Opinion

Since I was a small boy, I have heard older family members and friends discussing the old days, how things used to be, and how things have changed. I’m definitely a victim of this tradition as well. I watch society transpose before my eyes each day. Year after year, it seems the world is descending more rapidly into a strange vortex of technological noise and fury.

The on-again, off-again state immigration law is once more on hold while the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals considers its constitutionality. Senate Bill 4 would allow state and local law enforcement officials to arrest and deport people suspected of entering the state illegally from Mexico, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

To most mortals--mere or otherwise--the thought of jumping rope 30,660,000 times causes hair to stand on end, eyes to cross and regimens to crumble. Not so to a preacher man named Van Minter, whose morning routine is vital to each day.

Spring came early this year. When we experienced temperatures over ninety in late February, I understood that the almanac missed it. An unanticipated early spring changes the entire dynamic on a small farm like ours. The ensuing scramble to till the garden and plant has overtaken me. When planting a garden, timing is everything.

Recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that six of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the United States from 2022 to 2023 were in Texas. According to the Texas Tribune, Kaufman County, just east of Dallas, led the list with a 7.6% increase in new residents that brought its population to more than 185,000. Census data shows that Rockwall and Liberty counties closed out the top three, with growth rates of 6.5% and 5.7%, respectively.

We are among the dwindling few who still answer the doorbell when it chimes between sunup and sunset. (If we don’t hear it, we can rely 100% on our new rescue dog, Archie, to “bark” an alert.) Oh, it’s not quite that simple.

Two wildfires that burned more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle were caused by downed power lines, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Juan Rodriguez, with the service, told the Texas Standard that its law enforcement investigators had concluded their probe into the source of the Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce fires.

Dear Rusty: I will be 64 in March and currently receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments. My full retirement age is 67, but I’m thinking about trying to return to work.

h A wildfire in the Texas Panhandle has consumed more than 1 million acres and as of Sunday was just 15% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. It is the largest wildfire in Texas history.

Every now and again, someone comes up with suggestions for addition to the list of what to do when there’s nothing to do. As often as not, such “yawn fodder” winds up to fill holes--gaping or otherwise--just before newspapers go to press.