Opinion

Almost 100 Texas schools have filed a lawsuit against Education Commissioner Mike Morath and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over changes to the state’s accountability system. Why? Because they contend, TEA is intentionally lowering A-F performance ratings for school districts using unlawful, retroactive tactics.

Deteriorating society I have watched recent news reports on the evening news about many stores throughout the U.S. that are closing due to declining revenue and sales because of theft.

It comes in different dressed up names; from school choice to vouchers, let’s call it what it is: sending taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuitions. Coming up, presumably on October 9, Governor Abbott is set to call legislators back to Austin to debate public education funding and school vouchers, with the latter being his highest priority.

As the changing of the guard is always inevitable in rural America, I would like to reflect on the incomprehensible gratitude we as a community have for the entire Porter’s Family. Porter’s has been the cornerstone of our neighborhood, serving not just as a place to shop for essentials but as the go-to fundraiser location for our community. Porter’s is the heart of our community. They sponsor Little League teams, participate in neighborhood events, and contribute to local charities. Their commitment to the community’s well-being goes beyond selling groceries; it’s about doing what’s right Today, as the Porter family reluctantly bids farewell to their beloved store, we find ourselves reflecting on our immense gratitude for this family-run gem that has enriched our lives in so many ways.

Granted, we live in crazy times. But imagine my bewilderment when I was going through my quarters jar to buy stamps at the post offi ce. Lo and behold, I found a soviet-era coin, replete with the image of Lenin, the letters CCCP, and a hammer and sickle on what I had believed was a U.S. quarter. Imagine my surprise, in Alpine, Texas. Steve Stainkamp Alpine, Texas

Dallas may be a long 500-mile drive from Alpine, but every year Visit Big Bend makes that trip and takes a little piece of Far West Texas to the State Fair. The DFW area is a major contributor to visitation in the Big Bend region and the staff of Visit Big Bend, along with several contract workers, man a booth for the full 24 days of the Fair.

“Everything exists to end in a photograph.” – Susan Sontag (1933 – 2004) American writer, philosopher, and political activist. “Going to get your picture struck,” my grandmother asked me once.

“All to Jesus I surrender; At His feet, I humbly bow, Worldly pleasures, all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now.” — Traditional hymn lyrics by Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896 Despite the old joke about getting to church “early to get a good seat — one in the back,” the front seat is where I sit.

Texas has a lot to offer which includes over 80,000 highway lane miles. We also have world-class rail and air facilities for freight and passengers. Nearly 2,000 people move here every day, steadily increasing the pressure on our infrastructure. That’s one of the reasons why my Texas Transportation Commission colleagues and I made history this month with the approval of a record $142 billion total investment for Texas’ transportation infrastructure, including the $100 billion 10-year Unified Transportation Program (UTP). This funding will help ensure vital transportation projects will improve safety, congestion, preservation, and connectivity for Texas drivers.

World Climate Declaration Recently an organization of 1609 climate scientists and professionals signed off on an agreement that the so-called Climate Change “Climate Emergency” was nothing more than a fictional ploy designed by corrupt scientists, politicians, and businessmen for the acquisition of political power and undeserved financial gain. You don’t hear much about that on mainstream media, do you? What this means is we all need to stop believing corrupt politicians, scientists, businessmen, and their mainstream media servants.