Live Thought

OPINION — In the late 19th century, Texas stood at a crossroads—quite literally. The arrival of railroads promised unprecedented connectivity, economic vitality, and growth, but not every community seized the opportunity. Towns that embraced the rails boomed into bustling hubs, while those that shunned them or were bypassed withered into obscurity. Today, San Angelo faces a similar pivotal moment with the proposed arrival of data centers, the modern equivalent of those iron tracks. These facilities, powering the AI-driven digital economy, could incubate innovation, create jobs, and propel our city into a land of opportunity for all.

OPINION — The line stretched across the parking lot of the funeral home, despite the drizzling rain and forty-degree temperature. People in mildly uncomfortable clothes they didn’t wear often, because they rarely dressed up. Some knew each other well, some barely, some not at all. They shivered and visited cordially, quietly, waiting for the line to dwindle so they could escape the cold.

OPINION — Last week I was poking around in my office trying to come up with an idea for a Thanksgiving column, which is not easy after 28 years of Thanksgiving columns. After a while it’s hard to come up with something I haven’t already said about any subject, and holidays are particularly challenging, since they come around every year. There are only so many ways to say ‘special time,’ or ‘family and friends,’ or ‘restraining order.’

Early voting began Monday, October 20, 2025, and, as with most off-year elections, few Texans are paying attention. In 2023, when 14 constitutional amendments were on the ballot, only 10,770 of Tom Green County’s 68,859 registered voters cast ballots—just 15%. Statewide, turnout was about 14%. In other words, a small fraction of voters decided how to spend billions in taxpayer dollars.

OPINION — Before voting this November, Texans should take time to read Proposition 12—the proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution that changes how we oversee judicial conduct in this state.

OPINION — Social media is screaming that I'm a racist. Strangers have confronted me, threatening physical fights. All of this is unjustified, stemming from my decision to fire two employees at the Arc Light Bar and Grill, a restaurant and bar I co-founded inside the Clarion Hotel at 441 Rio Concho Dr. in San Angelo.

As Texans, we take great pride in our resilience, our sense of community, and our deep-rooted belief in helping one another through tough times. The growing threat of Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Parkinson’s disease is one of the most significant health challenges facing our families today, and it will only intensify in the years ahead.

OPINION — Planning a trip out west on Route 66 is a lot like leafing through the Sears/Roebuck catalog when I was a kid, looking forward to Christmas.

OPINION — Camp Mystic, the Texas Hill Country youth camp from which more than 20 girls remain missing after the rapid rise of floodwaters in the Guadalupe River watershed in Kerr County, is facing an unexpected surge of political backlash in its Google Reviews—even as search and rescue efforts continue.

OPINION — This week’s subject is Things That Come Out Of Animals, which may sound disgusting and gross on the surface, but once you dig a little you’ll find that many things that come out of animals are disgusting and gross. Also useful. A good example is buffalo chips, which are not really chips at all. They also don’t come out of buffalo, not if you find them in the United States. Because buffalo aren’t native to the United States. Which is pedantic and annoying, I know, but there you go.

OPINION — Well, my favorite climate activist-professional whiner-space cadet seems to have decided to take a brief hiatus from saving the world in order to save the Palestinians in Gaza, or something. I guess if you’re determined to save something, it doesn’t matter what you save, as long as you document your exploits extensively on social media, so as to irritate as many people as possible.

OPINION — For someone who always looks like he’s about to fall asleep, Nicolas Cage is a pretty good actor. He’s actually been one of my favorites for a long time. I especially liked The Rock and the Gone In Sixty Seconds remake. Then he lost all his money, because of, I don’t know, taxes or something, and started making kind of odd movies. But that’s none of my business.