Q: Our city council cut down on the public comment period in its meetings by restricting the subject matter of comments to items on the meeting agenda. Also, no matter how many people are signed up to speak, the council is limiting the total amount of time allotted for any agenda item to 10 minutes. Are these changes in compliance with the Texas open meetings law and are they somehow tied to the governor’s COVID-19 order?
As I write this, TPA is preparing to say goodbye to Ed Sterling after 28 faithful years of service to the Texas Press Association.
No one who has been involved in TPA any length of time doesn’t know Ed.
From his weekly legislative update column to putting the Messenger together, there isn’t much within TPA’s walls that Ed hasn’t had a hand in.
Ed is probably one of the few people in the state who reads the Texas Register, the weekly notice from the Secretary of State that includes many changes to the Texas Administrative Code, cover to cover.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2020
Media Contact: Michele Richmond, michele@competitivepower.org, (for verification purposes)
Texas Generators Ensure Lights, A/C Are One Less Worry During COVID
By Michele Richmond, TCPA Executive Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2020
Media Contact: 866-270-6209 or databreach@selectedbenefits.com
Potential Privacy Breach Elicits Quick Response from Insurance Agency
Journalists reporting on COVID, however, have a particular obligation to understand the data, to add context and to acknowledge uncertainty when reporting the numbers.
This guide to common COVID metrics is designed to help journalists know how each data point is calculated, what it means and, importantly, what it doesn’t mean.
Obituaries published in the August 2020 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.
James Armand Chionsini
For Immediate Release
July 28, 2020
The State Needs Rural Texas — and It Needs to Start Planning
By Trent McKnight and Abel Castro
Iconic ranches, farms and small towns sustain about 3 million Texans — a population larger than the City of Houston’s.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Brooke Ingram
tcrahq@embarqmail.com
903-675-1806
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2020
Contact:
Jennifer Harris
(512) 773-7168
jharris@jwhcommunications.com
Staying Connected Amidst the Pandemic: Focus on Mental Health
Texas Psychological Association Offers Mental Health Tips, Resources for Texans
Emergency Service Districts are Essential for Texans’ safety
By Mark Jack
Most people know that when there is a fire or medical emergency—or a global pandemic—first responders help keep us safe. What may be surprising for many Texans is that many of these first responders are there because of a local emergency services district, or ESD.