Opinion

A course is a course, of course of course … .

New study showing rise in deaths and injuries should prompt policy review An alarming increase in the number of deadly high-speed chases by Texas law enforcement since the beginning of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star program should warrant some attention in Austin.

Here’s an unpleasant holiday statistic: Average Americans are giving significantly less to their favorite charities this year than they did just four or five years ago.

It was never as high-profile as “Rudolph” or “Frosty,” but it’s worth noting that the animated special “The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas” turns 50 on December 17.

Smartphones are ubiquitous, and not just among adults. Many kids have them now, even at elementary school ages–and they’re not just on TikTok at home, they’re distracted during school hours, too.

The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in a case that could decide whether medical exceptions to the state’s abortion ban are written clearly enough to protect pregnant women who face serious health risks, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The Texas Board of Education denied climate change–again.

Tipping demands sure have gotten out of control.

It’s not like we really thought this would go differently, but we were still disappointed to see Gov. Greg Abbott endorse Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination. Not shocked, not even a little surprised, but disappointed nonetheless.

As congestion and accidents plague our roadways, innovative transportation solutions are key to sustaining our region’s rapid growth. Though it seems utopian in Texas, highspeed rail could be a huge boon for the state if implemented strategically.

Each year the weekend after Thanksgiving, I sense an innate urge to risk life, limb and public humiliation by festooning the exterior of our home with several hundred C9 incandescent lights. [I’m still resisting the whole LED craze– also known as “the Devil’s bulbs.”] My mild-mannered next-door neighbor and I always engage in an unspoken competition to see who can get their Christmas lights up first, but since I have the holiday sleeping habits of an inebriated grizzly bear in mid-hibernation, he consistently wins–after which he undoubtedly enjoys shouting, “Let me know if you need any help up there,” as I cling desperately to the shingles while those little granules clatter in the aluminum rain gutters –portending my likely doom.

I wrote this column in view of the Arno River, celebrated in operas, paintings and literature.