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. Drivers are further reminded that a new Texas law requires drivers to stop and yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, according to TxDOT. The Lisa Torry Smith Act is named after a young mother killed in Missouri City in a crosswalk as she walked her son to school. The driver received a $50 fine for failing to yield, according to numerous media reports. Now it’s a crime punishable with up to two years in prison.

As Texas becomes more urban, the natural spaces are shrinking. Yet they are still all around us, from the wilds of rural areas to the parks, waterways, and even the birds, squirrels, and wildflowers in your own backyard. The Texas Master Naturalist volunteer program seeks to help people increase their knowledge and awareness of our wild and even not-sowild environments.

DSHS gets nearly 15,000 monkeypox vaccines

I stood on the streets, melting from the wave of heat which landed on the county way before I was ready to let go of Spring. I wiped my brow, as did my homeless friend who spoke and rattled off a list of things about a pastor who did this and did that— saying it only was to make himself look good to the world. “He wants everyone to know what he does and is proud of his accomplishments.”

Two weeks remain for Texarkana Area nonprofit organizations to apply for grants from the Texarkana Area Community Foundation. Applications for “Giving Tree Grants” may be made on line at the website of the Arkansas Community Foundation, arcf.org. The grant application deadline is August 15, 2022. Organizations that qualify for grants are IRS 501(c)(3) charities in Bowie County, Texas and in Miller, Little River, Sevier, Howard, and Hempstead counties in Arkansas. Charities include food pantries, medical clinics, educational organizations and family help organizations. Applications will be reviewed by a grant-making committee from the Texarkana area local board of directors. The Texarkana Area Community Foundation makes grants to improve the quality of life and collaborates with organizations to build local communities through philanthropy.

Odds are, no matter how long you live, what you choose to do as a vocation, where you live or just about any other variable, you will one day find out that it is simply easier to be kind.