Opinion

JOHN ERICKSON STILL REMEMBERS the first wildfire he fought. Back in 1978, while working on a ranch in the Oklahoma Panhandle, he was among 10 other cowboys called on in the middle of the night to fight a lightning-struck fire, which they did by “shoveling dirt on smoldering cow chips” and beating out the flames with wet gunnysacks.

Dozens of school districts close due to COVID-19 Several dozen school districts across the state were forced to close last week due to the omicron variant of COVID-19 sending home students, staff, and teachers. Most school districts planned to reopen on Tuesday following the MLK holiday.

Emergency SNAP benefits again extended The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is again extending emergency food benefits this month, with more than $307 million in emergency allocations expected to help more than 1.5 million Texas households. “As Texans ring in the new year, this additional support will help families start 2022 with food on the table for themselves and their children,” said Wayne Salter, HHSC deputy executive commissioner.

FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES or more, our first issue of the New Year has traditionally been devoted to a review of the year just past. We have found the process of preparing that news summary a useful one because it offers a different kind of perspective on the events we have covered and the reports we have written.