Category Archives: local news

local news, science news

Welcome home, Artemis II!

Allow me this admission that comes with a plea for understanding if I look a bit bug-eyed for most of the day.

The four-person Artemis II lunar orbiter mission is set to splash down this evening in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, Calif. The rocket that propelled the astronauts to the moon now gives way to the Orion spacecraft that will carry the astronauts back home.

Understand that my candid plea is deserved because of what occurred on Feb. 3, 2003 at the end of space shuttle Columbia’s 16-day Earth orbit mission. The Columbia shuttle mission, commanded by Amarillo resident Rick Husband, ended when the shuttle broke apart as it returned. We lost all seven of the astronauts in that tragic conclusion.

Now we hear about possible damage to the Orion heat shield. I hope you understand my anxiety today as the Artemis II crew prepares its return to Earth’s terra firma.

The four-member crew has joined the growing list of space-travel heroes who will be feted with parades and endless speaking engagements.

Let’s get through this latest moment of possible danger. I likely will weep tears of joy when I see those parachutes open and Orion splashes into the Pacific Ocean.

entertainment news, local news

‘Puppy Tales’ has returned!

It’s time for me to admit that I have been a neglectful puppy parent … but it has nothing to do with the care I give the pups who enjoy a special place in my family.

You might recall that when I had Toby the Puppy I routinely chronicled the things he would do to make my wife and me laugh out loud. Then came 2023, the worst year of my life. I lost my bride to brain cancer near the beginning of the year. Then I said goodbye to Toby near the end of that horrible year, also to cancer.

I put Puppy Tales on indefinite hold. Then in 2024, Sabol joined my family. She has been an absolute scream. In 2025, my family added Endo, who became BFF with Sabol immediately on joining us in our Princeton home.

Today, I made a command decision. I am dusting off Puppy Tales and will resume telling you stories about the joy of returning to the world of puppy parenthood.

I have a quick story to tell, so here goes.

I took Endo to the veterinarian’s office this morning. My intention was to determine her age. The doctor told me she could give me a pretty good guess, based on the condition of Endo’s teeth. We walked in, got our place in the exam room.

Endo’s doctor took a look at her teeth and said she is “between 3 1/2 and 4 years old.” So, there you go. The doc estimated Sabol’s age to be between 6 and 7.

Then I made another command decision. I declared that today, March 31, is Endo’s birthday. I declared also that she turns 4 on this day. “She’s still a young dog,” Endo’s doc told me. The doctor also assured me that she appears to be in excellent health. We had fought off a yeast infection and some skin allergies. Endo weighed about 37 pounds when she first joined me. Today she tipped the beam at 46 pounds, earning her the affectionate nickname of Fatty. She’s not fat, but she clearly has gained weight, which she wears nicely.

Sabol and Endo are still besties. I am grateful they love each other. I had a little fear that Sabol might assert herself as the queen of the house. She didn’t do that, although I do consider her to be the Alpha female around here.

I am looking forward once more to sharing their lives with you. My hope is that you enjoy reading about them, too.

local news

‘No Kings’ not limited to progressive bastions

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Allow me to stipulate this much about the No Kings protest movement, which is that it isn’t limited to the People’s Republics of Austin, Berkeley or Boulder, Colo.

It is alive and well in Donald Trump-friendly venues such as, oh let’s see … McKinney, Texas.

I just came from lunch near where nearly 1,000 protesters were lined up on the western side of U.S. 75 and the northern side of U.S. 380 in the Collin County seat. They were marching, chatting amiably and carrying signs — many of which were downright clever.

The protesters are angry with the policies being pushed forward by Donald John Trump and his cabal of goons.

I had heard earlier today that the protests scheduled for throughout the nation would likely be the largest single-day political demonstration in U.S. history. Well, I took a look at the crowd gathered in Collin County this afternoon and based on what I saw I could conclude that if such a turnout was to occur in the heart of Trump Country, then the predictions of the largest-ever protest are likely to be true!

Folks are angry over the lack of “affordability,” the end of health care for middle-income Americans, the assault on woman’s rights to control their own bodies and now, on the war with Iran that Trump launched without a game plan for ending it or even a purpose for starting it.

They gathered today across the land. They gathered in mighty throngs in communities known to be anti-Trump in attitude. And they were present in places known to be more friendly to the POTUS in places like Collin County, Texas.

The message I am receiving from the widespread discontent? Donald Trump’s influence over the nation looks for all the world like a dying species.

local news

City manager search slogs on

Princeton’s search for a city manager is continuing at a snail’s pace, which could mean one of two things.

The city is taking its time searching for just the right man or woman to lead the City Hall staff … or it doesn’t have a clue on how to proceed. Which option do you choose?

The Princeton Herald reported this week that the city is offering little information on the search. They’ll back to us, city officials told the newspaper. C’mon, gang. Get busy, will ya?

Mayor Eugene Escobar Jr. said he’s happy with the job being done by interim City Manager Jeff Jones, who replaced Mike Mashburn in December after Mashburn resigned. Mashburn had been on the job just shy of two years. Jones served formerly as city manager in Southlake.

So, what does Jones’s performance mean? Does he now emerge as a favorite to get the permanent job as Princeton’s chief municipal executive?

The city, in my view, made a mess of the process when it hired Mashburn. He emerged from the shadows after seemingly clandestine interviews with then-Mayor Brianna Chacon. The mayor introduced Mashburn to the City Council in an executive session and — presto! — the council hired him on the spot. The council took no time to ask him questions, to inquire closely about his background or ask him to jump through a couple of hoops to prove he would be the right man for the job.

Chacon boasted about the “transparent” process that occurred. Baloney!

Then came questions about Mashburn’s decision to live outside the city. It seems to me that a chief executive who is going to recommend the tax burden he proposes for the city’s residents should have to share in the burden he or she is asking others to bear.

The city council needs to do a much better job of seeking candidates to run the nation’s fastest-growing city. Three months have passed since Mashburn called it quits. Yes, we have an interim manager. And, yes, the mayor likes the job he’s doing. What about the rest of the council? Are they on board with this fellow, too?

My own preference would be for the council to collect as many applications as possible, winnow them down to a list of finalists. Say, about four individuals. Then they should tell us the names of the finalists, bring them to the city, meet in public, let interested residents meet them, question them and then make a decision.

The Princeton City Council makes one hiring decision. The city manager reports directly to the council. A city on the move deserves a city manager who is committed to this community. Get it right, council members!

local news

Let’s make DST permanent … OK?

High Plains Blogger is aiming this message directly at two members of the Texas Legislature, both of whom represent the author of this blog in that august body of lawmakers.

Listen up, state Sen. Angela Paxton and state Rep. Candy Noble! I am going to ask you to please work to get your colleagues to hammer out a deal that gives us a permanent measure of our time. I dislike changing the clocks back and forth twice a year. It’s not a huge deal for me, but it is becoming a bit of an annoyance.

We’re going to “spring forward” tomorrow when we go from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time.

Two legislative sessions failed to cobble together an acceptable agreement. The 2023 Legislature sought to put a measure to a vote, asking Texans their preference: permanent Standard Time, permanent DST or keep the current practice of switching back and forth? After some soul-searching and personal introspection, I decided I prefer to keep the clocks set to Daylight Saving Time.

DST keeps the sun in the sky a little longer in the evening, enabling folks such as me to do chores around the yard during the growing season.

I get the arguments in favor of DST, that it saves electricity. That’s a noble reason all by itself. Therefore, I am all for it.

The Legislature seemingly couldn’t get its act together in time to finish work on the resolution it intended for Texans to settle. The 2027 Legislature will be upon us in due course. I will just ask Sen. Paxton and Rep. Noble to get their stuff together quickly and persuade their colleagues to get with the program.

Let’s put this matter to a vote.  Let us also hope we can keep Daylight Saving Time a permanent fixture on our calendar.

local news, political news

RINOs are everywhere!

Seems as if it takes damn little to be labeled a RINO these days … you know, a Republican in name only.

Donald Trump, the nation’s RINO in chief, throws the term around with utterly no understanding of the irony that he calls anyone a RINO.

Texas is going through its primary election today. State Rep. Jeff Leach has been called a RINO by his challenger Henry Thorsen. Why? Well, it seems that Leach had the temerity to serve as a prosecutor in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.

Never mind the body of work that Leach compiled while representing Collin County in the Legislature. You turn against a crook like Paxton? You’re toast.

It’s happened to other anti-Trump Republicans, such as former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. She stood her ground and went for Trump’s jugular. She remains a conservative Republican. But she’s now out of office, scorned by the very party to which she once dedicated her political life.

Paxton and Trump are now besties. That’s the connection between the Texas AG and the POTUS.

I won’t vote in the Texas GOP primary today. I am going. to pull for Jeff Leach. I don’t know him well, but I do know him to be a conservative with a conscience. What’s more, he is no RINO!

local news

How has my life changed?

Every now and then, I get a question from a High Plains Blogger reader that makes me struggle for an answer.

Such as this one, from a critic: How has my life been made worse by Donald Trump? He is likely to read this post and might respond to me, probably telling me I suffer from terminal Trump Derangement Syndrome. I’ll plead guilty to it.

Truth is, my life isn’t worse because of Trump. I’m on a fixed income and Trump has been unable to mess with it. I live comfortably in my North Texas home. I am making friends. I have two dogs who adore their daddy. I am enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care program, so my health insurance isn’t affected by Trump’s gutting of it.

None of this is about me. Trump’s ruination of our democratic republic has caused me some anxiety. He has made me jittery at times. My sleep deprivation is worsening and I suppose I could lay some of that at Trump’s feet.

I see polling data that tells me most Americans feel uneasy about the direction Trump is leading this nation. Americans dislike the tariffs, we’re angry that his promise to end inflation has flopped, his pledge to end the Russia-Ukraine war hasn’t borne fruit.

The most frightening act he’s committed was to pardon all the traitors who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, including those convicted of attacking police officers assigned to keep law and order. And then he accuses President Biden’s border policies of endangering Americans because he lets felons enter the country illegally. Good ever-lovin’ grief, man!

Has my life been altered by the moron in chief? Not in a tangible way. I suppose it’s fair to ask whether the MAGA crowd has seen its life enhanced by the policies enacted in Trump’s name. If you’re worth billions of dollars, I suppose you’re breathing a bit more easily these days.

Meanwhile, I shall keep my eyes focused forward … to Nov. 3, Election Day.

local news, political news, State news

MAGA field launches suicide mission

Watching the enormous Texas Republican primary field trying to out-MAGA itself is sorta like watching a circular firing squad eliminate a traitor … in that there will be plenty of stray bullets to take out bystanders.

Actual conservatives are now being called “Republicans in name only” by Donald Trump loyalists who seek to keep the MAGA meister relevant to the current policy debate. They seem to ignore polling data that suggest Trump’s approval rating among all voters is cratering more rapidly than a Mar-a-Lago minute.

The MAGA crusade is good for the base of the party that still remains wedded to what passes for Trump’s philosophy — as if he actually had one, which he doesn’t.

Real conservatives like U.S. Sen. John Cornyn have been hung with the RINO tag. Same with state Rep. Candy Noble of McKinney, who’s been called a “liberal” by her primary foes. Congressman Chip Roy has been called “disloyal” to Trump by MAGA adherents; Roy answers that he is stands with Trump on virtually every policy one can mention; he is running for Texas attorney general!

The good news for the rest of us is that the MAGA cultists are likely to win many of these primary races, setting up the possibility of a massive congressional rout in favor of real patriots in the fall election. I can’t speak for what might occur in some of these Texas-centric races, as the state’s political makeup remains a bit of a mystery to me.

I will cast my vote in the other party’s primary, which seems to be progressing on my realistic, reasonable grounds. I still intend to wait for Election Day, March 3. I am praying my candidates don’t mess up between now and then.

local news

Stunning casino discovery …

I walked into a gambling casino this weekend and made a startling discovery upon entering the place … it was the lack of cigarette/cigar smoke lingering in the air.

Yep. Even casinos have become smoke-free environments.

This one was at the Winstar resort in Thackerville, Okla., just about 90 minutes or so from my North Texas home. My friend and I walked in and I was prepared to cover my mouth and nose from the stench.

Didn’t need to …

I don’t visit gambling joints very often but every one I ever have seen has been filled with blue smoke from cigarettes. I recall seeing a middle-aged woman one time in Las Vegas playing three slot machines at once, cigarette dangling from her mouth as she moved gracefully among the machines that were gobbling up her money.

Well, whatever. That was then. Today, I saw a smoke-free environment flourishing just fine without the stench of smoke.

local news

Jackson bridged huge gap

Jesse Jackson’s death at age 84 brought to my mind immediately an experience I had that bore witness to the enormous political strength of this iconic civil rights leader.

I was new to Southeast Texas in 1984, the year Rev. Jackson ran for the presidency the first time. I had a side hustle going on with an election research firm in which I would cover the election in Texas. They folks for whom I worked assigned me to cover a Democratic caucus in a precinct in what we used to call Beaumont’s “fashionalb west end.”

In 1984, Texas Democrats caucused on primary election night with representatives for candidates making their arguments on behalf of their candidate. Those who attended the caucus then were asked to cast their votes for the candidate of their choice.

The west end of Beaumont was mostly white. However, Rev. Jackson — a Black Baptist preacher — managed to parlay his passionate support into votes at this caucus. Black voters were present to cast their votes for the man who spoke directly to them and for them. As it turned, Jackson would end up winning the caucus in that particular precinct while doing exceptionally well throughout Jefferson County.

I cannot recall who won the Texas Democratic primary that year, but I do recall as the nation mourns Jackson’s passing that this fiery orator, disciple of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and a champion of what became the Rainbow Coalition of Americans made his presence felt in Democratic Party politics.

His imprint on the political landscape is as indelible today as it was in 1984 when he burst onto the scene as a mainstream candidate for president of the United States of America.

May this iconic leader and champion for the dispossessed rest in eternal peace.