April is Child Abuse Prevention Month The latest report on child maltreatment fatalities and near fatalities, compiled by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, indicates 251 children in Texas died in fiscal year 2020 due to abuse and neglect. That figure includes 28 children who died after being left unattended in hot vehicles.

The Senate Business and Commerce Committee heard testimony on a bill that would increase oversight for the independent organization that runs the state power grid. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages both the operation of the electric system and the market where generators and distributors buy and sell electricity. The actions of ERCOT during the February storm have been under a legislative microscope as lawmakers try to determine what caused the days-long power outage that left millions of Texans without electricity and water during one of the longest hard freezes ever seen in the state.

It’s an expression tossed about regularly; calling it “trite” would be an understatement for the proverb originating in 12th century Germany that is still valid today. Just as rivers still run downstream, hot air rises and cream comes to the top, blood remains thicker than water now like when it was coined nine centuries ago.

This Sunday we get to celebrate the greatest event in all of history! The resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was the GodMan who humbled himself by coming to earth, living a perfect life and dying on the cross, in our place, for our sins. And the Bible tells us in Acts 3:19, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.” The word repent means to change direction. Instead of running from God, we run toward Him & receive salvation.

BM tightening voting restrictions in Texas passes Senate committee A Texas Senate committee on Friday passed an elections bill that would tighten the state’s voting rules by limiting extended early voting hours, requiring proof of disability to qualify for mail-in voting and prohibiting drive-thru voting. Senate Bill 7, sponsored by Sen.

Abilene Christian University’s stunning 53-52 win over the University of Texas at the NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament is a great example of why the annual event is called “March Madness.”

PUC chair resigns in wake of call to energy investors Arthur D’Andrea, the chair and sole remaining member of the Public Utility Commission, resigned late last week at the request of Gov. Gregg Abbott.

My intent was to write a tribute to a long-ago university chancellor. He handled problems with dignity and grace, typically responding with a twinkle in his eye, beaming countenance and droll wit.

Texas State Parks have begun a strategic and thoughtful process of expanding capacity statewide, tracking Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest reopening order, and allowing more Texans the opportunity to visit their favorite parks. Masks are strongly encouraged for park visitors, especially when indoors or in areas where it is difficult to socially distance. Also, restrictions affecting group sizes have been lifted.

In order to protect the most vulnerable Americans from COVID infection as the disease spread across the country, visitations to long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, were suspended last March. This well-intentioned decision led to untold suffering as residents in these homes were cut off from friends and family, said Brenham Senator Lois Kolkhorst. “We didn’t understand the pandemic, we had not seen something like this and we were working to protect all of Texas,” she said. “But when we were doing some of those protections, we were also creating some harm.” She put forth legislation Tuesday that would create a guaranteed right to visit loved ones in long-term care facilities, even in the middle of a pandemic, in both state law and the Texas Constitution.