Area News

 (AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Don Huffines is launching a review to expose and end the forced medicalization of Texans, starting with the fluoride added to Texas public drinking water. The review will examine what taxpayers and ratepayers spend, what the science says about health effects, and whether there are better ways to improve dental care.…

By Jayme Lozano Carver, The Texas Tribune October 1, 2026 LUBBOCK — A new water tower in Turkey: $3 million. Upgrades for a museum in Stamford: $400,000. A first responders appreciation barbecue in Medina County: $10,000. These are just some of the public investments data center companies have paid for across rural Texas in the…

By Fort Worth Report, The Texas Tribune October 1, 2026 This story was originally published by the Fort Worth Report. You may read the original version here.  Eight hours into a Saturday workshop, Fort Worth ISD’s Texas-appointed board members arrived at the question they had heard from parents for weeks: Would they rein in scripted lessons?…

By Gabby Birenbaum, The Texas Tribune October 1, 2026 WASHINGTON — At the beginning of September, Democrat James Talarico was dominating the airwaves, having spent tens of millions of dollars on ads promoting his U.S. Senate bid as national Republicans publicly debated whose coffers should be tapped to rescue Ken Paxton in Texas. Thirty days…

SHREVEPORT, LA (Oct. 1, 2026) – Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) customers who may need additional flexibility managing their electric bills still have time to access expanded bill assistance and temporary residential customer relief measures now through the end of October.   The temporary measures are aimed at helping customers manage higher electric bills following…

September Record, Still Below Texas’ All-Time High From June 2022 The statewide gas price average in Texas is $3.94 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, according to AAA Texas. That price is two cents less than on this day last week and $1.20 more per gallon compared to this day last year. Of the…

By JAMES A. MARPLES ***** I have read countless articles in the News for many years on the subject of economic trade between the United States and Cuba. For sure, heated debates have occurred on all sides of this issue. I think the American Embargo of Cuba in 1962 was justified during President John F.…

by Audrey Dutton Co-published with The Oregonian/OregonLive October 1, 2026, 5:00 am Emma Joyce was sick and vomiting for days until she stopped breathing in her parents’ arms, in a small gray farmhouse in rural Idaho. It was August 2009, and she was 3 years old. The following summer, Emma Joyce’s little sister got sick.…

Nominations for Texas State Musician (Classical and Nonclassical), Poet Laureate, and Visual Artist (2D and 3D) are open through October 15! Any Texas citizen can nominate a living Texas artist for the Texas Legislature’s highest honor for artists. Artists will be selected for both 2027 and 2028, so nominate more than one artist to join…