Area News
Record-breaking TJC enrollment adds to centennial celebration
East Texas — Just in time to celebrate its 100th anniversary, TJC welcomes its largest fall student enrollment, breaking its previous fall record by nearly 3% with 13,147 total students. The number of students attending is monumental, but so is TJC’s sustained commitment to providing high-quality, affordable education and training opportunities for East Texas and beyond.…
Read MoreBBGB Fundraiser
Gilmer-based “Big Brothers Giving Back,” an organization of men who mentor young boys, will hold a “Flapjack Fundraiser” breakfast Saturday morning, Sept. 12, at Applebee’s Grill and Bar in Longview. The event at 101 W. Loop 281 is set for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tickets are $15. The menu includes pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs,…
Read MoreVeterans benefits seminar coming to Mansfield
ERLANGER, KY. – DAV (Disabled American Veterans) is a nonprofit charity that provides a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families, helping more than 1 million veterans in positive, life-changing ways each year. One of the various services DAV provides at no cost to veterans is our Information Seminar program. These…
Read MoreIndigenous Groups Are Exempt From Medicaid Work Rules, but Native Hawaiians Aren’t
By Ashley Mizuo Sep 11, 2026 Kapono Chong-Hanssen is the medical director of Ho‘ōla Lāhui, the Native Hawaiian healthcare system on Kaua‘i. Chong-Hanssen anticipates many of his patients will no longer receive the care they need after new Medicaid work requirements go into effect. (Ashley Mizuo/KFF Health News) WAIANAE, Hawai‘i — Native Hawaiians will need…
Read MoreTexas needs more foster care spending transparency, state report says
By Terri Langford, The Texas Tribune September 11, 2026 Texas can be more transparent with how much it spends to temporarily house foster children and with what its private contractors are spending to provide foster care services for half of the state, a new state report shows. The state’s Legislative Budget Board said in its…
Read MoreFacing public pressure, regulators to vote on three more West Texas transmission lines
By Carlos Nogueras Ramos, The Texas Tribune September 11, 2026 ODESSA — The Public Utility Commission of Texas will consider approving the buildout of three 765-kilovolt transmission lines spanning nearly 800 miles — roughly the size of Texas’ largest congressional district — to deliver electricity to the oil and gas industry and support the state’s…
Read MoreTexas A&M Student Builds Engineering and Leadership Skills Through SWEPCO Internship
SHREVEPORT, La. (Sept. 10, 2026)– As students have returned to campus this fall, Jimmy Booth is bringing back more than classroom knowledge. Through a summer internship with Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), he gained hands-on experience working alongside industry professionals while contributing to projects that support customers and communities across the region. Booth, an Electronic…
Read MoreHistory of the forest products industry here
The history of the timber and lumber industry in Upshur County, Texas, tracks the broader evolution of the East Texas Piney Woods—moving from small-scale pioneer survival tools to a full-scale industrial boom, and eventually transitioning into sustainable modern forestry. — Pioneer Era and Early Settlement (1840s–1870s) Before the arrival of industrialized sawmills, timber in Upshur…
Read MoreRain drops needed relief on North Texas wildfire that’s been burning for two weeks
By Alejandra Martinez and Alex Nguyen, The Texas Tribune August 27, 2026 FORT WORTH — Rain fell over and around the Ross Fire in North Texas on Thursday, a welcome reprieve to firefighters who have battled the flames for two weeks. The heavy rain, while brief, could dampen flames and embers and speed containment of…
Read MoreTexas judge: Alaskan surrogate does not have custody over child she birthed in Dallas
By Terri Langford, The Texas Tribune September 10, 2026 A Texas judge has ruled against an Alaskan surrogate in her bid to obtain custody over a medically fragile baby she birthed in Dallas. According to a Wednesday filing, attorneys for the surrogate McKenna West are now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene after Texas’…
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