AUSTIN, Texas— Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is proud to introduce the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB’s Voices of Veterans oral history program. This week, we highlight the service of Sergeant First Class Larry Scott Teakell who served in United States Army during the…

By Amanda Seitz March 6, 2026 BATON ROUGE, La. — The ambitious liver doctor would go just about anywhere in his home state to give people the hepatitis B vaccine. Bill Cassidy offered jabs to thousands of inmates at Louisiana’s maximum-security prison in the early 2000s. A decade before that, he set up vaccine clinics…

By Rachana Pradhan and Katheryn Houghton and Eric Harkleroad Photos by Eric Harkleroad March 6, 2026 ‘No Longer Based on Facts or Truth’ Sylvia Chou, 51, Maryland Program director, National Cancer Institute Sylvia Chou specializes in communication between patients and their health care providers, and social media’s role in public health. She joined the federal…

By Eric Harkleroad March 6, 2026 Marc Ernstoff, a physician who has pioneered immunotherapy research and treatments for cancer patients, said his work as a federal scientist proved untenable under the Trump administration. Philip Stewart, a Rocky Mountain Laboratories researcher focused on tick-borne diseases, said he retired two years earlier than planned because of hurdles…

SHERMAN, Texas –An Ennis woman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking cocaine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.   Isabel Salas, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison…

The Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas Cultural Trust Award Grants to Outstanding Student Artists AUSTIN, Texas – March 5, 2026 – The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) and the Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT) are proud to announce the 2026 class of Young Masters. Young Masters is a grant program that provides exemplary students in grades 8-11 with financial support to pursue advanced study…

By Sneha Dey, The Texas Tribune March 5, 2026 Texas declined Thursday to take over the Wichita Falls school district, which had been at risk of receiving the state’s most severe form of intervention over years of academic underperformance. Kirby Middle School triggered the potential of a takeover. Under the state’s school accountability system, five…

By Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune March 5, 2026 EDINBURG — The Texas Supreme Court pondered how far the state can go in limiting access to a public beach during oral arguments Thursday in a case involving the closure of Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX’s rocket launches. Rio Grande Valley environmentalist and indigenous groups are…

SHERMAN, Texas –A Mexican national illegally living in Dallas has been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.   Francisco Ortuno, 29, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 170…

SHERMAN, Texas –A Dallas woman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.   Samantha Mendoza, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison…