Opinion

It’s official. Fort Hood, named for a high-ranking Confederate officer in the Civil War, has been renamed Fort Cavazos, in honor of native Texan Richard E. Cavazos, the country’s first Hispanic four-star general.

If you grew up anywhere in the south, you probably spent many early summer evenings as I did.

The clock is ticking on getting bills out of the House and to the Texas Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warned last week in a story in the Austin American-Statesman. Patrick presides over the Senate and is worried many bills that have made it out of House committees but have not gone before the full chamber will not be considered before the session ends.

Each season is a little different from the same season in past years.

The Texas House last Thursday passed two education-related bills, one that allocates $4.5 billion for teacher pay raises and another to increase the annual per-student base funding from $6,160 to $6,300 – a 2.3% increase.

As one drives along the highways and back roads in the Hill Country, they’ll likely see fields of tall, bright yellow flowers taking over the roadside and surrounding countryside. More than likely this is bastard-cabbage or Rapistrum rugosum.

The Texas Senate unanimously approved a $308 billion two-year budget last week, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The next step is to reconcile that budget with one passed earlier by the Texas House.

KWB volunteers span the generations.

Wimberley gardeners often complain about deer consuming their plants, often asking about deer resistance when considering introducing a new plant.

The Texas House passed a bill promising $17 billion in tax relief, a measure that is at odds with the Senate’s tax break plan, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The House bill would lower by half a home’s cap on appraisal increases. It passed overwhelmingly, 141-9. However, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, said that body will not approve it, preferring its plan to raise property exemptions from $40,000 to $70,000.

The Texas House approved a $302 billion budget last week that included an amendment prohibiting the use of state money on private school tuition — a major setback to Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to establish a school voucher system. The Austin American-Statesman reported that more than 20 Republicans joined nearly all House Democrats to pass the amendment, while 11 lawmakers voted present.

I just came in from a walk around my yard. The varied bird song provided music to my ears, and I relished the signs of spring in flower, leaf and insect. My favorite part may have been a big, buzzing bumblebee after the nectar in my prairie verbena. I have added many native species to my yard and scattered seeds in my meadow plot. But I have also let some things just “be,” waiting to see what desired to grow in a particular area.

The Lone Star State continues to lead the nation in jobs added with 58,200 new positions in February, bringing the state to nearly 14 million total nonfarm jobs, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. February also marked two full years of uninterrupted job growth in the state.