On April 7, 1890, the proud governor gave a guided tour of the new capitol to Jay Gould, who just happened to be in town at the same time Texans were considering regulation of the railroads. The infamous visitor was the same unscrupulous speculator that made a fortune by cornering the gold market in 1869.

When I was living in Houston, every summer, my boyfriend and I, and a group of friends drove to New Braunfels to camp out on the Guadalupe river. We had a favorite campsite on River Road and the owners knew us well. We would always bring a brisket, and the owner would throw it on his smoker to slow cook overnight. One of the girls in our group also cooked up a storm and packed lots of food, even fried chicken, so we always had plenty to eat. Nothing tasted better than cold fried chicken when you’re floating down the river with about 18 beers in you and more to come. There was an old truck that would drive us to the furthest point of the river to start our float journey and we would float four hours until we reached our campsite.

Out here, most mornings start the same way. Before the sun’s up, coffee in hand, you step outside to check the animals. You listen, you look, you get a feel for things. That instinct has always been the backbone of farm life.

Hobbling is not one of my limited abilities, nor is it one I want to perfect. But, my aspirations do not seem to matter when I’m attempting to jump around on one foot after unceremonially falling in the garden of a local church.

To the Editor: As I write this I am looking out the window a few miles from Big Bend National Park and surrounded by Big Bend Ranch State Park. I can see the Rio Grande River and the mountains in Mexico.

To the Editor: Several things I’ve observed during and since President Trump’s State of the Union address. Only one or two Democratic representatives stood in response to President Trump’s State of the Union address when he made the comment “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens”? He asked them to stand if they agreed.

To the Editor: Eddie Tipton, the mastermind who compromised the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) code, has spent the last several years claiming total insolvency while fighting the legal system. • The 2022 “Major Discipline” Incident: In March 2022, just days before his scheduled parole, Eddie’s release was rescinded due to a “major disciplinary report” at the Clarinda Correctional Facility.

To the Editor: People will believe what they will. There are some truthful news sources besides the fake news, and to reply to another writer, all the prior presidential voter fraud is slowly but surely surfacing.

To the Editor: As we revisit the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we must critique the transactional character of colonialism and understand its economic and political rationale for independence. Fractures divided colonial America because of inherent weaknesses of monarchical, transactional colonialism.

To the Editor: Here are the facts, about the School Bond issue, according to the La Grange ISD School Bond issue website: The current tax rate is $0.7737 The bond issue increase is $0.3662 The total tax rate would be $1.1399 This is a 47% increase in the current tax rate for the next 25 years. Please think about this when you vote..