Note: This is a bulldog edition of the Capital Highlights column for the week of Sept. 5 - 9, to accommodate papers with early Labor Day deadlines. It will be updated on Sunday if events dictate.
Flooding prompts disaster declaration
Farmer’s Almanac predicting a white winter
As Texas gets at least a temporary reprieve this week from the heat, with a nice round of rain blanketing much of the state, the Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting January will bring significant snowfall to the state.
The periodical, founded in 1818, develops its extended forecast “using a 204-year-old mathematical formula focused on sunspot activity, planet positions and tidal actions of the moon.” The almanac’s website claims its forecasts are 80% to 85% accurate.
Texas gas prices lowest in nation
While gas prices nationwide dropped below $4 per gallon average last week, the state boasts the lowest prices in the country at an average of $3.49 — 50 cents below the national average, according to AAA Texas.
By JIM PUMARLO, Consultant
Are you looking for a project that can energize your news staffs, generate new advertising revenue and underscore the value of a local newspaper to potential new subscribers?
Mark Oct. 28: National First Responders Day.
Full disclosure on two fronts.
First, highlighting the accomplishments of first responders is not my original idea. I picked it up while presenting earlier this year at a Management Boot Camp sponsored by the Texas Center for Community Journalism.
I am honestly confused about how I ended up as the president of the Texas Press Association.
Let me first say that I will do everything in my power to deliver on your trust and confidence in me. Secondly, I will need a lot of help from my friends.
By Leonard Woolsey, TPA President
In the proverbial tool shed of life, there are sharp, blunt and curious tools no one is quite sure what they might be good for. I consider myself a card-carrying member of the latter.
Drivers urged to be alert as school begins
Millions of Texas children are heading back to school this month, as early as this week in some districts. The Texas Department of Transportation urges drivers to be especially alert and focused when driving in school zones and near bus stops.
DSHS gets nearly 15,000 monkeypox vaccines
The Texas Department of State Health Services has received and distributed 14,780 doses of the monkey pox vaccine to local health departments and DSHS regional offices. Another 27,000 doses could be made available by the Strategic National Stockpile.
Walking billboards promote pedestrian safety
Wildfire danger continues to rise
As we cross the halfway point of July, wildfire danger continues to increase across the state. On Friday, Texas A&M Forest Service firefighters responded to 15 new wildfires that burned 651 acres. As of Sunday, there were eight active wildfires; the largest was the Nethery Road Fire in Kimble County, involving an estimated 3,500 acres. It has been 70% contained.