News

San Marcos City Council voted, six to zero with one council member absent, to set the proposed property tax rate at 60.3 cents per $100 of taxable value for Fiscal Year 2024. The rate is the same as 2023.

The state’s child welfare agency has a new head of Child Protective Investigations, the department tasked with investigating reports of child abuse and neglect.

DEAR ABBY: I have a lovely goddaughter I’m estranged from. Although I had promised her she would be maid of honor at my wedding in 2015 (my second marriage), I didn’t do it. My fiance was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, so we decided instead to have a commitment ceremony. I felt bad but didn’t contact her right away to explain I wouldn’t have any attendants after all. It’s a blur now, but I think I emailed her or asked her mother (my dear friend) to tell her. My friend denies that her daughter is angry, but my goddaughter hasn’t spoken to me since 2015. She is now engaged. I’d like to write her a letter, but I don’t know what to say. I was thinking of mailing it without telling my friend because, as I said, she still denies anything is wrong. I found the address on the internet. What do you think? I’m heartbroken knowing I cannot celebrate her upcoming wedding. – SADDENED IN MASSACHUSETTS DEAR SADDENED: If you feel the need to write your goddaughter a letter explaining the legitimate reason you and your husband decided to forgo a formal wedding with attendants, do it. Your reason for changing your plans was a valid one. Although I’m sure things were hectic at the time you made that decision, it would have been better had you explained directly to her the reason for your abrupt change of plans. Because this is weighing on your mind, apologize for the delay in contacting her, tell her you were delighted when you heard about her forthcoming wedding and you would love to celebrate it with her. Then cross your fingers because the ball is in her court.

Viking Construction will be microsurfacing roads to improve the appearance and life of the road beginning Monday, Aug. 21 and going through Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Texas continues to shatter records for new jobs. The expansion has been broad based, both in terms of industries and geographic areas. Our latest projections call for notable employment gains over the next five years, though the pace will vary along with external conditions.

Nanomaterials research is one of the most dynamic fields of scientific study in the world today. At the atomic level, common materials and compounds can be arranged and combined in novel ways to produce novel properties that did not exist previously, but accessing those properties when disparate materials are combined has proven elusive.

SMCISD FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2023

Talking county law

FIRST DAYS

The CHRISTUS Santa Rosa San Marcos Foundation has announced the appointment of two new members to its board of directors.

Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series that looks in depth at the recent State of Workforce and Education Summit 2023.

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my second wife for 10 years. Most everything is fine, but we have one area of conflict. It is regarding her daughter, my stepdaughter, who has grown from a cute little 9-year-old into a beautiful 19-year-old. The problem is her attire around the house. She routinely wears a sports bra and panties around the house (around me). I find it distracting, to say the least. I have discussed it with her mother, but she sees nothing wrong with it, probably because she dresses pretty much the same way. I can’t get my wife to understand that what might be OK for her is inappropriate for her daughter. What should I do? By the way, I have never said or done anything inappropriate, but I find myself taking a look at her more often than I should. Help! – STEPDAD WHO SEES IN TEXAS DEAR STEPDAD: If you haven’t told your wife DIRECTLY that a beautiful young woman parading around in her underwear and a sports bra is arousing, and you would prefer her daughter dress more modestly around you, you should. And out of respect for you, your wife should explain those facts to her daughter and remind her that she’s no longer a child, and she should cover up.