Latest newspaper headlines- Swimmer rescued from swollen Blanco River - San Marcos Mercury
- Walgreens races to meet deadline - Hays Free Press
- Kyle goes 'wet' with 84 percent mandate: Voters toss out city's alcohol ... - Hays Free Press
- Planning for the end: Hospital staff stresses the importance of advance directives - Hays Free Press
- Kyle residents putting their money on Ratliff for sheriff - Hays Free Press
- Buda to complete $3.75 million wastewater treatment upgrade - Hays Free Press
- Lobo senior Jaylon Hardaway first in family of athletes to make trip to state - Hays Free Press
- Challengers questioning Hays County debt load - Hays Free Press
Category Archives: News
Fake gambling hits real jackpot in Texas town
by WES FERGUSON Joe Hernandez put down $20 to play the video slots at the new sweepstakes hall in Kyle on Tuesday afternoon. He hit the button on a casino game called Silver Stash, and the reel began to spin. … Continue reading
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A night in camp
A night in one of Longview’s homeless camps. Continue reading
Posted in Poverty, Showcase
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The ballad of Billy Ray
Whatever happened to Billy Ray Johnson? He used to be a familiar face around town: the middle-aged and mentally challenged black man who was always walking the back roads of Linden. On a September night in 2003, he was picked … Continue reading
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For grandma raising 13, this is ‘the worst time’
Yolanda Sanchez Perez, a hardworking grandma, lives with 13 of her grandkids on a muddy piece of land outside of town. The only bathtub on the property is in a worn-down travel trailer in the backyard. The trailer has no … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Poverty
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‘I probably would have died with them’
Two sisters-in-law slipped into ponchos on Wednesday morning and waded through the ashes of a small frame home in Kilgore. As they worked toward the back bedroom, Sherry Ritchie and Joanie Cummings filled trash bags with smoke-stained clothes they believed … Continue reading
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Can Longview’s race “monster” be solved?
In midst of LISD attendance zone debate, race relations still riddle Continue reading
Let’s commercialize high school sports
Pat Collins is a salty old coach, a booster backslapper, a guy whose powers of persuasion can open wallets around town. He wants the best for his kids, and he knows how to get it. For proof, just look at … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Education
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‘He’s given hero a different meaning’
LAKEPORT — Hundreds of East Texans stood in silent tribute Saturday as a Tatum family grieved over the flag-draped casket of a fallen loved one. Relatives and supporters gathered at the East Texas Regional Airport to meet the body of … Continue reading
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Hit-and-run
Nakia Wright was straggling behind the others, so the car hit her first. It flipped her into the air, and when she came down her head cracked the right headlight. It struck Jermaine Washington, 20, next, gashing open his big … Continue reading
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Desperate options
No air conditioning, rotting floors, sagging ceilings: This is how some Longview renters live. Continue reading
Posted in News, Poverty
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Dr Pepper death grip
Larry Nelson spilled his Dr Pepper on the way home from work one afternoon. He pulled into a parking lot in Gladewater to clean up the mess, but the bottle cap had fallen to the floorboard, rolling just out of … Continue reading
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Death Row: ‘I was a bad guy. I thought I was a gangster’
Alvin Kelly still maintains his innocence, saying he didn’t know the Spring Hill family found dead in their home. But he talks openly about a series of crimes in the 1980s. Continue reading
Area schools' wealth gap widening
An era of constant construction and renovation is under way at the wealthiest schools around the state, including Tatum and Carthage. Continue reading
Posted in Education
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East Texans recall the Great Depression
Whether they plowed behind mules, fried up bacon for hungry drifters or rode the oil boom out of poverty, five East Texans recall their experiences during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Continue reading
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Virginity rules the sex ed of East Texas
For the past seven years, virginity has ruled the sex education of area teenagers. In that time, abstinence-only programs have come under fire nationwide, and after a cut in federal funding, the future is uncertain for the East Texas Abstinence … Continue reading
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A return to 'The Front'
Twenty years ago, reports of a dangerous slum in Longview spurred the community to organize, leading to massive cleanup efforts in poor areas around town. Some believe a similar movement is needed today. Continue reading
Posted in Poverty
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The Bigfoot hunter
There wasn’t time to fix the propeller, and there wasn’t time for precaution. The party pressed farther into the swamp, because that’s where Bigfoot was. Continue reading
Posted in Outdoors, Showcase
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Baby mama
A teenager falls in love, becomes pregnant and must learn to raise her baby on her own when her boyfriend is swept up in a federal crack cocaine sting. Continue reading
Posted in Poverty, Showcase
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Life on the Sabine
Its reputation is foul and dirty, but some people who know it well believe the river that snakes through East Texas is a natural treasure and vital to life. Continue reading
Posted in Features, Outdoors, Showcase
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Some area towns put lots of cash in, get little out
In 1989, the state Legislature authorized a new half-cent sales tax to fund economic growth in small- to medium-size towns. The measure has been lauded as a game-changing force for new jobs and financial prosperity across the state. “I think … Continue reading
Posted in Business, News
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