What Texans need to know about upcoming SNAP restrictions
By Riddhi Bora and Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune March 18, 2026 New food stamp restrictions prohibiting benefits to be used to purchase sweetened beverages and candy will affect millions of Texans starting April 1. Senate Bill 379, one of three bills under Texas’ “Make America Healthy Again” initiative that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into…
Read MoreFTC Warns 97 Auto Dealership Groups About Deceptive Pricing
Letters stress the need for truthful and transparent pricing in the automotive industry The Federal Trade Commission is sending letters to 97 auto groups nationwide, warning them that the prices they advertise must be the total price—including all mandatory fees—that consumers will be required to pay. The letters encourage dealers to review their advertising and…
Read MoreVideo: The $20 Billion AI Data Center in Texas Just Went Horribly Wrong
Dallas County GOP will agree to countywide voting sites after primary election chaos
By Natalia Contreras, The Texas Tribune March 17, 2026 This coverage is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Texas’ free newsletters here. Dallas County Republicans will agree to allow voters to cast ballots at countywide voting sites for the May 26 runoff…
Read MoreLost in Transmission: Changes in Organ Donor Status Can Fall Through Cracks in the System
By Céline Gounder March 17, 2026 When Raven Kinser walked into a Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles office two summers ago, she completed a driver’s license application that included the option to register as an organ donor. The form provides a checkbox to opt in, but not one to opt out. Kinser left the donor…
Read MoreWheat trades electrical engineering for Automation and Controls
March 12, 2026 (MARSHALL, Texas) – While attending a different college, Ethan Wheat, of Blanco, quickly learned he wanted a more hands-on education. He found Texas State Technical College. “I started to become an electrical engineer and I realized that it was all just computer science, and there wasn’t a lot of hands-on stuff,” Wheat…
Read MoreTribCast: Corpus Christi’s water woes
By Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune March 17, 2026 Corpus Christi’s water system serves half a million people across seven counties, along with one of the nation’s largest petrochemical corridors and the country’s top port for crude oil exports. But after years of drought, increased industrialization and political infighting, the water system may be on…
Read MoreTuesday is the deadline for candidates to get off the Texas Senate GOP runoff ballot
By Gabby Birenbaum, The Texas Tribune March 17, 2026 With just hours to go until the deadline to remove a candidate’s name from the ballot, the Texas Republican Senate primary is barreling toward an expensive runoff campaign — despite President Donald Trump’s stated desire to avoid the prolonged intraparty warfare. The day after the March…
Read MoreJudge orders Texas to extend school voucher deadline in response to lawsuit from Islamic schools
By Jaden Edison, The Texas Tribune March 17, 2026 A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Texas to extend the application deadline for private school vouchers until March 31 due to the state’s exclusion of Islamic schools from the program. The extension comes after four Muslim parents and three Islamic private schools sued Texas leaders earlier…
Read MoreHale County Flood Control Structural Rehabilitation Completed, Strengthening Protection for Plainview Community
TEMPLE, TX — The rehabilitation of the Lower Running Water Draw Site 4 Flood Control Structure in Hale County has been successfully completed, marking a major milestone in protecting the Plainview community and surrounding agricultural lands from potential flooding. For over 70 years, the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) has constructed…
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