Columns

Ever wonder where April Fools’ Day got started? Well, according to the History Channel, some historians say it dates to 1582. That’s the year when “… France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called ‘April fools.’”

Q: My 12-year-old daughter is growing up fast -- including her perspective on clothing. As a dad, I want her to get a good handle on modesty before she becomes a teen, but I feel awkward addressing this subject with her. What’s my role here?

You can learn the fundamentals of having chickens in your backyard in a workshop presented by Brent Evans at the Herff Farm chicken schoolyard at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 30.

Bestselling author Alex Kershaw’s most recent title is “Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II.”

Much of the state remains at considerable risk for wildfires through this week, largely because of higher-than-usual temperatures and drought conditions.

Editorial cartoonist Ben Sargent once penned a masterful sketch of a newspaperman – a skinny, bug-eyed fellow in a baggy suit with a press card in the band of his porkpie hat.

Editor’s note: This is a reprinted column from Jack Purcell’s “On the Journey” archives. It originally appeared in The Star in 2013.

Ah, yes – another edition of editor wanderings…

Democrats nationally have made great progress in President Biden’s first year in office.

It’s unfortunate but true: If you’re a woman, you face more obstacles than men in achieving financial security. And that means you may well need to put in some extra effort.

“Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny Spring day.” W. Earl Hall as quoted in the Reader’s Digest, 1959 (and I might include a warm starry spring night).

Gallery 195 is celebrating its fifth anniversary on the Hill Country Mile with an open house from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, April 1-2.