April 9, 2015 - Children's advocacy groups as well as local volunteers and residents gathered on the Center square Thursday, April 2, 2015 to decorate the Blue Ribbon Tree in remembrance of those children who have been victims of abuse for the past year.

April 8, 2015 - (Written February 25 at 4:59pm) The first words Cranford Gilchrist ever said to me was, "You must be Henry's boy..."

Being a quiet, shy kid at the time, I just shrugged my shoulders a bit and said, Yes Sir, that's my dad...

Over the next few weeks, there would be so much to learn at my new job with the U.S. Postal Service, but, with every problem I had, there were always a few around me that would show me the right way on how to do the job...

One of those few, was Cranford Gilchrist...

April 6, 2015 - We all know everything is bigger in Texas! However, one number that we do not want to see bigger is the number of children ages 8-14 who are fatally injured in motor vehicle crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), from 2009-2012, a total of 188 children ages 8-14 were killed in motor vehicle crashes. Nationally, among children fatally injured in this age group, an average of 49% were unrestrained; in Texas, however, the rate of unrestrained fatalities was 58%. Parents and caregivers need to work to change this statistic!

March 27, 2015 - This week has been the busiest week of the legislative session so far. But next week will be even busier as we will debate the budget bill on the House floor on Tuesday. The budget is the only bill that we are constitutionally required to pass each session. There will be wide ranging debates about what the state's priorities are and how to fund them.