Area News

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.   Wendell Rashaud McKinney, 38, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison by U.S.…

By Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune April 8, 2026 Smokeable hemp products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, are allowed back on shelves for now. The state’s 15th Court of Appeals granted a request by lawyers for the hemp industry to reinstate a temporary pause on the smokeable hemp ban. The appeals court is…

By Amanda Seitz May 13, 2026 During a stop on his “Take Back Your Health” tour, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits a childcare center in Toledo, Ohio. (Amanda Seitz/KFF Health News) TOLEDO, Ohio — The little boy, dressed in a Toy Story sweatshirt, wrapped himself around the nation’s health secretary.…

 Hyperspectral Survey of the West Supports USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative NASA’s ER‑2 high‑altitude research aircraft touches down in Colorado Springs May 11, 2026, after completing a hyperspectral survey flight for the joint USGS– NASA effort to map critical minerals across the western United States. USGS photo by Peter Pearsall.   COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —…

By Olivia Borgula, The Texas Tribune May 13, 2026 WASHINGTON — As he campaigned for the Senate in 2024, then-U.S. Rep. Colin Allred sought to appeal to a wide range of voters, many of whom were dissatisfied with the Biden administration’s border policies. He ran an ad standing side by side with law enforcement that touted…

By Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune May 13, 2026 As illegal border crossings skyrocketed two years ago, Texas Republicans in unison railed against the Biden administration’s immigration policies and vowed, if given power, to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and support Donald Trump’s promised mass deportations. These days, Republicans aren’t always on the same page about…

By Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune May 13, 2026 A day after Christmas, José Contreras Díaz received a letter from immigration officials asking him to report to an agent the following month to discuss his case. He was immediately suspicious. “I had a strong feeling that this was a bait letter, for me to…

By Matthew Watkins, The Texas Tribune May 12, 2026   In this week’s episode of the TribCast, the crew speaks with Texas Tribune Politics Editor Jasper Scherer about the upcoming primary runoffs. Will Donald Trump endorse in the U.S. Senate race? Has a candidate for railroad commissioner pushed too far to the right even for…

By Alex Nguyen and Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune May 12, 2026 Corpus Christi residents and businesses — including one of the nation’s largest petrochemical corridors — may be required to cut water use by 25% during a water emergency that city leaders expect to hit by September unless a devastating drought eases.  The City…

By Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune May 12, 2026 A rural Texas county on Tuesday approved a one-year pause on the construction of new data centers in unincorporated areas, citing public safety and public health concerns. The 3-2 vote by county commissioners in Hill County, roughly 55 miles south of Fort Worth, appears to be…