Government and Politics

Jeff Davis County Judge Curtis Evans says he "shut down" a construction crew that was working as a subcontractor for Barnard Construction on improving a rugged dirt road that leads to the Rio Grande. Barnard is the Montana firm that was recently awarded nearly $2 billion to build border walls in the Big Bend region.

Even as policymakers and athletic administrators say the new era of student-athlete compensation has thrown a wrench into college sports, it’s hard to get information about how much public universities are paying their players.

The City of Lubbock recently launched new performance metrics on its website, providing data, goals, and progress updates from various departments. Our Samantha Larned reports more changes are coming to the city's website later this month. Included in Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows' priorities for House committees is studying the “constitutional, statutory, fiscal, and economic implications” of bringing New Mexico border counties to the state of Texas. Experts say it's possible, but would require consent from various governing bodies.

The lawsuit alleges Texas' use of a federal immigration database to review voter eligibility could have put eligible voters at risk.

The Trump administration has delayed billions of dollars for projects to protect Americans from floods, wildfires and hurricanes. Local leaders are increasingly anxious.

The Republican speaker’s interim charges also covered water resources, foreign threats and government accountability.

The influential Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, is underway in Grapevine, Texas. While the annual event draws attendees and speakers from all over, a host of Texans — including Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Paxton and state Sen. Bryan Hughes — are scheduled to speak on Friday.

The 2026 Farm Bill has been approved by the House Agriculture Committee, with expansions on crop insurance and the establishment of new research programs. Next, the bill heads to the full U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for a new topical treatment to combat the spread of New World Screwworm. Texas Public Radio's Marian Navarro explains it's one of many drug and treatments the FDA has recently approved to address the spread of the parasite.

Local officials report that 108 of the cases originated in a contracted detention facility in Hudspeth County.