Area News

By Emily Foxhall, The Texas Tribune October 21, 2026 The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied a request for federal aid to individuals needing help after the July 2026 floods in Texas, which swamped homes in Uvalde and damaged properties across Kerr County — in some cases for a second time in two years. Gov.…

TPWD Encourages Hunter Harvest Inspection, Reporting of Animals Affected by New World Screwworm  AUSTIN — On Oct. 21, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) received confirmation of a detection of New World screwworm (NWS) in a hunter-harvested female elk in Pecos County. A sample was collected from the elk and was identified and confirmed…

Instagram, TikTok and Facebook: @kimmiepoohandsugabugga Kimmie Pooh & Suga Bugga: The Empathy Machine of Yamtasticville releases October 24 on Amazon Rowlett, Texas – First-time author Kimberly Mathis, writing as M.A. Thist, will release her debut middle-grade novel, Kimmie Pooh & Suga Bugga: The Empathy Machine of Yamtasticville, on Saturday, October 24, 2026. The illustrated book…

By Melanie Evans, Tradeoffs Oct 21, 2026 Four years ago, Oregon hospitals were under fire from state authorities and patient advocates. Hospitals, critics said, had made it too hard for patients to apply for and receive help paying their bills. Within months, the state enacted a sweeping law that required hospitals to proactively screen patients…

Annual Pest Control Day unites three Marshall businesses and Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity to provide free services to families in need. MARSHALL, TEXAS — Three local pest control companies will set aside their everyday competition this Friday, October 23, 2026, to work together for a common purpose: helping Harrison County families enjoy healthier, safer…

October 21, 2026 Español The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) held the first meeting of the Texas Insurance Fraud Task Force on Monday. The task force is a coordinated effort launched at Gov. Greg Abbott’s direction to clamp down on insurance fraud and better protect Texas consumers from higher costs. Governor Abbott directed TDI in…

View as a webpage FY 2026 contributions increase, including record funding for veterans, as stronger safeguards support secure operations and responsible play AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) marked its first full fiscal year administering the Texas Lottery with stronger oversight, new legislative safeguards, and increased funding for public education and…

By Briah Lumpkins Oct 21, 2026 With no labor and delivery unit in Lavonia, Georgia, Kara Holden worried about making it in time to the birthing hospital — more than 50 miles away in a neighboring state — come her due date. (Briah Lumpkins/KFF Health News) LAVONIA, Ga. — It had been a decade since…

By Jasper Scherer and Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune October 21, 2026 Three weeks ago, Texas Comptroller Don Huffines signed what he called an executive order aimed at eliminating a “hidden tax” on fees charged by virtual marketplaces to sellers. “There will be a lot more coming,” Huffines said as he held up a jumbo…

As new neighborhoods are built in Texas, residents don’t always know they are living on top of old oilfields. By Martha Pskowski October 18, 2026 This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. This story is a…