Hill Country News

Commentary: How About a Newspaper Subscription for Christmas?

My access to news narrowed dramatically when I was 10 years old. My mother’s boss passed away, so I no longer got to peruse his morning paper. And, despite my protestations about prying … more

By Danny Tyree, Guest Columnist | 12/13/21

Charges were announced on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Oakland County, Michigan, against James and Jennifer Crumbley in connection with the Nov. 30 shooting deaths of four after the couple's son brought a pistol to his high school and opened fire on classmates. (Oakland County Sheriff's Office/TNS)

Commentary: The powerful message behind charging the parents in the Michigan school shooting

The latest school shooting tragedy, in Michigan on Nov. 30, shares many common traits with those that came before it. The suspect was a young male student at the school in the midst of a noticeable … more

James Densley and Jillian Peterson, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 12/8/21

Jason Benington, right, reacts in objection during a Portland Public Schools board meeting to discuss a proposed vaccine mandate for students on Oct. 26, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. Benington said he has six children attending Portland Public Schools. The board moved the meeting to discuss a proposed vaccine mandate for students 12-years-old and up online after a group of anti-mandate protesters gathered before the meeting. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images/TNS)

Commentary: What happens when angry polarization takes over school boards and local government?

Why in the world would anyone enter public service in 2021? After all, the scenes have become familiar: someone shaking with rage approaches the lectern. They start by berating the local school … more

Brian Klaas, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 12/8/21

The state population grew by nearly 4 million and was driven mainly by people of color.

Analysis: Texas’ population has changed much faster than its political maps

With new political maps like these, it would have been surprising if the U.S. Department of Justice had decided not to sue the state of Texas. Texas has about 8.3 million more residents than it … more

By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune | 12/8/21

Commentary: This creepy little elf doesn’t celebrate my holiday

Lately, I’ve started seeing all the usual Christmas decorations, books, gift suggestions, articles, foods and complaints about all the usual Christmas decorations, books, gift suggestions, … more

By Christine Flowers, Guest Columnist | 12/7/21

U.S. Rep. John Lewis holds a candle during an event on Jan. 30, 2017, in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)

Commentary: Where are voting rights and justice reform?

Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer-winning journalist and creator of The New York Times' 1619 Project, said something to me last week that has been stuck in my head since: "I think most Black Americans … more

LZ Granderson, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 12/7/21

Former Sen. Bob Dole attends Mike Pompeo's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 12, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)

Commentary: Dole had respect for his rivals

Bob Dole first emerged as a national figure in the early 1970s, defending President Richard Nixon’s Vietnam policies and excoriating such Democratic opponents as Sens. Edward Kennedy and George … more

Carl P. Leubsdorf, The Dallas Morning News (TNS) | 12/7/21

Commentary: Four more children dead, and a nation shrugs

Families in Michigan will set an empty place at the table this holiday season in the wake of the mass shooting at Oxford High School that left four children dead and seven more injured. The deaths … more

By John L. Micek, Guest Columnist | 12/6/21

Economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton are moving their research into the politics of despair. (Thanakorn Suppamethasawat/Dreamstime/TNS)

Commentary: Why are blue-collar Americans dying of despair?

This is one of a series of interviews by Bloomberg Opinion columnists on how to solve the world’s most pressing policy challenges. It has been edited for length and clarity. Justin Fox: You … more

Justin Fox, Bloomberg Opinion (TNS) | 12/6/21

Stickers reading "I Voted" are available to voters at the Fairfax County Government Center on Nov. 2, 2021 in Fairfax, Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)

Commentary: Opening primaries is a necessary first step toward bigger reforms

If there were a silver bullet for democratic reform, you think we would have found it by now. With countries around the world experimenting with various forms of democracy for decades, if not … more

Kevin Frazier, The Fulcrum (TNS) | 12/6/21

Gov. Greg Abbott spoke at an October press conference in Mission with nine other governors regarding the southern border.:

Analysis: The Texas-Mexico frontier still tops the news — and state politics

Undocumented immigrants haven’t killed 72,808 Texans during the last two years, like COVID-19 did through Dec. 2. Immigrants haven’t brought that kind of danger to the state in … more

By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune | 12/6/21

US President Joe Biden speaks about the administrations response to Covid-19 and the Omicron variant at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland on Dec. 2, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

Commentary: Don’t lose more holidays: COVID isolation meant my friend died without meeting my son

Two weeks ago, I attended the funeral of a dear lady who had befriended me when I first arrived in Fort Worth eight years ago. She was nearly 81 when she passed, having lived a good and long life, … more

Cynthia M. Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TNS) | 12/6/21

Commentary: There’s No Cure For Covidiocy

If only I had a magic wand, I would henceforth consign all conspiracy freaks and vaccine refuseniks (78 million in number) to some distant desert isle where they could breathe free upon each other … more

By Dick Polman, Guest Columnist | 12/5/21

John Eastman, seen in a 2013 file photo. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/TNS)

Commentary: Reforming the Electoral Count Act is the best way to get back on track

Being able to read a map is a good thing. Writing a map to overthrow American elections, not so much. This past summer, my teen and I took a road trip. On our travels to our destination, we … more

Lynn Schmidt, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (TNS) | 12/5/21

Pro-life and pro-abortion rights protesters rally outside as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization" in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Commentary: Unsettling our 'settled' abortion law

Virtually every unofficial U.S. Supreme Court watcher has reported feeling a chill wind of political reality and pending change as it whipped through the court’s imposing chamber this past … more

Martin Schram, Tribune News Service (TNS) | 12/5/21

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 in San Diego, at a San Diego County Administration meeting, the audience responds during public comments supporting a no vote on Agenda Item 19. The board was voting on "Declaring health misinformation a public health crisis." (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS)

Commentary: Are public meetings getting stale? How one city made public meetings more participatory

Picture this: You're at a public meeting. Members of the public share concerns at the microphone, with a timer buzzing if they talk too long. The council sits quietly and does not respond to the … more

Quixada Moore-Vissing and Jennifer Orellana, The Fulcrum (TNS) | 12/4/21

In this file photo, Infowars host Alex Jones arrives at the Texas State Capital building on April 18, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images/TNS)

Commentary: Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones learns the laws aren't just for the little people

Every once in a while, we get a bracing reminder that free speech has its limits. Alex Jones, the barking far-right conspiracy theorist, suffered a sweeping legal loss recently when judges in two … more

Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 12/3/21

Commentary: Four more children dead, and a nation shrugs

Families in Michigan will set an empty place at the table this holiday season in the wake of the mass shooting at Oxford High School that left four children dead and seven more injured. The deaths … more

By John L. Micek, Guest Columnist | 12/3/21

A woman votes at Great Hills Baptist Church on July 14, 2020, in Austin.

Analysis: It takes a village to win big races in Texas

It’s very difficult to win a statewide election in Texas if your party’s candidate in the top race isn’t winning or at least in a very close race. Down-ballot candidates sometimes … more

By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune | 12/3/21

Oakland County, Michigan, Prosecutor Karen McDonald announces charges against 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, charging him as an adult, on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, related to a mass shooting incident at Oxford High School. (Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press/TNS)

Commentary: Michigan school slaughter exposes 2nd Amendment as poison pill of the American Experiment

In a nation that worships holiday shopping almost as much as its nearly 400 million guns, James Crumbley of Oxford, Michigan, may have just made the worst Black Friday purchase … more

Will Bunch, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) | 12/3/21

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