Opinion

I am taking a departure from the usual historical research, I have presented to the readers during the last few months. Those editorials feature the pioneers of Stephens County.

Instead, I want to tell you about recent visitors, John and Karen Hazelwood, who had come to Stephens County in search of the grave of his great-great-grandfather, George W. Hazelwood.

G.W. Hazelwood settled his family along Hubbard Creek and later Battle Creek in the far western part of Stephens County, almost to the Shackelford County line.

It was a beautiful night in the neighborhood. A great night for a neighbor … No, Mr. Rogers, it didn’t go as planned, but it was a nice night. It just lasted too long and too late.

It gets dark early in North Texas this time of year, so it was just a little past seven when the neighbor called. She had walked down the street to return a stray cat. As she crossed the alley which runs beside my house, she smelled natural gas.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is battling back against seven top aides who accuse him of bribery and abuse of office.

William Penn Veale was greatly affected by his brother Jesse’s death, at the cruel hands of the Comanche Native Americans, which led him to draft legislation that passed in 1873, by the Texas Legislature, where he served as a representative of this area.

There’s an old saying, … probably somewhere in South Texas … during some questionable times politically, which said we should “vote early … and often.” We all laughed, but we weren’t facing a pandemic at the time. We were just facing some overzealous politicians.

Jacksboro Middle School hosted its weekly Pep Rally Thursday morning in preparation for its football game with Merkel. The cheerleaders performed, a game between the students and teachers were played and the band performed. Photo/Brian Smith

Those of us that have spent a lifetime in the outdoors have undoubtedly witnessed some sights that we didn’t understand. Through the years, I have learned that there is usually rhyme and reason to everything in the natural world.

Vistra, an energy powerhouse based in Irving, announced plans to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

Historic records indicate there were four Veale brothers; Jesse, William Penn, Carol, and Christopher Columbus Veale, who initially lived in Palo Pinto and were well-known as game-hunters, which I have written about previously.

As most of my readers know, I have the best dogs … in the world. My older dog Zuckey passed away this last spring after spending several years as an “elderly” dog. She was blind and forgetful. Those are two infirmities that should not appear together. As long as I didn’t move the furniture, she did pretty well, but as she headed into her fifteenth year, she was easily confused. Fifteen in dog years is about like a hundred in human years, and I certainly understood her confusion. I get confused about where things are, too. Although losing a pet is terrible; she had lived a good life, and the last couple of years had been hard on her.