*According to the “Uvalde Leader-News,” 37 of the 64 local law enforcement officers who responded to the May 24, 2022 Robb Elementary massacre are still working locally; at least nine have been promoted.
*On January 5, former Uvalde school district officer Adrian Gonzales goes on trial in Corpus Christi, Texas, accused of child endangerment and abandonment. Former school police chief Pete Arredondo, charged with similar and related wrongdoing, does not yet have a trial date.
*Dissension within the Uvalde school system has reached a level where two board members held their own community meeting. Teachers themselves were open in their criticisms.
*It seems unlikely to me that the Uvalde Superintendent will still have her job next year. Among other reasons, she has yet to grasp the importance of timely and complete communication. As a minor example, when a bus window was broken with a thrown something, she did not immediately answer a simple question, “were there kids on the bus?”
*The saga of “who knew what and when” with respect to Robb continues. In December, another large batch of school district e-mails and videos was released.
*Five (of seven) seats on the Uvalde board are up for reelection; if five newcomers win, the board cannot elect officers as one year of board experience is required (unless the rule is modified).
*When 15 people were killed celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Australia, immediately there were cries for tighter gun laws (which did happen in the state of New South Wales, where the capital Sydney is located) and stronger measures regarding antisemitism. Just as quickly, there was a partisan blame game underway.
*When two people were killed at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, the news coverage was comprehensive. The cries for better campus security dwarfed those talking about gun reform.
We offer prayers and talk about the challenges in returning to normal — and we go about our business. Dominic Erdozain’s book title says it all: “One Nation under Guns.”
*A poll cited by “Tangle” indicated that 95% of respondents expected the number of mass shootings in 2026 to be at least the same as in 2025.
*Canada has a gun problem of sorts; domestically, it is very difficult to get one legally, so smugglers are turning to a trusted source, the USA. According to the “New York Times,” Toronto had 85 homicides in 2024; Chicago had 580. Overall, Americans are eight times more likely to die from gun homicide than are Canadians. Maybe it’s the weather.
*For inexplicable reasons, Roxbury, New Jersey, only a few miles from my apartment, is on Trump’s list of possible “warehouse” sites. P.S. This is not a NIMBY whine — I don’t want any of them.
Addendum
The members of the staff at the “Uvalde Leader-News” posed for a group photo, then were asked for a Christmas wish. Their thoughts were positive, in multiple directions, excepting that expressed by Kim Rubio, more known as the mother of a slain child and as a political activist than as an advertising saleswoman at the newspaper.
“Dear Santa … Please bring me a bottle of vodka from Uncle Randy’s Liquor Store.”
Her wish got me thinking about the emotional swings of therapy, where the practitioners talk about the on-going need to give due attention to the past while having a resolve to move forward. The image of a lava lamp, with its constantly shifting shape, struck me as representative of what has been taking place in the aftermath of Robb Elementary.
Each upward wave of relative optimism, about figuring out how to live the next day, or year, or a sustainable life in fact, seems to be followed by a downturn. Often it is because still more information about the Robb massacre has been released, leading to recriminations about the whole communication process: both timing and content.
The need for transparency never ceases. Coupled with accountability, it is the only way to attain something resembling closure, recognizing that true closure for an impacted parent, family member, or friend is impossible.
As the trial in Corpus Christi commences, it is unrealistic to expect a positive wave.
Fortunately this is recognized by therapy professionals, who will be at the ready.