Jean Lafitte’s last rival left Galveston on July 8, 1817 leaving the self-proclaimed “President” of Texas in complete control of the island.
Whether the famous pirate really made that outlandish claim after setting up shop on the Texas coast in the spring of 1817 is open to debate. No matter, though, because it was an intricate blend of fact and fiction that made Lafitte immortal.
Dear Rusty: When will the funds stolen from the SS Fund be replaced? They used Social Security when the government ran out of money and used it for illegals. I think the funds should be replaced except for legitimate payments to Social Security recipients. This money was never meant to be used by the federal government to pay their bills. Signed: Concerned Senior
The late George Carlin is best remembered for poking holes in the policy implemented to eliminate the foulest of words on radio and television. He essentially made a living with his TV “bit” entitled “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.”
The czar enforcing the edict was viewed to be the toughest, most unforgiving figure this side of Boot Hill, forever scanning the airwaves for verbal improprieties. Findings were then “microscoped” by the all-powerful Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC.
Handicapped by a poor turnout and the absence of its sponsor, the long awaited Nashville Convention convened under a cloud on June 30, 1850.
The unprecedented get-together was the pet project of John C. Calhoun, the larger-than-life colossus who had dominated Dixie politics for decades. In 1848 the South Carolina Senator issued a stirring summons for an historic strategy session of the slave-holding states.
The United States Postal Service is on the brink of a self-induced collapse. The failed policies of the Delivering for America Plan have driven away customers through a combination of sky-high rate increases and degraded service.
David Steiner, who will take over as Postmaster General on July 14, 2025, has a tough job to do and little time to do it with some estimates indicating the USPS could be insolvent as soon as 2028.
In generations past, it was an admitted, frequently-discussed diversion. “People-watching” was a pastime with which we could all identify. Many conversations began with, “You won’t believe what I saw the other day,” or other similar expressions.
Some went to great lengths for such gazes, traveling to places like Las Vegas, New Orleans, New York City and even international destinations. The diversion also is popular on cruise ships, many of which are currently traversing the Gulf of America.
The only daughter of one of Texas’ wealthiest cattle kings married a blueblood from Philadelphia on Jun. 18, 1902 in the family mansion at Decatur.
Starting with a small herd of Longhorns in the 1850’s, Dan and son Tom Waggoner turned parts of six North Texas counties into a 750 square-mile cattle empire. At the end of the nineteenth century, the colossal Three D Ranch covered more than a million acres.
Within the next two years, teachers statewide are in line to get a pay raise and a significant expansion in merit-based compensation for both teachers and principals. Wildfire response crews may be outfitted with the equipment they need ahead to protect their communities.
A Texas town could be closer to a plan to prevent a catastrophic disruption in their water service. None of these may make headlines, but all of them are on the way to happening because of decisions made in the budget just passed by the Texas Legislature.
Many retirees--even if admitting only to slowing down to a lower gear--have a difficult time finding rocking chairs that fit.
Some don’t even try; count me in that group, with entry into my 89th year now but weeks away.
A credo for many is choosing to “wear out” instead of “rust out,” and a sliver of potential retirees insists on the continuance of productivity and a commitment as fulfillment of their biblical obedience to feed the hungry…
With Election Day just seven weeks away, the Texas branch of the American Party, better known as the “Know Nothings,” met on June 11, 1855 to select a slate of candidates for statewide office.
In only three years, the grass-roots movement had evolved from a fraternal group in the Northeast called the Order of United Americans into a major political force.
Combining secret passwords, handshakes and other mumbo jumbo with xenophobic politics, the new third party spread like wildfire across the Midwest and into the South.
