Columns & Opinions

The Texas Department of Transportation has adopted a 10-year statewide roadway construction plan with a record $85 billion price tag, officials announced last week. The Unified Transportation Plan authorizes the distribution of construction money that is expected to be available during the next decade. Within that framework, TxDOT works with elected officials and local planning organizations, as well as the public, to pick and fund the state’s highest priority transportation projects.

In 1636, the first college was founded in the United States. Harvard College was originally set up as a seminary to train future preachers and eventually expanded to become one of the world’s most respected institutions for learning in regard to science, medicine, law, business, and even still today, theology. By the time the American Revolution began in 1775, there were eight colleges operating in the colonies, including what would become Columbia, Yale, and Princeton universities.

Heavy rains through Texas last week caused flooding, particularly in the Dallas area, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a disaster declaration for 23 affected counties. Texans who were affected by the rain, which dumped more than 10 inches in Dallas, are encouraged to file insurance claims with their providers and to complete the voluntary Self Reporting Damage Survey issued by the Texas Department of Emergency Management by visiting damage.tdem.texas.gov. The survey helps the state identify damage across Texas to gain an understanding of what areas were affected during the recent severe weather.