Giddings Times & News • Joseph Kalani Quadrelli, 20 of Lincoln, was rushed to an area hospital with serious injuries after his pickup crashed into a tree that fell onto his truck on Sept. 3 at 2:48 p.m.

While the sheriff was putting the finishing touches on preparations for the first ever hanging in Maverick County on Sep. 18, 1891, four devious schoolboys came up with a clever plan to watch the private execution in person.

My dad turned 80 last week. We had a party for him at my brother’s house Saturday, where we sat in lawn chairs under some big oaks as the sun set, ate boiled shrimp six feet apart from each other, played some dominos and laughed about the great goat chase that spanned the previous two days.

Even during a pandemic, it’s best to not mess with Texas. Texas Department of Transportation officials noticed more personal protective equipment -- face masks, wipes and gloves -- on the side of roads and highways, so they called in the big guns for a new round of “Don’t mess with Texas” commercials.

I have written often about my late husband’s fascination with gadgets … especially those new on the market. Back in the late 90’s, I planned to surprise him one Christmas with a “TomTom.” It was a new navigation system for your car and highly advertised. It promised to take the place of maps which were always tearing apart at the seams. I say planned to surprise him because this was before we began paying bills online and he saw the order on Mastercard. At least he tried to act surprised. And the gadget did make a hit.

To the Editor: In the September 11 Letters to the Editor, Patty Reid is indignant about lies and misinformation, yet she states concerning COVID-19: “The truth is that the U.S. has the highest death rates.” Had she bothered to look up the statistics, she would find the following.

To the Editor: I take offense to Patty Reid accusing Trump’s party, the Republican Party, of being a “law and order sham.” The National Organization of Police Officers representing 241,000 officers nationwide has endorsed President Trump. The Fraternal Order of Police also endorsed President Trump.

To the Editor: There have been two protests in La Grange in recent months, one after the murder of George Floyd, the other this past weekend over concerns about our liberties. The protest about George Floyd was originally to be held at the courthouse square but was moved to White Rock Park, an out of the way location with little to no visibility ostensibly because it would “hold more people.” The other was held at the courthouse square, during a community event, on a Saturday afternoon.

To the Editor: There is a billboard along Hwy. 71 Bypass which reads: “This is what Democracy looks like: Biden/Harris.” I would like to remind everyone that America is a constitutional republic.

To the Editor: First of all, let me make it clear that I am not a liberal, and am not an economist. I am a staunch anti-abortionist, but am neither a Democrat nor Republican.