Area News

(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…

Ask Rusty – We Were Bitten by Medicare’s IRMAA this year; What Should I Do? Dear Rusty: My wife and I file our taxes jointly. In 2024, I took an IRA Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) which was significantly more than I was required to take. My Medicare premiums were not affected in 2025, and our Social…

By Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline August 18, 2026 In the summer of 2023, a third of the fire engines owned by the fire department in Kansas City, Kansas, were unusable. Five of 15 pumper trucks were out of commission, and the department was waiting on parts from the manufacturer. So Kansas City fire officials went…

By Amanda Watford, Stateline August 18, 2026 Violent crime in the United States fell by an estimated 9.3% in 2025, marking the largest year-to-year decline in the national violent crime rate since the FBI began estimating crime in 1936, according to new national data. The estimated murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate also fell 18.1%, to…