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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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After Texas’ largest wildfire is contained, a rancher moves on with a single calf
April 11, 2024
In testimony to state lawmakers, Dale Jenkins and his Panhandle peers shared the “hidden cost” of the wildfires.
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About 40% of Texas election administrators leave their job each presidential election cycle, report finds
April 09, 2024
The state’s turnover rate has held steady at 40% since 2014. That’s slightly above the new national average. In Gillespie County, in the Texas Hill Country, an entire election staff resigned in 2022 after workers struggled to combat fringe election conspiracy theories that began before Trump lost the presidential race in 2020.
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Clouds break just in time for many in Texas to view eclipse
April 08, 2024
In some parts of the state, the skies cleared enough for people to see the total solar eclipse.
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To close or stay open? Ahead of the eclipse, Texas schools weighed logistical hurdles versus learning opportunities
April 05, 2024
Some districts will close for the day expecting traffic jams and busy city services. Others will stay open for parents who can’t find child care.
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Texas wind energy firms need more technicians. Can they drum up student interest without state support?
April 04, 2024
The wind industry promises attractive salaries. But a lack of training programs and waning political support make it difficult to find new recruits.
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1.7 million Texas households are set to lose monthly internet subsidy
April 02, 2024
The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a $30 monthly subsidy to help low-income households pay for internet service. Rural leaders worry ending the government subsidies could shrink the rural customer base and make those areas even less attractive to internet companies.
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How plans for a West Texas drag show turned into a war over the First Amendment
March 22, 2024
In the Panhandle, a largely rural region that remains staunchly conservative, LGBTQ+ Texans say political and legal battles overlook their humanity.
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Uvalde city report clears local officers of wrongdoing, outraging families
March 07, 2024
Families were infuriated by praise for local law enforcement in a report on the Robb Elementary School shooting released Thursday by a private investigator.
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State calls for investigation into cause of Texas Panhandle wildfires
March 01, 2024
As officials try to determine a cause for the wildfires, a Canadian homeowner filed a lawsuit blaming an energy company for the destruction.
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As wildfires rage through Panhandle, Fritch residents seek respite at church
March 01, 2024
Shaken by the devastation, families find comfort in each other as they pick through the rubble and commune at a church in nearby Borger.
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A Texas school has punished a Black student over his hairstyle for months. Neither side is backing down.
February 22, 2024
A trial over the Barbers Hill school district’s dress code will test Texas’ new CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles.
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Rural Texans, internet providers worry that feds’ broadband expansion plan will have a painfully slow rollout
February 14, 2024
A historic $3.3 billion federal investment in broadband could connect millions of Texans to the internet. But getting the money to the right hands could be a challenge.
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An East Texas school district’s flagpole raises questions about America’s separation of church and state
January 24, 2024
The LaPoynor school district frequently flies a Christian flag, but may not be running afoul of the Constitution because it says students are choosing to raise it.
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“Cascading failures”: Justice Department blasts law enforcement’s botched response to Uvalde school shooting
January 18, 2024
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that had responding officers followed general procedures, some victims would have survived.
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U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar says three migrants are dead near Eagle Pass park after Border Patrol was denied access
January 13, 2024
Texas officers took control over Shelby Park against the city’s wishes on Wednesday and have since blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from entering.
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