Empathy. Been hearing that word a lot, recently.

Students across Texas returned to campuses last week as schools and universities scrambled to put into place new lesson plans that best accommodate a pandemic. For many school districts, this meant greatly expanding the technological resources of their students to support a mix of in-person and online education.

School’s back in session for the Wick kids. And not a moment too soon.

August 25-28, 1970 La Grange miraculously escaped what could have been a disastrous fire on Friday. At 12:20 p.m., the driver of a westbound 1968 White truck-tractor swerved to avoid hitting a passenger car entering Hwy.

The dogs are at summer camp: running playing, scuffling, growling, sleeping. Doing what all kids do at camp when a deadly virus isn’t threatening.

City of Ellinger? The community of Ellinger has a lot of history. The town was platted in 1883 and was originally a railroad stop.

• Lexington’s Snow’s BBQ pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz will be featured in the new season of Netflix’s critically acclaimed documentary food series “Chef’s Table.” Tomanetz has worked the pits with owner Kerry Bexley since 2003. The restaurant has received critical acclaim from the likes of Southern Living, which ranked it the No. 2 barbecue joint in the south and Texas Monthly, which gave it the No. 1 spot in Texas. The 85-year-old Tomanetz is a two-time James Beard semifinalist and was inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2018. “Chef’s Table: BBQ” begins streaming Sept. 2 on Netflix.

La Grange Police Chief David Gilbreath reports on the following incidents his department responded to during the week of Aug. 9-16.

Will Martin continues his examination of Dante’s Inferno ... “Thy soul attainted is with cowardice Which many times a man encumbers so, It turns him back from honored enterprise…” Inferno Canto II Sometimes the fear of consequences will keep us from doing what we know ought to be done.

As the two men parted on Aug. 25, 1822, Stephen F.