Area News

View as a webpage  /  Share Office of Communications (Washington, D.C., July 22, 2026) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking steps to speed up progress in plant science by calling on universities and stakeholders to help build new AI tools that can translate the huge amount of germplasm data the agency collects.…

CHAT warns rules will cost the state billions of dollars in funding for vulnerable children   Austin, Texas—July 21, 2026—The Children’s Hospital Association of Texas (CHAT) submitted comments today urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider drastic cuts to Medicaid funding for children’s hospitals.   In 2025, Congress passed the One…

LUFKIN – It’s been a hot summer, but you can cool off at the Texas Forestry Museum’s Family Day. Family Day is on Saturday, August 8th from 10:30 a.m. until Noon. Bring your family to enjoy fun activities including a waterslide, games, a craft, and more! We hope to see your family there and make…

By Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Stateline July 22, 2026 The Trump administration has a new plan for teenagers learning about pregnancy: Beginning this summer, it will steer millions of dollars toward organizations that focus on anatomy, fertility tracking, hormonal production and “reproductive goals counseling.” The plan will also emphasize abstinence from sex and the importance of marriage.…

By Jayme Lozano Carver, The Texas Tribune July 21, 2026 LUBBOCK — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows called for an audit of the Texas Broadband Development Office Tuesday. Their request comes after the office faced allegations last month for favoring satellite companies when it came to distributing more than $5 billion…

By Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune July 21, 2026   A little more than a year after a catastrophic flood killed more than 100 people, including 27 children at Camp Mystic, residents in Kerrville and the surrounding areas are once again digging out from another deluge. But the 2026 floods played out differently. Fewer lives…

By Terri Langford, The Texas Tribune July 21, 2026 Four months after two children’s deaths and other staffing problems at Dallas-based foster care provider EMPOWER forced the state to place it into receivership, the agency’s commissioner took action on Tuesday and abruptly canceled the private company’s contract. In a letter sent to Texas Family Initiative…

By Gabby Birenbaum and Hien An Ngo, The Texas Tribune July 22, 2026 WASHINGTON — Texas’ U.S. House delegation will experience high turnover come 2027, as a spate of retirements, redistricting-related changes and competitive races have the potential to remake the state’s footprint in Washington. The delegation also stands to get wealthier. The majority of…

By Alex Nguyen and Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune July 21, 2026 A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to not deport a witness in the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by a federal immigration agent earlier this month in Houston. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison issued the…

By Stephen Simpson and Antranik Tavitian, The Texas Tribune July 22, 2026 HOUSTON — Less than 10 years ago, Moises Badera, 14, was playing soccer at a refugee camp in Burundi. He never would have imagined that he’d step onto a World Cup field in Houston, next to one of his favorite players, Cristiano Ronaldo.…