TxDOT announces $85 billion transportation plan

Body GARY BORDERS FOR TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION AUSTIN—The Texas Department of Transportation has adopted a 10-year statewide roadway construction plan with a record $85 billion price tag, officials announced last week.

Cowboy hats off to The Coyote Store

Body As you exit the patio of the Gail, Texas, legendary Coyote Country Store you walk under the sign that used to be a siren call to truckers, hunters, afterschool hungry kids, and folks just passing through. Bertie’s.

The 501

Body HANABA MUNN WELCH Quietly quitting is the new American approach to work. You don’t really quit. You halfway quit. You rate yourself more important than your job. You save your energy for the afterhours you. The real you. You work barely enough to stay employed.

Flooding prompts disaster declaration

Body GARY BORDERS FOR TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION AUSTIN— Heavy rains through Texas last week caused flooding, particularly in the Dallas area, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a disaster declaration for 23 affected counties.

Tripleheader

Body This past week I had three reminders about why school personnel should have pensions far greater than what they receive.

Does your syndrome have an acronym?

Body HANABA MUNN WELCH Do you suffer from a syndrome? Think before you answer. How about the not-inmy- backyard syndrome? It’s doesn’t describe a medical condition (first definition) but rather refers to a “characteristic combination of opinion, emotions or behavior.

Lives worth watching

Body I’m a streaky reader. The kind who binges by taste— mostly nonfiction but on occasion a good fiction read recommended by my daughters. At the moment, the late David McCullough’s work is on the coffee table beside my rocker.

Farmer’s Almanac predicting a white winter

Body GARY BORDERS FOR TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION AUSTIN— As Texas gets at least a temporary reprieve this week from the heat, with a nice round of rain blanketing much of the state, the Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting January will bring significant snowfall to the state.

Fake hearing aids

Body HANABA MUNN WELCH If you can’t say somethin’ twice, don’t say nothin’ at all. That’s my latest motto, coined for us hearing-impaired. For everyone else, it’s a directive. Language just magically gets clearer and understandable the second time someone says something.

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

Body GARY BORDERS FOR TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION AUSTIN—While gas prices nationwide dropped below $4 per gallon average last week, the state boasts the lowest prices in the country at an average of $3.49 — 50 cents below the national average, according to AAA Texas.