Opinion

Down at the sale barn Saturday, the think tank had coagulated there with coffees to go. Doc and Dud had their dogs with them, while Bert and Dewey and Steve went stag.

Fifty years ago, responding to public demand in an era of reform, Texas enacted a sweeping law ensuring the people’s right to know about their government. The Texas Public Information Act – originally known as the Open Records Act when it passed in 1973 – was one of the strongest transparency laws in the nation.

As lawmakers work through the 88th Legislative Session, many bills will be introduced that could impact our schools. Over the past few weeks school choice is a topic that has garnered a lot of attention. Last week I saw a quote from Governor Abbot that read, “Every child deserves a highquality education. Parents should be empowered to make those decisions - not government bureaucrats.”

The City’s citizens, businesses and newcomers continue to experience growth, and a need to revitalize buildings, homes, fences. In addition, developers building apartments, residential homes on property in the city limits often bring various requests that differ from the code of ordinances previously established over the decades.

“Ihave to say, that is a very nice hat!” I told the man as he passed me on the sidewalk. The man in the snazzy blue fedora had a serious look on his face, as if he was thinking deeply about something far more important than the indigo-blue hat with the red feather sitting on his head.

I almost threw away my old lace napkins. They have rust stains on them.

We all know that everything is bigger in Texas—including the upcoming biannual revenue estimate. Thanks to escalating property values, robust oil and gas pricing and increased sales tax generation led by Texas consumers, revenue will potentially reach more than $280 billion.

For the Texas House and Senate, there is not much daylight between each chamber’s priorities in this year’s legislative session. Leaders say the focus will be on property tax relief, border security and employee raises.