Child Abuse Awareness Month – 2026

If there’s one “awareness month” I wish we no longer needed, it’s this one. Yet every April, we are reminded that child abuse and neglect remain a very real issue, not just across the country, but here at home in Milam County. Children are our greatest resource.

Blue bucket ministry

The Blonde and I were in Dallas about a month ago. We went to have lunch with the youngest son Jack and his girlfriend.

How long should a prayer be?

“Prayer is the soul’s s inc ere de s i re, un-uttered or expressed, the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, the falling of a tear, the upward glancing of an eye, when none but God is near.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear editor, Rockdale Chamber of Commerce Announces Cancellation of Annual Banquet originally scheduled for April 23, 2026, at SLR. After careful consideration, the decision was made to cancel this year’s event due to the Executive Director’s resignation and organizational restructuring.

LOOKING BACK

100 YEARS AGO Freezing temperatures in Rockdale Tuesday night caused grave fears for the safety of the fruit crop, but according to the best reports this paper is able to get, the damage was not as severe as anticipated.

Data centers and daily life

It happens quietly, without much thought. A resident checks the weather over morning coffee. A student streams a video for homework. A rancher pulls up a market report on a smartphone. A pilot files a flight plan.

Just a whole lot of this and that

Ihad a bit of a shock last week when I received an email for a legal notice that is 19 full pages long, as you will see in this week’s edition. At first I was just looking at the insertion order, and it didn’t quite dawn on me how many pages it was. But then reality set in.

Accountability

For years, the legal strategy against social media companies had largely focused on the content hosted on these sites, but that strategy hadn’t gained much traction in court.

Excellence

TEDC awards Rockdale Municipal Development District Excellence Award The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) announced the recipients of its annual Economic Excellence Recognition program for 2025. The awards were presented on Friday, Feb.

Fostering animals, childhood memories

FALLING FAR FROM THE TREE The Rockdale Animal Shelter needs our help. The shelter is at capacity and they are offering free fostering on eligible dogs. You pick the dog you’d like to foster and they will send you home with food so it won’t cost you a thing. And who knows?