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HUNGRY IN AMERICA
In March, the Trump Administration had the USDA cut over a billion dollars in federal funding to food banks, which includes a provision that provided schools with fresh foods from local farmers.
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STAR OF THE MONTH: Kofi
Little did we realize that Kofi had replied to the Montrose Star from a hospital bed, having recently had a stroke. The Houston legend showed us that indeed, “the show must go on.”
![Map of NATO members colored by accession year]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nato-members-by-year-to-2023-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":4626},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nato-members-by-year-to-2023-270x152.jpg","width":270,"filesize":9452},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nato-members-by-year-to-2023-475x267.jpg","width":475,"filesize":22687},"jaw_blog-16_9-big":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nato-members-by-year-to-2023-878x494.jpg","width":878,"filesize":55403},"large":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/nato-members-by-year-to-2023-1024x1024.jpg","width":1024,"filesize":129706}})
Time for NATO to Fold Its Tent and Go Home?
By Rick Ehrlich We are told often that NATO is a wonderful, worthwhile organization that keeps the world safe. Smoke and mirrors, baby. NATO was started post-war, in 1949, chartered
![Caricature firefighter pouring fuel on LGBTQ+ rights]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/334.trlica.hrh_.June04-2025-170x95.png","width":170,"filesize":13556},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/334.trlica.hrh_.June04-2025-270x152.png","width":270,"filesize":30592},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/334.trlica.hrh_.June04-2025-475x267.png","width":475,"filesize":84770}})
Accept nothing less than complete equality and acceptance
By Johnny Trlica Commentary: Seems like old times. Pride Month is here again and once again we are compelled to demand equality while under hostile fire. All those battles we’ve
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Roxanne Collins
...my rights as a trans woman have already been stripped away, and more are under threat. I see online that many LGBs want to divorce from the Ts.
![Person striking dramatic pose in red light]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/334.Tripi_.Ishida.PHOTO2_.June04-2025-170x95.png","width":170,"filesize":23464},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/334.Tripi_.Ishida.PHOTO2_.June04-2025-270x152.png","width":270,"filesize":34627},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/334.Tripi_.Ishida.PHOTO2_.June04-2025-286x267.png","width":286,"filesize":48640}})
KINDNESS, HUMILITY, RESPECT, REGARD
My work is about the human experience: loss, love, fear, struggle, and regard for others. So ultimately, it’s the stories in life that provide my ideas.
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Get your Pride on
In the last Texas legislature alone, 160 bills arose, restricting freedom for LGBTQ folks — especially the Ts.
![Man standing behind bar shelves with bottles]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Alex-bartender-WEB-PHOTO-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":17669},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Alex-bartender-WEB-PHOTO-270x152.jpg","width":270,"filesize":25389},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Alex-bartender-WEB-PHOTO-475x267.jpg","width":475,"filesize":47123}})
Robert’s Lafitte’s Alex Keller
Find mixologist Alex Keller at Galveston's historic Robert's Lafitte bar.
![Elderly man in glasses holding jacket]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Jim-Nonus-WEB-PHOTO-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":9732},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Jim-Nonus-WEB-PHOTO-270x152.jpg","width":270,"filesize":12397},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Jim-Nonus-WEB-PHOTO-475x267.jpg","width":475,"filesize":20381}})
GALVESTON’S RENAISSANCE MAN
Galveston is known for its lore of pirates and Jean Lafitte. The island still has many great treasures and one of them, certainly, is Jim Nonus!
![Black pot logo with "dubu dubu" text]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/4.Dubu-Dubu-logo-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":4084},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/4.Dubu-Dubu-logo-225x152.jpg","width":225,"filesize":6665}}){kind=logo}
Dubu Dubu: a treasure found just under the radar
By Jim Ayres There are treasures to be found at under the radar joints that have opened quietly in recent months — places like Dubu Dubu, on Richmond across from