Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller Is the Best

It’s only natural for Texas’ urban/suburbanites to assume that the choice of agriculture commissioner has little bearing on their lives. This is false. City dwellers eat food, which is grown on farms. They fill their cars at gas pumps and weigh their produce on grocery scales, both of which the…

Dallas Cops and Firefighters Get Same-Sex Marriage Benefits

The sam-sex spouses of Dallas uniformed employees are now eligible for survivor benefits. The Dallas Police and Fire Pension System Board granted the benefits, effective immediately, Tuesday. The move follows a February 18 vote by the City Council to give same-sex spouses of civilian employees pension benefits. The board’s vote…

The Texas Horse Park Is Almost Open, Is Still an Awful Idea

The sky over the Texas Horse Park on Thursday morning was clear and blue, unblemished by even a wisp of cloud; weather would not be dampening the morning’s ribbon-cutting celebration, which has been nearly two decades in the making. On the ground, the forecast was equally sunny. All the gathered…

Dallas Extends Marriage Benefits to LGBTQ Employees

A spouse is a spouse, regardless of genitalia, as far as Dallas’ city code is concerned now. The City Council voted Wednesday morning to change its definition of spouse, clearing the way for same-sex spouses of civilian city employees to receive survivor pension benefits. Gay city workers legally married in…

Federal Judge Sides With Texas, Temporarily Stops Obama Immigration Action

Late Monday night, a U.S. district judge in Brownsville issued a temporary injunction blocking President Obama’s decision to shield about 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. See also: Greg Abbott Leads Texas into Immigration Lawsuit Fight With Feds In November Obama announced his plan to create a program called Deferred…

Kory Watkins’ Favorite Open Carry Gun Bill Suffers a Setback

Sometimes, something happens that gives us hope that some small amount of justice lives in this world. Today was one of those times, because Texas House Bill 195 was referred to committee. Yeah, yeah. That’s extremely wonky, but you take your hope where you can get it. HB 195 is…

Dallas City Council Candidate Answers Residency Questions, Creates More

Last week, Mayor Mike Rawlings’ former chief of staff Adam McGough officially announced that he’s running for the Lake Highlands District 10 City Council seat soon to be vacated by Jerry Allen. Almost immediately, murmurs began on social media about the fact that, at least until recently, McGough’s two school-aged…