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The Latest Breaking News from East Texas

An East Texas city goes secular for the holidays, rejecting a menorah in downtown holiday display

Smith County’s top elected official said the downtown square’s holiday decorations policy seeks to avoid a “hodgepodge.”

The Texas Tribune

Year after year, most Texas police departments report zero hate crimes. Here’s why.

A Texas Tribune analysis of hate crime data found that 82% of Texas law enforcement agencies that report to the FBI tracked no hate crimes last year. However, one suburban North Texas police agency is creating a new model of collecting hate crime data.

The Texas Tribune

In this East Texas town, a 45-foot tall oil pump is a holiday symbol and connection to the past

Rudolph the Red-Nose Pumping Unit has long been a holiday tradition in Lufkin. The machinery, now used worldwide to extract oil from the ground, was invented by a local businessman.

The Texas Tribune

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How one man's open records obsession sparked a fight over transparency and power in East Texas

Once a tool of journalists and concerned citizens to hold government accountable, open records requests have been increasingly used by political opponents and conspiracy theorists to slow down the pace of government.

The Texas Tribune

Seeking lower electricity rates, residents in two East Texas towns hope the state will intervene

Livingston and Jasper residents hope a lawsuit will force their municipality-operated utility company to offer lower rates and create more transparency in setting rates. They’re among the 5 million Texans living outside the state’s deregulated market and cannot choose their energy provider.

The Texas Tribune

How a small East Texas school district replaced its gas-guzzling buses with an all-electric fleet

The Martinsville Independent School District used a federal grant to replace four buses, which started transporting students last month. The principal believes he will save enough money on gas to hire a new teacher.

The Texas Tribune

One of Texas’ oldest towns needs $200 million for upgrades. It’s asking voters to approve $44 million this fall.

The East Texas town is one of 218 local governments asking voters to approve new debt for repairs and upgrades to city infrastructure. Local leaders say inflation isn’t helping them keep up with capital needs.

The Texas Tribune

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Texas high school principal cleared of child abuse charges after paddling student

The East Texas school leader was following school district policy — and state law — which allows for corporal punishment. Texas is one of 17 states that allows it, despite one Democrats efforts to ban the practice.

The Texas Tribune

A shift in how we build commercial buildings could be a boon for East Texas

Globally, mass timber construction projects are expected to reach more than 24,000 by 2034. So far, at least 134 mass timber projects are in progress or completed in Texas. The first such project was a six-story office building in downtown San Antonio.

The Texas Tribune

Looking for an economic rebound, an East Texas town looks to the arts — and is rebuffed by the state

A town of 34,000 people, Lufkin sits deep in the Piney Woods, a region dotted with rural towns. Local civic leaders hope a long list of efforts can revitialize the city’s downtown and reboot its economy.

The Texas Tribune

In the shadow of James Byrd’s murder, city leaders can’t agree how to move this East Texas town forward

Jasper’s second Black mayor wants to help residents pay their bills while a younger city council wants to invest in the city’s culture. Residents call their heated arguments at city council meetings “foolishness” and “embarrassing.”

The Texas Tribune

An East Texas principal was arrested after paddling a student, renewing debate over corporal punishment

Texas is one of 17 states that still permits hitting, spanking and paddling in schools. Republican lawmakers stood by the practice earlier this year in part because they say it was permitted in the Bible.

The Texas Tribune

East Texas missionaries stuck in Niger amid recent coup set to be brought home

Members of a Lufkin church had been in the West African country on a mission trip when a coup broke out. Airspace had been restricted, but the U.S. government stepped in this week.

The Texas Tribune

EPA will decide if the state is doing enough to reduce pollution in two East Texas counties

The federal agency has settled a lawsuit the Sierra Club brought over pollution from a coal-burning power plant. The agreement requires the EPA to weigh in on the state’s plan to improve air quality in Rusk and Panola counties.

The Texas Tribune

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The Independent UK

Giraffe named Twiga, who was among the oldest cared for by humans, died at age 31 at East Texas zoo

A giraffe named Twiga who died over the weekend at an East Texas zoo at the age of 31 was among the oldest giraffes being cared for by humans

The Texas Tribune

Swaths of East Texas without power amid a heat wave after severe storms

Some Texans may have to wait a week for their power to be restored during a period of extreme heat and humidity.

The Texas Tribune

Watch: 25 years after James Byrd Jr. was killed for being Black, his loved ones question how much has changed in Texas

The quiet East Texas town of Jasper came together immediately after the racist murder of James Byrd Jr. Now, Texas is leading the nation in incidents of white supremacist propaganda.

The Independent UK

In cookbook, Miranda Lambert reveals recipes that fed her

Country music star Miranda Lambert is dishing on the recipes from her family and friends in East Texas

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Tribune News Service

Editorial: Secret perks for Supreme Court Justice Thomas undermine the integrity of the bench

A bombshell report in ProPublica reveals that almost every year for two decades plus, a billionaire Republican donor has taken U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on his private jet and yacht, or hosted him on his luxury East Texas ranch or at his private resort in the Adirondacks. And…

The Texas Tribune

In East Texas, skepticism over private school tuition assistance persists despite push from conservative leaders

Gov. Greg Abbott and other conservatives say families need options to escape “woke” education in public schools. East Texas parents and school leaders say the national talking points are off base.

The Texas Tribune

With billions of dollars on the line, East Texans say a crucial state map incorrectly shows they already have broadband

East Texans worry they could miss out on federal dollars because a state map that will help determine where the money goes shows they already have access to broadband. Residents say their broadband is chronically unreliable.

The Texas Tribune

Company that wants to build oilfield dump in East Texas gave $53,750 in campaign donations to regulators

McBride Operating LLC and its owner, Joseph McBride, contributed to the political campaigns of the three commissioners on the Texas Railroad Commission now considering his request.

The Texas Tribune

In East Texas, a town fights to keep an oilfield waste dump from opening near wetlands and water wells

The Texas Railroad Commission has rejected the proposal twice over water contamination concerns, but locals are dismayed that the commissioners keep giving the developer more chances to alter its application.

The Texas Tribune

After a hospital stopped delivering babies, Deep East Texas faces a growing maternity care crisis

Women in Deep East Texas drive over an hour to give birth after the last obstetrics unit in the area closed in 2019. But if closing the unit was hard, reopening it is proving nearly impossible.

The Texas Tribune

For teens in Deep East Texas, accessing sex education and contraception is next to impossible

In conservative Sabine County, it’s hard for teens to access contraception or sex education beyond lessons on abstinence. The Deep East Texas region has one of the highest teen birth rates in the state.

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