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Madrid represents Fort Stockton at Rotary International Convention

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From a small oasis in the West Texas desert to the towering skyscrapers of one of the world’s “Most Livable Cities,” Andres Madrid has seen it all. Madrid recently completed a whirlwind trip to Melbourne, Australia to represent Fort Stockton at the 2023 Rotary International Convention. Madrid is the incoming president of the Fort Stockton Rotary Club.
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CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

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The Texas Senate on the first day of the Legislature’s second special session unanimously passed a tax bill last Wednesday that increases the homestead exemption and includes a pay hike for teachers, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The first special session ended with the Senate and House unable to agree on how to provide property tax relief. The Senate bill provides a $2,000 pay increase for teachers in urban districts over the next two years, and a $6,000 hike for teachers in rural areas. It increases the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan are set to meet in an attempt to come to agreement on the property tax issue, after Patrick texted the best way to resolve debt differences between House and Senate versions would be to meet face-to-face. “They have responded; we’re looking forward to a meeting. ... Whenever that is, I believe we can get this resolved quickly,” Patrick told the Statesman. During the first special session, the House passed its version of a property tax package on the first day and immediately adjourned for the remainder of the 30-day session.
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County updates outdoor lighting regulations

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When Representatives from the McDonald Observatory approached the Pecos County Commissioner’s Court at its June 12 meeting asking for the county to update its outdoor lighting regulations to account for the advent of LED lighting, the court wasted no time. The court updated its regulations at the June 26 meeting to curb light pollution that might harm the observatory in its mission.