Category Archives: local news

local news, national news, political news

Nationwide electoral theft? Impossible!

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Let’s visit briefly — shall we? — Donald Trump’s continual harping about the 2020 presidential election and how the result, a victory by Joe Biden over Trump, was an act of electoral theft.

It didn’t happen. Here’s how I know that to be so.

To suggest that a federal election was orchestrated to produce a winner ignores this undeniable fact, which is that our elections are conducted by individual states. Each state operates independently from other states. They all have their own system of counting ballots. They abide by rules set by their legislatures, and signed into law by governors.

Collin County, Texas, where I have lived for the past seven years, has a perfectly fine election system. It’s modern, it’s secure, and it’s free of the kind of corruption that Trump seems to believe exists in counties throughout the nation. He’s full of mule dookey.

The county’s election system is run by Stacey Kemp, a competent county clerk who oversees a staff of deputy clerks who are committed to upholding the oath they all take to defend and protect the Consitution of the United States.

Trump, though, sees this issue as a national matter. Indeed, he is looking for crimes that simply cannot exist in our electoral system.

I also should point out that our state electoral systems are not connected to the Internet, which Trump alleges is a prime source of the shenanigans he says occurs.

The POTUS went on the air the other night to relitigate a six-year-old gripe that has been tossed out in more than 60 lawsuits filed in courts from coast to coast. Let me also note here that many of the federal judges who have ruled against Trump have been nominated for their seats by Donald Trump … which tells me quite clearly that these men and women understand the law far more clearly than the dimwit who sits in the Oval Office.

local news, national news, political news

Lowering flags for this clown?

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Someone will have to explain why flags all over Collin County, Texas, have lowered to half-staff … and I damn sure hope it isn’t to honor the memory of a piss-ant partisan who died over the weekend.

I have concluded that the flags are flying at half-staff because Sen. Lindsey Graham — a Republican from South Carolina — has passed away.

Now, I must ask: What in the name of politics has Graham done to benefit Texas, other than to fall in line with his Big Daddy, Donald J. Trump? Graham once had the balls to tell the truth about Trump … when he was running against him for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. He called Trump a “race-baiting” nitwit; he called the future POTUS an individual who is unfit for public office, let alone the presidency.

He fell in line about the time Trump secured the party’s nomination that year and has been licking the liar in chief’s boots ever since.

And for that — and virtually nothing else — he’s being honored with businesses, government offices and individual property owners flying flags at half-staff.

Give me a … break.

local news

Waiting for my ‘home town’ to mature

You know already that I love living in North Texas, particularly this city that is under construction.

I refer, of course, to Princeton. The construction to which I refer is the highway work along the length of the city’s main drag … U.S. Highway 380. My family is nearby. I enjoy living so close to them that I don’t have to make a day out of traveling to visit.

When my wife and I moved into our home, we had no real idea that we would be on the front end of a building boom that continues to this day. Therein lies the crux of this blog.

Princeton’s population has exploded since we closed on our home. It stands at 40,000-plus. I don’t have an exact figure because I don’t think anyone really knows how many folks live here from week to week. The number keeps growing. As a result, the number of residences in Princeton have turned this into a classic “bedroom community.” Lots of new residents have a place to call “home,” where they sleep at night and from which they go to work.

However, the city’s path to full maturity has yet to be traveled. I refer to development of commercial businesses that serve this growing city’s needs. We lack any sort of fine-dining establishments. Virtually nowhere to purchase major appliances. Almost all the home-repair outfits in this area operate out of neighboring communities.

I keep hearing about plans to build something called the Princeton Town Center. I see signs identifying where they want to turn the dirt over. The Town Center will solve a lot of the issues that face residents daily. It will contain a plethora of commercial developments and give the 40,000-plus residents plenty of places to shop locally.

When will this occur? Beats the bejabbers out of me, man. Texas transportation crews have to finish their highway and street work. They haven’t broken ground on the Princeton Town Center. Yes, some small businesses are cropping up along U.S. 380.

I am a patient man. I am waiting for my new home town to grow into the city I know it can become.

local news

Good news to report … yes, really!

As a general rule I am not inclined to use this blog to bemoan personal matters or bitch out loud about small things that annoy me.

Yes, I know I have shared with you my journey through my grief over losing my bride, Kathy Anne, to cancer. That was important for me to share as I know it resonated with others who have made similar treks through the darkness.

Today I have some good news to share. So, here goes.

I had piled on a lot of extra weight in recent months. I struggled for the longest time to get rid of it. To no avail. That’s changed. I’ve lost almost 15 pounds. I have much more to lose. I’m doing it through a severe lifestyle change.

I’ve long known about the theory “calories in, calories out.” I have reduced my caloric intake. I am no longer eating pastry. I am down to two slices of bread daily. I am consuming my share of veggies and protein in the form of grilled meat. It’s working!

The other thing that I’ve been struggling with has been the aches and pains associated mainly with old age. You know already that I am long in the tooth. I turn 77 in December and I figure that seven years into my 70s means I am officially pushing 80. The main pain source has been my left knee, which I learned recently has a torn meniscus tendon. I wrecked my knee when I took a tumble while exiting my truck. I landed squarely on the pavement in my garage with my knee taking the brunt of it.

My primary care physician referred me to an orthopedist. I went to the doc’s office. He took pictures of my knee and then gave me a shot in the knee to curb the pain. The relief was instantaneous! I know it’s not permanent, but I will deal with its return when it becomes necessary.

One more worrisome ailment also is being targeted. Sleep deprivation. I haven’t slept well for many years. It has caught up with me. But I’ve decided to go to bed the same time each night. I take some deep-breatbing exercises to relax me. That, too, is beginning to help.

I do not intend to keep you posted on my progress. Just know that I have zero intention of returning to the old way of living that caused me so much grief in the first place.

local news

Why not probe turnover at City Hall?

Carolyn David-Graves might, indeed, be onto something worthwhile in calling for an investigation into the embarrassing turnover at the top of the city’s municipal chain of command.

David-Graves serves on the Princeton City Council and she made the call for a probe at a recent council meeting. As a spectator to what has been going on at City Hall, I was left with one question to which I cannot find answer: Who is going to conduct such a probe, one that is thorough and gets to the truth behind the turnover?

I now shall review what we know.

City Manager Mike Mashburn resigned at the beginning of the year after spending less than two years on the job. Then the interim manager walked off the job suddenly. The fire chief resigned at about the same time. Then the city let its legal counsel go, citing a need to change law firms to represent the city’s interests. The public works director quit. Before he decided to quit, the city manager had fired several key personnel.

David-Graves must believe there is reason to investigate. Given that I am just a taxpaying resident who doesn’t know more than enough to make me dangerous, I am inclined to think she might have reason to seek some answers.

Back to the question: Who would conduct such a probe? The city attorney’s office couldn’t possibly do it. The office likely wouldn’t dare expose any wrongdoing among council members, if there’s any wrongdoing to expose. Princeton doesn’t appear to have an extensive legal community that has built enough distance between a legal team and the city. What about the Texas attorney general’s office? That’s a thought, yes? The current AG is running for another office, so he would be distracted, but he does have a staff of legal eagles capable of handling it.

The single issue that any investigative team would need to identify would be a common denominator. All those resignations must be related somehow to someone or a set of concerns that one could identify.

David-Graves reeled off the list of resignations, which also include three chief financial officers, two deputy city managers and the assistant city manager. “That’s a lot of turnover,” she said. Yeah, no kiddin’. The city might do well to look deeply into what’s wrong at City Hall.

local news

City manager search: so far, so good

I am ready to proclaim my cautious optimism in Princeton’s search for a new city manager to take the reins of a government that, to my eyes, appears to be flailing.

The City Council appears ready to hire a search firm with some serious credential to lead the search effort. Compared to to slap-dash, and frankly underhanded, method that brought us the previous city manager, it looks as though the city has awakened to smell the coffee.

The council has stated it likes the way CPS HR Consulting has presented itself. It will hire the firm, founded in 1985, to bring candidates to Princeton. And get this: Council members will interview the finalists, actually meet them prior to decided whom to choose as the next city manager. The most recent city manager, Mike Mashburn, emerged from the shadows in January 2024. He met the City Council for the very first time in an executive session of the council, which then hired him unanimously on the spot and decided on a healthy salary package.

Mashburn last a little less than two years on the job. I haven’t read a single detail of the terms of his sudden resignation, but my trick knee tells me he was asked to leave the building immediately. Why? Well, I guess he wasn’t working out.

Then the city brought in a fellow, Jeff Jones, to run City Hall in the interim. Then he quit suddenly just recently. Again, no details have been forthcoming. The city is being run by Jim Waters, the current interim manager who happens to be the city’s chief of police.

Now we have a new mayor, Eugene Escobar Jr., has vowed a transparent search. His mayoral predecessor, Brianna Chacon, made the same vow when embarking on the search that brought Mashburn to Princeton, but didn’t deliver on that pledge.

CPS HR Consulting can claim success in finding city managers.

Let us hope its success rate is bolstered by a selection for Princeton. This city has moved rapidly beyond the one-street-light burg it used to be. It’s now a city in high demand by new residents. It needs a strong hand to take the reins of the city administration. Just keep it in the open.

local news

Sharing a bit of cheer

The world appears to be splitting at the seams, yes? A U.S. president keeps reaching beyond his grasp for more power than he deserves … or is entitled. There’s more crap to ponder.

With all that laid out there, I want to share with y’all a bit of personal good news. Perhaps you can relate. Here goes.

A few months ago I took a spill in my garage as I was exiting my pickup truck. My feet got tangled up and I fell on my left smack onto the concrete slab on the garage floor. My knee has been hurting ever since. I made an appointment with a radiologist recently and the doc determined I had a torn meniscus tendon in my left knee.

My friends and family have been watching me gimp around for a while now. Occasionally I can be seen with a cane to relieve pressure on my bad knee.

All that changed about 2 p.m. today. I visited an orthopedist in Plano. He took a picture of my knee and confirmed what I knew. “You have a torn meniscus,” he said … then came the magic words. He said he could give me instant relief with a shot in my knee.

So … he did. The shot contained a cocktail of drugs, one of which was a steroid. He injected the stuff into my knee.

Then came “presto!” The pain vanished. It was instantaneous.

I am able to proclaim that as a result I have full motion in my injured knee. I have no pain. I am able to walk at more than a snail’s pace. When someone asks me “How you doing?” I can answer with something a good bit more than “Just OK.”

This message is aimed at others who have experienced similar aches and pains. I know you’re out there.

My lesson to those who care about such things? Don’t ever give up. I might just try to chase my puppies around my yard.

local news

Stand tall, police chief/city manager

Jim Waters is doing something I am quite certain I could never do, which is to take on two vital public service jobs for the price of one of them.

Waters is serving as Princeton’s interim city manager, while at the same time suiting up as the city’s chief of police. He told the Princeton Herald is will not seek a pay increase while performing both jobs at once. “I’m a Princeton boy, born and bred,” Waters said. “They offered me a stipend but I’m a firm believer in what’s best for the city and did not think I should accept it.,” he added.

I wish now to tip my proverbial cap to the police chief/city manager for exhibiting one of the true blessings of committing to public service.

The Herald reports that Waters is spending most of his time doubling as the city manager while delegating PD leadership tasks to three lieutenants and an administrative assistant. He said that “our people are taught to manage up, so they are getting the job done.”

I remain anxious, though, for the city to find a permanent city manager. Waters earns a handsome salary as the city police chief. That job alone will require to earn every penny of it. The Princeton Police Department is understaffed already, trying to keep the peace in a city that continues to go through explosive growth.

I just feel compelled to thank the chief/city manager for his service to the community.

economic news, local news

Data centers deserve close look

Well … the swirling controversy over data centers has entered my North Texas city of Princeton, where the city council is laying the groundwork to begin a series of regulatory measures to ensure the protection of the commnity.

It was a matter of time before we got caught up in the debate that has swallowed up a lot of cities’ attention.

Data centers are those projects that manufacture chips and other electronic power devices. I have read about how they demand lots of energy to produce and lots — and even more — water. I’m still unclear about the need for water, but I do know that this region of Texas is beginning to discuss openly the need to protect its source of fresh water to accommodate the population explosion that is still underway.

I live in a city that continues to grow in giant leaps. Princeton is now home to more than 40,000 people. That number is going to keep growing for the foreseeable future. Princeton’s council met this week in a marathon session; it took no action on any data center proposal, but it did agree to begin applying new rules to welcoming these projects here.

According to the Princeton Herald, the city decided to “move forward with non-zoning amendments and debated how quickly the city could begin the public hearing process.”

The centers have created concerns about noise pollution, visual impact, construction traffic, utlity demands and limited job creation.

The idea of looking strategically ahead seems to be new to Princeton, which didn’t seem to think too much about community impact when it allowed residential and apartment construction to run ahead of the city’s ability to provide service to the new residents. The city imposed a months-long moratorium on new residential development with the hope of allowing infrastructure to catch up.

I am glad to see the city looking ahead to study the impact of data centers. What I’ve read is that the produce a mixed-up of positive and negative impacts. Let’s keep our eyes and ears wide open as we move ahead.

local news

Good news … and news you need to ponder

I have some good news and some news that we’ll need to consider as it takes shape

First, the good news. Donald Trump’s time as the nation’s leading loudmouth politician is drawing to a close. It’s not just around the corner. Not yet anyway. But each week that passes means it’s getting a bit closer and for that I am extremely grateful we have a U.S. Constitution that won’t buckle under pressure that the dipshit in chief will seek to apply to it.

Now for the questionable news. How is Trump going to react when they count the ballots in November 2028? Especially if the winner happens to be a Democrat? I suppose I could ask the same thing if the winner in two years is a Republican, one who isn’t of the MAGA moron variety, but is more of a principled conservative with actual ideas.

It well might be that the MAGA moron in chief will rant and rail against both major party nominees.

I read something earlier today that Republicans in Congress have endorsed a resolution allowing for Trump to serve a third term. It won’t happen. The 22nd Amendment is clear: Two terms and that’s all someone gets to serve as POTUS.

It’s the process, the inexorable march toward the end that allows me to wake up every morning feeling good about the day that is unfolding before me. Each day closer to the end renders this asshole less relevant.

OK, I’ll have to toss one more uncertainty onto the mix. Trump will be gone no later than Jan. 20, 2029, but that MAGA movement will still be around. Good news once more? Without their leading Main Man, the MAGA morons will be left to fend for themselves. My gut tells me they won’t survive.