Texas hospitals expect to lose $27 million a day in Medicaid funding starting Tuesday
By Terri Langford, The Texas Tribune August 31, 2026 When the state’s new fiscal year begins on Tuesday, Texas hospitals expect to lose $27 million a day in additional Medicaid funding. The shortfall is the result of a decision by the Trump administration to withhold approval from Texas for about $9.8 billion in the next…
Read MoreMuslim Texans seek positive teachings of Islam as education board wraps social studies changes
By Jaden Edison, The Texas Tribune August 31, 2026 Muslim Texans pressed State Board of Education members on Monday for more classroom instruction centering on how people of Islamic faith positively contributed to world history. With the majority-Republican board expected to finalize what high schoolers learn in social studies this week, dozens of speakers said…
Read MoreOp-Ed: Disproving the Idea that Muslims Were in Texas Before Texas Became a State
(The Alamo Has No Islamic Connection) By Wm Gawthrop, Ph.D. The claim that Muslims were meaningfully present in Texas before statehood collapses under scrutiny. The historical record is clear: there were isolated individuals, not communities; incidental presence, not institutional influence. Yes, figures like Estevanico and enslaved West African Muslims passed through or existed within…
Read MoreFINE ARTS LECTURE AT LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY
(Longview, Texas)—LeTourneau University’s Fall 2026 Fine Arts & Humanities Lecture Series will kick off with a lecture titled “The History of Rock Music.” (Poster above) The lecture will be held on Thursday, September 10 at 11:00 AM in the Berry Auditorium of the Glaske Center for Engineering, Science & Technology on the LeTourneau University campus.…
Read MoreNew $138 billion investment planned for Texas transportation
Plan continues progress on high-priority preservation, mobility and safety projects August 31, 2026 ATLANTA – Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced a new 10-year transportation plan with a total projected investment of $138 billion. In a rapidly growing state, this transformational investment will help improve safety, reduce congestion and strengthen…
Read MoreOP-ED: DOLLY PARTON EMBODIED GENTLENESS
By JAMES A. MARPLES *** Like most people, I was saddened to read in the news the reports surrounding the passing of Music legend, philanthropist, actress, business-woman, and universally-likeable person, Dolly Parton, who recently died at age 80. To say that she was a “Superstar” would be no understatement. She mingled with almost every celebrity…
Read MoreKilgore College football game Saturday versus Trinity Valley moved to 6 p.m.
Kilgore College has moved the kickoff time for Saturday’s home football game against Trinity Valley Community College to 6 p.m., three hours later than originally scheduled because of the extreme heat conditions. The game was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium in Kilgore. The decision to move…
Read MoreRegistration Open for UT Health East Texas Breast Cancer Survivor Summit
Tyler, Texas (August 31, 2026) — Registration is open for the UT Health East Texas Breast Cancer Survivor Summit. The event will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Green Acres Baptist Church Crosswalk Conference Center in Tyler. This year’s theme is “Bloom Beyond the Battle.” The summit will celebrate…
Read MoreSecretary Rollins Announces Ranchers First Initiatives to Rebuild the Great American Beef Herd
New actions build on USDA’s 2026 Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry (Washington, D.C., August 31, 2026) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Ranchers First Initiative, a sweeping package of actions to continue rebuilding the Great American Beef Herd and put America’s ranchers back at the center of our nation’s food…
Read MoreTexas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences research earns national honors
Administrators and faculty earn recognition for creativity, innovation and leadership – by Kay Ledbetter The American Society of Agronomy, ASA, Crop Science Society of America, CSSA, and Soil Science Society of America, SSSA, will recognize eight Texas A&M AgriLife faculty and administrators at ceremonies held during CANVAS 2026 set for Nov. 1-4 in Portland, Oregon. Five faculty members will be awarded…
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