Bill would require fentanyl education

The death of a Leander High School graduate from a fentanyl overdose has prompted state Rep. Terry Wilson, R-Georgetown, to file a bill that would require 10 hours of education annually concerning the dangers of the drug to students in sixth grade and up, the Austin American-Statesman reported. 

Editors often raise red flags – or at least hesitate – at requests for business news, and often for good reason.

By Jim Pumarlo, consultant

House pushes armed officer at all schools

Under legislation prioritized by House Speaker Dade Phelan, every Texas school would have an armed police officer, and aspiring teachers would receive extra support.

Texas again leads state in new corporate projects

Texas once again has topped the list for new and expanded corporate facilities added in a year, according to Site Selection Magazine. With 1,028 new projects in 2022, the state had more than the next two states combined – Illinois and Ohio. 

Newspaper swagger comes in part by being a driver of thoughtful discussions and conversations in your community.

Doing so, however, can be tricky.

Good newspapers are thought-leaders in their community — an institution where courage and action sit side by side. A place where news events can migrate from the front page to editorial page, with the newspaper making important observations and asking key questions.

Street takeover spurs governor’s action

 Gov. Greg Abbott has created a statewide task force after several “street takeovers” recently took place in Austin in which motorists obstructed intersections, shot off fireworks and drove recklessly.

Abbott lays out seven top priorities

Here’s a periodic action item for every newspaper: The exercise can be quite revealing in evaluating how you are connecting with various audiences. It is even more important in today’s fractured media landscape and as everyday interaction can still be challenging in the aftermath of the pandemic.
For starters, ask reporters to identify the community newsmakers in a brainstorming session. Better yet, divvy up newspapers from the last several weeks and circle the names and faces in the stories and photos.

By Jim Pumarlo, consultant

Abbott issues disaster declaration, seeks fed help

Ice storm wreaks havoc in much of state

Residents in Central and Northeast Texas are still cleaning up after a winter storm last week snapped power lines and tree limbs, causing widespread power outages, canceled flights and damage to homes and vehicles.

At its peak, nearly 400,000 Texas households were without power, according to poweroutage.us. As of Sunday, that number had dropped to 62,456.