STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

A software error has caused another problem with Texas’ voter registration logs, KUT radio’s Texas Newsroom in Austin reported.

The glitch caused by “an extra address validation” affected Texans who updated their names and addresses on the state’s government record portal, texas.gov, between Sept. 1 and last week, according to an email sent by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.

Many of the updated records were still missing voters’ new addresses, election officials said. As of the afternoon of Oct. 16, those addresses are now showing up for Texas county election officials, according to an email from the state office.

Alicia Pierce, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state, said the agency sent 15,000 records back to counties. She added the problem has been resolved, and voters will still be able to cast a ballot.

This latest issue arises only days after Texas election officials said they cleared an earlier voter registration backlog. That was caused by an error prompted by a Texas Department of Public Safety software update.

It had an impact on more than 500,000 voter registrations submitted since October 2025, officials said.

NEW POLLS: DEMS LEAD NEARLY ALL STATEWIDE RACES A new poll from the University of Texas at Austin shows Democrats with narrow leads in nearly all statewide races, the Houston Chronicle reported. However, polling in each statewide race is within the margin of error.

Only Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico polled positively with 50% of the voters.

James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, said Democratic competitiveness is driven by a sizable gap in enthusiasm between Democratic and Republican voters — at least 10 percentage points.

“That’s really significant,” Henson said. “That is going to be what the last two weeks of this campaign are about — it’s about Republican campaigns trying to drive up Democratic negatives and trying to stir what is right now a pretty uninspired Republican electorate in the state.”

No Democrat has won a statewide race since 1994.

ABBOTT SAYS HE WON’T DEBATE HINOJOSA Incumbent GOP Gov. Greg Abbott said he is better off holding campaign stops around the state than facing his Democratic opponent Gina Hinojosa in a debate, the Houston Chronicle reported.

“The most important thing that a governor can do is to show up in communities,” Abbott said during a stop in Tyler. “What voters want to see and hear, they want to see their governor in their community. They want to have the ability to ask their governor questions.”

Abbott is seeking a fourth term. This is the first race in which he has not debated a Democratic gubernatorial challenger. Hinojosa held a news conference outside the Governor’s Mansion last week with side-by-side lecterns — one empty.

“It is really on-brand for Greg Abbott to spend more money to tell lies about me, rather than showing up in person to debate me,” Hinojosa said. “These lies are funded by his billionaire donors.”

STATE APPEALS ORDER REQUIRING AC IN PRISONS Lawyers for the state have appealed a federal judge’s order that all state prison cells be climate-controlled before 2030. The appeal was filed with the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Texas Standard reported.

The state also asked U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman to suspend his order, arguing it could disrupt critical operations in the prison system while the appeal continues.

“Throwing chaos and confusion into TDCJ’s ongoing plans to install complete air-conditioning, before the Fifth Circuit has a chance to rule, needlessly wastes finite resources, and frustrates TDCJ’s efforts to acquire funding to address operational and life-safety measures to protect its population while moving...expediently to install air conditioning,” the filing said.

In September Pitman issued his ruling in a case filed by prison-rights advocacy groups. The groups argued that forcing inmates to endure triple-digit temperatures inside prison cells was unconstitutional. Just more than a third of the state’s prisons are climate-controlled, while 90,000 incarcerated Texans don’t have air conditioning.

The legal fight began with a 2023 complaint filed by Bernie Tiede, a high-profile inmate featured in the film “Bernie.”

COMPTROLLER HUFFINES PLANS $3M OFFICE RENOVATION Republican Controller Don Huffines plans to use $3 million in funds from a state agency that manages and invests state revenues to renovate his offices, according to The Dallas Morning News. Records obtained by the paper show that Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Co. would pay for the renovation of the comptroller’s executive suite.

Huffines is the GOP nominee for comptroller and was appointed by Abbott to serve out an unexpired term. He faces state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, in November. She called the proposed use of trust company funds “highly inappropriate.”

“The comptroller is supposed to keep those funds segregated,” she said. “You can’t raid it for operational expenses in the Comptroller’s Office.”

Since being appointed, Huffines has vowed to cut government spending; 41 comptroller employees were fired in recent weeks.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park.

When looking over a ballot, the option to write in a candidate represents a unique avenue for civic participation. However, in Texas, ensuring that a write-in vote makes it from a digital touchscreen all the way to the final certified tally involves a precise system governed by state statute, specialized ballot-marking equipment, and bipartisan review.

The path a write-in vote takes behind the scenes in the Lone Star State follows a structured process:

1. DECLARATION REQUIREMENT

In Texas, a write-in vote cannot simply be cast for anyone a voter chooses on impulse and expect to be officially counted.

According to the Texas Election Code Chapter 146, prospective write-in candidates must officially file a declaration of write-in candidacy (along with required filing fees or petition signatures depending on the office) to be placed on the certified list of write-in candidates.

If a voter writes in an individual who has not filed a formal declaration, the vote for that write-in option is not tallied for that person.

There are five offices in Colorado County that are on the Nov. 03, 2026, ballot that have write in candidates:

2. CASTING THE VOTE

In Colorado County, voters interact with electronic equipment like the ES&S Express Vote Voting System.

Rather than writing by hand, the voter uses the device’s touchscreen interface to navigate to a contest, select the writein option, and type the candidate’s name using an on-screen keyboard. Uti lizing the Express-Vote device ensures your selections are clearly recorded, making voter intent much easier to determine and helping the Resolution Board process ballots smoothly without struggling to read handwritten entries The ExpressVote functions as a ballot-marking device, printing the voter’s choices, including the digitally typed write-in name, onto a paper vote card, which the voter then reviews before taking it to the scanner.

The List of Declared Write-In Candidates is posted in every voting booth along with instructions.

3. PRECINCT COUNTERS AND SCANNERS Once the printed ballot is fed into the precinct’s optical scanner/tabulator/ ballot box, the tabulator recognizes that a write-in selection has been made on that particular contest.

Because machines look for specific barcode or ballot- position triggers associated with write-ins, the system securely flags or separates the ballot image/ record for human review, ensuring that votes requiring text verification are properly routed.

4. THE RESOLUTION BOARD AND VOTER INTENT The final determination of whether a write-in vote counts falls to human oversight, specifically the Colorado County bipartisan resolution board.

When electronic systems or scanners flag write-ins, board members examine the recorded text and digital ballot records. The board reviews the entry against the official list of declared write-in candidates. If a declared candidate’s name has minor variations or spelling differences, the board evaluates the data to determine whether the voter’s intent complies with Texas election standards.

For assistance with the ExpressVote device, please don’t hesitate to ask a poll worker, while any questions regarding vote tabulations should be directed to the Election Administrator.

Additionally, a complete list of declared write-in candidates is available on the Colorado County website along with the sample ballot at co.colorado.tx.us/ page/colorado.elections/.

Operating small government and county budgets is a delicate balancing act constrained by strict statutory guidelines, localized revenue limits, and the invisible weight of state-level policies. While these laws are enacted by state legislatures with the intention of serving the broader public interest, small rural communities face a distinct hurdle: the small percentage of property taxes collected by entities like Colorado County often makes it exceptionally difficult to cover every mandated operational cost.

THE ANATOMY OF COUNTY BUDGET WORKSHEETS For a county judge or commissioner, the annual budget process is not a casual estimation exercise; it is a meticulous, highly regulated sequence. County budget worksheets serve as the foundational architecture for this process. Typically coordinated through the county auditor or county clerk, these worksheets map out every projected penny of revenue and proposed expenditure across departments, everything from road and bridge maintenance to the county jail and judicial system. You can find the worksheet online at https://www.co.colorado.tx.us.

The Line-Item Breakdown: Worksheets force departments to justify historical spending against requested increases, separating personnel costs (salaries and health insurance) from operational overhead and capital outlays.

The Revenue Estimation: Worksheets factor in non-property tax revenues, alongside variable streams like local sales taxes. However, because sales taxes fluctuate heavily based on consumer spending, lag behind the actual budgeting cycle, and remain unpredictable, counties cannot safely rely on them for baseline fixed obligations.

The Tax Rate Calculation Forms: Embedded within modern budget worksheets are calculations required to establish the No-New-Revenue Tax Rate and the Voter- Approval Tax Rate. These forms ensure that transparency is mathematically enforced, showing precisely how much extra burden a proposed budget places on local property owners.

GOVERNMENT CODES GOVERNING COUNTY BUDGETS

County governments do not have the luxury of inventing their own fiscal rules. They are legal subdivisions of the state, meaning every dollar collected and spent must trace its authority back to state statute.

In places like Texas and similar jurisdictions, specific chapters of the Local Government Code dictate how budgets must be conceived, vetted, and adopted: Local Government Code Chapter 111 (County Budget): The primary statute governing the annual budget cycle, outlining responsibilities for filing the proposed budget on or before mid-summer deadlines, holding mandatory public hearings, and establishing spending restrictions.

Local Government Code Chapter 112 (County Finances - General Provisions): Dictates accounting practices, the segregation of funds, and the duties of financial officers to maintain structural integrity across accounts.

Local Government Code Chapters 114 and 115 (Audits and Claims): Establishes the role of the county auditor in overseeing financial books, scrutinizing claims, and preventing unauthorized expenditures.

Tax Code Chapter 26: Operates in tandem with budget codes, dictating strict procedural timelines for public notices, truth-in-taxation hearings, and voter approval elections if a county wishes to exceed statutory revenue caps.

UNFUNDED MANDATES (2020–2026) 

The greatest hidden stressor on small government budgets is the phenomenon of the unfunded mandate. This occurs when state or federal lawmakers pass laws requiring counties to provide new or expanded services, upgrade technology, or increase personnel compensation, without providing state appropriations to pay for them.

Between 2020 and 2026, local governments faced an unprecedented convergence of financial pressures driven by these mandates: Judicial and Indigent Defense Mandates: State-level adjustments to court-appointed attorney qualifications and digital case management integration heavily increased financial pressures, while the vast majority of trial and public defender costs remained a local county responsibility.

County Jail Operations and Inmate Care: Strict compliance rules enforced by bodies like the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) regarding staff-to-inmate ratios, facility retrofits, mental health evaluations, and secure psychiatric transport drive up local sheriff department budgets with minimal state cost-sharing.

Public Safety and Cybersecurity: State directives requiring local networks to meet elevated cybersecurity frameworks, complete mandatory employee training, and utilizing equipment like body-worn cameras create recurring operational expenses.

Election Mandates (2020– 2026): Sweeping legislative changes, such as major omnibus bills like Senate Bill 1 (2021) and subsequent security acts, introduced stringent operational requirements with zero dedicated state funding. This forced counties to absorb the costs of expanded poll watcher training, complex mail-in ballot “cure processes,” voting system audit trails, and mandatory extended early voting hours.

WHERE YOUR PROPERTY TAX DOLLAR GOES 

When property owners look at their annual tax bill, the county levy represents only a fraction of the total amount collected. Multi-jurisdictional tax bills typically split revenues across several entities: School Districts (ISDs): Take up the largest portion of the overall tax bill to fund local public education and teacher salaries.

Cities and Municipalities: Collect funds for local municipal services, police protection, and city infrastructure (if located within city limits).

Special Districts: Include entities like groundwater conservation districts.

County Share: The county receives .4664.17% of the property tax collected from home owners in 2026 Because the county’s slice of the property tax pie is relatively small, and because alternative revenue streams like local sales taxes are volatile and lag behind economic shifts, county commissioners are left with a razor- thin margin of error.

LOOKING FORWARD

Small government budgets are proof that local governance is a high-wire act. While state codes provide the strict legal guardrails required to keep counties transparent and solvent, the persistent pressure of unfunded mandates forces local leaders to constantly rob Peter to pay Paul— proving that the hardest financial choices are often made closest to home.

Since 1940, Newspaper Association Managers –– nammembers.com –– has sponsored and supported National Newspaper Week, a week-long promotion of the newspaper industry in the United States and Canada.

It runs Oct. 4-Oct. 10.

ROOTED IN COMMUNITY, COMMITTED TO TRUTH 

In small towns, suburbs and cities across America, local newspapers are there for the moments that matter — elections and ballgames, new businesses and school decisions, celebrations and tragedies.

How we deliver the news has changed. Why we do it hasn’t.

Newspapers inform their communities, hold government accountable and tell the stories no one else will. That commitment is at the heart of National Newspaper Week 2026 and this year’s theme: “Rooted in Community, Committed to Truth.”

WHY NEWSPAPERS MATTER 

Local journalism is just that — local.

It’s the city council vote that affects your taxes, the school board decision involving your children, the state championship team and the new business opening on Main Street.

Newspapers put reporters in the room, ask questions and provide accurate, verified information when facts matter most.

They also connect communities. Newspapers celebrate accomplishments, honor veterans, publish obituaries, cover emergencies and record the everyday moments that become a community’s history.

A COMMITMENT WORTH SUPPORTING 

Strong local journalism doesn’t happen by accident. Subscriptions, advertising and community support help keep reporters covering the people, institutions and decisions that matter.

National Newspaper Week is also a time to recognize the journalists, publishers, photographers, advertising teams, press operators, carriers and others who make that work possible every day.

Every newspaper serves a different community, but together we share the same purpose: keeping people informed, preserving the public record and protecting the public’s right to know.

The plat forms will change. Technology will change.

The need for trusted local journalism won’t.

Lance is the executive director of the National Newspaper Association

Navigating local court systems and criminal justice processes often requires understanding who serves on each side of the courtroom. In Texas, the responsibilities of prosecuting criminal offenses, advising local government bodies, and defending accused individuals are divided among distinct legal roles.

In Colorado County, local structure and state law combine these responsibilities in unique ways. Here is a comprehensive guide to the attorneys serving the county, its municipalities, and the public.

COLORADO COUNTY ATTORNEY: A DUAL ROLE In larger Texas metro areas, prosecution duties are split between two separate government departments: a county attorney, who prosecutes lower-level misdemeanors and advises local officials, and a district attorney, who focuses on state felony prosecutions.

Under the Texas Government Code, rural and midsized counties have the authority to merge these operations to streamline costs and administration. Colorado County operates under this combined system, electing a single district and county Attorney (currently held by Jay Johannes).

County-Wide Prosecution: The office holds dual prosecutorial authority over all state-level criminal charges originating within the county. This ranges from Class A and B misdemeanors (such as trespass or first-offense DWIs) in Constitutional County Court to major felony charges (such as burglary or grand larceny) in state district court.

Legal Counsel for County Government: The county attorney acts as the chief civil legal advisor to the Commissioners Court, county department heads, and local law enforcement agencies.

Civil & Protective Actions: The office represents the State of Texas in local Child Protective Services (CPS) interventions, handles asset forfeitures, processes hot check restitution, and seeks protective orders for victims of family violence.

Combining these roles provides a single point of contact for local law enforcement officers and crime victims throughout the state judicial process.

MUNICIPAL ATTORNEYS: LOCAL CITY COUNSEL

While the county attorney handles state-level enforcement, individual incorporated cities within Colorado County maintain separate legal representation. Because small rural municipalities rarely require full-time, in-house legal departments, city councils typically contract with private attorneys or regional law firms to fill the city attorney or municipal attorney role.

Drafting City Ordinances: Writing local legislation covering zoning laws, building safety codes, animal control, and traffic rules within city limits.

Government Operations: Advising mayors and city councils during public meetings on compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas Public Information Act.

Municipal Court Prosecution: Serving as the city prosecutor for Class C ordinance violations and traffic tickets issued by local municipal police.

In Columbus, the city uses contracted municipal legal counsel, retaining the law firm Bovey & Cochran, PLLC. On the other hand, Weimar appoints a designated city attorney, contracting with practitioners such as attorney Carl Dawson. Meanwhile, Eagle Lake retains specialized municipal government counsel, working with attorneys like Philip J. Boedeker.

DEFENSE COUNSEL: PUBLIC DEFENDERS AND COURTAPPOINTED ATTORNEYS

While government attorneys represent the State of Texas or local municipalities, defense counsel sits on the opposite side of the aisle representing the accused.

Under the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, any person accused of a crime facing potential jail or prison time who cannot afford a private attorney is entitled to legal representation at public expense.

The Role of Defense Counsel: Defense attorneys investigate charges, review evidence presented by prosecutors, negotiate plea terms, file pretrial motions, and represent clients during bail hearings and trial proceedings.

How Indigent Defense Works in Colorado County: Colorado County fulfi l ls this constitutional mandate primari ly through the Colorado County Public Defender’s Office, which employs a full-time public defenders dedicated to representing individuals who cannot afford private legal counsel. To handle caseload spikes, specialized cases, or potential conflicts of interest, local District and County Courts also maintain a court-appointed attorney system. Through this supplemental roster, qualified local private defense lawyers are assigned on a case-by-case basis to ensure every eligible defendant receives a complete and constitutionally sound legal defense.

Understanding the separation between county prosecutors, municipal attorneys, and defense counsel highlights how checks and balances operate within the local legal system. Each plays a vital role in upholding due process, ensuring fair representation, and maintaining public safety throughout Colorado County.

I began my journey to sobriety, even though I was surrounded by bad influences. I am proud to say I’ve been sober for two months now. I am grateful to TCA and my family for their unwavering support. TCA is a wonderful program if you truly want to become sober or even finish school.

School was a major chal lenge for me, especially because of the false friends who would offer me drugs like weed and pills. I saw how much I was hurting myself and how much my mom worried when she saw me under the influence. I kept promising her I’d quit, but I struggled to let go of the drugs that controlled me and hurt those I loved. I realized I was addicted when I couldn’t stop doing things that were harming me and hurting my family.

TCA is a special place for anyone who genuinely wants to change their life for the better. It’s a place that can help bui ld discipl ine, find employment, and offer a sense of community. At TCA, you get three meals a day, participate in sports, and engage in community service. The staff is caring and supportive, but they also know how to enforce discipline when needed. TCA teaches essential life ski l ls for the real world, showing you how to be a leader, avoid temptations, and most importantly, how to value yourself and not be swayed by others.

This program is about hope, healing, and taking the first steps toward a better future. Overcoming temptation is a CHALLENGE, BUT I’M GOING TO WIN!

Vot i ng should be straightforward, but recent updates to Texas election laws and ID rules can cause confusion, especially when voting by mail or using an older driver’s license.

This guide clari fies three crucial ID rules every voter needs to know: handling ID number mismatches, updating voter records after receiving a replacement license, and using expired licenses at the polls.

Avoiding the mail-in ballot “ID mismatch” If you cast your ballot by mail, Texas law requires you to write an identification number on both your Application for a Ballot by Mail (ABBM) and the back flap of your Mail-In Ballot Carrier Envelope.

When processing your application or ballot, election officials must match the ID number you write on the envelope against the specific ID number stored in your voter registration file.

Decades ago, many Texans registered using their Social Security Number (SSN). Today, many people write down their Texas Driver’s License (DL) number.

If your voter file lists your SSN, but you write your DL number on the ballot envelope (or vice versa), the system flags it as a mismatch, potentially delaying or rejecting your vote.

Another common issue is when a voter has replaced their drivers license with a Texas Personal ID card. To guarantee your ballot is accepted without delay write both numbers in the space provided on your form:

• your Texas driver’s license or personal ID number • the last 4 digits of your social security number Where to find the field: On your mail-in ballot envelope, look under the security flap before you seal it. Write both numbers down, seal the flap over them to protect your privacy, and sign. As long as one of those numbers matches what is on file, your ballot passes part of the verification.

What to do if you replace your driver’s license or ID If your Texas Driver’s License or Personal ID card was lost, stolen, or damaged and you got a replacement from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), pay close attention to your card numbers: Same DL Number: In most cases, DPS replaces a lost or damaged card using the exact same Driver’s License number. Your number does not change, meaning your voter registration record remains up to date.

New Personal ID Card: In most cases the DL was expired or returned and the new card issued is a new number. You must update your voter registration.

If your card was stolen and DPS issued you a brand-new Driver’s License number to protect against fraud, your voter registration record will still reflect your old number. You must update your voter registration.

How to update your voter registration

To ensure your new ident i f icat ion number matches your voter profile: Online: Visit the Secretary of State’s online portal (Texas.gov or TxT) to submit an online voter registration address/ ID update if you haven’t moved counties.

By Mail or In Person: Complete a standard Voter Registration Application reflecting your new driver’s license number and submit it to your local County Elections Office at least 30 days before Election Day.

Voting in-person with an expired driver’s license Many seniors wonder if they can still use their photo ID at the polls if they no longer drive or have let their driver’s license expire.

If you are 70 years of age or older, you may use ANY accepted form of photo ID (such as a Texas Driver’s License, Texas Personal ID Card, U.S. Passport, or DPS Election Identification Certificate) NO MATTER HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN EXPIRED, as long as the document is otherwise valid.

Example: If you turned 70 and your Texas Driver’s License expired 10 years ago, it is still a valid photo ID for voting in Texas. For you reference you can see more information at https://www.dps.texas. gov/section/driver-license.

Free Election Identification Certificate is a photo ID used for voting purposes ONLY. An EIC is valid for six years. There is no expiration date for certificates issued to citizens 70 years of age or older. An EIC will not be accepted to verify identity when applying for a Texas driver license or ID card. To find out more information about obtaining an Election Identification Certificate see https://www.dps. texas.gov/section/driver- license/election-identification- certificate-eic/.

The same is true for our readers in Austin County and the communities we serve there.

Local government makes decisions every day that affect residents’ homes, businesses, taxes, schools, roads, utilities, public safety and quality of life. Those decisions belong in the public record, and they deserve public attention.

That is one reason legal notices published in newspapers remain an important part of government transparency. Notices about proposed actions, public hearings, property matters, financial decisions and other government business give residents an opportunity to know what their elected officials and public bodies are doing.

It is also why we attend city council meetings, school board meetings, commissioners court meetings and other public meet— ings. When a governing body discusses a new development, a proposed battery storage facility or data center, a hazardous waste facility, a tax rate, a budget or how public money will be spent, those are not simply items on an agenda. They are matters that can affect the people who live here.

Our job is to tell you what happened.

Sometimes that means reporting news that is welcome and worth celebrating. Sometimes it means reporting decisions that are complicated. And sometimes it means reporting something uncomfortable involving an elected official, a public institution or a local business.

When that happens, it is not because we are “picking on” someone.

It is because it is our job.

Elected officials at the city, county, state and national levels are elected to serve the public. They are accountable to the people who put them in office. Local businesses and institutions are also part of the communities we cover, and when something involving them is legitimately newsworthy, our responsibility is to report the facts fairly and accurately.

That does not mean we have all the answers. It does not mean every story will make everyone happy. And it certainly does not mean we expect everyone to agree with everything we publish.

It means we believe an informed community is a stronger community.

That is also why we welcome letters to the editor.

A letter does not have to agree with this newspaper’s editorial position. In fact, disagreement is part of what makes a community conversation worthwhile. Our role is not to decide which opinions our readers are allowed to have. Our role is to provide a forum where appropriate community voices can be heard, while applying reasonable standards for accuracy, civility and relevance.

Local journalism is sometimes described as a watchdog.

We think that is a fitting description.

A watchdog is not supposed to make everyone comfortable. It is supposed to pay attention. It is supposed to notice when something changes. It is supposed to sound the alarm when necessary.

Most importantly, a watchdog is supposed to be there.

We are here to ask questions, attend the meetings, read the public documents, report the decisions and tell you what is happening in your community.

We will not always get everything perfect. But we will continue to believe that the people who live here deserve to know what their government is doing — and that local journalism has a responsibility to help them know it.

That is not picking sides. That is doing our job.

Also, keep in mind that even if most of us haven’t had the best past or childhood, don’t use that as an excuse. Use it as an example to show that your past doesn’t define who you are or who you will become. It’s part of TCA’s job to help you see that. Two staff members in particular, C.S. Bellvin and C.S. Clark, I knew from the moment I saw them that I could trust them. They care a lot for us cadets despite our behavior at times. Just because they yell or get onto you when you’re doing the wrong thing doesn’t mean they’re being rude or “doing too much,” as we young people say. It simply means they’re looking out for us—they see potential in us that we might not see in ourselves. If you are a current cadet or a future cadet, know this: be prepared for fighting, overwhelming moments, and more. But don’t let it get to you. Use it as motivation and show them that you’re stronger, better, and more mature. Aim for the top and reach for the stars, because I BELIEVE IN ME and YOU—I know you can and will make it.

If you read Genesis chapter 3, you will discover information relating to the statements above. Because Adam and Eve failed to obey God’s command, sin entered their world and is now passed along to us.

Sin is a condition we’re born with, not mere deeds we do.

Sin separates us from God, just like it separated Adam and Eve in the Garden. Their actions brought about embarrassment and shame, creating that separation and leading them to hide.

And, if you read closely, the people never sought to find God. No, God looked for them.

He initiated contact. God called for them, asking where they are. Do you suppose He really didn’t know where they were?

I think God wanted Adam and Eve to know where they were — hiding, shameful and not looking for Him. They reluctantly responded.

The results of this conversation in Genesis changed life forever. Details that never existed before suddenly altered life.

Observations from this passage include people denying accountability and passing blame. New changes described how living creatures related to each other, and the punishment on snakes: their isolation from other animals, they were to be mostly feared and slither on the ground.

The 15th verse is interesting as it describes ongoing conflict and rebellion. This verse is also called “The First Evangel,” and is about the spiritual war between Satan and Jesus. Ultimately, Jesus will win, and the serpent’s head will be crushed.

Other life changes that began in Genesis chapter 3 include pain in childbirth, ground thorns making growth difficult, working “by the sweat of your brow” and death itself.

I doubt neither Adam nor Eve foresaw the great ripple effects of their disobedience. We too may be naive in our choices or feel justified by our anger or rebellion, yet there are always consequences.

But remember: God is still faithful.

He continues seeking us and helping us see clearly. He initiates contact, and I pray you will notice when He knocks on your heart’s door.

Open the door and say yes to Him.

Today, I pray that we will consider our choices. Until next week, Anita Onarecker, an Elgin resident, author of “Divine Appointment: Our Journey to the Bridge” and minister to women and adults, earned a Master of Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2007.

Anxiety disorders are much more than ordinary worry; they are brain disorders! When anxiety becomes persistent, excessive, difficult to control or disruptive to everyday life, it may become an anxiety disorder.

Think about what persistent anxiety can do to a person’s world. Sleep may become difficult. Concentration can suffer. Physical symptoms—racing heart, shortness of breath, trembling, headaches, stomach problems and muscle tension— can become frightening. A person may begin avoiding school, work, church, social activities, driving, travel or simply leaving home.

Research has consistently found an association between anxiety symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. One study, for example, found that people reporting recent anxiety symptoms were about five times more likely to screen positive for suicide risk.

When someone feels trapped by overwhelming emotional or physical distress, hopelessness can develop. That is why recognizing anxiety can be an important part of suicide prevention.

We do not need to diagnose someone. We simply need to know the symptoms and take notice of an individual – friend or family – and reach out to them.

• Has a friend become unusually withdrawn?
• Are they increasingly anxious, agitated or overwhelmed?
• Are they sleeping much more—or much less?
• Has a family member stopped doing things they once enjoyed?
• Are they talking about feeling trapped, hopeless?
• Are they saying they feel like a burden to everyone?
• Have they stated they have no reason to live?

And what can we do? LISTEN! And don’t try to ‘fix’ everything. Take the person’s fear seriously—even if the fear doesn’t make sense to you.

The Mental Health First Aid Class that Texana Behavioral Clinic and The Wellness Council have been sponsoring locally – seven classes total to date – teaches the ALGEE technique to assist you if you have concerns about a person’s mental statis:

• Assess for suicide or harm
• Listen non-judgmentally
• Give reassurance and information
• Encourage appropriate professional help
• Encourage self-help and other supportive strategies. 

You don’t have to wait for a crisis before you show your concern and offer assistance. Prevention can be rather simple: listening, showing you care and you are aware can remove the person’s sense that they are alone.

Colorado County has a Mental Health Deputy who is trained to talk with and provide support to individuals with Anxiety, Depression, PTSD Disorders as well as other mental health disorders. Simply call 911 Dispatcher and let them know you have concern about a friend, family member or neighbor and you’d like the Mental Health Deputy to make a visit. Of course, if there is a crisis, tell the 911 Dispatcher it is a crisis so immediate help can be sent Additionally, the National Crisis Hotline -- 988 – is available 24/7 at no cost to the caller. Individuals can Call-Text-Chat; there are counselors available also especially for Veterans, our Spanish speaking citizens, and other special populations.

Remember, when we understand what anxiety looks like, we are better equipped to recognize it, respond with compassion and connect people with help.

Don’t panic if you check your voter registration in Texas and see the word “Suspense” next to your name. Despite how dramatic it sounds, being on suspense does not mean your voter registration is canceled, suspended, or revoked, and it does not mean you have been removed from the voter rolls.

What Does “Suspense” Actually Mean?

In Texas, placing a voter on the suspense list is simply an administrative way for election officials to say, “We need to verify your address.”

Every two years, county voter registrars send out new voter registration certificates. If one of those certificates or another official piece of election mail, like a jury summons, is returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable, the county places that voter on the suspense list.

This frequently happens when voters:

• Move to a new home or apartment and forget to update their voter registration.

• Have an error or missing detail in their mailing address on file.

• Have mail forwarded or returned due to postal delivery issues.

Can You Still Vote If You Are on Suspense?

Yes! Voters on the suspense list are still legally registered to vote. However, depending on your situation, you may need to complete a brief step to confirm your residence.

What Should You Do Next?

Checking your voter profile and resolving your status ahead of an election is quick and straightforward.

• Check Your Status: You can look up your registration details online using votetexas.gov or call the Colorado County Election Office.

• If You Haven’t Moved: If your address hasn’t changed, you can update or confirm your address online via the state’s portal or fill out a simple Statement of Residence form at your polling place when you go to cast your ballot.

• If You Moved: It is best to update your address on your voter registration record as soon as possible. You can find forms and local contact details throughout the county Voter list maintenance, often called a “purge”, is the routine, legally mandated process county election officials use to keep voter registration records accurate and up to date.

Federal laws like the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Texas Election Code set strict rules for how and when a voter’s registration can be canceled to protect eligible voters from being removed by mistake.

Key Triggers for Removal Under Texas law, a voter is removed from the active registration rolls for a few specific reasons: • Change of Residence (Suspense List): If official election mail (like a voter card or jury summons) is returned as undeliverable, or if state records show a voter may have moved, they are placed on the Suspense List. A voter on suspense can still vote if they confirm or update their address. However, if a voter remains on the suspense list and fails to vote in two consecutive general elections for federal office (about a four-year window), state law directs the registrar to cancel the record.

• Deceased Voters: The Texas Secretary of State and local registrars match voter rolls against official death records including those provided by the Department of State Health Services and the Social Security Administration to remove deceased individuals.

• Disqualifying Legal Events: Registrars receive official notices from courts and government agencies regarding individuals who have been convicted of a felony or declared mentally incapacitated without the right to vote by a judge.

• Voter Request: A voter may submit a written, signed request to voluntarily cancel their own registration.

Notice Requirements & Protections

Texas law requires voter registrars to send a written notice to a voter’s address on file before canceling a registration for eligibility concerns, giving the voter 30 days to respond and confirm their status.

Additionally, federal law prohibits systematic list maintenance activities within 90 days of a federal primary or general election to prevent accidental removals right before voting begins.

It is a common misconception that voters in Texas can be dropped from the registration rolls overnight, but list maintenance is a careful, multi-year process governed strictly by state and federal law. Before a voter’s record can be canceled for an unconfirmed address change, they are first placed on the “suspense” list and given a generous grace period, to simply vote or update their information. County voter registrars do not initiate list updates frivolously; every notice sent and status change made is bound by strict legal safeguards designed to protect your right to vote while ensuring public voter rolls remain accurate, secure, and up to date.

Dear Editor:

In August, the United States national debt crossed $40 trillion for the first time.

Put that number in perspective: when Donald Trump first took office in January 2017, the debt was about $20 trillion. In less than a decade, America has doubled it.

But this should not be a partisan talking point.

The debt increased by roughly $7.8 trillion during Trump’s first term. It increased by approximately $8.5 trillion during Joe Biden’s. Now, less than two years into Trump’s second term, we have added nearly $4 trillion more. At the current pace, the national debt could approach $46 trillion by the time Trump leaves office.

Republ icans blame Democrats. Democrats blame Republicans. Meanwhile, both parties keep borrowing.

Last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” is projected by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to add roughly $4.1 trillion to federal deficits through 2034, including additional interest.

Here in Colorado County, farmers, ranchers, businesses and families understand a fairly basic rule: eventually, the bills have to be paid. Washington apparently operates under a different accounting system. Every trillion dollars added to the debt means still more tax dollars going toward interest rather than roads, agriculture, disaster relief and the needs of communities like ours.

Apparently Washington can find trillions for tax cuts and hundreds of millions for presidential ballrooms. What it cannot find is the political courage to spend what it collects.

There are legitimate disagreements about taxes, defense, Social Security, Medicare and the proper size of government. Solving our fiscal problems will require painful choices that neither party wants to make.

But arithmetic isn’t partisan.

Twenty trillion dollars became forty trillion in less than ten years.

The frightening question isn’t which party did it.

They both did. The question is: at what number will we, the people, finally force our politicians to care?

Trey Brantley of Columbus

Welcome to the fray. As the newly appointed General Manager and CEO of the Lower Colorado River Authority, you have inherited an incredibly complex and contentious situation regarding the Fayette Power Project (FPP).

The fun is just starting for you. You come to this position with a good name and a well-outlined history of doing the right thing, specifically your hard-fought victories navigating the transition away from legacy coal assets at CPS Energy in San Antonio. Many of us here have a genuine hope that you will bring much-needed cultural change to this agency. But please, do not let the institutional sewer you have just been thrown into blemish your past hard work.

Because as you settle into your new office, there is a hard truth about Fayette County you need to understand: the pollution leaking from the FPP is an environmental crisis, but the machinery protecting that pollution is a far greater threat to our community.

This institutional contempt for rural Texans is baked into the very foundation of the FPP. It is a bitter piece of local history that when the original LCRA managers chose Fayette County as the site for this massive coal plant decades ago, their arrogant justification was that this county was populated by “old, stupid people” who wouldn’t have the money to fight back, and who would simply die of cancer before they ever saw the long-term effects of the pol lution. They viewed our home not as a community, but as a politically weak sacrifice zone.

That exact same arrogance drives the agency today. For years, citizens here have watched the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) operate less like an environmental regulator and more like a lap dog for the LCRA.

When the LCRA gets caught pol lut ing, the TCEQ does not penalize them. They simply move the goalposts. They either ignore the data or change the rules entirely to make the pollution legal—such as arbitrarily declaring that local county judges and landowners are not “affected persons” so they can ignore our protests while relaxing your pollution limits.

This is not a new oversight. For over 20 years, the LCRA has been fully aware of the total failure of their 23 groundwater monitoring wells at the FPP site. Instead of remediating the unlined ash ponds, the agency continually refuses to conduct undiluted testing at the actual points of discharge, preferring instead to mask the heavy metals using diluted math and regulatory loopholes. And now, the bill has come due: just this week, local authorities publicly confirmed a designated, physical effluent leak point near the Cedar Creek dam itself.

But the LCRA’s abuse of rural communities extends far beyond the ash ponds in Fayette County.

How long can our State leaders tell everyone that Texas is running out of water, when the biggest culprits are quasistate entities like the LCRA? The Authority operates as a money machine and an electric monopoly that is totally out of control.

When bureaucratic maneuvering isn’t enough, the LCRA unleashes its legal department. The Authority loves to jump into court, weaponizing its massive, ratepayer-funded financial power to overwhelm and demolish anyone who fatally falls in their path to the money.

Ta ke the hi stor ic groundwater fight just up the road in the Lost Pines region. When local citizens and groundwater districts tried to stop the LCRA from siphoning 25,000 acrefeet— over 8.1 billion gallons, representing nearly $50 million in municipal water value—from their aquifer, the LCRA didn’t back down. Backed by a $117 million ratepayer-funded infrastructure plan, they dragged local defenders through relentless, exhausting litigation, pushing rural families to the brink of bankruptcy just for trying to protect their own wells.

They operate less like a public utility and more like a group of state-funded gangsters, strong-arming everyone, every time.

The LCRA’s mission statement claims the agency operates as the “stewards of the rivers and waters of Texas.” But to the communities actually living next to your facilities, you operate like an entity that views local groundwater as yours to exploit, and local citizens as nuisances to be sued into submission.

Mr. Garza, you are new to this role. You did not build this combative, litigious machine, nor did you create the leaking ash ponds currently drawing federal complaints at the FPP dam. But you are the one at the controls now.

You have a choice. You can continue the legacy of deploying ratepayer-funded lawyers to crush local opposition while hiding behind the TCEQ, or you can leverage your San Antonio experience to actually become the environmental steward the LCRA claims to be.

The residents of Fayette County are testing their wells, the federal complaints are filed, and the public is watching. We are looking to you to change the culture.

By Jerry Moerbe of Nelsonville

Every two years, county voter registrars across Texas mail out new Voter Registration Certificates to active registered voters. While this official document is widely recognized as a sign that you are ready for the polls, its actual legal roles under Texas law often surprise residents.

Why It Can’t Be Used as Primary Voter Identification

Under Section 63.001 of the Texas Election Code, in-person voters must present one of seven approved primary forms of photo identification:

• Texas Driver License (issued by DPS)

• Texas Personal Identification Card (issued by DPS)

• Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC)

• Texas Handgun License (issued by DPS)

• U.S. Military Identification Card with photograph

• U.S. Citizenship Certificate with photograph U.S. Passport (book or card) This law became into effect in Texas on August 10, 2016.

The Missing Element: Photo Verification The Voter Registration Certificate lacks a photograph and biometric security features. Because it is printed on paper without photo verification, state law explicitly prevents it from standing on its own as primary identification to establish identity at the ballot box.

While your voter registration certificate isn’t a primary photo ID, state law and administrative codes recognize it for several critical uses across state and local government:

In an era where transparency is top of mind, navigating how to access public information can feel daunting. When it comes to local elections, understanding how public records work is vital for community trust. The Colorado County Election Administrator is pulling back the curtain on the Texas Public Information Act to share some surprising facts you might not know about requesting election-related records.

Here is a simplified look at the “hidden rules” of open records requests and how they apply directly to Colorado County elections:

There is no “central hub” for records Many citizens assume that filing a single request with the county courthouse grants access to every piece of election data. In Texas county government, each elected official acts as the independent Public Information Administrator for their specific department.

No department has authority or custody over another department’s files. If you want specific voter registration records or local election data, your request must go directly to the specific Elected Official or Department Head holding those files. Sending it to the wrong office will cause unnecessary delays.

Need help figuring out who to contact? You can reach out to Sharon Marsalia, County Judge Assistant, at (979) 732-2604 or visit Room 107 in the Colorado County Courthouse for guidance.

The government cannot ask why you want the data

Curious about a local election outcome or a specific polling location stat? You don’t have to justify your curiosity.

Under state law, government officials are strictly prohibited from asking you for the purpose of your request. While you can voluntarily share your goals if you think it will help officials locate a highly specific file, you are never required to do so.

Officials cannot create new reports for you If you are looking for a highly specific, customized statistical breakdown of a past election that doesn’t currently exist, the county cannot build it for you.

An Open Records request must strictly be for the inspection or copying of existing documents or records. By law, an agency is not required to generate a brand-new document or conduct custom data synthesis to fulfill a request.

Small staff & daily operations impact turnaround times

A common misconception is that requested files must be handed over immediately or strictly on day 10.

Across the state, the sheer volume of public information requests has surged so dramatically that many larger Texas counties have had to hire dedicated, full-time open records staff using taxpayer dollars just to manage the workload. In a smaller county, existing staff must balance these legal requests alongside their primary day-to-day office operations—such as processing voter registrations, preparing election equipment, and certifying votes. Because these essential operational duties must continue without interruption, complex or extensive record searches may take longer to fulfill.

The “10-Business-Day Rule” is a response window, not a delivery guarantee State law provides a structured timeline for public agencies to respond to requests. The law dictates that the county must officially respond within 10 business days, it does not require all documents to be delivered in that timeframe. If staff are actively using records, if files are stored offsite, or if staff need time to locate extensive materials alongside their daily duties, the county will use those 10 business days to provide formal written notice specifying the date and time the records will be ready. If data is legally protected, officials will use that window to seek a ruling from the Texas Attorney General.

Large requests may incur processing & copy fees While looking at documents in person is generally free, larger data pulls or extensive paper copies incur standard, state-regulated fees set by the Texas Attorney General.

Small, routine requests rarely cost anything, but extensive requests requiring significant staff time or physical copies may incur fees for labor, overhead, and materials. To ensure complete transparency, Colorado County will always provide a formal, itemized cost estimate before beginning work on any request where costs are expected to pass standard state thresholds. Requestors are notified in advance so they can refine their request or approve the estimate before any charges are incurred.

The governing laws

All public information requests in Colorado County are governed strictly under Texas Government Code, Chapter 552 (commonly known as the Texas Public Information Act). Under this act, all government information is legally presumed to be available to the public, unless specific state laws or judicial exemptions apply like an open investigation or court order.

For more information on how to submit a request or to download a standard form, visit the Texas Attorney General’s open government portal or https:// www.co.colorado.tx.us/ page/colorado.PublicInformationRequest

STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

Amid mounting public outcry, the federal government last week halted construction of border barriers through state park property in far West Texas, The Texas Tribune reported.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott personally stopped construction until he could visit the region.

Hundreds of people showed up at the annual meeting of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, gathering outside its headquarters in what resembled a tailgate party.

The federal government already has sent bulldozers into Big Bend National Park Among those trying to rally people to the cause was former Republican Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson.

“I have yet to encounter anybody in the Big Bend area who does not oppose a wall,” he said.

While Big Bend is a national park, several state parks could be affected by attempts to build border barriers, including Big Bend State Park and Seminole Canyon State Park.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Chairman Paul Foster addressed the concerns of those attending the annual meeting.

“I think we agree with most of you and are working with the Governor’s Office and the federal government,” he said. “Our goal is to minimize damage to the ecosystem and the natural beauty of not only the parks, but the whole area.

Abbott proposes extending ban on H-1B visas

Gov. Greg Abbott last week proposed extending a ban on H-1B visas used to hire foreign workers to all Texas public school employees, The Texas Tribune reported. A similar ban is already in place for Texas universities.

The governor says he will push for legislation to ensure “exactly zero” of Texas school employers are in the state on federal visas.

“We’re tired of the federal government not putting limits on who can come in under H-1Bs, and because of the federal government’s failure to control H-1B visas, Texas is having to put our foot down, and that means making some tough decisions,” Abbott said.

Texas school districts employ more educators holding H-1B visas than any other state, according to an analysis from the National Education Association.

The Dallas Independent School District leads in the number of educators hired with H-1B visas at 171.

The pol icy change would require legislation to pass during the next regular session of the Legislature, which begins in January.

Patrick threatens schools who retain ‘inappropriate’ books Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened last week to lower ratings of schools that do not pull books marked as “inappropriate,” The Dallas Morning News reported.

“We’re coming for the books,” Patrick said in a message to superintendents. “We ask that you do it on your own and remove these books.”

Patrick cont rols the state Senate agenda and says school districts may eventually face funding cuts if those books remain in school libraries. He did not say how that would occur.

Abbott last year signed a bill into law that gives school boards the authority to pull books from school libraries if parents or members of the public believe they are indecent or profane. Patrick said new penalties are necessary because school districts are not complying.

Democrats have said stricter oversight over books in school libraries threatens local control and access to books.

Up to 25,000 plugged oil and gas wells could fail, group warns A new watchdog group’s analysis of Texas oil and gas wel l data claims 25,000 plugged wel ls across the state are at risk of failure, threatening to contaminate the aquifers many communities rely upon for their water supply, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The number of so-called “zombie wells” — plugged wells that rise from the dead — is about 50 times higher than previously reported.

Leaking zombie wells are a growing problem in Texas oil fields as a growing number of plugged wells fail, sending toxic wastewater up to the surface and contaminating aquifers.

The group, Future Heist, has created an interactive map to identify the wells at risk.

The group scraped state websites for information. It assigned each well a score based on several factors: the well plug’s age, well construction quality, compliance history and its proximity to oil and gas wastewater injection.

All the information is publicly available on websites belonging to the Texas Railroad Commission.

“I spent 15 years reporting on what oil and gas did to Texas, and the facts were always right there in the public record — just buried where no one could use them,” Saul Elbein, Future Heist’s director, said in a statement. “Future Heist digs them out and makes them impossible to ignore, so people can see what was done to them and decide what comes next.”

Texas crime rate falls for third straight year The state’s crime rate has declined for the past three years, according to data released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, including by 13% in 2025.

The crime rate peaked in 2022 at 2,830.14 offenses per 100,000 people and has declined each year since.

Overal l, the violent crime rate is down 13.19% from 2024. The property crime rate is down 13.31% for the same period.

Abbot t touted a nti- crime measures taken during recent legislative sessions.

“We passed the toughest bail reform package in state history, backed law enforcement and targeted violent repeat offenders,” he said.

Smuggled Texas fuel is bankrolling cartels Fuel smuggling has likely surpassed narcotics as the Mexican drug cartels’ leading income source, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety and reported by the Houston Chronicle.

DPS reports the cartels smuggle fuel worth $12 billion to $17 billion a year from Texas into Mexico.

“Fuel trafficking is a threat that is operating in plain sight,” DPS director Col. Freeman Martin told the state Senate Select Committee on Homeland and Border Security. “They’re loading fuel trucks …. or any container you can think of and hauling it south.”

Car tel s have been known to drive empty trucks into Texas and fill them up with legally purchased and tax-free fuel from licensed terminals. The trucks are then driven to unregulated fuel sites, where cheaper products are blended into the fuel.

Customs documents are forged or changed, and the fuel is taken to Mexico, Martin said.

One possible solution is to make it illegal for trucks carrying hazardous materials to deviate from preplanned routes or to carry more than 80,000 pounds, according to state and industry officials.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.

com.

Have you ever walked into a Colorado County office, ready to cross an errand off your to-do list, only to be told “no” because you lacked a specific form or didn’t meet a certain requirement? It can be incredibly frustrating.

In this installment of our “Things You Didn’t Know” series, Colorado County Elected Officials and employees want to share a behind-the-scenes look at why those barriers exist and how they are designed to protect you.

The absolute truth is that your county employees and elected officials truly want to assist you. They take pride in serving our community efficiently.

However, county staff are bound by strict Texas state laws and local regulations.

When an employee tells you they cannot complete a transaction the way you want it done, it isn’t because they are being difficult; it is because the law legally forbids them from doing so.

Everyday examples of legal safeguards

Common friction points often involve voting, vehicle registration, and vital statistics. While the rules might feel like unnecessary “red tape” at the moment, they are in place to prevent identity theft, fraud, and unwanted or undo actions.

• Voting with a Registration Card vs. Photo ID: It is a common source of confusion at the polls: you received your official Colorado County voter registration card in the mail, you brought it with you to vote, but the election worker still asks to see your photo ID. It can feel redundant, but under Texas Election Code § 63.001, a voter registration certificate alone does not satisfy the state’s strict voter identification requirements for in-person voting. State law mandates that voters present one of seven acceptable forms of photo identification listed under Texas Election Code § 63.0101(a) (such as a Texas Driver’s License or U.S. Passport) to confirm that the person standing at the poll matches the name on the voter roll. The law protects the integrity of your individual vote, ensuring no one else can walk in and claim your ballot.

• Picking Up a Voter Registration Card In Person: If you need a replacement or want to check your status, you can submit an application or inquire by personal delivery at the Elections Office under Texas Election Code § 13.002. However, just like with ballot security, county officials must follow strict statutory verification guidelines before handing out official individual voter records in person to ensure your sensitive registration data remains secure and protected from unauthorized access.

• Vehicle Registration Stickers: If you are running errands in town and decide to pick up a license plate registration sticker for a neighbor, a family member, or even a friend, the Tax Assessor-Collector’s office cannot simply hand it over. Under Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Title 43, § 217.28, vehicle registration renewals must satisfy strict identity verification. To process a registration on behalf of someone else, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles regulations require specific documentation. This includes the official renewal notice or a signed authorization note from the owner, along with a copy of the owner’s current government- issued photo ID, the representative’s photo ID, and valid proof of vehicle insurance. This prevents unauthorized individuals from altering a vehicle’s legal status or intercepting state-issued property.

• Bir th Certificates: Grandparents often stop by the County Clerk’s office hoping to pick up a certified copy of a grandchild’s birth certificate. Under Texas Health and Safety Code § 191.051, birth certificates are confidential, protected vital records that may only be issued to a “properly qualified applicant”. While the law does include grandparents in the biological immediate family line under 25 TAC § 181.1, the state enforces strict identity verification protocols. To protect the minor child, a grandparent must present valid government photo identification and, depending on the specific record, may be required to show formal documentation tracing their direct relationship to the parent or provide a notarized authorization. Without this legal verification, the record cannot be released. This strict rule ensures that a child’s private information never falls into the wrong hands.

We are on your side

Colorado County officials and employees understand that your time is valuable. It is never pleasant to be turned away and told you have to go back home to gather more paperwork or specific identification. But remember: the very same laws that stop you from picking up someone else’s documents or require extra verification at the polls are the exact laws keeping strangers from interfering with your records and your vote.

Before heading to the courthouse or county annex, residents are highly encouraged to visit the official Colorado County Website. Every department has information listed detailing exactly what IDs, fees, and authorization forms are required to successfully complete your task on the first try.

We are here to serve, protect, and guide you through the process—legally, safely, and correctly.

I am Area Editor for The Colorado County Citizen and The Sealy News. I am also a full-time teacher at Rice Consolidated ISD, teaching students at both the junior high and high school campuses.

So, this column isn’t coming from the editor’s desk. It’s coming from the teacher’s desk.

For two years, our junior high campus carried an F state accountability rating.

There is no point in pretending we were proud of it. We weren’t.

But there was something about that F that bothered us beyond the rating itself: Our administrators weren’t failures. Our teachers weren’t failures. And our kids for sure weren’t failures.

Still, we were stuck in a rut. Several of us teach at both the junior high and high school campuses. Our days were already busy. We were tired. Teachers were frustrated. Kids were frustrated. And when you’ve struggled long enough without seeing the results you desperately want, frustration can slowly turn into defeat.

Last year, Dr. Andrew DeWalt arrived as principal of Rice Junior High, along with Assistant Principal Lisa Hoelscher.

The change was felt almost immediately.

That doesn’t mean everything suddenly became easy. Quite the opposite.

Already tired teachers were asked to do more. Our administrators pushed us. We pushed one another. And all of us pushed our kids.

We lesson planned together. We looked at one another’s plans and found opportunities to reinforce content across classrooms. Teachers came early and stayed late to tutor.

And our kids worked.

They came to tutorials before school. They stayed after school. They had WIN time to get extra targeted help. We reminded them over and over to lock in when their attention wandered. We had to remind ourselves to lock in, too. When STAAR testing arrived, we watched them slow down, take their time, buckle down and give us their best.

We didn’t know exactly what the final result would be.

We just knew we were determined to get out of that rut.

A few days ago, we found out. Rice Junior High went from an F accountability rating to a C.

Now, somebody looking at that from the outside might shrug and say, “A C? What’s there to celebrate? A C is average.”

Not this C. This C is anything but average. Let me be clear; I see the year behind that letter. Exhausted teachers, kids who had begun to believe the label, new administrators who refused to accept the status quo, tutorials, WIN time, lesson planning, cross-curricular work and a campus deciding collectively that an F did not define it.

I also don’t want this to come across like a newspaper editor objectively analyzing Rice CISD’s rating. This is unmistakenly me writing as a teacher who lived it.

This C is for confidence. For two years, an F told a story about our campus that none of us wanted told. Now we have tangible proof of what can happen when administrators, teachers, and students decide together that where we are today does not have to be where we stay.

Our kids can stand a little taller. So can we.

We raised the bar for ourselves — and then we reached it.

This C is for courage. It takes courage to admit that something isn’t working.

It takes courage for administrators to walk into a struggling campus and say we’re going to do things differently. It takes courage for exhausted teachers to hear, “We need more from you,” and somehow find more to give.

And it takes courage for kids who have struggled to keep trying.

We did. They did. This C is for concentration. “Lock in.” If you spent any time around our junior high last year, you probably heard some version of those words.

Focus. Slow down. Read it again. Take your time. Ask for help. Try again.

We watched students put in extra time before school, after school and during WIN periods. We watched them take more days seriously. We watched them take STAAR seriously and give the test their best effort.

Their work mattered. This C is for collaboration. Education can become incredibly isolating when everyone closes their classroom door and tries to solve every problem alone.

We didn’t do that. Teachers planned together. We looked at one another’s lessons. We talked about students and where they were struggling. We found ways to reinforce skills across content areas. Our administrators challenged us, supported us and kept the campus moving toward a common goal.

None of us earned that C alone. This C is for community. Being “out there” in Altair, sometimes it felt as though our junior high campus had been forgotten.

That has begun to change, too. We’ve seen increased engagement from families and community members. We’ve felt people taking an interest in what happens inside our school and supporting the people doing the work.

Thank you. Keep showing up. Keep asking about our kids. Keep encouraging them. Keep reminding them that their community is invested in their success.

And finally: This C is for continued success. Are we satisfied with a C forever? Absolutely not. That’s the beautiful thing about this particular C.

It isn’t a destination. It’s evidence. Evidence that improvement is possible. Evidence that our students are quite capable. Evidence that our teachers’ work matters. Evidence that when strong leadership, determined educators, hardworking students, families and a community pull in the same direction, things can change.

We know there is more work ahead. There will be difficult days. There will be tired teachers and frustrated kids. There will be lessons that flop, scores that disappoint us and moments when progress doesn’t happen as quickly as we’d like.

But something is different now. We know we can move the needle - because we’ve moved it.

We climbed from an F to a C. Next? We’ll keep climbing.

For many prope r ty owners in Colorado County, writing that annual tax check can feel like a straightforward, if painful, transaction. But a common point of confusion for local residents is exactly who handles their money, how their property value is determined, and why they have to visit three entirely different entities depending on whether they are registering a vehicle or dealing with a property tax bill or filing to register to vote.

In Texas, the system intentionally separates the people who value your property from the people who collect your taxes. It is a system of checks and balances designed to keep local government fair and specialized.

Colorado County Appraisal District (CCAD)

Think of the Appraisal District as the calculators. CCAD is responsible for discovering, listing, and determining the market value of all real estate and business and personal property within Colorado County. They also process homestead exemptions, agricultural land valuations, and handle property value protests.

CCAD does not set your tax rates, nor do they decide how much revenue local cities, school districts, or the county need to operate. They simply decide what your property is worth on the open market.

Colorado County Tax Assessor-Collector Think of the Tax Assessor- Col lector as the logistics and vehicle hub. Whi le historical ly this office col lected property taxes, in Colorado County, the operations are modern and distinct. The Tax Assessor-Collector’s office handles Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) services, including vehicle registration renewals, license plates, and title transfers for cars, trucks, as well as Texas Parks and Wildlife Service, Titling and registrations of boats and motors.

In Colorado County, actual property tax billing and collection services are contracted out and physically managed by the staff at the Appraisal District office. However, the structural distinction remains: the Tax Assessor- Collector’s traditional domain is primarily state-mandated licensing and vehicle tasks.

Why and how the services are divided The division of these services isn’t a random choice made by the county; it is a mandate born out of Texas history.

Before 1979, Texas property taxation was chaotic. Every individual taxing unit, the city, the school district, the county, had its own independent assessor. A single home could have three or four completely different appraised values depending on who was asking.

To fix this inequity, the Texas Legislature passed the landmark Peveto Bill, creating a central ized, independent Appraisal District in every county starting in 1982. This centralized the appraisal function so that one property has exactly one official market value, ensuring fairness across the board.

While state law mandates that appraisals must be done by the independent Central Appraisal District, Texas Property Tax Code allows local governments flexibility in how they handle the collection side of things.

Counties can divide or contract services based on efficiency and cost to the taxpayer.

Keeping appraisals independent ensures that the appraisers aren’t motivated to artificially inflate property values just to meet a city or county budget goal.

To save taxpayer dollars, local taxing units (l ike the county, cities, and school districts) can enter into agreements to have one centralized office handle the actual billing and collecting. In Colorado County, this is why property tax collections are unified under the Appraisal District’s roof, meaning residents don’t have to send separate checks to the school district, the city, and the county.

Voter registration and the elections administrator

Vehicle regist rat ion isn’t the only administrative area where duties have been divided for opt imization. Historical ly, the County Tax Assessor-Collector automatically served as the county’s primary Voter Registrar. However, under Texas Election Code § 12.001, a county may shift these duties if the position of a dedicated County Elections Administrator is created.

Colorado County util ized this structure to separate duties and maximize efficiency. Under Texas Elect ion Code § 31.043, when a county appoints an Elections Administrator, all voter registration duties, powers, and citizens’ voting files are officially transferred away from the Tax Assessor- Collector. Because of this statutory division, Colorado County residents looking to register to vote, interact directly with the dedicated Colorado County Elections Office rather than the tax office.

Liquor licenses, boats and beyond Whi le property tax billing has shifted to the appraisal office, state law heavily relies on the Tax Assessor-Collector to act as a vital state agency liaison. For instance, business owners hoping to sell alcohol must visit this office to pay local regulatory fees. Under Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code §§ 11.38 and 61.36, counties are legally authorized to levy a local fee equal to one-half of the state’s Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) fee. The Tax Assessor-Collector is responsible for processing these local county beer, wine, and liquor permits before a local establishment can legal ly serve the public.

Additionally, the office acts as an agent for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to process boat and outboard motor titles and boat registration renewals.

By keeping these operations distinct, Colorado County benefits from special ized state-level compliance and regulatory licensing at the courthouse annex, centralizes property accounting at the appraisal district, and protects the integrity of democratic voting procedures through a dedicated elections office.

STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

What CEO Elon Musk says will be the world’s largest computer- chip manufactur ing plant is planned for Grimes County, east of College Station, the Austin American- Statesman reported.

The Navasota Examiner has also carried coverage of the issue.

In a joint announcement last week, Space X and Tesla unveiled an initial $16.8 billion investment in a plant cal led Terafab. It is expected to employ at least 3,000 people. Many of those jobs are expected to go to residents of Grimes and neighboring Brazos counties.

“We’re now embarking on the most epic chip- bui lding effort,” Musk, CEO of both companies, said in a statement. “The Terafab is bringing cutt ing- edge manufacturing to America, creating thousands of high-paying jobs in the Lone Star State and enabling us to produce AI chips at scale for use on Earth and in space.”

Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed last week that the project is receiving a $30 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant from the state. Grimes County has previously approved a property tax waiver in exchange for annual payments of $20 million.

The plant would eventually span 100 million square feet.

State Fair of Texas’ gun ban upheld by appeals court

A Texas appeals court upheld a handgun ban at the State Fair of Texas, rejecting the state’s claim that the city of Dallas unlawfully allowed a private operator to prohibit guns on city-owned property, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The 15th Court of Appeals affirmed a Dallas County judge’s dismissal of a case originally filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and three gun owners. It rejected the state’s argument the restriction on cities banning guns doesn’t automatical ly apply to private tenants operating on public property. The ban will remain in place unless the Texas Supreme Court intervenes.

“The decision to prohibit firearms on the fairgrounds is the correct decision to protect the safety of our patrons,” said Karissa Condoianis, a State Fair of Texas spokeswoman. This will be the third year the ban will be in place.

Talarico voted using parents’ address, report says Democrat ic Senate nominee James Talarico voted in five elections using his parents’ address after buying a nearby home for himself, according to The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, a practice that may have violated state voting laws.

The revelation comes weeks after Talarico accused Paxton, his GOP opponent, of voting from his estranged wife’s address despite not having lived there for two years.

Talarico has taken advantage of a state law that allows some publ ic officials to redact personal informat ion, such as home addresses. The news organizations pieced together the information from unredacted records provided by the Talarico campaign.

Texas law requires that residents register to vote where they live. The Talarico campaign declined to answer quest ions about his residency and voting history, saying “right-wing actors” have made threats about trying to locate the candidate and his family.

Talarico’s house is in the same county as his parents’ home. Both residences are located in the same state House district he represents, but in different jurisdictions for some local elections, according to The Tribune.

Wildfire danger increasing as conditions turn dry August is typically the peak month for wildfires in Texas. The Texas A&M Forest Service expects wildfire potential to increase due to dry vegetation, particularly in the Panhandle and North Texas.

The state is deploying numerous wi ldfire response resources as a result, including the state’s mutual-aid system and assistance from a number of state agencies.

There were two active wildfires as of Sunday. The 200-acre Round Up fire west of Amarillo was zero percent contained at that time.

The service recently acquired three mult imission aircraft, adding to its first dedicated, state-managed wildfire aviation fleet. It previously had acquired two wildfire suppression helicopters.

“Every wildfire is different, which is why a diverse aviation fleet is so important,” said Texas A& M Forest Service Fire Chief Jared Karns. “Having multiple aircraft types available, including multimission aircraft platforms that can serve a variety of roles, allows us to respond effectively to the unique demands of each incident.”

Salmonella cases linked to jalapeños The popular jalapeño pepper has been linked to 345 cases of salmonella illness in 27 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The San Antonio Express-News reported three cases in Texas, stemming from peppers imported from Sinaloa, Mexico.

No deaths have been reported nat ionwide, but 36 people have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. Nearly all of the cases were reported by people after eating at a Mexican-style chain restaurant.

Two affected chains, Chipotle Mexican Gri ll and Qdoba, said they had taken steps to remove potentially contaminated peppers.

Talarico unveils his ‘affordability agenda’ Democrat ic Senate candidate James Talarico last week unveiled an “affordability agenda” that would help Texans buy homes, cancel medical debt, raise the minimum wage and expand the child tax credit, according to The Dallas Morning News.

“The top 1% put the American Dream behind a paywall,” Talarico told about 1,300 people at an Arlington rally. “For too many of our neighbors, for too many Texans, the American Dream has become an American Nightmare.”

Talarico also touted the endorsements of former Tar rant County Judge Glen Whitley, a Republican, and Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, a self-described independent.

“He’s the most corrupt politician that Texas has ever seen,” Whitley said of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee.

Paxton has faced numerous ethical and legal chal lenges during his time in office. He has denied wrongdoing and was acquitted by the Texas Senate in his impeachment trial.

At the Arl ington rally, Talarico blamed both parties for economic policies that he said benefit the wealthy at the expense of working families.

“Republicans and some Democrats sold the false Gospel of trickle-down economics,” he said. “Trickle-down economics isn’t a theory. It’s a theft.”

Distracted driving puts school children at risk As the school year begins, the Texas Department of Transportation is urging drivers to pay special attention in school zones. More than 3,200 traffic crashes in school zones involved school buses last year. Distracted driving and speeding were the most common contribut ing factors in these crashes.

“School zones can be chaotic places, with people in a rush and children not always watching for cars while they hop on and off buses or in and out of cars. Drivers can become impatient or distracted, which leads to mistakes,” TxDOT said in a news release.

Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published community newspapers in Texas during a 30year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@ texaspress.com.

The Wet Bulb Glode Temperature (WBGT) is mandatory for schools to use to monitor environmental conditions and guide activity modifications.

The WBGT was introduced to schools in 2023 as a recommendation, but the Medical Advisory Committee recommended the policy be mandated for all schools. The WBGT estimates the effect of the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation from a combination of three thermometers.

The American College of Sports Medicine said using the WBGT guidelines help dictate modifications to activities.

Schools are required to have an approved instrument that measures WBGT.

Every school will also be required to have a rapid cooling zone for the 202627 season. The rapid cooling zone is for an individual experiencing heat illness or distress and allows for full body immersion in ice water.

Coaches and directors are required to adopt a heat injury prevention philosophy by always having unrestricted access to water, and a student-athlete must never be denied access to water.

Other recommendations made are alternate start times for practices and competitions to allow for the best conditions possible. Allow athletes to warm up in the air conditioning before organized warmups begin. Ice towels and sponges as well as a longer halftime period to ensure a more complete cool down and hydration/refueling process.

WBGT readings should be taken 15 minutes prior to the start of every practice to ensure accuracy. It is also recommended that whenever possible the same person makes the WBGT readings every time to ensure consistency.

It’s my favorite because it perfectly captures what sports are truly about.

The movie follows the 1971 T.C. Williams High School football team in Virginia during the first season after the school’s integration. Head Coach Herman Boone faced the challenge of bringing together Black and white players with one common goal: winning.

Boone took the team to Gettysburg College for training camp, where he put the players through grueling practices designed to break them down physically and mentally until they began to see each other as teammates instead of opponents.

The location wasn’t chosen by accident. Gettysburg was the site of one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles, where more than 50,000 soldiers were killed. Boone reminded his players that they were still fighting many of the same divisions more than a century later.

He gave them a choice: continue fighting each other or become the generation that proved people from different backgrounds could accomplish great things together.

Boone also required each player to spend time getting to know a teammate of a different race and report back each day with something new they had learned. The lesson was simple: if they were going to battle together on Friday nights, they first needed to understand and trust one another.

Those relationships transformed a divided football team into a brotherhood.

To me, that’s what sports are all about.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re Black, white, brown, blue, pink or orange. It doesn’t matter what your political or religious beliefs are. Every athlete has a story, a reason for playing and a role on the team.

Sometimes the greatest victories happen long before the final whistle.

The nonprofit will help voters check their registration status, provide information on voter ID cards, share a local voters’ guide with specific ballot details, and more.

Adults can practice voting on a real machine with Colorado County Elections Administrator Rebecka LaCourse.

Meanwhile, children can learn about civic engagement by voting for their favorite Texas animal.

The Saturday event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nesbitt Memorial Library, 529 Washington St., Columbus.

This will be one of four Day of Action events in the area for LWV’s nationwide Unite and Rise for Voting Rights initiative for the anniversary.

In an era where information spreads rapidly across the internet, separating fact from fiction during a community event or emergency can be a challenge. In this installment of our “Things You Didn’t Know” series, Colorado County is highlighting how the county communicates official information with the public and why relying on verified resources keeps our community safe and correctly informed.

When a crisis strikes or critical updates are needed, rumor mills on unverified social media channels often unintentionally spread misinformation. Colorado County officials firmly believe that you deserve to know—the facts. To protect yourself from false reports, the county urges all residents to look to established, official county outlets before trusting third-party internet sources.

A common frustration for residents is searching for information during an active situation and finding nothing published on official channels. If you cannot find details about an ongoing event, please know there is typically a highly valid, responsible reason for the silence, such as:

• An active, ongoing investigation where releasing details prematurely could compromise public safety or the integrity of the case.

• County departments are waiting on further, verified information from state, federal, or emergency resources to ensure what we release is 100% accurate.

• There is technically nothing to report yet. In our commitment to facts, Colorado County will not post speculation, guesses, or halftruths.

Colorado County utilizes a multi-layered approach to ensure every resident has access to timely, official, and vetted information:

• Your primary digital hub for all things county-related is www.co. colorado.tx.us. A comprehensive list of every county office that operates an official, verified social media page is maintained directly on this website.

• For real-time updates during unfolding events, trust the verified social media pages operated directly by specific county offices, including the Colorado County Office of Emergency Management and Colorado County EMS.

• Avoid unexpected delays. All official county road closures and construction notices are updated and posted directly on the main county website.

• The Colorado County Sheriff’s Office operates a dedicated mobile application. Residents can download this app on their smartphones to receive direct alerts, press releases, and public safety updates straight from law enforcement.

• For now, urgent, life-safety emergency calls and text notifications, residents are strongly encouraged to sign up for CodeRED. Registration links can be found on the county website.

• Colorado County partners closely with local media resources. Official press releases, required legal notices, and public advertisements are regularly distributed through local newspapers and area radio stations.

Staying informed also means knowing how local decisions are made. The Colorado County Commissioners’ Court meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month. In the interest of total transparency:

• Agendas are posted days in advance on the public notices section of the county website so you always know what is up for discussion.

• Meetings are broadcast live through Zoom for any resident who wishes to watch or listen remotely.

• The links to the Zoom broadcasts and the corresponding meeting agendas are always easily accessible on the Colorado County website.

As election cycles approach, ensuring you have accurate data regarding your ballot is vital. Official election information is continually updated on the Colorado County website. For voters who prefer physical copies, official sample ballots can be picked up in person at the Colorado County Annex or the Colorado County Election Center.

If you have questions regarding a specific public matter and are unsure which county department holds the answers, please contact the Colorado County Courthouse directly at their main line. Staff will ensure you are routed to the verified department expert you need.

By choosing verified resources over unverified social media rumors, Colorado County residents can stay safe, stay informed, and keep our community connected.

There was a time when I could remember a phone number after hearing it once. I could keep up with two deadlines, three kids, school event schedules, a breaking news story and a grocery list—all without writing any of them down.

Now I walk into a room and immediately forget why I’m there.

Half the time, I’m looking for my glasses while they’re perched on top of my head. The other half, I’m convinced I’ve lost my phone, only to discover it’s been in my hand the entire time.

Welcome to 50. Somewhere between raising three boys, becoming a full-time caregiver for my father, teaching journalism, and attempting to remember whether I fed the dog or merely thought about feeding the dog, my brain quietly submitted its two-week notice.

It didn’t leave completely. It just stopped working overtime.

The funny thing is, when I was younger, I thought turning 50 would feel old.

It doesn’t. It feels ... sandwiched; I’m part of the “sandwich generation.”

Sandwiched between raising kids and caring for an aging parent. Between remembering passwords that now require 14 characters, a symbol, and a blood sample, and remembering the ever- growing list of medications for my dad.

Sandwiched between wanting a “hot girl summer” to celebrate turning 50 and the painful reality that every day is a “hot” day for this gal, thanks to hot flashes.

The last time I colored my hair was at the end of 2023, and something unexpected happened.

I stopped caring. Not because I gave up. Because I finally gave myself permission to stop pretending.

Every gray hair on my head has a story.

Some came from late nights waiting up for teenage boys who missed curfew.

Some came from sitting beside my dad’s hospital bed.

Some came from work. And quite a few probably came from trying to explain to high schoolers that no, ChatGPT should not write their entire essay.

Gray isn’t the absence of youth.

It’s evidence of life. I’ve earned every single strand. I’ve cried enough to know healing isn’t linear.

I’ve loved people who are no longer here.

I’ve raised children who are now taller than I am.

I’ve survived chapters I once thought would destroy me.

The gray isn’t the problem. The harder adjustment has been realizing my body and my brain are no longer in the same group project.

My brain says, “Let’s repaint the kitchen, reorganize the closets, and write three feature stories this weekend.”

My joints respond, “Absolutely not.”

My hormones wake up each morning and spin what I can only assume is a Wheel of Fortune.

Today’s prize? Will it be hot flashes? Will it be tears because a dog in a commercial found his forever home?

Will it be irrational rage because someone is chewing too loudly?

Nobody knows! But here’s the surprising part. For all the things I’ve misplaced— my keys, my phone, my train of thought—I think I’ve finally found myself.

Twenty-five-year-old me worried about being liked.

Thirty-five-year-old me worried about getting everything right.

Forty-five-year-old me worried about everyone else.

Fifty-year-old me? I still have ambitions. I still have fears. Maybe that’s what 50 really is. Settling into yourself. So yes, I’m gray, and I forget things.

And if you’ll excuse me...I had a reason for walking into this room. I’m sure it’ll come back to me.

Eventually.

The main sport affected by NIL deals is college football, and many fans are torn over them.

Looking at the pros first, there are several benefits to NIL deals, especially for the players. Universities have been making thousands — and sometimes millions — of dollars from players’ athletic performances, and the athletes deserve a piece of the pie.

It also provides athletes with some security in their careers. Let’s say (God forbid) a player suffers a career-ending injury. Everything they worked their entire life for vanishes in one play, and now they don’t even have a dime to show for something they worked so hard to achieve.

But let’s flip the coin and look at the cons of these NIL deals.

The biggest con is that it’s all a money game now. Whoever can pay the most money lands the best players, similar to free agency in the NFL.

Some of the top high school players still take the old-fashioned route, setting their sights on a school and trying to earn a scholarship. But others are only chasing the money, which creates another problem.

Let’s say a five-star recruit chooses a school that offers a lucrative NIL deal. The player arrives on campus, but the school soon realizes he isn’t as good as expected.

The school has invested thousands of dollars in a player who didn’t pan out and may feel obligated to play him because of that investment. It’s equally unfair to the athlete, who may feel pressure to live up to the dollar amount attached to his name instead of simply playing the game he loves and developing at a steady pace.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, NIL deals take away from college football. They take away one of the biggest draws of sports: competition on the field.

The richest schools will often get the best players. While there is still plenty of competition in college football, and the games remain exciting to watch, the competition is slowly moving away from the field and into the checkbooks.

There’s the town you remember, and there’s the town standing in front of you today.

I grew up in Eagle Lake. I remember when there always seemed to be something to look forward to. Festivals. Community events. Gathering in the town square after a Saturday of shopping locally when neighbors caught up, children ran around until dark and nobody needed an invitation because everyone knew they belonged.

Over the last 30 years, those opportunities have become fewer and farther between.

That’s why Friday meant so much to me.

I wasn’t just covering Eagle Lake’s Freedom 250 celebration as a journalist. I was there as a daughter and as a mom.

I pushed my 88-year-old dad through the crowd in his wheelchair. I watched him stop every few feet because someone recognized him and wanted to visit. People he hadn’t seen in years shook his hand, laughed with him and reminded him that he still belongs to this community.

My oldest son, who is autistic, spent the evening enjoying the music, watching the fireworks and simply being part of something bigger than himself. He was safe. He was happy. He was included.

And for the first time in a long time, I realized something.

We didn’t have to drive to Houston, Katy, or Columbus to make a memory.

We made one right here at home.

That matters. It matters because not every family has the time, money, or ability to drive an hour every weekend looking for something to do. Sometimes what people need most is already sitting in their own backyard—they just need someone willing to build it.

Eagle Lake has so much potential.

I’ve always believed that.

Loving a town doesn’t mean pretending it’s perfect. In fact, I think the opposite is true. When you love a place, you expect more from it. You hold it accountable because you know what it’s capable of becoming.

Lately, I feel like we’re beginning to see that potential again.

This summer, Camp Good Ground is giving local children another opportunity to learn, explore, and build friendships. The Freedom 250 celebration brought nearly 1,000 people downtown. Local churches continue looking for ways to bring our senior neighbors who don’t get out and about much anymore together.

They’re all small steps.

But small steps have a way of becoming leaps and bounds.

My hope is that years from now, today’s children won’t remember Eagle Lake as a town where there wasn’t much of anything to do.

I hope they’ll remember fireworks with friends. Summer camp adventures. Festivals on the square. The feeling of growing up in a place where people knew their names and looked out for one another.

That’s the kind of childhood every kid deserves.

And it’s the kind of future Eagle Lake deserves, too.

I am 28 years old and I am still a fan of professional wrestling. Am I embarrassed? Perhaps slightly.

Pro wrestling is experiencing a surge in recent years, so much that there are now two wrestling companies that broadcast their product nationally. Probably the most wellknown of the two is World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

It’s the home of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and one of my all-time favorites, Randy Orton.

The ot her is All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Launched January 1, 2019, they offer a slightly different product than the WWE. The WWE will typically lean more into the pageantry and dramatic story telling methods. AEW relies on good old-fashioned fighting (think a bloody nose) to settle scores and tell stories.

I bet I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t that stuff fake?”

Well...yes and no. It’s true that the outcomes of the matches are pre-determined, but that should not be a reason to not tune in. I mean, with that logic, no show is watchable because every show is scripted outside of the news ... and even that has some scripted elements.

The Bachelorette, Love Island, SpongeBob, heck even movies based on true stories have Hollywood twists to add to the story and dramatic effects. Entertainment’s the name of the game, folks.

The same is true for pro wrestling.

The real magic of wrestling happens when you allow yourself to suspend disbelief for a couple of hours.

Sure, it’s unrealistic to watch someone take a chair shot, crash through a table and somehow kick out just before the referee counts to three.

That’s the point. Professional wrestling has never been about realism. It’s about spectacle, athleticism and storytelling.

Behind every match are athletes who spend years training to perform in front of live audiences while putting their bodies on the line night after night.

That deserves a little more respect than it often receives.

So, the next time Monday, Wednesday or Friday night rolls around, give professional wrestling another chance.

You might just reconnect with the same excitement you had as a kid— and discover it’s still a lot of fun.

The Colorado County Election Office is now able to print replacement voter registration cards again.

Anyone who updated their voter registration in the past few months will receive a new card in the mail. This may be a duplicate of the card mailed in February.

If you need a replacement card, you may visit the Elections Office in person at Colorado County Election Office 1117 Travis St., Columbus, TX 78934. Staff can print a replacement card for you within 24 hours for you to personally pick-up.

This is a great time to verify your voter registration status and address. You can check your information at: VoteTexas.gov (Official Texas voter information site)