As the migrant crisis engulfs the border and the politics become increasingly complex and counterproductive, it is useful to remember the economic significance of our relationship with our southern neighbor. Let’s briefly explore. Trade between the United States and Mexico is crucial to both nations, and Texas has been the leading state for exports and

Pitch made for new power plants Lt. Gov Dan Patrick joined with the world’s largest investment firm to pitch investors on building natural gas power plants in Texas at a summit held last week in Houston. Patrick and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink shared the stage as they attempted to persuade investors to take advantage of

TEA annual report just released The Texas Education Agency’s annual report was released last week. It indicates per-student funding in the 2021-2022 school year averaged $14,928 per student, up 42% since 2011. However, state funding has only risen slightly in the past decade, while local funding has increased substantially. Texas public schools educate 5.518 million

The University Interscholastic League’s biennial district realignment is now official and for Lindale High School, there were few changes in football, basketball and volleyball. This past Thursday, the UIL announced its realignment and Lindale’s football team will compete once again in Region III, Division 1 9-4A along with familiar opponents Henderson, Kilgore, Palestine and Chapel

Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners are considering a land swap with SpaceX that would give Elon Musk’s space exploration company about 43 acres from Boca Chica State Park. In exchange for the land in Texas’ southernmost strip along the Gulf Coast, SpaceX would transfer 477 acres nearby that could be used for hiking, camping and

DOJ report on response to Uvalde shooting scathing The U.S. Justice Department issued a scathing report late last week on the May 4, 2022, mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference in Uvalde that officials’ response that day and afterward “was

Spate of new laws effective Jan. 1 After the Texas Legislature spent much of 2023 in session, a bevy of new laws go into effect on New Year’s Day, though some have been delayed by lawsuits challenging their constitutionality. The Austin American-Statesman reported on SB 17, a new law that institutes a ban on programs

East Texas’ unemployment rate improved from October, 2023 to November 2023, which mirrored the rest of the state, according to figures released by the Texas Workforce Commission this past week. Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics and according to the TWC, East

Widening and realignment of FM 16 west of downtown Lindale will continue this week with lane closures and traffic shift detours in place, said Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Jeff Williford. The project is four miles west of FM 849 and will continue to U.S. 69 in downtown Lindale, Williford said. Highway 19 Construction, LLC

In a few years, an East Texan will be able to hop on passenger rail here and go West to DFW and beyond to the coast, East to Meridian, Mississippi, and beyond to Atlanta, Georgia. It’s been a long time coming – almost 20 years of negotiations, advocacy and some arm twisting – but a