Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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I hope you can still take the time to reflect on the meaning of Easter and the miracle of the Resurrection. From my family to yours, hope you had a blessed and happy Easter. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. School safety bill heard in committee This week Senate Bill 11 was heard in the Senate Education Committee. I authored Senate Bill 11 based on the recommendations on school safety that came out of the committee I chaired in the interim, the Special Commi...
A reader recently asked me to write about bonsai tree requirements, but more specifically, how to keep bonsai trees alive during the seasons. Let's begin with a brief history of Bonsai which in Japanese literally translated means, 'planted in a container' and is an ancient art form from Japan, though its origin is traced to China. Bonsai specifically refers to a type of container the tree grows in, such as a small clay pot, wooden board, or flat stone. The 'art of bonsai' is p...
HOLY WEEK-- SPECIAL TIME FOR CHRISTIANS Well, it’s come on Easter week. Come Sunday, 40 days of Lent would have flown by. Everyone else who gave up something for Lent will be able to indulge again. The annual Easter cold snap came in a few days early but the wind will move to the south Thursday, with rain and cooler weather after that. The full moon arriving, it will be just the right time to get a garden planted. I hope the Easter bunny comes by your place and deposits a l...
Let’s discuss turfgrass weed management! Before you start rolling your eyes, and thinking to yourself, blah, blah, blah…boring, just know that beautiful, healthy, weed-free, and well-manicured lawns don’t occur by accident! They require each of us to learn about and understand specifics about the turf grasses in our lawn, types of weeds present, and creating a systematic approach to maintain a healthy, weed-free lawn, in an environmentally friendly way. When performed corre...
As we move into our late 70s and 80s, one of the few pleasures left for us is memories. I am told that we all have a tendency to remember things in the past as being truly better than they were. There is always a lot of talk of “the good ole’ days” in speaking of the past. In actuality we are living better today than any generation before us. Still, all-in-all, it is pleasurable to scroll through what we call “the good ole’ days.” One good measuring stick of how many things...
My five cents… We have passed the halfway point in session this week, but most of the work is before us. It is full speed ahead for the next two months until Memorial Day. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Bill establishing rural law enforcement fund passes Senate Senate Bill 22 by Senator Drew Springer passed the Senate this week. The bill would establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to sheriff’s departments and prosecutor’s offices in co...
FIREARMS NUMBER ONE KILLER OF CHILDREN The killer in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools. The suspect, who was killed by police, is believed to be a former student at The Covenant School in Nashville. The shooter was...
Fortunately our forefathers had the wisdom to guarantee certain freedoms in our constitution. The freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom to participate in government and the freedom of speech – both spoken and written. All of these are freedoms which should be jealously protected. A student of history knows well that curtailing what citizens can say, read or express in writing is a precursor to a domineering type government. The same was true of the German Nazis, I...
One hundred years ago this week, Lamar University in Beaumont originated as South Park Junior College when the Beaumont ISD superintendent sought to develop plans for a junior college. Later that year, the institution’s doors opened, and the name was changed to Lamar College and later Lamar University. I’m a proud alumnus of Lamar University! Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Property tax relief passes Senate This week the Senate passed Senate Bills 3, 4,...
Gardeners, spring is here, newly arrived and what a welcome respite, as winter 'seemed' to linger much too long! This week's discussion, if you haven't already done so, is what I call the Great Migration! Yes, that means it's time to relocate, houseplants from indoors to outdoor areas, which are protected from the blistering sun. Before moving houseplants outdoors, closely inspect each plant for powdery mildew, mites, white flies, and other pests which have decided to...
Let me begin by providing each of you with a warm, gracious, and most sincere ‘thank you’ as many of you attended the Orange County Master Gardener Associations Annual Spring Plant Sale held on Saturday March 18th at Jewel Cormier Park in Orangefield. We truly appreciate our entire SETX community for braving the cold temperatures and supporting our organization. I hope each of you enjoyed the bountiful plant selections we provided for you and that the plants each of you pur...
ANNIVERSARY OF “SHOCK AND AWE” THE BIG LIE I sit here today on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, recalling President George W. Bush going on TV and telling the American people what the U.S. planned to do. I had written several times that to invade Iraq would be a mistake. The Bush Administration used false premises to sell the war and the American people bought it. Their justification was that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. That was a lie...
It is important to know the rules whether you are playing a baseball game or participating in politics. Most of us think of ourselves as good citizens, but few of us know many of the basic rules that control how we are governed. The following is a small citizenship test containing matters that every Texan should know. • Which state leader in Texas is not elected by the vote of the people? • Governor • Speaker • Attorney general • Which of the following are appointed by the go...
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY THANKS FOR YOUR READERSHIP We don’t think to thank our faithful readers enough. We have some longtime followers that cover the last 50 odd years. We keep picking up new readers along the way. Our reporters and writers do a great job. Our feature writer Margaret Toal is a real professional, with many years of experience. The former Orange Leader editor graduated with a Journalism major from Denton Women’s College in the 1970’s and has been a very we...
Often I've written about the Cajun side of me, but I seldom have said much about the fighting side of me. That's my Irish side. While a kid in Abbeville, I was a strange youngster, the only person in the little Cajun town with the Irish name of Dunn. The real kick in the behind was that this Irishman couldn't speak a word of English until I was nearly seven. I was poor and endured a lot of abuse because of the way I dressed or didn't. I didn't own any everyday shoes, but I...
Don't be afraid to fill gaps in beds with plants, flowers, and objects – the most beautiful flower bed ideas, borders and pots are teaming with color and plants of multiple heights and varying structure. The past two weeks I've been on a mission which started with the mundane, but necessary task of scrutinizing each flower and vegetable bed, thoroughly weeding rogue plants and removing the roots where possible. Another layer was added, and yes, this is the second t...
The common practice of senators and representatives is to give names to legislation they have introduced. Often a bill with a great sounding name has a better chance of passing than one without. Unfortunately, oft times as well, a name has little to do with the content of the bill. We need to examine the words of proposed laws rather than simply accepting the name at face value. A good example is the long-lasting bill in Texas legislation which has been on the books many...
It’s time to spring forward! Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend. Remember to set your clocks forward Saturday night. Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Bill filing deadline This Friday, March 10 marks the end of the bill filing period for the 88th Legislature. After Friday, no more general law bills can be filed. There are exceptions for local bills. After the deadline, the Legislature and the public will have a good idea about the total number of bills...
WAITING FOR SPRING AND THE ROBINS Grandma used to say, “”Have the Robins come yet? Spring will come when the Robins come.” I always thought it was the other way around. The Robins would come when spring got here. Well, maybe she was right. For several years I’ve seen very few Robins, maybe a single one in an open field. The weather has been so up and down that about the time I think maybe Spring is here we get a cold blast. Maybe Grandma was right, the Robins are here waiting...
There is no doubt in this gardener’s mind spring has arrived in SETX! Let me stop you before many of you nay-sayers begin your hoopla saying the thirty day weather outlook predicts we have cold weather arriving…blah, blah, blah! This gardener is planting his vegetable garden (tomatoes and peppers included), as well as flowering plants. Composted manure has been top-dressed on each gardening area and weeds removed, uhm mm, well most of them! Succession planting, a method whi...
The Good Book says that without vision one cannot become a great leader. Recent acts by some of our state politicians seriously questions their reasoning on whether they have the amount of vision required to become good leaders. Telling us what we can read or teachers what they can teach limits what might be in our future as well as limiting our individual freedoms. Reading can also lead us to things we have never imagined. Reading can be helpful in everyday life. Recently I...
On March 2, we celebrate Texas Independence Day! On that day in 1836, a delegate from each of the 59 existing settlements in Texas signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. This document officially declared Texas’ independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas. The delegation met at Washington-on-the-Brazos and also organized the interim government, naming Sam Houston commander-in-chief of the republic’s military forces. Here are five things happening aro...
Almost without exception, first-time candidates for office promise improvements in necessities such as health care, education, fighting crime or reducing taxes. The number one answer given when asked how they plan on doing that is that they will be able to afford such ambitious programs by cutting waste. When asked about the definition of “waste” they intend to cut, they get somewhat ambivalent. Usually they give a lecture about our nation’s creeping national debt. Many of the...
On February 24, 1836, William B. Travis wrote his famous letter from the Alamo. He wrote the defenders would never "surrender or retreat" and ended with the iconic line "Victory or Death." Here are five things happening around your state: 1. Governor Abbott announces emergency items Last week, Governor Greg Abbott gave his State of the State address. In that address, he listed his seven emergency items that he is asking the Legislature to address this session. Emergency items...
Gardeners, our local weather forecasters are telling us to expect daytime temperatures to be ten degrees above-average for the next several days. What my brain is telling me, not in so many words, spring has arrived in SETX. Naturally, my thoughts run contrary to the Farmer's Almanac, stating we have a couple weeks longer to wait. Through my past gardening experiences, I know the consequences of planting a garden too soon but also in case you do plant now, of being prepared...
