Opinion

Hello Friends and Neighbors! Since I believe in total transparency in government, I decided to make a deliberate effort to keep you, the citizens of Madison County, as informed as possible. It has been almost two months since I was appointed by the Commissioners Court to fill the unexpired term of our dear friend, the late Honorable Judge Tony Leago.

The U.S. Census Bureau released its latest estimate, which indicates Hispanic residents in Texas make up more of the state’s population than white residents. The new population figures from the American Community Survey indicate Hispanic Texans comprise 40.2% of the state’s population last year, while non-Hispanic white Texans made up 39.4%, as reported in the Texas Tribune.

This appeared in the September 23, 2015, Meteor. After requests for reprints, I have deleted or added bits below.

More than three-fourths of Texas teachers say they have seriously considered quitting the profession largely because of a perceived lack of respect and support, according to a new survey by the Charles Butt Foundation. Excessive workload and inadequate pay were other major reasons that teachers are considering leaving, The Dallas Morning News and other media outlets reported.

This appeared in the September 23, 2015, Meteor. After requests for reprints, I have deleted or added bits below.

Texas A&M Forest Service is accepting applications for grants to help eligible Texas property owners with the cost of prescribed burning on their land. The grants will reimburse landowners to offset the cost of having a prescribed burn conducted on their property by certified and insured prescribed burn managers. Last year, these grant programs provided more than $322,000 to landowners for a total of 11,667 acres treated.

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION LEAD STORY -- WAIT, WHAT? ACleveland, Georgia, is home to Babyland General Hospital, the Mirror reported, but don’t go there with a broken finger or to deliver a human infant. The faux hospital is actually a toy store where fans of Cabbage Patch dolls can witness a “birth” as a nurse calls out “dilation” updates: “five leaves apart, seven leaves apart, nine leaves apart” -- even announcing the necessity for a “leaves-iotomy” (like an episiotomy).

Heavy rains through Texas last week caused flooding, particularly in the Dallas area, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a disaster declaration for 23 affected counties. Texans who were affected by the rain, which dumped more than 10 inches in Dallas, are encouraged to file insurance claims with their providers and to complete the voluntary Self Reporting Damage Survey issued by the Texas Department of Emergency Management by visiting damage. tdem.texas.gov. The survey helps the state identify damage across Texas to gain an understanding of what areas were affected during the recent severe weather. Counties included in the disaster declaration are Camp, Culberson, Dallas, Duval, Ellis, El Paso, Henderson, Hopkins, Hudspeth, Kaufman, Kerr, Live Oak, Marion, Montague, Navarro, Pecos, Rains, Smith, Tarrant, Upshur, Van Zandt, Webb and Wood.