Biden did things like Trump and would have a great outcry..

However, because most Democrats are probably not concerned or just never seem to remember, here are some Constitutional Violations by Clinton, Obama and Biden.

Chrysler Bailout, contravened bankruptcy laws favoring a junior creditor over secured ones Affordable Care Act-passed without direct congressional approval IRS Political Profiling Labor Board appointments during Congressional recess overturned by SCOTUS The weaking of sexual harassment allegations and free speech on College Campus Clean Power Plan was deemed EPA overreach by SCOTUS Waters of the US order was also ruled an overreach First Amendment Violation with the Net Neutrality Act (Internet) EPA’s Cap and Trade policy on carbon emissions was declared a violation because Congress had already refused to pass such a bill.

Obama declared: “We’re not just going to be waiting for legislation... I’ve got a pen. And I’ve got a phone, and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward” No, Left outrage with that little speech.

Clinton aide Paul Begala once boasted: Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Kind of cool.”

Yep, Cool with the Left. Trump: I have an Article II, where I have a right to do whatever I want as president.”

The Left has a STROKE!!! But that’s our weakness on the right, we don’t accept everything blindly as claimed and we do admit that our leaders can make mistakes and sometimes have a big mouth.

Then there are the little things like the Russian Hoax, collusion with Social Media Companies to limit Conservatives voices, hide damaging evidence during an election, false gov. reports to newspapers, destroying sim cards, smashing cell phones, bleaching computers, private servers for gov. computers, destroying e-mails, government records in cars and garages and pushing a Presidential candidate through with no primary election. Dangers to Democracy? Not if the Left does it.

The Left says the Right are racist, bigots, sexist, fascist, deplorable, floating garbage and a threat to democracy. That’s if we just disagree with them. Then they kill a Christian man who just tried to talk with them . They have tried to kill our current President, twice. They killed the first President from our party because of his stance on slavery. BS to their argument that the parties have switches beliefs. Remember Martha Vineyards. How can you support a party of Baby Killers, child mutilators, city Burners, Looters and Murders and law enforcement haters in the name of social justice?

As far as the Health Care issue is concerned, Both sides of the aisle speak between the lines. The reality of how people get health care doesn’t match either side’s portrayal.

Yes, The Federal Gov, prohibits the spending of taxpayer money to provide healthcare for illegal aliens. They are ineligible for federal health care plans including Medicaid and Medicare and Insurance plans under the Affordable Care marketplace. However, Federal Money will pick up the tab if they go to a hospital to get care. The Blue States and Cities even pass laws to give benefits to illegals. Give me a break, whose money are they using?

The extension of covid era subsides lowered premiums and lower qualifications to add other people to the plans. . Republicans in Congress claim the Pandemic is over and the extensions were too high, As for me, the Democrats can stay out of the Republican Primary.

Sources: CATO Institute Blog Article 11/01/23 about King Biden US Constutition.net

John Schuetze Bandera, Texas

There are two proposed changes to the homestead exemption.

Prop 13 would raise the exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for all homeowners. The amendment’s authors say it would save homeowners an average of $363 annually. Prop 11 would raise the tax exemption for disabled Texans and those 65 and older from the current $10,000 to $60,000, bringing their total homestead exemption to $200,000.

The additional property- tax exemptions would cost the state $4 billion in property-tax revenue over the next two years.

Prop 9 would raise the tax exemption for businesses’ personal property from $2,500 to $125,000. Other propositions include small property-tax cuts for specific groups, such as surviving spouses of deceased veterans.

Prop 4 would create a $1 billion annual fund for water infrastructure projects, financed by state sales-tax revenue. Half of the money, if it passes, would go for new water projects. The other half would go to fix deteriorating infrastructure.

A nonpartisan explanation of all 17 propositions provided by the Texas Legislative Council can be found at https://tinyurl. com/mt3yjwfd.

Early voting lasts through Oct. 31. The election is Nov. 4.

Austin state Rep. Hinojosa running against Abbott State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, has joined the race for governor, the Austin American-Statesman reported. She accused incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, seeking his fourth term of being beholden to wealthy donors.

“Our fight right now is against the billionaires and the corporations who are driving up prices, closing our neighborhood schools and cheating Texans out of basic health care. That’s who Greg Abbott works for,” she said in a video announcing her campaign.

Hinojosa has served in the House since 2017 and fought against the school-voucher plan passed earlier this year.

Also running so far in the Democratic primary are Andrew White, a Houston businessman and son of the late Gov. Mark White; Bobby Cole, a rancher and retired firefighter; and Bay City Councilman Benjamin Flores.

Parental-rights law leaves families, school nurses confused A new form required after passage of the state’s new education law has left both parents and school nurses confused, the Texas Standard reported. Senate Bill 12, which was billed as a parental-rights law, requires parental permission before a school employee can provide physical or mental health care.

Unclear wording in a few paragraphs is being blamed by some for the confusion. School nurses worry they might unknowingly break the new law, according to Becca Harkleroad, executive director of the Texas School Nurses Organization.

“The law was very clear that if you provided any services without written consent, disciplinary action was coming your way,” she said. “So that gave a lot of people pause.”

The bill’s authors, state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and former state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, acknowledged the confusion and urged educators “not to suspend common sense when it comes to providing basic care for the children at their schools.”

Leach and Creighton have asked the Texas Education Agency to provide “consistent and clear guidance” to schools on how to implement the law. That guidance was released last month, but Jack Frazee with the Texas Nurses Association said he is awaiting additional details from TEA to provide more clarity.

Forest service awards $164 million to volunteer fire departments Texas A&M Forest Service has approved $164 million in funding for Texas volunteer fire departments to purchase 558 fire trucks and 321 slip-on units through a grant program established in 2001.

The state uses a tiered approach to wildfire response, with local VFDs as the first on the scene, followed by state response if needed.

“Texas fire departments are the front line of local response, and their equipment capacity is vital to response time and effectiveness,” said Al Davis, Texas A&M Forest Service director. “This historic funding reflects the strong support of the Texas Legislature and governor. Their investment allows us to continue supporting and equipping firefighters who protect Texas lives and property.”

Texas continues to rank tops in trade With 32 official ports of entry and two intermodal- logistics facilities to connect different modes of transport, Texas continues to lead the nation in overall value of trade commodities, according to the state Comptroller’s Office.

The state’s trade value fell to $634.6 billion during the 2020 COVID pandemic but has increased by 67.6% since then, to $1.1 trillion.

Port Laredo leads the country in total trade with $339.5 billion of commodities coming through that port of entry. Port Houston ranks first in the nation in exports flowing out of the port at $129.9 billion.

Another dry, hot October for most of Texas This month is shaping up to be a repeat of last October, with much of the state staying both drier and warmer than average, according to Dr. Mark Wentzel, hydrologist with the Texas Water Development Board. By the end of September, 24% of the state was in drought, up four percentage points from late August.

While a very wet July slowed down the expansion of drought conditions, soil moisture across the state has been much reduced since. With 40% of the state now classified as abnormally dry, the National Weather Service is predicting drought conditions to expand to cover most of Texas. The next few months are expected to be warmer and drier than normal in the state.

Those dry conditions are increasing the chances of wildfires. The forest service now classifies Texas at Level 3 in what it calls Wildland Fire Preparedness Levels, with wildfire activity affecting several regions. Level 5 is the highest level.

As of Sunday, there were three active wildfires in Texas, the largest being the 195-acre Bronco Creek fire in Wheeler County in the Panhandle. It was 75% contained.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com

Regular folk want to live their lives, prospering their businesses and families without a lot of “expert” interference from bureaucrats who reject traditional wisdom because it’s not progressive. Unfortunately for us regular folk, there is no indication that the experts ever intend to relent.

The experts are aggressively fixing things that ain’t broke, as if they were smart phone updaters. Unlike the usual suspects; I’ve been quiet for a year, because yes, Ms Hull, I did vote for this and will be happy to see a lot more of the same...not as you characterize it, but as it has really come about.

I won’t repeat last year’s writing on the absence of a Biblical case for uncontrolled immigration, the phony “Border Security & Combating Fentanyl Act”, misuse of taxation, or misunderstanding of economics, biology and nature but reiterate the questions: “Why would we ascribe any credibility to people who quote the Bible and the Constitution when they understand nor support the wisdom in either?” “Why do you believe anyone who promotes policy as “protecting the children” when they promote trafficking of unaccompanied minors, transgenderism, which seems to be a globalist scheme to limit population growth, and turn public education over to Marxist bureaucrats, not a few of whom are anti-family practitioners of perversion?”

Progressives has been hostile to the Founders’ Constitutional vision since before Woodrow Wilson. They believe it needs to be supplanted by experts who have studied science and know better than myth-believing religious people.

History has proven the Founders correct in that we mortals are not angels and require checks and balances on our decisions. More recently, we have learned from the Covid19 pandemic that a higher scientific education is no guarantee of ethical morality.

I gently remind all that the Democrat administration coordinated with the legacy media, leftist oligarchs and globalists to sideline the former President while they ran the government with shadowy autopen empowered insiders and un-Democratically selected as his replacement the least popular participant in their party primary, along with her Chinese Communist party favorite running mate, Tim Walz.

Almost all have openly proven their animosity toward Christians, traditionalists, the pro-American movement and support for all anti-Americans. Daily, from whistle-blowers we are having the criminal conspiracies confirmed that have been perpetrated over the past few years from the treason with Russia to the contrived January 6, 2020 “insurrection” hoax.

They are now engaged in running out the clock on many well-deserved prosecutions, trusting in the naivete of the American people they hope will believe the lawyers proclaiming none guilty until they are heard in a court of law, regardless of how many times their hand picked judges refuse to hear solid evidence.

Some normal people want to ignore the criminality, longing for a return to American unity, but unity is not a first thing. Unity only comes after a people find common values to unify around, as in honesty to start.

Everyone likes to think of themselves as righteous and upright. Christians and Jews recognize their failures and confess their sin to a merciful God, refining their righteousness. They believe the Biblical doctrine that all mankind was created by God and carries His image, thus a re deserving of respect. Acts 10:34 ...”In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.” A path that admits all is the only one that can lead to unity. Progressives count themselves righteous because their progressivism is their religion, needing no guidance from God. Because they are of the Left, they have no need of forgiveness and along with the Islamists, think it righteous to lie and abuse unbelievers and opponents.

Both regularly demonize Christians, Jews, white people, and MAGA supporters, and paradoxically expect unity, which would actually mean capitulation. Europe is further along in backlash against the conflict of values caused by uncontrolled immigration from Islamic countries almost to the point of civil war.

EU cities often have Muslim mayors, no-go neighborhoods and New York City is about to follow. This is not racism...Islam is not a race; it is an incompatible culture fundamentally at odds with Western Civilization. Currently, with lies, violence and criminal behavior directed toward the Lefts’ opposition, situational ethics is the only kind we have.

The legislation that comes out of Congress, often with support from agents of both parties, while it’s labeled with great sounding names are anything but the name presented for public consumption. The bills’ incompleteness suits the laziness and desire to avoid accountability of both parties.

Remember Nancy Pelosi, upon delivering the Obamacare bill, saying in words to the effect, “Well, we had to pass the bill to find out what was in it!?” The bills are passed, then entrenched administrative bureaucracies go to work on the detailed rules they will impose on the public, disregarding the Constitution. They have the benefit of then having their own magistrates decide challenges to them. Even though ignorance of the law is guaranteed by such a system, it is still no excuse and you are subject to losing your property and livelihood over it, and possibly custody of your children.

The Democrat administration created the border crisis and are desperate to maintain it. Because they are losing support in the constituencies they thought they had locked up; they desperately need to import new populations of poorer, uneducated and easily manipulated voters.

Completely ignoring its attendant costs and their responsibility for the crushing inflation we’re experiencing, they are currently insisting on restoring Biden level spending. This time many non-essential political patronage jobs and un-productive bureaucracies may go on the chopping block. Driven by emotion rather than reason, progressives do not support military, police and fire who only interfere in their maniacal destruction of our way of life.

Contrary to reason, they support lawless behaviour.

John Brooks Parker Bandera, TX

September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month—a time to confront a subject often shrouded in silence and stigma.

Many fear that simply discussing suicide could incite thoughts of self-harm in those they care about. However, this misconception couldn’t be further from the truth.

World Suicide Prevention Day, observed on September 10th, serves as a powerful reminder that open conversations about suicide and suicidal ideation can break down barriers and diminish stigma.

These discussions pave the way for critical dialogues on mental health, potentially saving lives.

In Texas, suicide tragically stands as the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24.

Yet, it remains a profoundly preventable tragedy. Those contemplating suicide often show subtle warning signs—whether through their words, actions, or changes in behavior.

By familiarizing ourselves with these warning signs and understanding how to respond, we can collectively make a life-saving difference.

Now is the time to come together in the fight against this crisis. Reach out to those who have been impacted by suicide, amplify awareness, and help connect individuals grappling with suicidal thoughts to professional counselors and treatment services that can provide vital support.

If you know someone carrying the heavy burden of depression or contemplating suicide, it’s crucial to seek help immediately.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a beacon of hope, providing free, 24/7 support for anyone in emotional distress or crisis. Trained counselors and mental health professionals are available around the clock to lend an empathetic ear and guidance to anyone in need.

SEE SUICIDE PREVENTION LETTER, PAGE 5 Another invaluable resource is The Jason Foundation (JFI), a national leader in suicide prevention year-round, not just in September.

JFI is dedicated to raising awareness and providing educational programs aimed at equipping youth, parents, educators, and communities with the knowledge and tools necessary to identify and support at-risk youth. Their commitment is profound—JFI has never charged a school, community, or individual for its programs or resources.

Visit The Jason Foundation’s website to dive deeper into the issues surrounding youth suicide, recognize the warning signs, and discover how you can be part of a solution that makes a real difference.

To learn more or to find the nearest Jason Foundation Affiliate Office, visit JasonFoundation.com

Scott Knight Hendersonville, TN

After two special sessions ended without lawmakers agreeing on how to regulate the state’s THC market, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order restricting the use of products infused with the psychoactive cannabis compound to adults age 21 and older, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The order goes into effect immediately and comes after Abbott vetoed an outright ban on THC products passed during the regular session and championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

“Absent the kinds of regulations that apply to other psychoactive substances that may safely be enjoyed by adults like alcohol and tobacco, minors have been allowed to purchase these products without any safeguards,” Abbott said in his order. “The Legislature did not pass any legislation concerning consumable hemp products, not even a ban for minors, leaving in place the status quo.”

Texas outlawed THC vapes effective Sept. 1, but other products such as snacks, gummies and drinks are still legally available for anyone 21 and older. Since hemp products became legal in 2019, more than 8,000 retailers across the state are selling them.

Talarico launches U.S. Senate campaign

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, announced last week he is entering the Democratic primary next March for U.S. Senate. The San Antonio Express-News reported Talarico hopes a new face and approach will give Democrats a chance to garner their first statewide win in more than three decades.

Talarico faces Collin Allred, the former Dallas congressman who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, and former NASA astronaut Terry Verts in the Democratic primary. Others could enter that race as well.

Incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn is facing a stiff challenge on the Republican side from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“There’s a moment here where I think people are ready for something very different,” Talarico said. “It’s been 10 years of Trumpian politics, politics as blood sport, politics as professional wrestling. And I think people are tired of it.”

Texas troopers take in millions in overtime pay 

State troopers dispatched to the border under Operation Lone Star are taking in millions of dollars in overtime pay, even as border crossings have dropped to record lows, the Houston Chronicle reported. Data obtained by Hearst Newspapers indicates the Department of Public Safety is on track to spend about $77 million on overtime this year, surpassing what it spent in 2023 when crossings peaked and thousands of migrants were arrested.

As of June, about one in 10 troopers were on track to double their annual salaries through overtime. Operation Lone Star now accounts for a third of DPS’ total overtime spending.

DPS officials say their focus is shifting from policing the Rio Grande to arresting drug smugglers and human traffickers across the state and assisting ICE in finding immigrants with outstanding warrants.

“It is true, you no longer see troopers simply stationed along the riverbanks — that is not where they are needed at this time,” said Ericka Miller, a DPS spokeswoman. “Troopers, special agents, Texas Rangers and others are working at various locations — some many miles from the physical border — to apprehend criminals and criminal illegal immigrants and crack down on crime connected to the border including drug cases, human smuggling, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, stash houses and more.”

Cost of owning a home in Texas on the rise 

Despite lawmakers’ efforts to dramatically reduce property taxes, the cost of owning a home in Texas grew in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Texas Tribune reported other home ownership costs, such as insurance and utilities, have eaten into money saved on property taxes. The median Texas homeowner last year paid $1,452 in monthly costs – up 2.7% from 2023.

Texas homeowners’ monthly costs last year were about 7% higher than in 2019, and the typical Texas homeowner with a mortgage spent 22.2% of their income on home costs.

Texas renters are seeing some relief after several years of steep rent hikes. The median Texas rent rose 1.4% in 2024, a slower pace than the previous two years.

Permian Basin counties drive U.S. oil growth 

Eight Texas counties within the Permian Basin accounted for 93% of the nation’s oil output growth over the past four years, the Houston Chronicle reported. That production growth comes even as employment numbers have stagnated or dropped.

“We are, through midyear 2025, producing record volumes of crude oil and natural gas in Texas, with fully 1/3 fewer direct upstream oil and gas employees in Texas compared to the industry peak in 2014,” said Karr Ingham, president of the Alliance of Texas Energy Producers. “That is an otherworldly achievement in terms of efficiency and productivity growth, and in many respects releases those resources to other endeavors.”

When oil production from two New Mexico counties included in the Permian Basin are added, the 10 counties account for almost 40% of the country’s total crude oil and lease condensate output.

Flea-borne typhus making comeback in Texas 

Typhus is making a comeback in Texas, carried by fleas despite having almost been eradicated in previous decades, the Texas Standard reported.

The state has reported the most flea-borne typhus cases in the nation, with more than 6,700 recorded from 2008-2023. About 70% of patients were hospitalized, and 14 deaths are attributed to typhus.

Some officials attributed the increase in typhus cases to climate change, saying warmer conditions allow fleas to reproduce faster and spread the typhus bacteria.

Symptoms include fever, headache, rash and cough, and in rare cases more serious illnesses if left untreated. Typhus is successfully treated with antibiotics.

State health officials emphasize flea control for pets, yard cleanup (removing brush and outdoor food sources that attract rodents and opossums), and promptly seeking care for unexplained fever — especially after flea bites or exposure to pets and wildlife.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.

The Texas Tribune reported the redrawn map, which could give Republicans five additional congressional seats in 2026, has been challenged by two law firms filing on behalf of 13 Texas residents collectively called “the Gonzales plaintiffs.”

In addition, the NAACP, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Mexican American Legislative Caucus have joined the League of United Latin American Citizens in two additional suits against Abbott that call the maps unconstitutional and “intentionally discriminatory.”

Abbott’s office defended the maps. Andrew Mahaleris, the governor’s press secretary, said they allow “more Texans to vote for the candidate of their choice,” noting Hispanic Texans are increasingly moving away from Democrats.

A 2021 suit filed by LULAC over the maps drawn after the 2020 census is still pending in court.

House passes bill requiring sirens in some flood-prone areas Flood sirens will be required in areas identified by the Texas Water Development Board under a Senate bill approved by the state House last week. Under the measure, TWDB would have to identify areas that have a history of severe flooding. In those areas, either the county or the city would be required to install and regularly test warning sirens, The Dallas Morning News reported.

SB3 allocates $50 million over the next two years to help cities and counties pay for the sirens, but they must submit a proposal to receive funding. The move comes after the July Fourth Hill Country floods killed at least 137 people, including 27 campers and staff members at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River.

“We must rely on proven technology like outdoor warning systems,” said state Rep. Terry Wilson, R-Georgetown.

Certain foreign nationals now banned from buying land in Texas As of Sept. 1, people with ties to China, Iran, North Korea or Russia have been banned from buying most Texas property, including farmland, homes and commercial property, the Texas Standard reported. People in the state on student or work visas from those countries may buy a single home to live in but are barred from purchasing additional properties.

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, authored the bill and called it “the strongest protection national security bill of any state passed.”

If a person violates the law, they could face a state jail felony and fines.

Two Chinese nationals living in Texas filed suit in July, arguing the ban violates constitutional protections.

“It’s discriminating against Chinese people, it’s discriminating against immigrants,” said Justin Sadowsky, legal director at the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance and attorney for the plaintiffs.

The suit was dismissed by a federal judge in August, but the plaintiffs have taken the case to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

New proposed ban on THC has stalled A bill to ban hemp-derived THC products in the state has stalled with the state’s top two officials at loggerheads over the issue. The Houston Chronicle reported Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is still pushing a ban after Abbott vetoed a similar bill in the regular session. Abbott called the first special session after vetoing the THC ban, arguing instead for a more regulated approach. “The regulated market would be very comprehensive,” Abbott said. “It would regulate it at the farming-based level, the wholesale level, the distributor and the retailer.” A total ban would affect more than 8,500 businesses across the state that sell hemp-derived products, some of which contain amounts of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. While Patrick and Abbott have largely agreed in the past on major issues, that is not the case with the THC ban. Patrick said this is “probably the biggest one we’ve ever disagreed on, particularly openly.”

East Texas water export delayed by study An attempt by a Dallas investor to export East Texas groundwater likely will be delayed at least two years after lawmakers approved a water development board study of the plan’s effects. The Houston Chronicle reported state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, authored the bill after investor Kyle Bass applied for exploratory permits for wells that could pump more groundwater in Anderson and Henderson counties than was now available.

The Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer spans East Texas from Louisiana to Mexico, supplying many towns in that region with groundwater. The bill requires TWDB to determine how much groundwater can be pumped “in perpetuity” without affecting the local groundwater district’s 50year plan.

Harris has also filed legislation to overturn the rule of capture. That rule has historically allowed landowners to pump however much groundwater is below their property, even if it negatively affects their neighbors. He said he intends to address the rule of capture during the 2027 session.

“We really do need to take the interim and the full session to have those hard debates that are going to come,” he said.

House OKs making ivermectin available without prescription The Texas House last week passed a bill that would make ivermectin, used primarily to treat livestock for parasites but sometimes prescribed to humans, available to Texans without a prescription. The Texas Tribune reported the vote came after a lively debate along party lines. Its sponsor, state Rep. Joanne Shofner, R-Nacogdoches, argued her bill championed medical freedom.

The drug gained popularity during the pandemic as a treatment for COVID-19 before a vaccine became available. Prior to the pandemic, it had been used as a treatment for humans carrying certain tropical or subtropical parasites.

If signed into law, ivermectin would not be on the counter but could be dispensed without a prescription at pharmacies, similarly to how cold and cough medicines such as pseudoephedrine are given.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.

September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month—a time to confront a subject often shrouded in silence and stigma. Many fear that simply discussing suicide could incite thoughts of self-harm in those they care about. However, this misconception couldn’t be further from the truth.

World Suicide Prevention Day, observed on September 10th, serves as a powerful reminder that open conversations about suicide and suicidal ideation can break down barriers and diminish stigma. These discussions pave the way for critical dialogues on mental health, potentially saving lives.

In Texas, suicide tragically stands as the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24. Yet, it remains a profoundly preventable tragedy. Those contemplating suicide often show subtle warning signs— whether through their words, actions, or changes in behavior. By familiarizing ourselves with these warning signs and understanding how to respond, we can collectively make a life-saving difference.

Now is the time to come together in the fight against this crisis. Reach out to those who have been impacted by suicide, amplify awareness, and help connect individuals grappling with suicidal thoughts to professional counselors and treatment services that can provide vital support.

If you know someone carrying the heavy burden of depression or contemplating suicide, it’s crucial to seek help immediately. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a beacon of hope, providing free, 24/7 support for anyone in emotional distress or crisis. Trained counselors and mental health professionals are available around the clock to lend an empathetic ear and guidance to anyone in need.

Another invaluable resource is The Jason Foundation (JFI), a national leader in suicide prevention year-round, not just in September. JFI is dedicated to raising awareness and providing educational programs aimed at equipping youth, parents, educators, and communities with the knowledge and tools necessary to identify and support at-risk youth. Their commitment is profound—JFI has never charged a school, community, or individual for its programs or resources. Visit The Jason Foundation’s website to dive deeper into the issues surrounding youth suicide, recognize the warning signs, and discover how you can be part of a solution that makes a real difference. To learn more or to find the nearest Jason Foundation Affiliate Office, visit JasonFoundation.com

State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, announced the Democrats departed Texas to break the quorum and stymie a vote in that chamber.

“This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity,” Wu said in a statement. “Governor (Greg) Abbott has turned the victims of a historic tragedy into political hostages in his submission to (President) Donald Trump.”

Wu was referring to bills pending in the special session addressing the July 4 floods that killed at least 137 people in the Hill Country and nearby counties.

Democratic advisers told The News the lawmakers will use Chicago as their base but plan to travel across the state to rally supporters to their cause.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blasted the fleeing Democrats.

“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested and brought back to the Capitol immediately,” he wrote on X.

Republican lawmakers hope to gain five more seats in the U.S. House under a redistricting map unveiled last week during the ongoing special session, which was voted out of committee Sunday and sent to the full House.

The primary changes would be to urban districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin-San Antonio and South Texas regions.

The unusual mid-decade redistricting comes at Trump’s behest in hopes the GOP can hold on to a majority in the House after the 2026 general election.

Texas Democrats in Congress called it an illegal attempt to dilute the state’s minority voices.

“This map is a disaster — crafted to divide neighborhoods and rig the game for Donald Trump,” U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, said in a statement. “It’s a desperate move from a party losing its grip on a changing state.”

Meanwhile, a growing number of Texas Republican legislators are rejecting assertions by the U.S. Department of Justice that the current district maps, drawn in 2021 by a Republican majority, violate voters’ rights.

“I want to say right now, I don’t think the map that is in place for Congress today is discriminatory,” state Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, said Tuesday.

The special session ends Aug. 19. However, Abbott is free to call another special session if he wishes.

Abbott on Monday issued orders to the Department of Public Safety to “locate, arrest and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans.,” according to a prepared release.

Abbott hopes to cut taxes by limiting local spending The Legislature reduced homeowners’ property taxes by $3.5 billion in the last regular session. Now the governor wants to further reduce taxes by capping how much cities and counties can hike spending, The News reported.

Abbott wants to do that by tying local spending increases to population growth and inflation, which would be similar to existing limits on state spending.

He plans to push the issue much as he did with school vouchers and bail restrictions passed by the Legislature earlier this year.

“I’m just thinking, well, it worked with these two strategies, maybe it’s time to employ the same strategy as it concerns property taxes,” Abbott said in June.

While school districts make up most of the tax bills, cities and counties are being scrutinized for spending practices as well.

“There is a growing recognition at the Capitol that it doesn’t matter how much money we put toward tax relief, if we don’t do things to control the appetite of local government, they’ll just eat it up,” said James Quintero of the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Local jurisdictions already must get voter approval to raise property taxes more than 3.5%, and larger cities and counties are also banned from slashing law-enforcement spending, which is usually a major part of their budgets.

The policy director of the Texas Conference of Urban Counties expressed concern about Abbott’s proposal.

“We house the state’s prisoners, we build the state’s roads, we run the state’s elections, we care for the indigent population, health care — all of those are state responsibilities that they put down on the counties to do, all the while saying, ‘cut your property taxes’ — and now, ‘cut your expenditures,’” Adam Haynes said.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin, and Cedar Park. Email:gborders@ texaspress.com.

Copyright © 2025 Texas Press Association, All rights reserved.

Trump maintains strong support among his base, with 93 percent of his 2024 voters approving of his job performance and only 3.5 percent disapproving. Among Harris voters, 6.6 percent now approve of Trump, while 91 percent still disapprove.

However, when non-voters are included, the picture shifts. Just 22.8 percent of non-voters approve of Trump, with 47 percent disapproving. That brings his total approval down to 45.7 percent with 46.8 percent disapproving.

A similar pattern appears in the 2026 generic congressional ballot. Among 2024 voters, Democrats lead Republicans narrowly, 46 percent to 45.2 percent. But when 2024 non-voters are added, the Democratic lead grows slightly to 44 percent to 41.5 percent, with 14.4 percent undecided.

Notably, 9.3 percent of Trump voters are still undecided about their 2026 vote, compared to 6 percent of Harris voters. That leaves Republicans with a small but important persuasion opportunity to bring those Trump voters back to the polls in a midterm year that typically favors the opposition party.

Democrats, meanwhile, may be concerned by how slim their margin is. In past wave elections, like the 2006 and 2018 midterms, Democrats held much larger leads. In 2006, polls showed Democrats up by 11.5 points on the generic ballot; in 2018, they led by over 7 points. Right now, they’re only ahead by about 2.5 points on average.

With midterm turnout typically lower and more heavily driven by high-propensity voters — such as those who voted in the last presidential election — Democrats’ narrow edge may not hold.

Trump’s approval also appears to be improving slightly. Compared to June, when 48 percent approved and 47.3 percent disapproved, Trump is now at 50 percent approval. Support among his own 2024 voters rose from 89.6 percent in June to 93 percent in July.

Despite headlines surrounding the Epstein case, MAGA discontent hasn’t materialized. According to the poll, 80.7 percent of Harris voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files, but only 23.2 percent of Trump voters do. Nearly half of Trump voters — 47 percent — are undecided on the matter, while 29 percent approve. The issue has broken down along party lines and doesn’t appear to be hurting Trump’s numbers.

That may be because other issues are top of mind. The economy continues to rank as the most important concern, cited by 31.3 percent of voters — steady from the previous month. With inflation cooling, unemployment still low, and the final round of Trump’s tariff adjustments taking effect, Republicans may benefit if economic trends remain steady or improve.

In terms of Congressional momentum, Republicans are showing slight gains. Among 2024 voters, GOP support has risen from 43.1 percent in June to 45.2 percent in July, closing the gap with Democrats, who remain flat at 46 percent.

While the current Democratic edge remains, the numbers suggest Republicans are within striking distance for the 2026 midterms. Much will depend on turnout, persuasion among undecided Trump voters, and whether independent voters lean more Republican or Democratic as campaign season ramps up.

In short, despite major national headlines and partisan noise, polling shows a mostly stable political landscape — with signs of modest Republican momentum among likely midterm voters.

Robert Romano is the Executive DirectorofAmericans for Limited Government.

We have all heard of the serious cuts to Medicaid, erroneously targeting mainly users of the system over the providers that fraudulently bill the system. We know that the tax cuts will add over $3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years while not asking the wealthiest citizens to pay more.

However, let’s look at a particular obscure cut incorporated into this bill to get another sense of how wrong headed our Republican Congressional representatives and President are. The one I want to focus on relates directly on the terrible flooding tragedy that has occurred in our region.

There has been much discussion and hand wringing about how the warnings to those in peril of the Guadalupe flood dangers were inadequate. Forecasts, alerts, staffing, site alarm systems have been brought forward as, if not inadequate, that they should have been better. I think we can all agree that improving forecasting and warnings are important as natural disasters are not going away.

Matter of fact, they are increasing.

We have all seen the headlines and reports of the multiple billion-dollar plus disasters that have and continue to hit our nation. But we must not be seeing the trend as we seem content to elect politicians who ignore and discount the trends as some kind of climate change propaganda concocted by leftists - or a China hoax (per Donald Trump. ) Consider ignoring the fact that 2024 was the 14th straight year with 10 or more billion-dollar plus disasters. Then consider that the average number of billion dollar plus disasters from 20202024 is 23 with a total cost of three-fourths of a trillion dollars.

This information comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information which has tracked these events from 1980. They counted the number of events and their costs for droughts, wildfires, floods, winter storms, freezes, severe storms, tropical cyclones. Their tallies indicate that, even accounting for inflation, all of the USA’s costliest disasters have occurred since 2000.

In knowing this information, what did the Republican Congress and President do?

They rescinded $56 million out of a $150 million program intended to “accelerate advances and improvements in research, observation systems, modeling, forecasting, assessments, and dissemination of information to the public” around weather forecasting. (This was inserted into the “Beautiful” bill by none other than ‘vacation Ted’ Cruz.) NOAA grants totaling $50 million to study climate related impacts on oceans, weather systems, and coastal ecosystems were also removed.

Add in the fact that NOAA has had massive staffing losses from firings of probationary employees, DOGE buyouts, and early retirements. Now 8 of 122 National Weather Service offices cannot operate around the clock. Upper air balloon soundings, critical for accurate forecasting, have dropped by 17% mostly due to staff shortages according to Yale Climate Connections.

To increase the absurdity of these types of actions, the 2026 NOAA budget plan would close all NOAA labs. This includes the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Oklahoma that has developed is researching one of the key tools for flash flood forecasts.

The amounts of money involved with what we are talking about at NOAA are chump change for the billionaire class but absolutely critical for everyday people, particularly those like the children and families that were enjoying their summer by the Guadalupe River.

ThenconsiderFEMA.Are the states ready to absorb the full costs of every major disaster within their borders? At this point, no state can do that.

For example, Texas received an average of $1.4 billion per year in Federal assistance from 2015 – 2024 covering 16 disasters. (This amount includes funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development - another department on the Trump chopping block.)

Thus, does it make sense for DOGE to cut FEMA staffing by 20%? The total staff lost at FEMA is now 25% including 1/5 of the coordinating officers who manage responses to largescale disasters. At the start of last year’s hurricane season, FEMA had 6,588 trained staff available to deploy to disasters. This year, at the end of May, there are under 2,000 according to reporting by the NY Times.

Is eliminating $300 million in funding the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program of FEMA a beautiful move? This is a fund that helps communities prepare for and mitigate impacts from disasters.

Is it brilliant to have any FEMA grant over $100,000 need a sign-off from the Secretary of Homeland Security so that the delays currently being experienced in recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene in North and South Carolina can be felt by many other parts of the country? Just recently the head of FEMA’s Urban Rescue and Support office for our region resigned over frustration at the agency’s sluggish response to our region’s catastrophic floods. Let’s also recall that Homeland Secretary Noem arrived at the scene on a Friday with the President and other politicos and the first FEMA responders showed up the following Monday. The responders should always come first.

Finally, how much do we like having partisan decisions from the President regarding who gets disaster funding help such that Democratic leaning states have had their requests rejected in 6 out of 10 cases and Republican leaning states have been rejected in 1 out of 15 cases? Should a Democratic President act the same way?

The Republican Congress and President own these blindingly “beautiful “actions.

W Laurence Doxsey, Retired, Former Director of Office of Sustainability for City of San Antonio, former Environmental Officer for US Department of Housing and Urban Development, former Sustainability Officer for City of Austin, resides outside Medina.

His columns in the last two issues of the Bulletin have been markedly different, and not in a good way. On July 16 he advocated the use of violence against Democrats, whom he accused of using violence themselves to promote an “insurrection.” He referenced debunked conspiracy theories, claiming the Democrats had “pallets of bricks” during the demonstrations in Los Angeles.

He also claimed the Democrats were trying to overturn the 2024 election. Huh? I must have missed that news, or was it only on Fox?

I am opposed to Romano’s column being run in the Bulletin as a weekly conservative opinion anyway, because the ideas he proposes have become less about “limited government” and more about blind support of Trump.

This latest column, however, has gone beyond the bounds of acceptable public opinion. To advocate violence is not a point of view that the Bulletin should amplify. I wish you could find some Republican voices in Bandera or Kerrville to express thoughtful and nonviolent solutions to the many problems our nation is facing. Please don’t run columns from either side that endorse violence.

Susan Hull Bandera Texas

These numbers were accurate at press time.

The two still missing are a child and an adult who were at Camp Mystic, where at least 27 campers and counselors died.

The death toll in Kerr County now totals 108. Statewide, the death toll has reached at least 136. Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered disaster declarations for 30 Texas counties, making them eligible for both state and federal assistance.

“Texas remains relentless in our efforts to help impacted Texans and communities rebuild,” Abbott said.

The counties included in Abbott’s state-level declaration include Bandera, Bexar, Burnet, Caldwell, Coke, Comal, Concho, Edwards, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, Maverick, McCulloch, Menard, Real, Reeves, San Saba, Schleicher, Sutton, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde and Williamson.

Lawmakers blast river authority for not upgrading State lawmakers from both parties ripped into Kerr County’s river authority for choosing to cut property taxes rather than modernizing a flood-warning system, the Statesman reported. The hearing last week before 18 Texas Senate and House members came during the first week of the special session.

Tara Bushnoe, general manager of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, testified before the panel. State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, called the decision “extremely disturbing.”

A report published last week by the Houston Chronicle found the river authority was only willing to spend about $100,000 to upgrade its flood-warning system after a 2016 engineering study found a $1 million overhaul was needed. The authority also turned down an interest- free loan from the Texas Water Development Board spanning 30 years for the upgrade.

“You had the resources to deploy this system absent any (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grant, absent any water-development loan and I guess that’s troubling because you had the money but not the will,” said state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo.

Bushnoe said the authority has funded other critical projects, including gauges used by the National Weather Service to predict floods.

However, she said, “I agree there’s much room for improvement and we are working towards that.”

Move to ban hemp-derived THC gaining traction Backers of a move to ban synthetic hemp-derived THC hope to build support for the state’s recently expanded medical marijuana program, arguing it is a safer and more effective alternative to the unregulated vapes and gummies sold across the state, The Dallas Morning News reported.

“Cannabis is what has saved the lives of so many veterans in this country, but this unregulated version of cannabis is dangerous,” said state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio.

A proposal to outlaw most of the consumable products containing THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis plants, is gaining speed in the Senate despite a similar measure having been vetoed by Abbott after the regular session. The governor placed regulating hemp products on the special session agenda.

Legislation to impose age limits, along with other regulations, is expected to be filed soon in the House. Abbott has said he would support such a plan.

Medical marijuana is provided legally through the Texas Compassionate Use Program and has about 116,000 active participants. During the regular session, bills were passed increasing the number of medical marijuana licensees from three to 15 and increasing the number of dispensary and storage sites.

GOP redistricting plans draw ire of Democrats, others The first hearing of a Republican plan to redraw Texas congressional maps drew plenty of criticism at the state House redistricting committee’s first public meeting, The Texas Tribune reported.

“The effort to change these districts at this time has nothing to do with representing people better,” said Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, and vice chairman of the House committee in charge of redistricting. “It’s the opposite of that. It’s a power grab at the expense of Black and brown communities.”

The attempt to redraw the congressional map at mid-decade comes at the behest of President Donald Trump in hopes of increasing the GOP’s narrow majority in the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms. The current map, drawn in 2021, has yielded 25 Republican seats and 13 for Democrats.

No proposed revisions of the current map have been released to date.

Paxton claiming three houses as primary residence Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, Angela, are claiming three separate houses as primary residences, allowing them to get lower mortgage interest rates and save on property taxes, the Associated Press reported.

Doing so may be a potential violation of both federal and state laws. Documents reviewed by the Associated Press show the Paxtons hold mortgages on three homes — one in suburban Dallas and two in Austin, with each listed as their primary residence.

The couple is now estranged after Angela Paxton filed for divorce earlier this month. Ken Paxton is running against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary next March. Neither responded to multiple requests to comment before the story was published.

Cornyn quickly criticized his opponent, who leads in early polls.

“It’s a violation, in all likelihood, of state and federal law,” Cornyn said last week.

After the story was published, Ken Paxton posted on X that, “John Cornyn and his establishment Swamp allies pushed this fake news to slander me, and Cornyn even called for the feds to take me down.”

5,000-person detention camp to be built in El Paso The federal government has awarded a contract to build an immigration detention center at Fort Bliss in El Paso, The News reported. The tent camp would be the largest immigration detention facility in the United States.

Acquisition Logistics, a Virginia-based company, was awarded the $232 million contract. The facility would be used to house single immigrant adults.

Immigrant advocates say using tents for detention is unlikely to meet federal standards.

“All the reasons why you and I live not in tents but in homes are going to inevitably come up in a facility that doesn’t offer people walls and floors and insulation,” said Emma Winger, deputy legal director at the American Immigration Council.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin, and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.

President Donald Trump visited the area Friday to survey the damage, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The president promised the federal government would “fully fund” recovery efforts.

The statewide total of flooding deaths stood at 126 as of Sunday, including eight recovered in neighboring Kendall County from the Guadalupe River flooding, and separate flooding incidents in Travis, Williamson and Burnet counties.

Forecasts by the National Weather Service predicted much less rainfall than actually fell in Kerr County, with early predictions having the storm hit hardest near the Rio Grande. Two days before the flood, the Texas Division of Emergency Management staged rescue equipment and personnel in San Antonio, according to the head of the Department of Public Safety.

Free legal resources are available to low-income individuals affected by the floods, according to the State Bar of Texas. The aid includes assistance in securing government benefits, help with insurance claims and other issues.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid can be contacted tollfree at 833-329-8752.

Mexican firefighters assist in flood recovery A 13-person crew from Mexico joined Texas firefighters in rescue efforts in the Hill Country, the Texas Standard reported. The firefighters are highly trained in search-andrescue efforts and have volunteered all over the world.

The crew is composed of members from the Rescate Acuático de Protección Civil y Bomberos de Acuña, Coahuila, in coordination with Fundación 911.

Ismael Aldaba is president of the foundation.

“Our guys have experienced (missions) worldwide. They’ve been traveling to earthquakes. They’ve been traveling to tsunamis in other parts of the world,” he said. “This is way different. This is the worst we’ve seen.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the crew for its work in Texas.

“The sense of solidarity and brotherhood characterizes us and must always characterize us,” she said. “No matter the circumstances, Mexicans lend a hand to those who suffer, to those left behind.”

Flood response now tops special session agenda The July 21 special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott includes addressing the July 4 flood, including improving early warning systems and infrastructure in flood zones, beefing up emergency communications, funding for affected areas and updating state preparedness and recovery procedures, The Dallas Morning News reported.

“We delivered on historic legislation in the 89th Regular Legislative Session that will benefit Texans for generations to come,” Abbott said in a proclamation issued last week. “There is more work to be done, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country. We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,” he added.

A total of 18 items are on the special-session agenda, including congressional redistricting, regulation of hemp-derived products and further reducing property taxes. Redistricting is sure to spark controversy, as the Republican majority seeks to expand its grip on the state’s congressional seats. Any new redistricting maps almost certainly would face legal challenges.

Only the governor can call a special session, which is limited to 30 days, though he can call as many as he wants between regular biennial sessions.

Angela Paxton files for divorce fromTexas AG Paxton State Sen. Angela Paxton last Thursday filed for divorce from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Austin American- Statesman reported. The McKinney legislator cited “recent discoveries” and “biblical grounds” in a statement on the social media site X.

“I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” she wrote. “But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is lovingtomyself,mychildrenor Kentoremaininthemarriage.”

The announcement came just weeks after Paxton announced he is running against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next spring’s GOP primary.

The divorce filing accused Paxton of adultery and says the couple stopped living together in June 2024. She is seeking what the petition calls a “disproportionate share” of the couple’s assets because of her husband’s alleged fault in the breakup of the marriage.

The attorney general issued a statement about 20 minutes after his wife.

“After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives,” he wrote.

Perry wants to build nuclear complex in West Texas Former Gov. Rick Perry has co-founded a company he says plans to build the country’s largest nuclear complex on nearly 6,000 acres owned by Texas Tech University, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Perry, who also served as energy secretary during Trump’s first term, is promoting the Advanced Energy and Artificial Intelligence Center.

His company, Fermi America, claims it would be the world’s largest data-center campus. Tech companies would be able to rent space to pursue artificial intelligence efforts. Fermi America’s executive chairman, Toby Neugebauer, said tech companies are desperate for electricity. The company plans to construct four largescale nuclear reactors, capable of generating sufficient electricity to power about 1 million homes.

“Fermi America is in the artificial-intelligence creation business. We’re not in the power business,” Neugebauer said. He added that what is missing in artificial intelligence is not chips or algorithms — it’s the power needed to fuel data centers.

The ambitious project faces hurdles. The country’s nuclear energy industry has built just one nuclear plant in the past 35 years, in Burke County, Georgia. That project ended up seven years late and $17 billion over budget. In contrast, China has built 22 nuclear reactors to power AI, Perry said in a company statement.

“We’re behind, and it’s all hands on deck,” he said.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of communitynewspapersinTexas during a 30-year span, including Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin, and CedarPark.Email:gborders@texaspress.com.

Lawmakers are set to convene in Austin July 21.

Meanwhile, as of Sunday, in addition to local first responders, more than 1,300 state personnel were dispatched to the scene.

Abbott has issued a disaster declaration covering more than 20 Hill Country counties, where rain continued to fall during the weekend.

“We will be relentless in going after and ensuring that we locate every single person who’s been a victim of this flooding event,” Abbott said. “We’re not going to stop today or tomorrow.”

Appeals court: Immigration law unconstitutional A three-judge panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a 2023 Texas immigration law that would have permitted local police to arrest people believed to have illegally crossed the Texas-Mexico border.

The vote was 2-1, The Texas Tribune reported.

“For nearly 150 years, the Supreme Court has recognized that the power to control immigration — the entry, admission and removal of aliens — is exclusively a federal power,” the ruling says.

The Trump administration earlier this year dropped the federal government’s opposition to a suit filed by two immigrant rights groups and El Paso County challenging the constitutionality of the Texas state law.

It would have made it a Class B misdemeanor to cross the border between ports of entry. Subsequent offenses could have resulted in a second-degree felony.

It was not immediately known whether the state will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Interfaith parents sue to block Ten Commandments law Two separate lawsuits are challenging a law passed during the last legislative session requiring the hanging of posters of the Ten Commandments in all public- school classrooms.

The San Antonio Express- News said the latest suit was filed against several Austin, Houston and San Antonio-area districts.

“Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every Texas public-school classroom — rendering them unavoidable — is plainly unconstitutional,” one of the suits states.

The plaintiffs are parents from Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist and Hindu faiths, plus some who are nonreligious. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Church and Faith.

The new law, which would take effect in September if a court doesn’t halt it, would require all publicly funded schools to hang a 16-by-20-inch framed poster of the Ten Commandment in a “conspicuous place” in every classroom.

First Texas case of West Nile reported

The first case of West Nile illness in Texas this year has been reported by the Department of State Health Services in a resident of Brazos County.

West Nile is transmitted by mosquitoes and 80% of people exposed do not get sick, but the rest can have symptoms such as fever, nausea, headaches, muscle fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Fewer than 1% suffer more serious symptoms, including some fatalities.

“Texans should be aware that mosquitoes transmit disease, and some of these illnesses, like West Nile and dengue, can be severe,” said Department of State Health Services Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford. “But taking steps to prevent mosquito bites and eliminating mosquito breeding areas around homes are proactive measures that can reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illness.”

Several steps can be taken to avoid West Nile, including wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent and removing standing water in outside containers.

A total of 455 cases of West Nile disease were reported in 2024, including 56 deaths.

Northeast Texas farmer plans run against Abbott A former firefighter and farmer from Wood County plans to run next year as a Democrat against Abbott, the Houston Chronicle reported. Bobby Cole is vowing to “take back the government for working people of the state.”

“Republicans have spent 30 years in office and working men and women have been having to pay the cost,” said Cole, 55. “It has to stop.”

Cole retired as a firefighter in Texarkana and later in Plano. He maintains a family farm in Quitman where they raise 300 head of cattle and also chickens.

Abbott has been governor since 2014 and has already announced plans to run for reelection.

Borders is a veteran award -winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview,FortStockton,Nacogdoches, Lufkin, and Cedar Park. Email:gborders@texaspress.com.

Homeschooling in Texas is largely unregulated, with no requirement for parents to submit curriculum for review. Students also are not required to take the standardized tests given in public schools.

Any family currently homeschooling its children can apply for the $2,000, with priority given to children with disabilities or those in low-income households. Homeschoolers who want to switch to a private school can get up to $10,000 a year to help pay for tuition.

If there are more applicants than can be handled by the $1 billion allocated, the state will hold a drawing to determine who gets into the program. The Legislative Budget Board has predicted that about 270,000 homeschoolers will apply in the first year.

Groups fight repeal of Texas Dream Act

Several civil rights groups have joined Austin Community College trustees in suing to protect the Texas Dream Act, which allowed college students without legal status to obtain in-state tuition, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The U.S. Department of Justice sued to outlaw the 2001 Texas Dream Act, and state Attorney General Ken Paxton declined to defend the state against the lawsuit. Joining ACC’s suit against the repeal are the American Civil Liberties Union, the Texas Civil Rights Project, Democracy Forward and the National Immigration Law Center, as well as a private law firm in Dallas.

The plaintiffs requested an “emergency ruling” allowing them to intervene as defendants in place of the state, arguing that ending the act would cause “irreparable harm” to both students and higher-education institutions, which stand to lose millions in tuition funds.

“This is a fight to protect access to higher education for all Texans, but also a fight to uphold one of the basic tenets of our democracy,” Efrén C. Olivares of the National Immigration Center said in a news release.

Ending the Texas Dream Act would affect more than 20,000 students.

Texas Lottery Commission to be disbanded While the sales of lottery tickets will continue, the commission charged with its oversight is being disbanded after stories broke of lottery couriers buying millions of tickets to virtually guarantee winning a $95 million Lotto Texas prize. The Texas Tribune reported the lottery will be run, starting in September, by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Recent legislation signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott also prohibits online ticket sales. Players can purchase up to 100 tickets in person at lottery retailers only during store hours.

The lottery raises $2 billion annually for the state.

Ex-Paxton aides allege witness tampering during impeachment trial Legal filings in a federal suit from top aides to state Attorney General Ken Paxton claim his right-hand deputy threatened to fire employees if they gave unfavorable testimony about Paxton during his 2023 state impeachment trial, the Chronicle reported.

Paxton was acquitted by the Texas Senate after that trial.

He has since launched a bid to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 Republican primary.

The allegations are detailed in a suit filed last week by former Solicitor General Judd Stone and Chris Hilton, the former chief of the general litigation division. They claim that current First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster made the threats.

Webster has not commented on the allegations.

New consent law takes effect this fall

The Legislature has overhauled the state’s sexual consent laws, through what is known as “the Summer Willis Act,” the Statesman reported. It is named after a former University of Texas student-athlete who was drugged and sexually assaulted in 2014 at a fraternity party.

The case could not be prosecuted because of loopholes in the Texas law that did not clearly define consent in cases involving intoxication or impairment. The bill passed by a wide bipartisan margin in both chambers.

“The loophole my rape fell under was because I voluntarily accepted a drink from one person and another person raped me,” Willis said in a PBS interview.

The Summer Willis Act provides a clearer definition of consent, including an affirmative definition of consent, the withdrawal of consent and incapacitation due to substance use.

Abbott orders establishment of screwworm response team Abbott last week directed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to create a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team. That’s in reaction to the recent northward spread of the screwworm.

“The mission for the Response Team is clear: to lead Texas’ prevention and response efforts and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite,” Abbott’s news release said. “We stand ready to protect our land, livestock and wildlife.”

Animal imports at the southern border have been halted due to growing outbreaks in Mexico. Previous outbreaks in the 1950s and 1960s were largely halted by breeding sterile flies, and a similar effort is underway. The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on livestock, wildlife and, in rare cases, humans.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin,andCedarPark.Email: gborders@texaspress.com.

The veto angered the bill’s chief champion, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

The governor’s decision was being closely watched by both supporters of the bill, including law enforcement, and opponents, the latter of which included those in the hemp industry, libertarian conservatives and veterans’ groups.

The veto came about 30 minutes before the midnight deadline.

“At worst, Senate Bill 3 would be permanently invalidated by the courts,” Abbott wrote. “At best, its implementation would be delayed for years as the case winds its way through the legal system. We can do better.”

The 30-day special session on how or whether to regulate products containing THC will begin July 21.

Patrick quickly denounced the veto.

“His late-night veto, on an issue supported by 105 of 108 Republicans in the Legislature, strongly backed by law enforcement, many in the medical and education communities, and the families who have seen their loved ones’ lives destroyed by these very dangerous drugs, leaves them feeling abandoned,” he wrote on X.

Both Patrick and Abbott are also Republicans.

If SB3 had gone into effect, tens of thousands of businesses selling hemp-infused wares would have faced closure.

Abbott late Sunday also signed bills approving the state budget and an overhaul of the Texas lottery.

Governor signs $10B water plan; now voters to decide Gov. Greg Abbott signed two bills into law last week that will launch a $20 billion investment in the state’s water infrastructure if voters approve the proposed constitutional amendment in November.

If voters pass the measure, $1 billion in state tax revenues will be set aside for water projects each year, the Houston Chronicle reported.

“This session, Texas confronted a crisis,” Abbott said when signing the bill in Lubbock. “Compounding a problem of inadequate sources of water, we lose about 88 billion gallons of water a year because of broken, busted and aged pipes.”

The new funds would be spent on repairing those leaks in aging water systems and on finding new sources of water.

State Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, considered the Legislature’s chief water expert, shepherded the legislation through the Senate. He said passage of the proposed amendment would change how the state approaches its water needs, which are expanding rapidly because of growth, aging infrastructure and increased industrial demand.

“It’s going to be a little bit of a cultural shift from the way we do water in Texas,” Perry said. “We’re moving from a siloed, city-by-city conversation to where we’re going to have more oversight and more of a coordinated effort.”

State audit finds major lapses in jail systems A recent audit of the agency in charge of overseeing the state’s county jails faulted the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for failing to consistently investigate prisoner complaints, maintain accurate records or complete legally required inspections, the Texas Standard reported.

The audit, which covered the period from October 2022 to December 2024, identified some of the failures as “high risk.”

“These weaknesses increase the risk that the Commission will not identify a jail in violation of minimum standards, which could affect the safety and well-being of inmates,” auditors wrote.

In a written response to the audit, the TCJS said it agreed with the findings and plans to implement fixes by Aug. 1.

“TCJS will improve its processes and uphold its commitment to effective oversight and accountability,” the agency wrote.

$10 billion in grants for election security announced The deadline is fast approaching for counties to apply for grants to strengthen election security, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced. The funding is coming through the federal Help America Vote Act.

Grant amounts will be based on the number of registered voters in each county, which must supply a 20% grant match. The deadline to apply is June 30; awards will be made by Aug. 1.

“These grants will go a long way toward helping counties better secure their elections, and I’m pleased to partner with counties to promote election security throughout Texas,” Nelson said.

Funding priorities include:

• Compliance with paper audit-trail requirements

• Replacement of decertified electronic pollbooks

• Video surveillance systems to comply with ballot security measures

• Protection of election equipment and supplies

• IT services and upgrades Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin,andCedarPark.Email: gborders@texaspress.com.

The question of whether mothers deported under the Trump Administration were asked if they wanted to take their children with them is contentious. ICE and Admin.

Officials say they were asked. Parent spokespersons say the parents were under duress, denied due process and had no legal counsel. Apparently, Trump separated some 5000 children from “supposed” families during his first term.

These were people that couldn’t prove they were the legal guardians. No one knows how many children Obama separated because no one was keeping records during his terms. Isn’t that interesting? 2014saw64,000unaccompanied minors cross the border. It’s said over 72,000 total minors were deported.

Even though there is no data, the Fake News reports that Obama’s family separationswerelowerthansubsequent administrations. How they figured that out with no records, I don’t know. 5200 were placed in foster care while their parents awaited a hearing. Obama also earned the title “Deporter In Chief”.

Between 2009-15 he departed more people than any previous President. The Obama Cages are soft pedaled as humane fences to ease overcrowding of facilities.. Then the pictures were used to attack Trump as inhumane cages to separate children and house them like dogs.

The Obama Admin prioritized the deportation of families and unaccompanied children in 2016 in Georgia, Texas and North Carolina, targeting illegals from Central America. The Obama Admin. relied on Non-Judicial Removals.

In other words, they were deported without even seeing an Immigration Judge. No Hearing, No Due Process, No Lawyer, Nothing. Where were all the Liberal Bleeding Hearts, then? Hypocrites, some would say.

Biden . Well, we all know that America had no border when Biden pretended the border was secure and pretended to enforce immigration law while he pretended that he was actually the President and making decisions.

How does one balance a budget, have efficient programs, transparent reforms, while trying to preserve or redirect resources to high-impact programs like SNAP or Chip that directly support vulnerable populations.

That is a difficult job even without fraud, abuse, pork barrel programs, finger dipping, and just downright theft. thrown in. Compassion means ensuring aid reaches those who need it most without waste.

Take Afghanistan and Yemen. The Trump Admin canceled 562 million to A and 107 million to Y. Aid to counties which practice a religion that wants to destroy America. Money that benefited the Taliban and the Houthis.

The Taliban took 11 million in taxes and fees. They spent millions of dollars on poppy cultivation and heroin production. Funds in both counties were in general being siphoned off by officials and contractors and diverted to unintended sources like conflict zones. 42% of A’s GNP was from USAID money.

USAID has been heavily criticized for lacking oversight including allegations of fraud. A senior official has been charged for creating a fake companytosiphonoffmoney.USAID has given out millions of dollars with no accountability.

CHIPS- Children’s Health Care Program -There is no evidence of direct cuts of funding to CHIPS in 2025 TANF- Temporary Assistance for Needy families- No confirmed cuts in 2025. Funding has eroded since 1996 due to inflation. Current benefit is $430 a month for a family of 3.

ETTC-Earned Income Tax Credit- No confirmed cuts in 2025, but no expansion either CTC- Child Tax Credit- No Cutsbut changes proposed. It requires both parents to have a Social Security Number which would reduce benefits in mixed-status families. The benefit was increased for 2025.

Snap-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program- Deep cuts here, requiring the States to pick up 25% of the benefits. Imposes stricter work requirements and could cost millions of people this benefit if they don’t meet the new qualifications.

The June 14th Parade for a cost of 91 million is still on. I can’t say I agree with the cost in today’s times. However, I Do Disagree that in not honoring our military even if the day happens to fall onthesamedayassomebody’sbirthday.

The wealthiest benefit the most from tax cuts because of percentages and they made more. They also benefit from Business deductions, State and Localtaxdeductions,EstateTaxdeductions andCorporatetaxcuts.LowerIncome persons usually don’t have those type of deductions and if they do the deductions are usually not large.

John Schuetze Bandera Texas