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Opinions

Analysis: The odds for legal pot and casinos in Texas just got worse

If and when you go looking for the killer of legislation to bring marijuana or casinos to the state of Texas in 2021, consider the evidence against Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar.

The comptroller didn’t kill anything outright, and the killings weren’t intentional. He wasn’t campaigning against either pot or wagering. He hasn’t taken a loud position on either one; that’s a legislative concern, and he’s not a legislator any more.

Game Warden Field Notes

The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) law enforcement reports.

Penny Pinching

A Shelby County game warden followed up on an ongoing investigation of a local individual who had hunted without a valid hunting license when he shot a buck in 2019. The subject confessed to not buying the license to save money for college. Case pending.

Mama’s Got Your Back

Musings by Marilou: Washing Away Wednesday With Love

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If I could turn back time, I would throw last week back into 2020; 2021 needs a redo.

RVs on an East Mountain

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Denny Mortis grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York and came to Texas with the Air Force. While doing flight simulation at Ellington Air Force Base near Houston and going to college he met his wife to be. They were at the same gym together and when Denny saw her he thought, “That’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

Musings by Marilou: If Tomorrow Never Comes

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When I was writing the story on Gaines County Sheriff's Deputy Alex Martinez's passing, I could not help but think back to when I lost my brother John to a diabetic coma in February of 2002. Even though he was 13 years older than me, and we were not as close as Alex and Jesse Martinez, he was still a large part of my life. Many memories, both good and bad, have suddenly resurfaced.

Writing Ads for Broadcast

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When I was teaching broadcast writing and production at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Odessa, I laid down some rules for writing radio or television commercials. Basically they said two things: 1. No trite overused phrases. 2. Surprise the audience with something unexpected.

New year can’t yet shake focus from COVID-19

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It’s a new year, but the news out of the capital continues to focus on COVID-19.

Going Back Home to Merkel

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There must be a strong pull for people who grew up in Merkel, left to have successful careers, then returned to their hometown. I met a bunch of them recently. They are confident, poised and happy to be back home. One is a former NASA scientist who is now writing poetry. Another was a real estate mogul in Austin who returned to Merkel and opened two restaurants. Roger Moore had an award-winning advertising agency for 25 years, and then came home to manage Merkel’s Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development.

Mirror Ministries

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The Mighty Angel with the Little Book” — that’s the subtitle in my Bible in Revelation, chapter 10. It’s catchy enough to be a movie title but it’s not fictitious. It’s prophecy.

Musings by Marilou: Did You Ever Know You Are My Hero?

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Tuesday, Dec. 29, was National Heroes Day, but I believe it’s never too late (or too early) to give a “shout out” to the heroes in our lives. My dad and my brother Jay have, and will always be, two of the people I look up to and admire the most. However, while living in Seminole, I have had the pleasure of meeting a slew of other heroes, our first responders.