Hill Country News

A marcher carries a Transgender Pride flag during a march in Kansas City, Missouri.

Commentary: What’s missing from the LGBTQ+ debate is tolerance

Pronouns came up in conversation recently. Through circumstances largely beyond my control, I was at dinner a few nights ago with six or seven strangers. It wasn’t hard to read the room. They were … more

By John M. Crisp, Guest Columnist | 5/11/23

Commentary: What did you inherit from your mother?

As Mother’s Day approaches, it is appropriate that we discuss the physical characteristics, personality traits, coping mechanisms, etiquette rules, life ambitions, etcetera that we inherited from … more

By Danny Tyree, Guest Columnist | 5/10/23

Commentary: Public Health 101: Guns

A Texas "gun enthusiast," Francisco Oropeza, 39, was firing off his AR15 in his yard Friday night about 40 miles from Houston. He was known to be touchy, so, despite the noise and danger, no one … more

By Tom H. Hastings, Guest Columnist | 5/9/23

Commentary: Paying for My Meds Twice: Texas Law Needed to Protect Patients

I was only 10 years old the first time I went to the hospital with severe head pain, uncontrollable vomiting, and visual disturbances with complete blindness in my left eye. Driving four hours to … more

By J.P. Summers, Guest Columnist | 5/8/23

Melissa Ladd, chapter leader with Maryland Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, gets a hug from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Jan. 31 2023, in Annapolis.

Commentary: Drop the gun, and nobody gets hurt

Roman Welzant, who claimed to have been tormented for years by neighborhood teenagers, shot two of them one winter night in 1980 as they threw snowballs at his house in Eastwood, just over the city … more

By Dan Rodricks, Guest Columnist | 4/26/23

Commentary: Protect free speech: Don’t mess with Texas’ anti-SLAPP law

When it comes to criticizing the powerful or politically connected, the First Amendment protects the little guy. No matter who you are or how much money you have in the bank, you have the right to … more

By Will Creeley, Guest Columnist | 4/25/23

Commentary: LISD bond package deserves your consideration

Voters within the boundaries of Leander ISD have been asked to support a $762 million bond package on election day May 6.It is certainly a heavy lift for a community in a time of dramatic change, but … more

By Mike Eddleman, Guest Columnist | 4/19/23

Students from Alliance Leichtman Levine Family Foundation Environmental Science High School as part of the global strikes to demand climate action rally in 2021 in Los Angeles.

Commentary: Gen Z has good reason to be angry. Will they burn it all down?

Generation Z seems like a paradox: far more open to diverse viewpoints and compromise than older Americans, but also in some ways more dogmatic.Will young people extinguish the flames of political … more

By Jean Guerrero, Guest Columnist | 4/19/23

Commentary: Hey, Medicare, I’m counting on you

I will qualify for Medicare coverage in five years and, much to my surprise, I can’t wait to get government health coverage — because my current coverage is pricey.I recently finished a … more

By Tom Purcell, Guest Columnist | 4/12/23

Melissa Ortiz is the senior adviser for the Able Americans Project at the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative research foundation based in Washington, D.C.

Commentary: Candace Owens is wrong, women who use wheelchairs can - and should - model underwear

The Daily Wire’s Candace Owens recently made comments that led me to believe that she either doesn’t understand why disability representation is important or that she would like America to … more

By Melissa Ortiz, Guest Columnist | 4/12/23

Ruby Bridges attends HISTORYTalks 2022 on Sept. 24, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

Commentary: Kids deserve to know the truth about America's racist past. Even if it's painful

Last month, school officials in St. Petersburg, Florida, told teachers to stop showing students a Disney movie about Ruby Bridges, the 6-year-old Black girl who integrated an all-white New Orleans … more

By Robin Abcarian, Guest Columnist | 4/5/23

Commentary: A Texas judge hits preventive health care with a gut punch

A federal judge in Texas ruled last week that insurers no longer have to cover some preventive services that have long been included under the Affordable Care Act. It’s a frustrating decision that … more

By Lisa Jarvis, Guest Columnist | 4/5/23

Voters fill out their absentee ballots as people look for books to check out at the Madison Central Public Library on Nov. 6, 2022, in Milwaukee.

Commentary: The power of libraries to connect communities

People may hear the word "library" and imagine librarians sitting behind a circulation desk, reading a book and telling patrons to be quiet. What many folks may not know, is that most of us are … more

By Annie Caplan and Cristy Moran, Guest Columnists | 3/29/23

Commentary: Shocking new data shows we can’t stop fighting hate

If you ever needed a reminder that we can’t turn a blind eye to hate, new data from the Anti-Defamation League should more than do the trick.White supremacist propaganda hit an all-time high across … more

By John L. Micek, Guest Columnist | 3/22/23

Commentary: Reframing judicial elections — not 'who should we elect,' but 'why should we elect them at all?'

The nation is watching Wisconsin as a state Supreme Court race with major implications for democratic outcomes—at both state and national levels—becomes an all-out spending war on behalf of the … more

By Alexander Vanderklipp, Guest Columnist | 3/22/23

A public school stands on the Upper East Side on Aug. 7, 2020, in the Manhattan borough of New York City.

Commentary: Why I like public schools and, for that matter, the Post Office

I like public schools for the same reason that William Faulkner hated the Post Office.Before Faulkner became the great Southern novelist, he hired on as the postmaster at the University of … more

By John M. Crisp, Guest Columnist | 3/15/23

Commentary: Transparency at the Texas Capitol: A bipartisan effort

To witness bipartisanship at the Texas Capitol, look to the lawmakers who are working to improve open government laws.Legislators from both political parties are igniting interest in transparency and … more

By Kelley Shannon, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas | 3/15/23

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during a general meeting as part of the 2022 Republican Party of Texas State Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on June 17, 2022.

Commentary: Is all politics truly local?

Is all politics truly local? If so, how do we account for many of the priorities on the list of the bills that my home state’s legislature hopes to pass this year?Texas is so devoted to small … more

By John M. Crisp, Guest Columnist | 3/8/23

Commentary: Depression and the expectations of men

John Fetterman’s announcement that he has checked himself into a hospital was met with bipartisan praise. Far right politicians from Texas senator Ted Cruz to fellow Pennsylvania centrist … more

By Elwood Watson, Guest Columnist | 3/2/23

Gov. Greg Abbott at his fifth State of the State speech as Texas Governor, Feb. 16, 2023.

Commentary: Greg Abbott's 'State of the State' was a weird, alarming infomercial

Last Thursday, GOP Governor Greg Abbott used his fifth State of the State speech, a biennial address mandated by the Texas Constitution, to cut an ad for a large television conglomerate and a … more

By Gus Bova, Guest Columnist | 2/23/23

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