As I type this, the country has been without a Speaker of the House of Representatives for three weeks. This dysfunctional part of our government is what drives us crazy out here in John Q. Public land.

But I recently had a chance to attend the National Newspaper Association Convention in Washington, D.C. And I was inspired by the symbols and idealism upon which our country was founded, which further stoked my flame for our democratic experiment.

Abbott, House deadlocked over school choice, teacher pay

Gov. Gregg Abbott and the Texas House are at loggerheads over which will come first – vouchers for parents to pay for private school tuition, or funneling more money to public schools, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Early voting now underway

Early voting is now underway for the Nov. 7 general election. Voters will decide the fate of 14 proposed amendments, including measures to provide property tax relief and raise the homestead exemption to $100,000.

A nonpartisan explanation of what each proposition entails has been produced by the Texas Legislative Council and can be found at this link: https://tinyurl.com/5n946d32.

Abbott ties voucher passage to teacher pay, school funding

Gov. Greg Abbott, just hours after the Senate initially approved a school voucher measure, said he would add teacher raises and increased public school funding to the ongoing special session agenda if the Texas Legislature passes his voucher plan, the Texas Tribune reported.

By Jim Pumarlo, consultant

A divorce is finalized, but it is not recorded in the newspaper until four months later.
Someone appears in court for a domestic assault, but the sentence isn't reported until weeks after the fact.

The subjects naturally raise two questions: What constitutes these items as news? Why is there such a delay in the report?

These instances, and many more, occurred during my tenure as editor of the Red Wing (Minn.) Republican Eagle. Other editors can likely relate.

Texas employment at historic high, but jobless rate is up

For the 30th consecutive month Texas showed job growth, reaching just under 14 million jobs and outpacing the nation in its annual rate of employment growth, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

By Al Cross

Director Emeritus, Institute for Rural Journalism

After local police raided the office of the Marion County Record and the home of its owners, creating a national outcry that was entirely justified, the question was asked in newspaper offices around the country, and sometimes in their pages: “Could this happen here?”

It’s more likely in some places than others, depending on the nature of the paper, the town, its leaders and the police.

Fair warning: Get ready for some major geekage.

We’ve all seen the embarrassing example of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-produced copy in a recent large company sports section. This is what was published (since corrected):

“The Worthington Christian [[WINNING_TEAM_MASCOT]] defeated the Westerville North [[LOSING_TEAM_MASCOT]] 2-1 in an Ohio boys soccer game on Saturday.”

Gannett, the guilty party, recently stopped using AI on its sports desk as the results were just not ready for prime time.

Special session to begin on Oct. 9

Gov. Greg Abbott issued a letter to legislative leaders indicating a special session will begin on Oct. 9 dealing with what he has called “school choice” but is more widely known as vouchers.

Another special session slated for October

Gov. Greg Abbott has called a third special session, this time about school choice, for next month. He is promising retribution for lawmakers who oppose his move to enact school vouchers in Texas, the Texas Tribune reported.