Ten Mile Cemetery is one of our older local cemeteries, established in 1887. It is approximately ten miles northwest of Madisonville, hence named Ten Mile, and is located beside Union Baptist Church. It contains approximately 749 graves marked there.

The State Board of Education gave final approval last week to a new required reading list for every grade level and also passed a rewrite of the state’s social studies requirements for kindergarten to eighth grade, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Both plans include biblical concepts, essentially making the state the first in the nation to mandate the teaching of Christianity in public school classrooms.

The Fourth of July is just around the corner. This year marks the 250th birthday of our great nation.

As the newest agriculture and natural resources agent with Prairie View A&M University Extension in Madison County, I am glad to serve local residents and share practical, research-based information that supports agriculture, natural resources and rural living. Working alongside Allen Homann with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, I look forward to connecting with producers, landowners and families through educational programs and monthly articles on topics that matter to our community.

Rural counties trying to slow or even block data center construction are finding they have limited legal authority, the Texas Standard reported. Hill County, for example, rescinded a oneyear moratorium on data center construction after being sued for $100 million by a company planning a large-scale data center project near Hillsboro.

Elwood Methodist Church had its beginning the 1840s, when the community of Elwood was known as French. Church services have met in 3 structures there. Worshippers first gathered in a log cabin built by James Blair Durham. Later services were held in a frame building near the cemetery before the present sanctuary was completed at the turn of the century. Families that worshipped there in early days included Durhams, Robinsons, Allphins, Deans, and Frenches.

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS Texas high school students showed improvement in every subject in this spring’s end-ofcourse State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams, the Texas Education Agency reported. The results include evaluations in Algebra I, English I, English II, biology and U.S.

I’m not sure the general citizen understands that all our active-duty military personnel serve voluntarily. No one has been drafted for decades. That means you should be grateful your son or daughter is not ordered to serve. The sacrifices of those who have volunteered should be appreciated even more.

Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster declaration late last week after the New World screwworm was found in two newborn calves in South Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Madison County’s Texas historical markers number over 30, and after this essay, I will have shared facts about more than half of those. A.V.