Opinion

In its infinite wisdom, Congress let the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) die a silent death after having had it on the front burners for the past couple of years. I hope our industry is not doing the same.

He didn’t see it as a turning point at the time--this budding vocal artist who was belting out country songs at the Burger Box in Arlington. Craig Murphy, then age 40, might have been flipping burgers instead, trying to find a road that led somewhere instead of dead-end trails he’d followed for a couple of decades.

A group of House Democrats is proposing a $15,000 raise for the state’s teachers and a 25% raise for other state employees by using some of the state’s record budget surplus. State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, announced the bill last week and was joined by Democratic legislators and teachers, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The last time I was in, I was telling him about forgetting names, having a hard time coming up with words I want to use, and being dizzy when I stand up. I thought he was going to tell me to stand up slower, call everyone “Honey,” and quit talking so much. I enjoy our little visits, and usually he assures me that nothing is wrong. Well, he didn’t exactly say that. He said he wanted to do some tests.

Undisputed star *that he was during the golden era of major league baseball, this player has maintained a spirit of humility that others only dream of. His name is Bobby Richardson, embodied in a 5-9, 170 frame of baseball greatness.

In Denmark last year, there were no bank robberies… none… zero. I know Denmark is not a large country, but it is true. The thing is that only twenty banks in that country kept cash on hand last year. Therefore, when someone wanted to rob a bank, he would have to bring a deposit slip with his routing number and account number and ask the teller to make a deposit into his account, while he held a gun on them. If it is a country where guns aren’t common, maybe he would have to bring along his camera and threaten to take their picture and post it on Tinder or Match… making some remark about their personal character… For a time, robbing ATM machines was common. Some were chained to the back of a truck and actually hauled off… or at least out into the street where the chain broke. Some ATM thieves sat around waiting for an unsuspecting person to make a withdrawal, then they forced them to withdraw all their funds. At three hundred dollars maximum cash withdrawal… I’m not sure it is worth the effort.

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.

Inherent with insistence to dig ever deeper--rarely satisfied with merely getting to the bottom of thingsare the risks of learning more than we want to know. There are ever so many places to dig, with ever-growing types of tools with which to excavate.

Let’s just get this straight. I’m getting older. As I understand it, some old people do not take pills, but I do. I didn’t realize how many I took until a recent doctor’s visit. I knew that I was taking about two quarts of pills. That’s the size of the bag I keep them in. Once I took the bag with me to the doctor’s office, but the people in the waiting room kept asking me if I needed to go ahead of them. I guess they figured with that many pills, I must be really sick.

h IghlIghts House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, told The Dallas Morning News and other media outlets that he is open to bringing resort-style casinos to Texas. But don’t expect to find slot machines in 7-Eleven stores if casino gambling is legalized.