East Texas experienced some of the worst freezing rain. Dense forests and icy roads are making it more difficult to restore electricity.
East Texas
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Economy
In this East Texas county, you need a membership to drink at a bar. That may soon change.
Texas cities and counties largely control when and where liquor can be sold. Just three counties are totally dry.
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Economy
Last Christmas: An East Texas Christmas tree farm closes after 40 years, despite booming sales
Christmas tree sales are up in the Lone Star State, even as many tree farmers are aging out of the business with no successors.
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2025 Legislative Recap
Texas hoped $100 million would help more families pay for child care. Here’s why it didn’t.
Increased costs in food and payroll at child care centers effectively wiped out the one-time investment state lawmakers approved earlier this year, a new report found.
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Economy
Texas is getting far less in federal money for broadband expansion than expected
Rural leaders who have worked years to improve broadband access said they were disappointed by the sharp decrease in federal dollars.
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Environment
Dallas businessman sues over stalled plans to export East Texas water
The proposed project that would install 43 high-capacity wells drew the ire of East Texans, worried their wells would run dry.
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Running Out: Texas’ Water Crisis
Texas sent $223 million to rural communities to fix water infrastructure after 2023 election
Texas voters will decide Tuesday whether the state should continue spending $1 billion a year to secure the state’s water supply. Part of that investment will be spent to find new water supply.
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Graphics and data reporting
An East Texas landowner fenced off a community’s favorite fishing spot, igniting multiple legal battles
Phillip Surls, a local businessman who owns much of the property around the Cutoff, has argued he blocked access to the stream to protect his cattle and that the waterway is not public.
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Running Out: Texas’ Water Crisis
Plan to pump billions of gallons of water from East Texas appears on hold
An East Texas farm sued the local groundwater conservation district that has authority over the aquifer that would be pumped. As part of a settlement, the district has voided its original permits.
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Economy
A growing East Texas city is exploring a new transportation method: light rail
The Tyler metro area is home to about 250,000 and a growing health care hub. City leaders want to get ahead of more traffic.