Myfivecents On March 2, we celebrate Texas Independence Day! On that day in 1836, a delegate from each of the 59 existing settlements in Texas signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. This document officially declared Texas’ independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas.

In last week’s column I named several people in Silsbee who are good people, but pointed out that none of them are perfect. I forgot to name myself.

Gov. Greg Abbott has created a statewide task force after several “street takeovers” recently took place in Austin in which motorists obstructed intersections, shot off fireworks and drove recklessly.

by Dan Eakin I have never in my life been so torn between two places and two peoples. Last month, something happened that I had been dreaming of for a long time.

Gov. Greg Abbot has issued a disaster declaration for Texas counties affected by the early February ice storm and is seeking a federal declaration as well for areas in Southeast Texas affected by rare January tornadoes. The ice storm caused considerable damage to property and power outages in the affected areas. The declaration for ice-storm damaged counties includes Denton, Hays, Henderson, Milam, Smith, Travis and Williamson counties.

Residents in Central and Northeast Texas are still cleaning up after a winter storm last week snapped power lines and tree limbs, causing widespread power outages, canceled flights and damage to homes and vehicles.

by Dan Eakin Ordinarily, I hope I can say with all honestly, I don’t like talking about myself. But, as the new editor of The Bee, I feel like I need to introduce myself to the fine people of Silsbee, Hardin County and surrounding area.

A group of House Democrats is proposing a $15,000 raise for the state’s teachers and a 25% raise for other state employees by using some of the state’s record budget surplus. State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, announced the bill last week and was joined by Democratic legislators and teachers, the Austin American- Statesman reported.

I have a one more of these columns to write before I’m done and I doubt I write a column for a while. One year ago on Feb. 3, my father died. He was a brilliant man who got a little senile during the last year or two of his life. He was 95 when he died. He taught me a lot; one of the most of which was tolerance. As dementia set in on him during the final years of his life, he had a lot of the same signs that Biden exhibits. It is tough to take as a family member and you sure do not need it in your political leaders. Well I don’t want to talk about that.

To whom it may concern, Hello, My name is Wesley Prince. I am a former resident of Kountze, Texas. I moved to Kountze in 2001 from Warren, Texas, where I grew up. I married in 2004 and in 2005 purchased a home in Kountze. As we settled in, I began to introducemyselftomyneighbors.Oneneighborlivedonthe adjacent property to mine. He was a good neighbor, never spoke ill of anyone nor did he ever complain all the years I knew him. He and his wife appeared to be living very poorly in a tiny run down camper. Alongside it was a 70s model truck bed with a camper shell on top. I learned that he had been living on that street for many years. Several years before I became his neighbor, they were renting a trailer nearby. Then purchased the adjacent property to mine. He placed a trailer home on the property as well. He then had a heart attack which rendered him jobless. The trailer home was then repossessed.Soonafterthat,heobtainedthetruckbedcamper andatowcampertolivein.Heeventuallyreceiveddisability benefitstoliveon.Ialsolearnedthatheonlyshoweredand used the restroom in the dilapidated tow camper but slept and lived in the truck bed. Used a watering hose for water.