Data Center Boom Exposes GOP Faultlines over Local Control
In rural areas like Caldwell County, local Republican officials and citizens are scrambling to find ways to empower counties and slow AI-fueled development.
Rural Texas
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.
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.
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Will Texas Secure Its Water Future?
Senator Charles Perry outlines an expansive vision of where Texans will get their H₂O in the coming decades.
Riding the Pines in Palestine and Rusk
Railways have long defined these East Texas towns, and the Texas State Railroad aims to keep that history on the books.
A Slice of Life in Watermelon Country
The annual Luling Watermelon Thump has been a Central Texas staple for more than 70 years.