Area News

By Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune May 7, 2026 In May, Texans’ access to abortion drug mifepristone was thrown into disarray after a federal appeals court ruled that people across the country must obtain the drug in person, and then, three days later, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked that ruling. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court…

By Jaden Edison, The Texas Tribune January 20, 2026 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into whether public schools are displaying posters of the Ten Commandments, following a recent federal court ruling that the state can enforce a law requiring them to do so. More than two dozen Texas school districts must provide…

By Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune May 7, 2026 In May, Texans’ access to abortion drug mifepristone was thrown into disarray after a federal appeals court ruled that people across the country must obtain the drug in person, and then, three days later, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked that ruling. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court…

By Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune May 7, 2026 A 30-year-old South Texas man was freed by federal officials Thursday after being deported earlier this year, and returned to the United States, only to be detained once again. Before he was deported, José Contreras Díaz — whose mother raised him in the Rio Grande…

By Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune May 5, 2026 The Texas Department of State Health Services is lifting a new requirement for youth camps to install “end-to-end fiber optic facilities” in order to allow them to operate this summer, following a lawsuit from 19 camps that called the measure too challenging. The state health agency…

By Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune April 8, 2026 Smokeable hemp products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, are allowed back on shelves until the state’s appeal of a statewide ban on the sale of the drug is heard in court next Thursday. The state’s 15th Court of Appeals granted a request by lawyers…

By Olivia Borgula, The Texas Tribune May 8, 2026 Last year’s redistricting upended the makeup of Texas’ 35th Congressional District, prompting the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Greg Casar, to run for a different seat. The open race for the new TX-35 spurred competitive primaries on both sides, with two Democrats and two Republicans advancing to runoffs…

By Alex Nguyen, The Texas Tribune May 8, 2026 For the fourth time in less than four weeks, Gov. Greg Abbott has forced a Texas city to yield to his will by threatening to withdraw public safety grants administered by his office. In Texas, where Republicans dominate state leadership and Democrats hold sway in many…

By Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune May 8, 2026 As Texas struggles to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, a state fund had $1.28 billion available this year to support projects that could deliver water even in a severe drought.  Unfortunately, 23 worthy projects requested a total of $4.2 billion, prompting the state…

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a…