Opinion

I am not a certified educator, but I listen to my daughter, granddaughter and two nieces.

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to “Frank” for 2 1/2 years. We met and married quickly. Best decision ever. We each had raised two daughters as single parents with different parenting styles. Our girls now range in age from 30 to 33. They are adults with lives and children of their own.

A total of 774 new laws went into effect on Sept. 1, affecting Texans in many areas of their lives, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The new laws concern property taxes, registration fees and voting access, among other issues. Several have drawn court challenges from opponents.

When I was five years old and my father worked for a subdivision developer, the Tyree family was giddily comparing floorplans for constructing a new house on a wooded lot next to our crowded domicile.

As a parent, I’ve seen firsthand how extracurriculars like music and sports keep kids in school and unite the community. My daughter played the flute in the San Marcos High School marching band, which made all the difference for her. Serving as band volunteers made our whole family feel part of the community.

Houses are getting smaller again–which is going to make many Americans happier.

Well San Marcos Record users, the first week of having the SM Record delivered via snail mail is over! I’d like to send a big THANK YOU to the SM Record staff for moving to mail only vs having the paper thrown!

It’s no secret that average folks can’t stand most politicians, even local ones. One of the reasons why is that some live like arrogant reality-TV stars, obsessed with power, materialism and sex. No, we’re not talking about “The Real Housewives of Plano.” It’s the latest revelations in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment.

There’s a lot of sad news to go around, but this Vox story really breaks my heart: animal shelters are overflowing with abandoned dogs and cats again.

Prison is supposed to be a punishment, but the heat in Texas’ prisons this summer is brutal and life-threatening. A potential death penalty that no judge ever ordered.

The agency that operates the power grid for much of the state asked Texans to conserve energy use several times last week as the grid was beset with high demand and low wind-power generation, according to the Austin American- Statesman.

These days, getting all three of my semi-grown daughters together for a family activity is like herding cats who have cars, jobs at coffee shops and their own debit cards. So, when our girls were able to pencil us in for a quick weekend trip to San Antonio, my wife and I jumped at the chance ... or sort of hopped. Our backs hurt.