Opinions

The recent winter storm left millions of Texans without power to heat their homes or water to drink. It has shaken our state to its core. As a result, Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, which dubs itself as Texas’ largest and oldest generation and transmission cooperative, recently filed for bankruptcy in federal court.

After 63 years, I finally received a letter informing me to report to the Gaines County Civic Building on March 1 for jury selection. Even though it is considered both a civic duty and an honor, I was glad that somehow I had avoided it for so long; however, I knew it was only a matter of time.

I’ll admit that I’m sad about not going to South Louisiana to celebrate Mardi Gras with my friends and family this year. The thought of missing out on vying for multi-colored beads, munching on King Cake, and being sandwiched in with hoards of crazy parade-goers on St. Charles Avenue breaks my heart, seriously. But, I’m not alone. In the city of New Orleans, the year 2021 will go down in history as the year without parades.

When Tex Midkiff of Yantis was attending Stephen F. Austin University in Huntsville he worked as a prison guard. Occasionally he would take some prisoners serving time for drug offenses to high schools and let the inmates tell about their experiences. They urged the students not to get involved with drugs so they wouldn’t end up in prison. Some of the inmates weren’t much older than the high schoolers.