QUESTION: Are there any laws about how long a freight train can block a crossing where there性视界传媒檚 a street?

ANSWER: I was surprised to find out that no, there are no laws governing that issue.

Texas at one point did have a law that imposed a criminal penalty for trains that blocked a crossing for more than 10 minutes. An appeals court ruling, though, determined that states don性视界传媒檛 have the authority to enforce those kinds of limits and that law was removed from the Texas Transportation Code.

Q: Are people who are elected to be mayor or a city council member required to have any kind of training that prepares them for the job?

A: Texas state law does not require any kind of 性视界传媒渉ow to do your job 101性视界传媒 training for people elected to a city council or mayor position in Texas.

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That said, there are training requirements that pertain to specific subjects, such as cybersecurity and requirements found in the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Training is available, though, through the Texas Municipal League for city council members. And in Longview, city staff members provide information to new council members to help them prepare for the job.

Texas cities might operate in several different ways. Longview operates under a city manager form of government, which means the city manager oversees the day to day operations of city government. In that scenario, the city manager reports to the city council. Smaller cities often operate with a strong city manager form of government.

MORE ON AI: A faithful Answer Line reader sent me information about another resource that might be helpful for people trying to learn about AI. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction offers this resource: . Look at pages 38-40.

— Answer Line appears Wednesday and in the Weekend edition. Email answerline@news-journal.com, leave a message at (903) 232-7208 or write to P.O. Box 1792, Longview, TX 75606.

Jo Lee Ferguson wishes she kept her maiden name - Hammer - because it was perfect for a reporter. She’s a local girl who loves writing about her hometown. She and LNJ Managing Editor Randy Ferguson have two children and a crazy husky.