‘Up Against a 500-Pound Gorilla’: Can Dems Make Inroads in Deep-Red West Texas?
With a candidate on the ballot in every state and federal race, the minority party is trying hard to gain some ground in the GOP’s electoral firewall.
Rural Texas
When the AI Cloud Comes for Texas Water
Legislators are (sort of) beginning to grapple with the grim costs that come with the state’s data center boom.
Corpus Christi Water Crisis Spurs Stampede on South Texas Aquifers
Cities, towns, and industrial complexes aim to quickly pump tens of millions of gallons per day in a bid to avert disaster.
East Texas Hit Hard by Gun-Related Suicides
Scarcity of mental health resources, prevalence of guns, and stigma all contribute to the region's high suicide rates.
Texas Saw a $50 Billion Future in Clean Energy. Then the Political Winds Shifted.
Renewables brought income to ranchers and tax revenue to counties long buffeted by boom-and-bust oil cycles. Policy changes in Washington and unease on the ground threaten that momentum.
Dammed if You Do: East Texas Locals Fight to Stop an Unnecessary Reservoir
In Van Zandt County, a fight over water rights, government transparency, and land ownership came to a head with a proposed dam project.
West Texas Congressman’s ‘Big Beautiful’ Cuts Could Harm Rural Hospitals in His District
Jodey Arrington was the House architect of Trump’s massive tax-and-spend bill that includes steep healthcare cuts.
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In the Hill Country and Beyond, Rural Texas Counties Lack Resources for Flood Detection
A federally funded project at Rice University is trying to tackle that problem—but in just two counties so far.
The Crypto Racket
Public officials at all levels are propping up a Texas Bitcoin mining boom that’s threatening water and energy systems while afflicting locals with noise pollution.
‘This Town Has Nothing’: Rural Texas’ Mental Healthcare Crisis
Against long odds, Sweetwater’s public hospital recruited counselors to help address a wave of mental health crises in rural Texas—yet struggles continue.