Texas farmers could have greater access to low-interest loans under a bill the Senate is considering
If approved, the legislation would expand one of the state's most popular loan programs with even lower interest rates. Full Story
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Jess Huff joined the Tribune in 2023 and is based in Lufkin, Texas. She grew up in Utah and has also lived in Arizona and the Netherlands. Her latest adventure brought her to East Texas where she worked for The Lufkin Daily News, leading the publication to numerous awards for investigative reporting in the region. Jess attended Northern Arizona University on a debate scholarship and fell in love with the journalism program after a course on alternative storytelling devices. Her work has been published in the Arizona Daily Sun, The Associated Press, The Lufkin Daily News, Capital & Main and a number of local outlets across Texas.
Latest Contributions
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![A farmworker harvests spinach at Johnson's Backyard Garden, an organic farm east of Austin, on April 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas may officially recognize Gulf of America change after Senate gives first OK
Senate Bill 1717 would require the name of Gulf of Mexico to be changed in every official reference made by a state agency, resolution, rule or publication. Full Story
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![Beach goers at the Gulf of Mexico coastline in Corpus Christi on July 6, 2024.]()
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Financial hardships shutter East Texas hospital 14 months after reopening
Residents in Trinity County will now have to travel 30 miles to access the closest hospital. Full Story
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![Mid Coast Medical Center - Trinity is scheduled to scheduled to close after just 14 months in operation. The district is working quickly to find someone to take over the hospital, which serves the East Texas town of Trinity, about 90 miles north of Houston.]()
Credit: Mid Coast Medical Center - Trinity website -
“It’s what’s best for a very select few”: Some Texans are skeptical about vouchers as they near the finish line
Texas Republican lawmakers in regions known for support of public schools defended voting for vouchers, saying they gained leverage to seek concessions. Full Story
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![Public school advocates rally with Democrat House members in the Capitol Rotunda prior to the morning session on April 16, 2025.]()
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East Texans united to stop a water sale to Dallas suburbs — for now
After a deal to pipe water from Lake O’ the Pines to North Texas came to light, residents voiced opposition everywhere they could to block it. Full Story
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![Mary Spearmon holds two of her grandchildren, Malikyi and Alajiah Elliott, at Hurricane Creek Park on the Lake o’ the Pines, where she would come with her late husband and their growing family to fish and enjoy the water, on April 9, 2025. “What about our future generations, our grandchildren and great grandchildren? What are they going to have if they take the lake?”]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
As DOGE rips through the federal government, Texans wonder what it means for them
Dozens of federal offices were expected to close in Texas, but the reality continues to shift. Full Story
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![Downtown Nacogdoches on October 3, 2022 in Nacogdoches.]()
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95,000 Texas children are waiting for state help to pay for day care
Adding more funding to scholarships is just one way experts say state lawmakers could address Texas’ child care crisis. Full Story
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![Clarissa Alday spends her morning reading to children at Katherine Sage Temple Early Learning Center, on Tuesday February 25, 2025, in Diboll.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
“We’re in competition”: An East Texas school district faces hard choices as education options grow
The Lufkin school district says it must do a better job of promoting itself amid growing competition from charter schools and homeschooling. Full Story
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![Students get onto a bus following classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin face budget challenges because of proposed school choice legislation, which provides taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school.]()
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Domestic violence is up in Texas. Survivors and supporters hope lawmakers will take action.
Reported domestic violence incidents have risen 26% since 2019. Full Story
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![The East Texas Crisis Center, on Wednesday January 8, 2025, in Tyler.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott wants to set a high bar for local tax increases
Local officials, school advocates and tax policy experts said such a proposal could have dire impacts on basic services. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender-affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune