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by: Will DuPree, Nexstar Media Wire

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

As Texas braces for the arrival of another winter storm, Sen. Ted Cruz pointed out that the cost of airfare to Cancun is not the only price rising right now, KTLA sister station KXAN reports.

Cruz posted Wednesday morning on his personal Twitter account, Inflation is out of control. He then listed the words gas prices, food prices and lumber prices next to upward arrow emojis. He concluded the tweet by writing, And tickets to Cancun are up 32%!

The tweet received mixed reactions online. Some Twitter users expressed amusement about the airfare comment, saying it shows Cruzs sense of humor since it makes light of his trip to Mexico last year at the height of another winter storm. He flew with his family to Cancun in Feb. 2021 while millions remained without power and water across the state. He later returned home after much uproar and called the trip obviously a mistake.

Cruz previously joked about taking the Cancun trip during remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference a few weeks after last years winter storm that hit Texas and again in a November tweet.

This latest social media post also stirred up much of the criticism Cruz faced last year, with people this time describing it as insensitive, unhelpful and not funny. State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat, tweeted, Lets reminisce about that time you abandoned the state when we were going through a catastrophic natural disaster that took the lives of 700 Texans.

After Cruz posted his tweet, the word Cancun trended Wednesday afternoon alongside the hashtag #TexasFreeze.

Nexstars KXAN reached out Wednesday to Cruzs office to ask for comment about why he tweeted this and whether he has any response to those saying online that the Cancun mention is inappropriate considering parts of Texas are bracing for another winter storm. KXAN also asked if he had a broader message he wanted to share. Neither Cruz nor anyone from his team has provided a response yet.

While his personal Twitter account featured other jabs Wednesday at CNN and Spotify, Cruzs official Senate account shared advice several times about how Texans can prepare for the impending winter storm. The account featured a link Wednesday afternoon to a website displaying power outages monitored by the Public Utility Commission of Texas as well as other resources, like links to where people can find road and weather condition updates.

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Ted Cruz tweets about rising Cancun flight costs amid concerns of another Texas freeze - KTLA

AMARILLO Maintenance crews in the Amarillo Districts 17 counties (Armstrong, Carson, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Gray, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts, and Sherman) spent the last two days pretreating roadways. This is in advance of another round of winter weather expected to impact the northern Texas panhandle Wednesday and the southern portion of the Texas panhandle Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo.

TxDOT's Amarillo District is responsible for 9,503 lane miles and 840 bridges. Of the districts 371 employees, 257 are dedicated to maintenance operations.

Once the storm hits, our maintenance crews will be working in shifts around-the-clock to ensure equipment is working, trucks are loaded with sand and salt, roads are treated as needed, staff is entering road conditions into DriveTexas.org, and so much more, says Wes Kimmell, director of operations for the Amarillo District.

TxDOT's priorities for snow and ice operations are:

"This helps first responders, as well as utility companies, to reach those in need, Kimmell says. Depending on the weather event, were also prepared to call on the assistance of the Texas A&M Forest Service. Just last week, they provided personnel and motor graders to help clear snow from more than 30 miles of roadway in Potter and Randall counties. We really appreciate all the partnerships we have that allow us to respond to winter weather in the best ways possible.

While TxDOT is prepared, it is equally important for drivers to be prepared:

Conditions on roadways can change rapidly, even with proactive measures. Theunpredictable and fast-changing severe Texas weather can still result in some snow and ice accumulation. If you must drive, check weather forecasts and visit DriveTexas or call 800-452-9292 to see conditions and closures on your planned route. If you find yourself stranded or facing an emergency, call 9-1-1.

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TxDOT Winter Weather Ready - Texas Department of Transportation

True, no major violence has been reported, but its had some outstanding deeds of disrespect. Ottawa police say theyre investigating several incidents for possible criminality.

Maybe thats because protesters urinated on the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

And because nearby residents complained of protesters defecating on their lawns.

And because staff and volunteers at a homeless shelter say they were harassed with demands for food, and one client was allegedly assaulted.

Or maybe because a large Mandate Freedom sign and an upside-down Canadian flag were hung on a statue of our beloved Terry Fox.

Meanwhile, a number of downtown businesses closed their doors as a safety precaution. Sunday, a news-media crew said it was surrounded and harassed to the point it vacated the area.

Protest organizers can insist all they want that these were isolated incidents but they have to wear it. When members of a protest bring out Confederate and Nazi flags, placards that employ foul language and advocate the overthrow of a democratically elected government, you know somethings wrong with the picture.

Protesters vow to stay as long as it takes, until Justin Trudeau resigns, the Liberal Party is abolished and/or the vaccine mandates are repealed.

It should surprise no one that the message has been lost among all this bluster and confusion. The convoy and the protest will be remembered as just another publicity stunt that featured idiotic acts of disrespect and unattainable demands.

They should all go home.

Im Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editors Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

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ROTHENBURGER: No surprise that trucker convoy lost control of the message - CFJC Today Kamloops

Former Australian Test captain Michael Clarke has urged Cricket Australia to reach a decision on Justin Langers future ASAP.

The batting great was dismayed at the leaks stemming from Langers meeting with Nick Hockley and Ben Oliver last Friday, as reported by foxsports.com.au.

He encouraged the governing body to consider legal action for defamation, despite agreeing the story was pretty much exactly what happened.

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Clarke, a former teammate of Langers, said the saga should not drag out any longer.

He has done such a good job, Clarke said of Langer on Sky Sports Radios Big Sports Breakfast on Wednesday.

This is splashed all over the media and there is inside gossip. You pretty much have exactly what happened in the meeting with Cricket Australia. Its there for everyone to read. How does that happen? How can that not stay private? It is out of control. I dont know what side its come from, how its got out or why its got out I have a fair idea either way, this is not helping anyone.

MORRIS: CAs JL statement misses the point. The saga over his future has dragged on far too long

Clarke added: Its not great for Lang and certainly not great for Cricket Australia. So hopefully whatever is going to go down, goes down ASAP.

If Lang is going to resign, do it ASAP. If Cricket Australia is going to make him reapply for his job and he doesnt want to do that so he quits, do that ASAP. If they are going to offer him a contract, lets get this done. Its horrible at the moment.

Weve just had an awesome summer, the T20 World Cup And now we are reading this.

Clarke also offered a vote of confidence in Langer, just as many of the openers former teammates have done across recent weeks.

NEW FOLLOW ON PODCAST - Justin Langer: The truth about his heated meeting with CA. LISTEN ON SPOTIFY OR SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES

I cannot believe that you can have someone in a role that certainly of late has been so successful, he said.

What JL has done since taking over the coaching role after the sandpaper saga and trying to bring Australia back to the cricket team that we were.

My God. I was on the phone last night to a number of different of people. I cant put my phone down.

I cant believe how this information can get out from a meeting. When I played and was captain I used to question how certain things got out. Individual players have individual managers. You can push your own agenda but this is unbelievable.

Cricket Australias board will discuss Langers future at a board meeting on Friday.

Read more:
Its out of control: Legends plea for Langer mess to be fixed ASAP - Fox Sports

Acting chief justice Raymond Zondo, who chaired the inquiry, also proposed new legislation that makes abuse of public power illegal.

He suggested offenders should be jailed for up to 20 years or fined R200m or both.

Part one of the report was handed over at the beginning of the year. The third and final part of the report is due to be presented to Ramaphosa by the end of February.

The presidency said Ramaphosa will submit the report to parliament by June 30 with an indication of his intentions with regards to the implementation of the commissions recommendations.

The handover of the second part of the report of the commission of inquiry is another step forward in the work we need to do to rid our country of corruption, Ramaphosa said.

The commission has constructed a disturbing picture of the depth and damage of state capture.

We should apply our energies to the commissions recommendations and take the necessary steps to make sure we never face this onslaught on public resources and on the fabric of our society.

Many shared their opinions about the report and called for justice. Some doubted the recommendations in the report would be implemented, and a few said they were not impressed by the report.

Here is a snapshot into some of the reactions:

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'How will the ANC do damage control?' - SA weighs in on the second part of the state capture report - TimesLIVE