Ken Bridges/Columnist In Texas, 76 men have been awarded the Medal of Honor for their courage above and beyond the call of duty since the inception of the medal. Perhaps the most recognizable of those figures from World War II was Audie Murphy. Murphy was born into a desperately poor family in Hunt County in 1925. His father abandonedContinue Reading
Elwood Watson/Columnist In just the latest example of his tendency to employ passive-aggressive racially coded dog whistles, former President Donald Trump referred to Republican presidential rival Nikki Haley by her birth name, Nimarata. Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants and was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa. She took her husbandContinue Reading
Michael Reagan/Columnist Let’s go way back to 1976. Gerald Ford was the sitting Republican president. Jimmy Carter was going to beat him in the fall. And Ronald Reagan’s primary campaign to win the Republican Party’s nomination was in deep doodoo. My father had lost seven primaries in a row toContinue Reading
Ken Bridges/Contributing Writer For the adventurers and dreamers of the world, there are no limits. Wiley Hardeman Post was born on his parents’ cotton farm near Canton in November 1898. He was born on a farm with no electricity in a time when airplanes were still just a dream, but within a few years,Continue Reading
Elwood Watson/Columnist Donald Trump is on track to once again secure the Republican presidential nomination, as he did in 2016. No surprise here. Anxiety and weariness are ever-present in the run-up to the November 2024 election. There is intense speculation on how Trump and his cult-like band of sycophantic followersContinue Reading
Michael Reagan/Columnist I heard there was another Republican presidential debate this week. I didn’t watch it – I’ve suffered enough, thanks. I don’t care how few political masochists tuned in to CNN Wednesday night to watch Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis engage in another meaningless debate. I don’t care whoContinue Reading
Ken Bridges/Contributing Writer The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the land and the last word on the authority and meaning of the Constitution short of an amendment. The court has handed down many decisions affecting American life and law. The justices who preside over the court sometimes becomeContinue Reading
Ashley Granby/Contributing Writer Seven years ago, when I adopted Jack, my sweet, quirky and wildly energetic dog, I was unprepared for the lifelong impact he would have on my heart. Jack has a quirk that will drive even the most saintly human mad: his utter and complete terror of theContinue Reading
Hunter Bonner/Contributing Writer It is hard to believe that 2023 is just days away from fading into the history books. As we look back on this past year, Republicans should take comfort that this was a year of political victories in Texas, and also at home in Marion County. TheContinue Reading
Ken Bridges/Contributing Writer In the 1960s, the United States entered a new era of exploration as NASA began sending astronauts into space. It took the combined efforts of thousands of people to make each mission successful. The direction from the ground was critical given the complexity of spaceflight and how the slightestContinue Reading
Note: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” is a line from an editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church. Written in response to a letter by eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon asking whether Santa Claus was real, the editorial was first published in the New York newspaper The Sun on September 21, 1897.Continue Reading
Have a Merry Christmas Christmas is a time of year which impacts everyone – in one way or another. Many of us celebrate the season with gifts, seeing family, spreading cheer and general holiday fun. But, there are also many of us who dread this time of year. The originalContinue Reading
Florentino Perez/Jefferson Police Department We are reminded of the threat of active shooters/active attack events with the recent UNLV Shooting in Las Vegas on December 6, 2023. It’s not an event that local law enforcement ever looks forward to, but with recent state legislation and mandated training for peace officersContinue Reading
Ken Bridges/Contributing Writer Millions of people around the world rejoice as Christmas approaches. It is a time of family, friendship, gifts, and songs. In 2022, Americans spent $178 billion on Christmas. This year, more than 115 million Americans are expected to travel to celebrate the holiday. In the United States, Christmas traditions have changedContinue Reading
In last week’s edition of the Jefferson Jimplecute, some readers interpreted the page one cutline under the “Breakfast with Rudolph” photo to mean that the Jefferson Carnegie Library’s Breakfast with Rudolph program had a lower than usual turnout. This was not the case. According to the library staff they hadContinue Reading
Ken Bridges/Contributing Writer In science, the passion for discovery drives great minds to answer the great questions about the world. The competitive atmosphere demands that scientists look at problems from multiple viewpoints and devise increasingly creative ways of uncovering knowledge. This process of research and experimentation has created the scientific and technologicalContinue Reading
Elwood Watson/Contributing Writer Do as I say, not as I do. This sort of Victorian philosophy seems to be par for the course among many of the so-called family values conservatives. Recent reports that Christian Ziegler, the husband of Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, is under police investigation inContinue Reading
Michael Reagan/Contributing Writer Monica Crowley summed up the sad state of the Republican Party perfectly this week in a single tweet. Following the House’s 311-114 vote last week to expel the lying GOP weirdo and future criminal defendant George Santos, she wrote: “Republicans bounced George Santos. “Kevin McCarthy is leavingContinue Reading
Dear Editor: Thank yo Marion County voters for supporting Proposition 9 in our recent November election. A cost-of-living raise for retired educators and support personnel is greatly appreciated. It was reported to have received the most support out of all the 14 propositions. Retired annuitants of the Texas Retirement SystemContinue Reading
Ken Bridges/Contributing Writer James Walker Fannin, Jr., had arrived in Texas only in 1834. The 30-year-old planter brought his wife and two daughters with him. A fight with Mexico was brewing, and Fannin jumped in with both feet. In the first battle of the Texas Revolution in October 1835, Fannin led hisContinue Reading