"Lots of questions remain in the wake of abatement rejection" by: Mike Reddell

   There are several ways to parse the disappointing commissioners court’s 3-2 vote against a tax abatement for Maverick Tube Corporation Monday.

"Being ‘trendy’ has never been one of my life goals " by: Jessica Shepard

   I will fully admit that I was a weird kid growing up and that’s translated to being a strange adult.     I’ve never subscribed to things I were told were “trendy” or popular – especially when they’re brand new.

"Does it seem like the air is getting a little thin at this altitude?" by: John Sample

    Another week of gains ignoring the Federal Reserve raising the Fed Funds rate.  The equities markets are ignoring almost everything.     The S&P 500 stock-index could climb 3% in July alone.     The earnings season has been very positive and I expect that Apple and Amazon will do the same.

PSA: Smart ways to invest in bonds

   It’s generally a good idea to own a mix of stocks as part of your overall investment portfolio.     But the importance of diversification applies to bonds, too - so, how should you go about achieving it?     You could invest in mutual funds that own dozens of individual bonds.

"You can grow in faith by opening your Bible and reading it" by: Caleb Gibson

   Grace works when we rest.     The Apostle Paul told the Church in Corinth, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10 NASB1995).

"Reel Reviews: ‘Oppenheimer’ gives peek into physicist’s mind, life struggles" by: Jessica Shepard

   With “Oppenheimer” still holding strong as the No. 2 movie across theaters worldwide, I thought I should check it out.     Now, to preface this, I didn’t know the film was based on the 2005 biographical-book “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

"A&M disappoints on botched hiring of respected journalist" by: Mike Reddell

   I was disappointed how my alma mater, Texas A&M University, mishandled the hiring of a Dr. Kathleen McElroy who was to take over the school’s journalism department.    Like many of A&M’s journalism graduates, I had high hopes on what McElroy would do to improve the journalism department.

"Surprise kitten makes its way to us (Again)" by: jessica Shepard

   In the past 15 or so years we’ve lived in this house, we’ve managed to rescue and adopt only three total kittens – Gigi, Domino and Loki.

"It may be hot beyond words but the markets make it easier to withstand" by: John Sample

   In case you were distracted, you might want to check your most recent statement from your brokerage account.      As they say, all boats rise in a flood.      The S&P 500 stock-index is up 185 for the year and the NASDAQ is up 34%.      The Dow has been up for 10 straight trading days.

PSA: Help get your teen started with a Roth IRA

   If you have teenagers who are starting part-time jobs, now may be a great time to introduce them to investing — and one place to begin might be the Roth IRA.