West Texas A&M University in 2025

Rural higher education faces unique challenges and opportunities.

Social Security Matters

Dear Rusty:For most folks collecting Social Security, you get back what you put in within 3-5 years, so for those that scream - “SS is not an entitlement, it is my money”that is not entirely accurate beyond 3-5 years. For me personally 4.4 years is the number.

Quinn Minute - Cold weather activities

I just talked to an old friend who told me it is very cold in his town. He wonders what he can do for fun in icy conditions.Well, it is cold because it is winter. If it were hot, we would worry that there’s a hole in the ozone layer.

Editor’s Message

He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it.Tariffs. No tariff goes unpunished.In the 1930s, the U.S. (Smoot Hawley Tariff Act) and other industrialized countries raised tariffs, hoping to protect domestic manufacturing and limit the job losses of the Great Depression.

Pet Talk

Have you ever wandered into the pet supplies section of the grocery store and felt overwhelmed by the number of dog food choices?To help unravel this common conundrum, Dr. Katie Tolbert, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary...

Library Lines ...

Happy New Year from all of us at Rhoads Memorial Library as 2025 has now arrived!

Quinn Minute - New Year celebrations

When did people begin to host New Year parties?Ancient Egyptians celebrated New Year when the Nile River overflowed, usually in June.

Social Security Matters

by Russell Gloor, National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, Dear Rusty: My wife will reach her full Social Security benefit at 66.5 years of age which is just under 2 years away for her now.

Homelessness rises to 18.1% in 2024

Homelessness rose in the United State in double digits, rising by 18.1 percent in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in its 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report: Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates, an annual snapshot of the number of individuals in...

Editor’s Message

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.Why pick one day out of the year to make significant changes to your life, especially since those resolutions are rarely followed through.People often set overly ambitious goals that are difficult to maintain longterm, and the pressure to achieve those can lead...