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The usual 5-2 PSJA ISD board split changed to 4-3 last week over the oddest thing: whether or not to accept a $350,000 TEA Award, AKA, free money, from Texas Tech U. In other words, free money to mentor five high-performing teachers, which will end, provided they do the work, with a master’s degree in educational leadership.

A new true-crime book, based on a capital murder that went down in Hidalgo County six years ago, hits the book shelves this week, and with any luck, enough people will find it of interest to make the time and effort it took to write it worthwhile. Granted, I wrote it, and really, this front-page story is nothing short of shameless self-promotion, but this is the first true-crime book I’ve written, so I’m anxious to get some feedback.

Hard to believe that it’s been 34 years since a woman, Phyllis Griggs, became the first female elected to McAllen’s city commission. Back then, with a small chain of Mr. Donuts to her credit (McAllen and Weslaco), Griggs was known around town as the “Donut Lady,” especially since she was a hit with the cops long before she ran for public office. Why? Because she’d drop off free donuts to the old cop shop on Pecan.