Colorado State University researchers are calling this year’s hurricane season forecast “the most aggressive” ever, the Texas Standard reported. They say there is a 54 percent chance a hurricane will strike the Texas coast, and a 25 percent chance it will be major.

A clear majority of U.S. adults (57 percent) express a positive view of religion’s influence on American life.

S hortly after noon next Monday, Bosque County will witness a total eclipse of the Sun.Thousands of visitors are expected to be here to witness first-hand this last coast-to-coast solar eclipse until 2045. But favorable enthusiasm and excitement about total eclipses were not always the case among the world’s religions.

W hen I wrote this, I was busy preparing for my daughter Becca and family to spend five days here during the little girls’ spring break from elementary school. We switched out an old iron full-sized bed in the guest house and for even older, old iron twin beds that my uncles used – in the very late 1800s and early 1900s. One uncle slept in one of them until the 1960s.

T he on-again, offagain state immigration law is once more on hold while the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals considers its constitutionality. Senate Bill 4 would allow state and local law enforcement officials to arrest and deport people suspected of entering the state illegally from Mexico, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The U.S. Supreme Court last Tuesday removed a temporary hold on the law, which allowed it to take effect for several hours before the 5th Circuit court again stopped SB4 from being enforced while it considers its constitutionality.

I recently wrote of memories, not uncommon for my columns. Memories can seep into consciousness simply by seeing or touching the smallest and seemingly most insignificant little something– here at home or elsewhere, even from viewing a picture. The spark of a memory can waylay me until I catch it all, savor, process, and react to it, maybe file it away for later consideration.

F or the world’s 2.4 billion Christians, Easter is the most sacred day of the year. It celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the gift of salvation and eternal life to all who believe.

R ecent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that six of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the United States from 2022 to 2023 were in Texas. According to the Texas Tribune, Kaufman County, just east of Dallas, led the list with a 7.6% increase in new residents that brought its population to more than 185,000. Census data shows that Rockwall and Liberty counties closed out the top three, with growth rates of 6.5% and 5.7%, respectively.

P alm Sunday is a Christian festival celebrated the week before Easter. It commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and is reported in all four of the canonical Gospels of the New Testament. The name originates from the palm branches waved by the crowd greeting him.

S ince I left the proximity of large metropolitan areas behind 23 years ago, there are few things I’ve missed. It took a while to adjust, but that was before Amazon and eBay. I used to drive to Waco to shop in brickand- mortar stores, perhaps hit a restaurant or attend an event. Now, if we can’t fill our needs locally, we usually find what we want on Amazon Prime, often for a lower price than in Waco –and we don’t pay for gas or shipping. There are things that one can’t easily locate on the Internet –or only at a higher price– making the item prohibitive. And there’s no Amazon Fresh available– for products not carried by local grocery stores. So we usually just do without those.