News

Exclusive Subscriber Content

FUEL SPIKE ADDS PRESSURE ACROSS RURAL TEXAS

News Staff
Thursday, April 9, 2026
The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline in Texas reached $3.77 at the start of April, a 36.1 percent increase from a year ago, according to a SmartAsset analysis of AAA data. The national average is $4.06.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

WHAT NOW, INTERNET

News Staff
Thursday, April 9, 2026
TECH TALK FOR PEOPLE WITH BETTER THINGS TO DOHere's How to Beat It.Somewhere right now, a person is sitting at a keyboard in a foreign country, mildly bored, running a scam kit downloaded off a hacking forum. Not hacked. Not written by him. Downloaded. For free.
The dining area at Dog House Kitchen is coming together this week as work continues ahead of the restaurant’s planned Friday opening in downtown Rotan.r. PHOTO BY JEFF HURT

The dining area at Dog House Kitchen is coming together this week as work continues ahead of the restaurant’s planned Friday opening in downtown Rotan.r. PHOTO BY JEFF HURT

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Doghouse Kitchen to open Friday downtown Rotan

Jeff Hurt |
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Mouths are watering with anticipation, when this Friday business partners Kaleb Messick and Ton Neangrith open the Doghouse Kitchen in the old John’s restaurant building in downtown Rotan after more than a year of renovation work aimed at bringing new life to a longtime local landmark.
Stonewall County Commissioner Gary Myers speaks during a Commissioners Court meeting as officials consider a proposed tax abatement agreement with Crusoe for a planned data center project. PHOTO BY JEFF HURT

Stonewall County Commissioner Gary Myers speaks during a Commissioners Court meeting as officials consider a proposed tax abatement agreement with Crusoe for a planned data center project. PHOTO BY JEFF HURT

Exclusive Subscriber Content

CRUSOE EYES STONEWALL COUNTY FOR MASSIVE AI DATA CENTER

News Staff
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Crusoe Energy Systems, the Denver- based company behind some of the largest artificial intelligence data centers in the country, has filed a formal tax abatement application with Stonewall County for a new data center campus on approximately 3,200 acres near the Flat Top and Greater Swenson ranch...
Fisher County Hospital District CFO Caleb White reviews financial reports with directors during the March meeting, saying he was happy with the balances at the start of the year. PHOTO BY JEFF HURT

Fisher County Hospital District CFO Caleb White reviews financial reports with directors during the March meeting, saying he was happy with the balances at the start of the year. PHOTO BY JEFF HURT

Exclusive Subscriber Content

FISHER COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT FINANCIALLY STRONG AS MEDICARE PRESSURES BUILD

Jeff Hurt |
Thursday, April 9, 2026
The Fisher County Hospital District Board of Directors reviewed financial performance during its March 31 meeting, reporting strong cash reserves and steady early-year revenue while also addressing ongoing challenges tied to reimbursement systems and patient care.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

RURAL TEXAS IS RUNNING OUT OF LAWYERS

News Staff
Thursday, April 2, 2026
House Speaker Dustin Burrows of Lubbock on March 27 issued interim charges directing the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee to examine partnerships with Texas law schools to create training pathways, clinical programs, and loan-repayment incentives aimed at drawing attorneys into underserved rural...
THE WORK IN AUSTIN STARTS NOW

THE WORK IN AUSTIN STARTS NOW

Exclusive Subscriber Content

THE WORK IN AUSTIN STARTS NOW

Suzanne Bellsnyder
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Most folks think the Texas Legislature starts when the gavel drops in January.But if you’ve been around this process long enough, you know better.The real work — the kind that shapes what lawmakers will spend their time on — starts long before session ever begins.
PATRICIA HURT PUBLISHER

PATRICIA HURT PUBLISHER

Exclusive Subscriber Content

WHEN SCRUTINY IS MISTAKEN FOR SPECTACLE

News Staff
Thursday, April 2, 2026
PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVEDr. Brooks Williams is the City Manager of Ferris, Texas, a small city south of Dallas. He holds a Doctorate of Public Administration from Liberty University and brings nearly two decades of leadership experience across the public and private sectors.
Sharing your story

Sharing your story

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Sharing your story

Sue Jane Sullivan
Thursday, April 2, 2026
My daughters gave me a storytelling program as a gift for my recent birthday. It’s set up so that once a week I receive a writing prompt from questions they have created for me to answer. At the end of 52 weeks, a book will be compiled from these stories written over the course of the next year.