What a surprise we received last week, right? I’d been watching forecasts Tuesday and Wednesday for possible ice storms, but really hadn’t considered that ice could come down as another form of precipitation.

When I was told local elementary students were dressing up as 100-year-olds to celebrate 100 days of school, well heck, that makes newspaper photographers almost jump for joy. You’re just about guaranteed a good photo for the front page.

We had a complaint on the Herald facebook page this week about the number of political signs that go up for the primary election. Our reader said they’re a waste of money, make the city look like unsightly (he used a slightly more colorful word) and make voters not want to vote.

What’s up with trash on our roads?

Your credit score is more important than ever. Once viewed as a necessity when applying for a mortgage, it now factors into renting an apartment, paying for utilities, buying a cell phone, and determining the amount you pay for home and auto insurance! Here are tips to help you improve and m…

William James wrote, “Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. Our fires are damped, our drafts are checked. We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources.”

Father Wetzel had a timely message for us this month at Our Merciful Saviour.

I’m always amazed by the number of people who tell me they do all of their Christmas shopping online.

Handling employment taxes can be complicated, especially when you’re required to file important tax documents throughout the year. Here's a list of key forms and deadline dates to help keep you on track.

By Jerry Burnaman

As I’m getting older, death seems to be staring at me more frequently.

OK, there’s the usual stuff – food in our kitchens, family, good health, etc.

It costs nothing to say thank you. Yet cultivating gratitude in your life may be one of the most rewarding moves you can make.

As part of gaining more insights into Kaufman County, I accepted an invitation from Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative last week to tour the headquarters and meet some of the folks who bring electric power to our rural areas.

I’ve been there personally and I get it, but it seems like I encounter people all the time who feel stuck in life and overwhelmed by circumstances. If you probe a little and ask how you can help or what they need, often the reply is something along the lines of “I really need a better job,” …

Gifts for people with Alzheimer’s in the early stages

There’s still time to reduce your potential tax obligation and save money this year (and next). Here are some ideas to consider:

Having survived my first Texas tornado warnings, and now the first deep freeze of the year, I must say, Texas weather is quite the combination of meteorological events.

Is it possible that we’re working hard to communicate a message on the surface that we’re OK, when in actuality we’re not? The truth is, we’ve been born into a fallen and broken world and we are all broken in some way. We only make matters worse when we attempt to hide our pain and brokennes…

Thank you, veterans

One day I chatted with a friend over a cup of coffee.  This question surfaced in our conversation: “What is your greatest desire in life?’  The answer, “Have a peaceful mind.”

In 2018, the government attempted to “simplify” the tax-filing process by drastically shortening Form 1040. The result was six new schedules that created a lot of confusion. Now the IRS is attempting to ease some of that pain by revising the form and removing some schedules. Will it help? He…

The holiday season is upon us! Actually, if you’ve been out to any major big box store, the holiday season has pretty much been upon us since mid-July, and seems to creep back a bit more every year!

Now that I have attended and enjoyed my first big town-wide event in Kaufman, I’m starting to feel like more of a local. Having covered tons of Fourth of July parades, motorcycle rallies, heritage festivals and other events in Alaska, Nevada, Missouri and Colorado, it was fun to be a part of…

Jonathan Swift (November 1667-19 October 1745) was born in Dublin Ireland.  He spent some time in England but lived most of his life in Ireland, and is known as an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, poet and cleric.  One of his most famous writings is Gulliver’s Travels, …

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Kaufman County is the third-fastest growing county in America.

What’s a Scarecrow Festival without, well, scarecrows?

A business woman had some time between flights at an airport.  She bought a small package of cookies and sat down in the busy snack shop to check the messages on her iPhone before her next flight.

Not having time to go to the polls on Election Day really is no longer an excuse not to vote.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently reported in financial exploitation cases that older adults lost an average of $34,200. Unfortunately, these funds are often never recovered. You can ensure this doesn’t happen by learning more about scams and how to protect yourself. Here are…

Years ago, a wise old king called his wise men together and gave them a commission.  “I want you to compile for me the ‘wisdom of the ages’ and put it in book form so we might leave it to posterity.”

In a weekend of eating chili at the American Legion, snow cones and enchiladas at St. Ann’s Fall Festival, and learning about gardening at the Vintage Garden Market, it was also time for some fried food.

What is courage?

You see it more and more in the obituary columns.   “Died after a long bout with Alzheimer’s.”

Christopher stood on the pier watching the big ship leave port, slowly, then gaining speed as the sails caught the wind.  He watched until it became a speck on the horizon, then vanished out of sight.

Believe it or not, there is every reason to hope that we’ll be entering into more traditional fall weather in Texas soon.   Monday Sept. 23 is actually the “official” date, but of course, it’s Texas, so who knows?

A letter in the mailbox with the IRS as the return address is sure to raise your blood pressure. Here are some tips for handling the situation if this happens to you:

During the journey of life families make memories.  One of my memories is from my childhood when in late October the Sears Roebuck Christmas Catalogue came to our country home.  We called it the “Wish Book.”

First I want to start this week by thanking you for reading the Kaufman Herald. Without all of you readers, we wouldn’t be here.

It’s a known fact – as we age, our reflexes slow.   Suddenly, a fastball thrown by your 8-year old grandchild is really fast.

Five years ago, CVS Pharmacy quit selling tobacco in its retail locations.

According to the Federal Reserve, U.S. student loan debt is now $1.5 trillion with more than 44 million borrowers. Only mortgage debt currently has bigger numbers among types of consumer debt. Even worse, more than 10 percent of these loans are past due. Here are some tactics to help make st…

One day I talked with a man in the sunset years of life.  He reminisced about the past, how good life had been, and lamented how the present generation is hopeless.

The Royal Bank of Canada some time ago had an article in its monthly newsletter entitled, “Let’s Slow Down.”

A sad and oft-repeated truth is that half of all new businesses fail within the first five years. Although many factors contribute to business failure, a common culprit is poor cash management. Follow these practices to moderate the ebb and flow of cash in your business: