Jerry Craft’s award-winning novels have been put back on the library shelves in one school. The graphic novels, at times funny, at other times profound tell the story of a black teen trying to overcome bullying, discrimination, and misunderstandings in a mostly white school. 

After tapping the send key on a column, I usually think of something I left out. For example, in last week’s column about trying to avoid hurt feelings at work, I didn’t mention a mistake made on the “soc” (newspaper lingo for society) page back in the early Fifties.

(DISCERNING READER ALERT: This column was first published on Nov. 22, 2013.)

Since happening upon the Dogecoin cryptocurrency community in May, I have learned much about crypto, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), SpaceX and Tesla.

We have all felt the icy fingers of the COVID pandemic in every aspect of our lives. Even, now, when the worst it has passed, we continue to experience residual effects of the whole thing. One that has disrupted our lives here lately is the supply chain problem. 

Book burners on the right and thought police on the left are taking aim at free speech.

She didn’t intend to adopt another dog, but Sam was nonnegotiable. When she spotted the poor fellow from a kill facility, she couldn’t abandon him. This probably was not one of her better decisions, but many of us understand her thinking.

Despite the fact that my daughter cries every time I mention the possibility of a shot, I do plan to have her vaccinated for COVID-19.

(DISCERNING READER ALERT: This column was first published on Nov. 24, 2008.)

My first job at The Baytown Sun was operating the switchboard after school and on Saturdays.               

As I stood above a red rock canyon in Sedona, Arizona, and looked across its vastness as the sun touched the orange rock with fire, I imagined why our Native Americans once felt such oneness with the land they loved. That such beauty was theirs to freely live and hunt upon, must have been su…

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a Texas law that effectively bans abortion after six weeks.

It’s hard to believe, but last week’s column was number 120. I’m going to take a little break, but it will be a working vacation because I have a few projects going on. 

When the darlings are small is a great time to plan a simple adventure. We not only get to know them better. but we give their mom a little “down time.” Our own grandmothers might have been too busy or not realized how important this would be for themselves and for the little ones. Sharing G…

On our way to the Astrodome in 1972, I thought we were going to watch Mexico’s former Little League celebrity Angel Macias lining up for the Montreal Expos. As the game began, I tried to spot Angel on the field and his name on the roster.

(DISCERNING READER ALERT: This column was first published on Nov. 20, 2008.)

There are many things I would like to ask God when I see Him face to face someday.  One is why He made human beings with different colors of skin and why it matters so much to us. Was it due to the different environments in which people lived, or just because He liked variety? We do not know…

Sun columnist Ginger Stripling recently penned a column bemoaning potential cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates.  

By 1967 Memorial Stadium was getting long in the tooth, and the school board was facing a dilemma. In March the trustees were trying to decide whether to renovate Memorial Stadium or build a new one. An engineering study had shown that within a couple of years the foundation for the stands w…

In 1887, Papa came to America and settled in a small town in West Texas. When his field work was done, he retreated to his woodworking shop in the garage. 

I was elected as the District 2 representative to City Council in 2013. I try to do my homework on issues that come before Council and approach the position mindful that I represent hard-working taxpayers. I view myself as a public servant first and foremost and as a public official secondar…

(DISCERNING READER ALERT: This column was first published on Nov. 5, 2017.)

Halloween was different this year. Thank God!

By the way, the Atlanta Braves won the World Series and the Houston Astros lost. “Don’t remind us,” say Astro fans.  

When I first took office, we needed to build a team of liaisons to represent the many communities of Precinct 2. These community liaisons would serve as a direct line to my office to help address residents’ concerns and requests for services and resources.  Given the massive geographic size …

We were standing awash in color, Van Gogh’s vibrant paintings in motion all around us. My niece and I attended the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit recently. She had expressed an interest in going, so for her birthday in May, I purchased tickets for us to see it in August. 

Harris County announced a delay in work on the Cedar Bayou watershed. Due to a shortage of funds, money is being shifted to other flood control projects across the area.

Red Bales had recruited Pete Sultis to come to Baytown as assistant coach in 1947 but before the season began, Bales left to coach at Rice, and Dan Stallworth returned as head coach. When Dan Stallworth finally gave up coaching before the 1957 season, Mr. Pete, as his players called him, ste…

What started as a privilege, according to our kids, turned into an irrevocable right. It takes a while to see the signs and to associate those signs with the mental struggle your teen is going through.

(DISCERNING READER ALERT: This column was first published on Oct. 25, 2015.)

Time. They say it flies, yet last year the hands on the clock slowed in sync with our lives. It seemed we lived a thousand lifetimes until time finally marched on.