Opinion

Our City and Staff are incredibly busy in this season of growth as well as in preparation for the typical weather-related incidents we may experience. The ongoing drought conditions have created many hardships for farmers and ranchers as well as those citizens who are spending time and money in an effort to keep their landscaping alive. In spite of the dry condition, mosquitoes have found a way to continue to pester any of us brave enough to spend time outdoors. The city will continue to spray for mosquitoes on a regular basis. Tips to consider include wearing repellent and long sleeves, and remembering mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn (the only time we can get a little relief from the heat.) Those of us watering should do our best to provide fresh water for pets and eliminate any stagnant water.

My mother has found the perfect pet. She just doesn’t realize it yet. A clever little red squirrel has been trying to get my mother’s attention for months. “He’s such a pest!” my mother complains. But the squirrel does not give up.

Greetings, the summer heat has recently stirred up more than usual calls to the biologist and me on a topic that is always hot: Mountain Lions and Black Panthers. This month’s summer topic can be controversial and is sure to generate some arguments. Every month, the biologist and I are contacted with mountain lion or black panther sightings, and we are yet to have solid evidence that they are currently present in the county.

The annual Fourth of July parade through our town began this year with a mystery. You see, a couple of the boys cornered Jimmy Angles yesterday down by Lewis Creek and hit him in the mouth. On purpose. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have made headlines in the Valley Weekly Miracle, or even the New York Post, but Jimmy played first trumpet in the band.

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, has sued the Texas Department of Public Safety over records relating to the Uvalde school shooting that have been withheld.

Another lifetime ago, back when I was still motivated to run even if something wasn’t chasing me, I coached junior high volleyball. These days carrying the laundry basket up the steps counts as exercise, and if I am running that means y’all better run too because it means something deadly is chasing me, but back then I spent hours and hours in the gym with my teams. I coached one particular team from fifth grade through eighth grade and I became particularly close to those ten girls and their families. I still keep in touch with many of them (one of the few good things about social media.)

When you read your community newspaper, you’re opening a treasure trove of local information, nuggets of pure gold you won’t find anywhere else and certainly not all in one convenient place. Who else is going to provide you with objective and unbiased news about the winning touchdown, the new auto dealer in town, the street-repair budget passed by city council and how the police are curbing crime? Only your community newspaper does that, and most readers gladly pay a nominal subscription to keep informed, educated and entertained.

This weekend we will celebrate the Fourth of July, America’s 246th birthday, Independence Day. From big cities to small towns across the nation there will be parades, cook-outs, baseball games, ice cream, and fireworks. There will be age-old traditions celebrated and folks who create new traditions. And every little bit of it will be beautiful.