McALLEN — In 2019, a historic theater’s marquee in the downtown area of McAllen proudly proclaimed, “Welcome to McAllen, 7th Safest City in America.” This message was prominently displayed prior to a visit from then-President Donald Trump, aiming to counter the prevailing narrative that characterized the border region as perilous. The ranking was derived from…
One year after volunteer firefighter Razor Dobbs tirelessly searched the Texas Hill Country for victims of a catastrophic early morning flood, he found himself confronting an elderly couple hesitant to evacuate their Center Point-area home as rain poured down and thunder rumbled ominously around them. It was approximately 3 a.m. on Thursday, and the Guadalupe…
Three years after Texas restructured its community college funding model to incentivize graduation rates, these institutions are now facing a financial shortfall. The surge in student achievements has exceeded the budgetary allocations made by state lawmakers. Officials from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) are currently working to revise the funding formula. A proposal…
In McAllen, U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat, is taking steps to safeguard the name of Boca Chica Beach, a cherished destination in South Texas that faced a potential renaming earlier this month. The beach, which has recently garnered national attention due to its association with SpaceX launch sites, was at risk of being renamed…
On a morning in early April, Y.R., a 37-year-old undocumented immigrant from Honduras, was approached by two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as she prepared to leave her Dallas-Fort Worth apartment for her construction job. Having entered the United States in early 2022, Y.R. spent nearly a year navigating government processes to gain…
DALLAS – On Tuesday morning, the vibrant atmosphere of downtown Dallas made it difficult to believe that the state’s third-largest city is grappling with significant economic setbacks. Colorful street art, a remnant of the FIFA World Cup, brightened car-clogged streets, while employees sipped coffee as they entered the Whitacre Tower, a longstanding symbol of AT&T’s…
While California is often recognized as the birthplace of Silicon Valley, Texas is emerging as a significant player in the semiconductor industry, often referred to as the “silicon state.” The Lone Star State currently leads the nation in semiconductor chip exports, which are essential components in modern electronics, and the industry is in the midst…
Buoys intended for use as anti-immigration barriers by the federal government have been swept into the Rio Grande due to severe flooding, prompting the closure of several crucial bridges along the U.S.-Mexico border. The closures affected Eagle Pass on Thursday and Laredo on Sunday. In Eagle Pass, two bridges were shut down for approximately three…
UVALDE — For the past six years, Aracely Balderas has lived in northeast Uvalde, where the creek behind her home was typically dry. However, on Thursday morning, as she monitored her home camera feed from her parents’ house, she was taken aback to see two feet of water flooding her property. Having never witnessed flooding…
KERR COUNTY — A year after devastating floods claimed more than 100 lives along the Guadalupe River, Central and South Texas faced another round of deadly flooding in July, prompting flash flood emergencies that led to evacuations and rescues across the region. While the two flooding events in July shared similarities in intensity and impact,…
