This East Texas town hasn’t held a city council election in at least 18 years
In Kennard, City Council members have been appointed after previous members retired or died. Full Story
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Jess Huff joined the Tribune in 2023 and is based in Lufkin, Texas. She grew up in Utah and has also lived in Arizona and the Netherlands. Her latest adventure brought her to East Texas where she worked for The Lufkin Daily News, leading the publication to numerous awards for investigative reporting in the region. Jess attended Northern Arizona University on a debate scholarship and fell in love with the journalism program after a course on alternative storytelling devices. Her work has been published in the Arizona Daily Sun, The Associated Press, The Lufkin Daily News, Capital & Main and a number of local outlets across Texas.
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![Donald Lamb Sr., a member of Kennard’s city council, poses for a portrait outside of City Hall following a city council meeting in Kennard on April 8, 2024. The city of Kennard recently canceled its city council elections for at least the 18th time.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
A Texas landowner can sue the state for flood damage to his property, U.S. Supreme Court rules
Richie DeVillier, who owns land east of Houston, said the state owes him damages for constant flooding after Texas made changes to Interstate 10 near his property. Full Story
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![An abandoned car sits in floodwaters in a residential neighborhood in Beaumont September 5, 2017, 11 days days after Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas Coast. Thousands of residents continue to live in shelters almost two weeks after the storm.]()
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Cities across the U.S. are abandoning bus stations. This East Texas town is embracing its bustling depot.
Longview officials saw an opportunity to invest in mass transit after one of the nation’s largest busing companies pulled out. Full Story
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![Curtavion Saunders exits a Greyhound bus at the Sidney Bell Willis Transit Facility, on Wednesday March 13, 2024, at Longview's multi-modal transportation center. (Michael Cavazos/Photo)]()
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Texans headed to the polls with a mixture of duty and frustration
Many who voted Tuesday said they weren’t excited about their choices. “Morale feels low,” said one Houston voter. Full Story
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Rick Perry stumps for Speaker Dade Phelan in final days of primary election
Donald Trump endorsed Phelan’s opponent, putting Perry at odds with the former president he served under as energy secretary. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan mingle with supporters during a Get Out the Vote Rally on Thursday, February 29, 2024, in Vidor, Texas. Deep fissures within the Republican Party have placed Phelan as the No. 1 enemy of Texas’ far-right conservatives.]()
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An East Texas town has put strict limits on mobile homes — again
The Huntington City Council has flip flopped twice on a mobile home ordinance since 2020. Full Story
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![Rita Kromer, a longtime resident of Huntington, Texas, lives in a mobile home after losing her traditional brick house in a fire.]()
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Three years after BLM protests gripped nation, a police shooting in Lufkin draws little attention
Texas police killed 141 people last year, according to a database. At least 22, including Aaliyah Anders, were Black. Full Story
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![Lufkin Great Oaks Apartments at 3205 Old Union Road, Lufkin, Texas. Aaliyah Anders, a resident at the complex, was fatally shot by Lufkin police after they responded to her 911 call on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.]()
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From couch surfing to sleeping in a car: What one teen’s story tells us about homelessness in rural Texas
Georgia DeVries, an East Texas 17-year-old, shared her experience living in a car for one month last year on TikTok. Full Story
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![Georgia DeVries, 17, at a Lufkin-area park on Jan. 18, 2024. Teens in rural areas experiencing homelessness like DeVries face a dearth of services available in cities and often go uncounted.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court hears Texas case that could change how states compensate landowners for their property
Landowners east of Houston are seeking compensation from the state after a highway project led to flooding on their properties. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 2022.]()
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Texans will face another election after approving property tax cuts
Voters in Texas’ 50 largest counties will now elect new three members of their respective property appraisal district boards. Full Story
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![The Mueller neighborhood in East Austin on Oct. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune