Area News

FEMA offers several types of disaster assistance to homeowners and renters who were affected by Tropical Storm Arthur on June 17-18. Survivors in Avoyelles, St. Landry, St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes may apply for assistance under FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. FEMA’s Individual Assistance program directly helps disaster survivors with uninsured or underinsured basic critical…

AUSTIN, Texas— Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is encouraging Veterans to act now and bid during the exclusive Veterans-Only Land Sale. The sale includes eight available tracts totaling more than 62 acres. Bidding closes on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Earlier this year, the VLB approved…

BATON ROUGE– The state of Louisiana and FEMA are extending operations at the Disaster Recovery Center in Plaucherville through Friday, July 24, to continue providing face-to-face help for residents who sustained damage from Tropical Storm Arthur on June 17-18. Homeowners and renters impacted by the storm in Avoyelles, St. Landry, St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes…

AUSTIN – Texas Game Wardens continue to respond to the severe weather event and flooding currently affecting a large portion of the state and play a critical role in the state’s emergency response efforts. They have responded to numerous calls for service to include residents needing to be rescued and evacuated from flooded homes, vehicles…

July 17, 2026 A sports medicine physician offers advice on exercising safely as temperatures soar  Derived from ORIGINAL CONTENT by LASHA MARKHAM for VITAL RECORD   BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas—With average temperatures and heat-related illness and injury on the rise, heat-conscious exercise practices are more important than ever. Taking a few simple precautions can prevent heat-related harm when exercising outdoors, according to Laura Marsh, MD, head team physician for Texas…

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Megan O’Matz, Mollie Simon and Jennifer Berry Hawes Co-published with Arkansas Times, Mountain State Spotlight, and The Assembly July 16, 2026, 5:00 am Listen 24:01 ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. A decade ago, the…

By Lauren Sausser and Renuka Rayasam Jul 17, 2026 One year after the Trump administration announced that dozens of health insurers had signed a six-part pledge promising to reduce barriers to doctor-recommended care, some insurers now say they won’t implement all the promised initiatives. Meanwhile, patients, their advocates, and clinicians say little has improved. “It…

  |  July 17, 2026  | Austin, TX – Sour Lake’s Downtown Historic District was recently listed in the National Register of Historic Places; noted for its historic and architectural significance, the district joins other properties across the state with National Register status. Centered on Sixth and Merchant streets, the Sour Lake Downtown Historic District contains 14 buildings dating from…