Abbott nominates Racing Commission chair as secretary of state

Ed Sterling   Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Rolando Pablos of El Paso to succeed Secretary of State Carlos Cascos, effective Jan. 5.   Pablos has served as chair of the Texas Racing Commission, the state agency that regulates pari-mutuel racing, since December 2015.

Canceling Christmas

Lynette Sowell   You probably heard the story that came out a few years ago about the Hendersons of Hurricane, Utah. They’re the parents who decided to cancel Christmas for their three boys, aged 11, 8 and 5 at the time.   Why would they decide to do something so Grinch-like?

The Nightmare after Christmas

Renae Brumbaugh Green   I was scrolling through some old posts this morning, and ran across this one from 2010.¬¬ I’m glad I did, because it’s a great reminder to keep things low-tech this year . . .   Christmas morning this year was blissful.

History strikes back

Rich Lowry   President Barack Obama won’t explicitly say that Donald Trump is on the wrong side of history, but surely he believes it.   The president basically thinks anyone who gets in his way is transgressing the larger forces of history with a capital “H.

Board sets state funding limit for next 2-year budget

Ed Sterling   Texas lawmakers will have just under $100 billion to use for the non-constitutional spending portion of state budget for fiscal years 2018-2019.   The 10-member Legislative Budget Board, which is charged with adopting a spending limit, met on Dec.

E, S, or N

Lynette Sowell   When I was in elementary school, before we reached the grades where we received numbers on our report cards, our teachers used a simple measuring system—E, S, or N. E for Excellent, S for Satisfactory, and N for Need Improvement.

Funny Anything-but-Coffee Girl

Charis Brumbaugh Green   I hate coffee. No, I despise it. I have no idea how anyone could possibly find pleasure in putting something so disgustingly bitter into their mouths. Give me a nice, soothing cup of tea, or a steaming mug of hot cocoa any day.

The Muslim registry that wasn’t

Rich Lowry   The first thing to know about Donald Trump’s alleged proposal for a Muslim registry is that it isn’t a Muslim registry. This has been lost in a freak-out that has some brave souls already promising acts of civil disobedience to disrupt and overwhelm the prospective registry.

Texas African American History Memorial unveiled at Capitol

Ed Sterling   A crowd of citizens and dignitaries gathered on the south lawn of the state Capitol on Nov. 19 to witness the unveiling of the Texas African American History Memorial.

Don’t believe it

Lynette Sowell   Unless you’ve been living under a rock since mid November you might be aware that you’ve been the focus of a carefully constructed plan.