Opinion

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has released his top 25 legislative priorities as the legislative session gets underway, The Texas Tribune reported. They include banning all forms of consumable THC, the psychoactive ingredient in CBD products; increasing the school homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000; a Texas version of a government oversight department to improve governmental efficiency; and measures to shore up the state’s electric grid and water supply.

In 1936 Bing Crosby entertained the nation by crooning “Pennies From Heaven,” but in 2025 it seems that pennies are The Coin From Hell. It didn’t happen overnight, but inflation has reared its ugly head (inflation really should emphasize its six-pack abs and sculpted calves instead, but what do I know?) and it now costs the U.S.

Thank you On behalf of the family of Silvia Quilo, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, cards, flowers, plants, and food received during this time. We would also like to thank Pastor Alvaro Navarrette from the church 1 John 5:20 for officiating her services, where she congregated for over 30 years with her brothers and sisters in Christ, receiving the word of God.

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS Legislative budget writers are proposing nearly $5 billion to increase teacher pay and $1 billion to implement a school voucher program in the next biennium, the Austin American- Statesman reported. The voucher program, also referred to as school choice, would provide public money for private schooling, a key priority for Gov.

Now that I’ve recovered from my yearly disappointment in not having a white Christmas in East Texas (unless you count the massive accumulation of almond bark I ate), the time of year has finally arrived when we Texans occasionally have our winter-precip sensitivities triggered by the National Weather Service. Over the course of one recent day, we were notified of a Winter Storm Warning, a Winter Weather Advisory, a Winter Storm Watch and an It’s-Not-Going-To-Do-Anything-You-Bunch-Of-Rednecks Alert.

The Texas Legislature begins its work creating a state budget for the next two years with slightly less revenue available than it had during the previous biennium. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar projects lawmakers will have $194.6 billion available during the 2026-27 budget cycle, down 1.1%.

Yes, it’s that time you’ve been waiting for all year, when I reveal my list of New Year’s resolutions that I likely won’t be able to keep beyond Valentine’s Day, which, once again, I will probably spend demonstrating my love for my wife with Mexican food – mainly having her watch me eat it.

As we head into the New Year, the approval ratings of the U.S. Congress are still at historic lows.

The Texas Senate’s chief budget writer said state agencies and higher education institutions have requested nearly $25 billion in funding as the legislative session gets underway. State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, told The Dallas Morning News that the requests for new money reflect the growing functions and purposes of state agencies that serve the public.

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS The 89th Texas legislative session begins on Jan. 14 with a still-unresolved race for speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.