Columns & Opinions

Ben Milam was an average man who traveled the early frontier. But the course of events would place him in the middle of the fight for Texas independence and into legend. Milam’s decisive actions made him one of the early heroes of the Texas Revolution.

A large group of people gathered for a debate in Texarkana between the incumbent, Gary VanDeaver, and challenging candidate Chris Spencer on May 16, 2024, in Texarkana. The debate was sponsored by the Texarkana Gazette and was held in the Truman Arnold Building, on the Texarkana College Campus.

Generations ago, the dry and dusty West was seen as a lifeline for a special set of patients, specifically those seeking the dry air in the belief it would cure a variety of ailments. Charles C. Butt was one such patient. Once a successful pharmacist, contracting the dreaded tuberculosis meant he and his family had to give up everything in a desperate bid to save his life. One family’s desperation would lead to an unexpected opportunity and lead to the creation of one of Texas’s most successful grocery store chains, H-E-B.