Area News

By Robert C. Koehler I am in awe of the deadeye imperturbability of the armed righteous, who look upon the world’s suffering and see targets. . . .   This is a fragment of a poem (“Vigil”) I wrote 25 years ago, in response to the “vigil” some gun-rights advocates held in front of a…

Full federal registration clears commercial product for nationwide use August 19, 2026 – by Gabe Saldana A citrus greening disease treatment rooted in more than a decade of research at Texas A&M AgriLife Research has reached a milestone on the path to commercial availability; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted unconditional registration to the novel therapy. The product, registered by…

Maybe we should question this AI “future” before surrendering to it. By Jim Hightower | August 19, 2026 As Big Tech, Big Finance, and Big Government collude to dig us into the unfathomable hole of artificial intelligence, an old country saying has new relevance: “If you find that you’ve dug yourself into a hole, the…

(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced today he will launch a detailed review of select school districts to ensure they are spending taxpayer funds responsibly following a formal request from Gov. Greg Abbott. The Huffines Performance Review will examine whether district spending complies with the law and reaches students, classrooms and teachers — rather…

By Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune August 19, 2026 Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday vowed to pass legislation punishing public schools that do not remove graphic books from their shelves by knocking them down a notch in the state’s annual school performance ratings, which the state uses to seize control of underperforming districts. Flanked…

The Caddo Trace Beekeepers Association will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, September 14, 2026, in the Agri-Life Building at 1708 Industrial Road, Mt, Pleasant, TX.  Please note the NEW times of our meeting.  Question and answer session will begin at 6:00 p.m. followed by our meeting at 6:30 p.m.   Wiley Collins and his son will be telling everyone about winter…

By Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune August 19, 2026 For more than a quarter of a century, Texas has diligently updated its state water plan every five years, a process designed to forecast water supply and demand 50 years into the future — and give communities enough warning about potential water shortages to do something…

  John Whitehead’s Commentary By John & Nisha Whitehead August 19, 2026 “Electric shock has long been a common method of inflicting torture or other forms of ill-treatment worldwide. While electric shocks are sometimes inflicted using makeshift equipment—for instance, car batteries, mains wires or cattle prods—a wide variety of electric shock devices are specifically designed…

Texas Crop and Weather Report – by Adam Russell Hog prices, wholesale cuts and export markets are sending mixed signals that matter to producers and shoppers nationwide, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert. U.S. pork production is up 1.3% so far this year compared to 2025, though output has eased about half a percent over…