https://www.theazlenews.com/author/10,suzanne-bellsnyder en Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:09:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1846,texas-independence-isn-t-a-partyThere is no Independent Party in Texas.That's worth saying up front because when some people hear the word "independent," they assume we're talking about a third party. We're not. An independent candi...]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:09:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1846,texas-independence-isn-t-a-party https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1827,the-governor-is-asking-the-wrong-question-about-data-centersThis week the governor did something rural Texans have been asking Austin to do for two years: he told state regulators that data centers — not households — should pay for the power lines their machin...]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:18:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1827,the-governor-is-asking-the-wrong-question-about-data-centers https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1804,how-do-we-decide-what-mattersI love to listen to podcasts, and it was The Mel Robbins Podcast that introduced me to a problem-solving exercise called the Five Whys.The premise is straightforward. When you're trying to understand...]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:53:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1804,how-do-we-decide-what-matters https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1759,you-don-t-have-to-pledge-loyalty-to-a-broken-systemThe results out of Texas last week told us something most of us already knew but didn't want to say out loud: the two-party system is broken. The primary process that's supposed to give voters a choic...]]> Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:47:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1759,you-don-t-have-to-pledge-loyalty-to-a-broken-system https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1732,a-water-hose-against-the-wind-what-the-panhandle-knows-about-living-on-the-marginsMy best friend's father lost his home this week.The entire house — gone in a few minutes. A spark, 40-mile-an-hour winds, drought-cured grass, and that was it. They tried to fight it with a garden hos...]]> Tue, 26 May 2026 12:00:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1732,a-water-hose-against-the-wind-what-the-panhandle-knows-about-living-on-the-margins https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1706,the-runoff-ballot-is-worth-a-closer-lookThe easiest election to miss may be one of the most important ones on the calendar.Next Tuesday, May 26 — the day after Memorial Day — Texans will return to the polls for the primary runoff election....]]> Mon, 18 May 2026 12:56:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1706,the-runoff-ballot-is-worth-a-closer-look https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1686,the-pharmacy-on-main-streetIf you live in rural Texas, you already know that your local pharmacist is part of the fabric that holds a town together.They know who’s been sick, who’s recovering, who just got home from the hospita...]]> Tue, 12 May 2026 09:17:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1686,the-pharmacy-on-main-street https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1656,texas-has-a-water-crisisA few weeks ago, the Texas Water Development Board put a number on what many of us in rural Texas have been feeling for years: $174 billion. That’s what it will cost to build and repair the water infr...]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 08:44:00 -0500 https://www.theazlenews.com/article/1656,texas-has-a-water-crisis