October 8: The annual Van Zandt County Regional Airport, located at 36671 State Highway 64, will host its annual Fly-In and Car Show event from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The weatherman forecasted a decent chance of rain last week several days in advance and upon hearing the good news, I began making plans. I’ve got a corn feeder located close to a remote pond and my trail camera had evidenced the coming and going of several ‘eater’ size hogs for the past month. By the look at the pictures, it was clear they came as much for the water as they did the corn my feeder disturbed daily about sunset, they were usually wet from their ‘dips’ in the pond. Wild animals have the innate ability to survive and without sweat glands to help keep them cool, wild hogs naturally gravitate to water when it’s hot and dry. My supply of spicy breakfast sausage was in short supply and the stage seemed set for a hog hunt that was long overdue!
Monarch butterflies have long graced the skies of Texas during their annual migration. However, their population has been in steady decline, and recently the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN, placed the monarch butterfly on its Red List of threatened species, classifying it as endangered.
As the summer heat and dry conditions persist, so does the danger of wildfire. The Texas A&M Forest Service reported 10 active wildfires across the state as of Sunday. The largest fire at 3,323 acres in Throckmorton County was 90% contained. The Big Sky Fire in Gillespie County had consumed 1,459 acres and was also 90% contained.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has received and distributed 14,780 doses of the monkey pox vaccine to local health departments and DSHS regional offices. Another 27,000 doses could be made available by the Strategic National Stockpile.
Dear Editor: The Wills Point Volunteer Fire Department offers huge thanks to the citizens who have donated bottled water and other things to help our firefighters stay safe and hydrated in the midst of all the grass fires in the county. Our firefighters battle extreme heat conditions (including the fire itself) while wearing close to 50 pounds of gear.
Governor Greg Abbott encouraged Texans to remain vigilant during increased wildfire activity this week as the State of Texas continues ongoing coordinated wildfire response efforts through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). Critical fire danger and widespread drought conditions have resulted in multiple wildfires continuing to burn across Texas, including the Chalk Mountain Fire in Somervell County and the 1148 Fire in Palo Pinto County. Both fires have caused local officials to issue voluntary evacuation orders for residents.
FOX television personality Shannon Sharpe believes college athletes should be paid. He recently called out University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart about his comments on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. In my opinion, NIL is a mess. But how should it be fixed?
As the temperatures rise across the country, extreme heat can have a significant impact on everyone’s safety, but it can be especially stressful and confusing for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Alzheimer’s disease causes a number of changes in the brain and body that may affect their safety, including changes in sensitivity to temperatures.
As Texas Agriculture Commissioner, I am responsible for the licensing of more than 850 entities that currently grow, handle, sample or process hemp in Texas. Hemp and marijuana are two different names for the flowering plant known as cannabis. The legal difference between the two is the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC is what gives the ‘high’ feeling people associate with cannabis. By law, marijuana has a concentration of THC that is 0.3% or higher. Hemp has a concentration of THC that is 0.3% or lower by dry weight.