GUEST COLUMNIST The violent catastrophe invasion and sudden change that has been unfolding on our southern border since 2020 has become a humanitarian tragedy and a threat to our national security. Hundreds of migrants have died while trying to cross the border, federal agents have apprehended tens of thousands of unaccompanied children, and over 8 million illegal immigrants, reported by US Customs and Border Protections, with an estimated 1 million a year got-aways have crossed our southern border.

Capital Highlights Gov. Greg Abbott has called a third special session, this time about school choice, for next month.

Capital Highlights Ken Paxton has been reinstated as Texas Attorney General after the Texas Senate on Saturday acquitted him of charges of bribery and misuse of office. Only two Republican senators joined the 12 Democrats in voting to convict him of some of the 16 charges heard by the Senate, with four other charges dismissed by the Senate, The Dallas Morning News reported.

From the Editors Desk Last week I lost a lifelong friend. His name was James Bales.

The first week of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Senate ended with his former lead law enforcement officer testifying an Austin developer alleged to have bribed Paxton constructed a “conspiracy theory” that federal officials altered a search warrant for his property, the Austin American- Statesman reported.

GUEST COLUMN Everywhere we look we find a lack of reverence and respect for authority, the rule-of-law, our elders, our families, our marriages, our children, and our God which has led to a general loss of civility. This demise of authority has created false definitions of respect, civility, and moral behavior.

Not long ago I sent a letter to the editor about the Silsbee Oaks nursing home. I’m so impressed with the place I had to tell people more about it. There are two ladies who take care of the activities. Rhonda and Cricket. It amazes me all of the fun things they do.

I had always assumed that when the county judge declared an emergency or a burn ban that the order applied to the entire county, after all we pay county taxes in the cities too. I assumed wrong. The burn ban did not apply to incorporated municipalities like Silsbee, Lumberton and Kountze.

A total of 774 new laws went into effect on Sept. 1, affecting Texans in many areas of their lives, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The new laws concern property taxes, registration fees and voting access, among other issues. Several have drawn court challenges from opponents.

Dear Mr. Eakin: Your article about Dr Pepper (The Bee, August 9, 2023) reminded me of very pleasant memories living in Dublin, TX, and visiting the Old Doc’s Soda Shop located in the Dublin Bottling Company facility that bottles Dublin Dr Pepper.