Opinion

Look, Up in the Sky!…

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I’m sure Will Rogers was a friendly guy, even if the quote usually attributed to him has been taken out of context. During an interview, he mentioned prominent men he’d met, all of whom he liked. (Lesser guys weren’t referenced.) This observation aside, I have a friend whose admirers feel as strongly about him as Rogers seemed to feel about others. He rises “sunny side up,” and his positive outlook on life is both refreshing and infectious.

HIGHLIGHTS

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Dueling tax proposals in the Lege The Texas House passed a bill promising $17 billion in tax relief, a measure that is at odds with the Senate’s tax break plan, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The House bill would lower by half a home’s cap on appraisal increases. It passed overwhelmingly, 141-9. However, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, said that body will not approve it, preferring its plan to raise property exemptions from $40,000 to $70,000.

PASTOR’S CORNER

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Think about how this world would be if most of the inhabitants became interested in living according to the law of God. I want to share what Psalms 19 says: “ The law of Jehovah is perfect”, that converts the soul; The testimony of Jehovah is faithful, that makes the simple wise”.

State Capital HIGHLIGHTS

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State Capital HIGHLIGHTS Senate passes tax cut package The Texas Senate last week unanimously approved a $16.5 billion package to lower property taxes and inject billions of dollars into public schools. As reported by the Texas Tribune, the three separate bills require the state to send at least $5.38 billion to public schools while at the same time raising the state’s homestead exemption from $40,000 to $70,000, with an additional $20,000 exemption for homeowners 65 and older.

Higher Education in Cowtown…

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Higher education gets news coverage in both mass and social media, and much, I’m sure, is true. Technology is changing it at warp speed, and the old descriptions we used to toss about no longer fit.

State Capital HIGHLIGHTS

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State Capital Bill would require fentanyl education The death of a Leander High School graduate from a fentanyl overdose has prompted state Rep. Terry Wilson, R-Georgetown, to file a bill that would require 10 hours of education annually concerning the dangers of the drug to students in sixth grade and up, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Beyond the Game…

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The Texas High School Coaches Association—organized by 28 coaches in 1930—now has a membership of some 24,000. It also has an education foundation that introduced the “Grant Teaff Coaching Beyond the Game Award” a decade ago.

Texas Senate Review

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The Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would lower the threshold for felony conviction of making or dealing fentanyl while increasing the penalties for those convicted. Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid with a lethal dose of less than two milligrams, is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in America every year. The Centers for Disease Control says that 71,000 Americans died of a fentanyl overdose in 2021 and of those, more than 1,600 were Texans. “In just this past week, in downtown Austin - so just a few blocks from where we are - there were 21 overdoses in a 24 hour period and three people died.” said Houston Senator Joan Huffman. “In a three week period this month in Hays County ISD… had three students overdose, the youngest to die was 15 and the oldest was 17.” DPS has seized 353 million fatal doses of the drug, said Huffman, at the border with Mexico. It’s now the number one killer of adults aged 18 to 45.

State Capital HIGHLIGHTS

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House pushes armed officer at all schools Under legislation prioritized by House Speaker Dade Phelan, every Texas school would have an armed police officer, and aspiring teachers would receive extra support.