Columns

With this column, the thread runs out on Taylor's Yarns, a weekly feature of the Sunday Tyler Paper for many years under that heading as this writer moves into the "retired" ranks after a 60-year news career, 57 in Tyler.

Last Monday at a trade show for people who are part of the Florida tourist industry, I asked the 750 assembled for lunch how many were happy with the tone of modern politics? Not a hand was raised.

Let’s face it. The average individual American has little or no clout with Congress and can be safely ignored. But it’s a different story with groups such as Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club and The Nature Conservancy. When they speak, Congress listens. Unlike the average American, they are well organized, loaded with cash and well positioned to be a disobedient congressman’s worse nightmare. Their political and economic success has been a near disaster for our nation.

Why do guys need the Husbands In (serious) Situations, HIS manual, the marriage manual that helps hapless husbands to navigate the whitewater rapids of marital bliss?

It's a case of "When Good Policies Go Bad," state Sen. Robert Nichols says.

A wealth of recipes came my way as a result of the first Food and Kitchen Show on Aug. 19, and I will share a few of them here in the coming weeks.

Tyler ISD wrapped up its training this week on the instructional delivery model teachers are expected to use when school starts and the new online curriculum called CSCOPE that teachers can use to help them teach to the new standard.

It’s always great to see a loved one back from Iraq, even if it’s a quick visit before they head back to the war.

If you'd asked me 18 months ago whether I could see something good coming out of living with my mother-in-law, I would have said "no!"

The alarm clock buzzes loudly, signaling it is again time to drag myself out of bed and somehow manage to dress in a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and running shoes. The cold water on my face wakes me temporarily and I amble toward the front door, after brushing my teeth.

Being a regional reporter means a lot of time on the road and, for me, that means treks through Henderson and Cherokee counties to cover meetings, major events and other happenings.

I’ve lived in Texas all my life and have seen my share of hot weather. Many of my years were spent in West Texas, where you can fry an egg on a sidewalk in July and August, then I moved to East Texas, thinking at first that it would be deliverance from that kind of heat. Of course what I didn’t realize at the time was how high humidity could make East Texas more uncomfortable at 95 degrees than West Texas at 105.

Last month Social Security introduced a new "Retirement Estimator" at www.socialsecurity.gov. Getting a personalized online estimate of your future retirement benefits is now easier than ever before.

One evening while in the check-out line at a large retailer, I saw several parents and college age kids with their baskets piled high with the "stuff": laundry baskets, toilet brush, shelves, beverage glasses, plates, shelving paper . . . well, you get the picture. It's that time of year . . . off to college.

The Victoria-style house on Bois d’Arc Avenue, known for 16 years as HIS house, doesn’t make a sound.