C APITAL Highlights Ken Paxton has been reinstated as Texas Attorney General after the Texas Senate on Saturday acquitted him of charges of bribery and misuse of office. Only two Republican senators joined the 12 Democrats in voting to convict him of some of the 16 charges heard by the Senate, with four other charges dismissed by the Senate, The Dallas Morning News reported.

When we learn family stories by putting two and two together after decades of ignorance, some really intriguing revelations can appear. For example, my father was always particularly close to the first cousins who were children of his two Aunt Claras, one a sister of his father and the other of his mother. Both of the aunts died when Dad was quite young, as well as his grandmother, who coincidentally was also named Clara.

T EXAS History A crowd of several hundred supporters showed up at the San Antonio train station on Sep. 24, 1911 to cheer the arrival of Bernardo Reyes, a Mexican general on the lam.

That Little Voice A small silver football hung proudly on a chain around my neck. Since it was the first indication of a boy’s interest in me, I overlooked my need to scrub away the green stain highlighting the chain’s outline and chose to glow in the physical announcement I was noticed by one of the opposite sex.

To the Editor: It has been reported this past week by conservative news media that Del Rio, which I understand has about 33,000 people, has this year received about 15,000 illegal immigrants, 50 percent of the number of people that already live there. How can any town or city sustain this? It was also reported that New York has received 110,000 illegal immigrants since the start of bussing illegals to that state.

To the Editor: Fayette County children of every race/color, income, or faith should be free to learn and pursue their dreams in a great public school, regardless of ability, where they live, or what they look like. Public schools are the lifeblood of our local economy and the bedrock of our society in rural communities like ours.

C APITAL Highlights The first week of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Senate ended with his former lead law enforcement officer testifying an Austin developer alleged to have bribed Paxton constructed a “conspiracy theory” that federal officials altered a search warrant for his property, the Austin American-Statesman reported. David Maxwell, the former AG official, said real estate developer Nate Paul pushed Paxton to investigate federal law enforcement agencies probing his business.

The phrase “Band of Brothers” goes back more than 400 years when Shakespeare wrote Henry V: “We few. We happy few. We band of brothers, for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.” The phrase “Band of Brothers” summarizes the intense brotherhood felt by warriors who serve together. Many Americans today associate the phrase with the title of Stephen Ambrose’s book and his story of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Texans might also associate it with the opening line of the song “Bonny Blue Flag.”

T EXAS History Four days after receiving the Medal of Freedom from fellow Texan and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson, J.

Plants won’t grow if it doesn’t rain. The recent weather pattern suggests I should end this column right here.