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Catch-22: A Message from a 22-Year-Old
Aside from escalating political tensions, recently furloughed paychecks for 800,000 government workers highlighted that too many Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck without an adequate savings account. A recent podcast from NPR’s Austin branch on the government shutdown highlighted that “[a]lmost 60 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings, meaning an emergency expense would put many people…
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Lessons from “The Gatekeepers”
In a lot of ways, 2017 and 2018 blurred. Maybe it’s that I’ve mentality adjusted to the biennial session of the Texas Legislature. Another contributing factor is the fall-spring-summer academic semesters bridge across calendar years. Undeniably, the constant stream of headlines since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January of 2017 has also played into this…
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Stone-Cold Racism, Strong Reporting and Self-Reflection
Two weeks ago on a busy, mid-50 degrees Wednesday morning — chilly by Texas standards — I was attending a policy briefing at the Texas State Capitol. Afterward, I joined a Capitol staffer for a two-block walk for some coffee. Two things happened to me that morning within a minute of each other that highlighted…
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Legends | FAREWELL: Editor-In-Chief closes with a sentimental feature
This piece was originally published in Hilltop Views. My four-year routine of reserving Monday nights for contributing to weekly print editions of Hilltop Views ended this week. Crowded together on computer screens, my staff and I work through writing, designing and editing. Around midnight, the majority start dwindling out of the office. Tuesday around 3…