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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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This newspaper publisher is challenging her fellow Republicans to do better for rural Texas
January 29, 2026
Suzanne Bellsnyder used to work for Republicans in Austin. Now she’s challenging them to do better for rural Texas, where she lives and operates two newspapers and a growing Substack newsletter.
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U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz wants legal status for migrant workers in struggling construction industry
January 05, 2026
South Texas builders said a growing number of ICE arrests at construction sites have made it difficult for work to continue.
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Texas’ newest state park gives visitors a sneak peek ahead of planned 2026 opening
January 02, 2026
Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will be the first to open in North Texas in about 25 years.
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Texas to receive $281 million in federal funds for rural health care
December 29, 2025
Texas will get the biggest portion of the first rollout of the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, which was created in tandem with legislation slashing Medicaid funding.
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Texas Democratic candidates unite in the Rio Grande Valley to court Latino voters
December 18, 2025
State Rep. James Talarico faces an uphill battle in his U.S. Senate bid while 15th Congressional hopeful Bobby Pulido aims to flip the district, but he must first win his primary.
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North Texas community votes against forming a city to regulate a noisy Bitcoin mine
November 05, 2025
Some Hood County residents wanted the same power that cities have to set noise limits, but did not secure enough votes.
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SNAP cutoff could hurt Texas grocers and the rest of the economy, experts say
October 28, 2025
The economic pain will not be felt evenly throughout the state. Poorer urban areas, small towns in South Texas, southeast Texas and West Texas have high rates of residents enrolled in SNAP.
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An East Texas landowner fenced off a community’s favorite fishing spot, igniting multiple legal battles
October 23, 2025
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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A North Texas community will vote to form a city in an effort to quiet down a crypto mine
October 09, 2025
Leaders of the effort say they moved to rural Hood County for its quiet country charm, which was shattered by what locals call “that roar” from the facility.
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Economic boom or environmental disaster? Rural Texas grapples with pros, cons of data centers
October 02, 2025
Local leaders see data centers, which help power the world’s shift to artificial intelligence, as a way to keep their towns open. Residents worry their way of life — and water — is at stake.
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Lawmakers redrew Texas’ congressional districts. See how yours changed.
September 04, 2025
Groups representing Black and Latino voters have filed lawsuits to stop the new maps from going into effect claiming that they discriminate against voters of color.
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“My daughter was stolen from me”: Grieving parents point to Texas camp failures at Capitol hearing
August 20, 2025
Senate Bill 1, which would require more oversight of emergency plans and evacuation procedures at summer camps, was advanced after the emotional hearing Wednesday.
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Texas’ oldest wildlife refuge was set to expand. Then the Trump administration changed course.
August 13, 2025
Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge was set to grow up to 700,000 acres to protect wildlife in West Texas and the Panhandle.
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Top two Kerr County emergency officials say they were asleep as July 4 floods struck
July 31, 2025
Their statements to state legislators marked the first time county officials have spoken publicly about what they were doing the morning of the disaster that killed more than 100 people in the county.
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Texas hospitals, clinics spared the worst of GOP Medicaid cuts. An expected rise in the uninsured rate could change that.
July 24, 2025
Texas clinics, in particular, are worried about their ability to meet patient needs once people begin losing insurance under changes from Republicans’ recent megabill.
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