Texas election officials say the massive backlog of voter registration applications is finally cleared, and the timing could not be tighter. Early voting starts Monday, and until this week, hundreds of thousands of registrations were still sitting unprocessed because of a software glitch at the Department of Public Safety that began last October.

The problem was simple to describe and brutal to fix. When Texans registered at DPS offices, those records were supposed to flow to their home counties. The glitch stopped that from happening. Harris County alone had more than 75,000 delayed applications and brought in temporary workers to get through them. The Secretary of State’s office now says no county has pending applications, and provisional ballots remain available at polling locations as a safety net.

What is still missing is a full explanation. The state hasn’t detailed how a glitch ran for nearly a year without being caught, and voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit while U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla pressed Governor Abbott for answers. For voters here in Ellis County, the practical move is simple: confirm your registration status before Monday, especially if you registered at a DPS office in the past year. Have you checked yours yet?

James Talarico brought his U.S. Senate campaign to San Marcos on Thursday, making his closing argument as the race against Republican Ken Paxton enters its final weeks. What looked like a long shot earlier this year now has national attention, thanks in part to a jaw-dropping $64 million fundraising quarter that his campaign calls a record for a Senate candidate. Paxton, meanwhile, has the Senate Leadership Fund spending more than $124 million on ads promoting him, a sign that national Republicans are not taking this race for granted either.

Paxton’s impeachment by the Texas Legislature over corruption questions, followed by his acquittal, remains a central issue for voters. Talarico’s campaign has leaned into that history, while also dealing with its own curveball this month: the candidate was out of public view for nine days with the flu, which sparked a wave of online conspiracy theories before he returned to the trail.

For voters here in Ellis County and across Texas, the stakes stretch well beyond state lines. This race could determine which party controls the Senate during President Trump’s final two years in office. A Republican state like Texas turning blue would be a political earthquake, and both sides are spending like they know it. So what do you think: is Texas really in play this November, or does it stay red when the votes are counted?

Most of us have one: a cabinet, a drawer, or a shoebox holding prescription bottles from a surgery, a rough winter, or a medication someone stopped taking. Keeping them feels harmless, but unused medicine is a leading source of accidental poisoning in kids and a temptation for anyone who shouldn’t be taking it.

The safest option for most medicines is taking them to an authorized take-back location or using a prepaid mail-back envelope. If you have to throw them in the trash, mix the pills with coffee grounds, dirt, or cat litter so they’re less appealing, and never crush tablets or capsules. Flushing is only for drugs on the FDA Flush List, and only when a take-back option isn’t available. Before any bottle goes in the trash, black out your name and prescription details.

If you’ve been putting this off, put it on the calendar. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, October 24, and drop-off sites across the area will be ready to take unused medication off your hands. Whether you’re in Waxahachie, Midlothian, Red Oak, or anywhere else in Ellis County, a quick call to your pharmacy or local law enforcement office will point you to the nearest drop-off.

When’s the last time you actually went through your medicine cabinet?

Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 a.m. across Texas, and county clerks are treating security as the headline of this cycle. In Travis County, voting equipment moves in sealed carriers with logged numbers, and deliveries require two people every time. Ballot scans travel on secure USB drives. Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado said election security stays front of mind in everything her office does.

Other counties are taking their own steps. Bexar County ran security training for poll workers after a 2024 assault at a polling site. Dallas County is placing extra scanners and tabulators at every early voting location to catch technical problems before they slow anyone down. Travis County alone is opening 201 polling locations this year, a record for the county.

For voters here in Ellis County and around Waxahachie, the practical takeaway is simple: check your polling location before Monday, bring your photo ID, and expect busy sites as our corner of the metroplex keeps growing. Workers at those tables are neighbors, and a little patience keeps things moving. Where are you planning to vote this year, and do you go early or wait for Election Day?

Zilker Park is closed for maintenance after another Austin City Limits Music Festival, and this year the damage is drawing more attention than usual. Heavy rain during the festival’s first weekend left the Great Lawn in rough shape, and crews are now assessing how much work needs to be done before the park can fully reopen.

Austin City Council member Ryan Alter took to social media to push for changes. He called the Great Lawn a public asset that must be available for everyone after the festival, and said he’s told both C3 and city staff that something needs to change to prevent further damage. The city’s contract with C3 keeps ACL at Zilker through 2040, with the organizer paying $103,500 annually plus a share of ticket revenue directed to the Austin Parks Foundation. Parks and Recreation Director Jesús Aguirre says sections of the park will reopen as work allows, with the Great Lawn expected to follow a timeline similar to previous years.

For longtime Austin residents, this is a familiar cycle: festival comes in, park shuts down, grass slowly comes back. But with the contract locked in for another 15 years and a council member publicly calling for reform, the conversation about balancing major events with public green space is getting louder. What do you think? Should ACL change its setup to protect the Great Lawn, or is this just the cost of hosting a world-class festival?

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa accepted a one-hour debate invitation for Wednesday in Fort Worth, and she sent a memorandum proposing the event move outside the governor’s mansion at 10 a.m. Governor Greg Abbott has not responded to either offer, leaving an open question of whether Texas will hold any statewide general election debate this cycle. On the Senate side, State Representative James Talarico has asked Attorney General Ken Paxton for a debate, and so far, nothing is on the schedule.

Political science professors watching this race call the statewide silence unusual. Debate planning usually takes months, and with early voting starting Monday, organizers say it is already too late to put one together this week. That leaves voters comparing candidates through ads, mailers, and coverage instead of a live, unscripted forum.

Here in Waxahachie, local races are still doing forums and meet-and-greets across Ellis County. Candidates are showing up at the courthouse square, the fairgrounds, and neighborhood events. The contrast with the top of the ticket is hard to miss. What do you think: should Texas candidates be required to debate before voters head to the polls?

Texas and Florida meet Saturday in Austin with both seasons hanging in the balance. The Longhorns dropped to No. 7 after falling to unranked Oklahoma, a game where Arch Manning threw two fourth-quarter interceptions. Florida arrives after a 38-19 home loss to South Carolina and may be without starting quarterback Aaron Philo, who is questionable with a shoulder injury.

There’s more on the line than rankings. Florida beat Texas last year in a loss that helped keep the Longhorns out of the playoff, and Manning has said it left a bad taste in his mouth. Both teams are dealing with the same problems: shaky pass protection, defensive lapses, and special teams disasters. Texas has allowed a punt return touchdown and a blocked punt touchdown in the last two games, while Florida ranks last in the SEC in total defense.

Kickoff from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is set for Saturday, and for Waxahachie folks making the drive down I-35, expect heavy traffic and a packed campus. For everyone else, it’s a rare chance to watch two blue-blood programs fight for their season in October. So who do you have winning Saturday, the Longhorns or the Gators?

TSMC, the Taiwanese company that manufactures the most advanced computer chips in the world, says it is exploring investments in Texas to expand U.S. production. The news came alongside a record quarterly net profit of $24 billion, up 69% from a year ago, driven almost entirely by demand for AI hardware. CEO C.C. Wei confirmed the company sent teams to Texas for site evaluation and said talks are underway about joining Elon Musk’s planned Terafab complex, with one firm condition: any Texas plant would be run by TSMC. Musk has said he intends to build and operate the fab, with TSMC potentially subleasing space inside it.

The bigger picture stretches well beyond one building. TSMC already committed $265 billion to plants in Arizona and has set a 2026 capital budget of up to $64 billion. The company also cautioned that rising component prices and broader economic uncertainty could weigh on business heading into 2027. Still, TSMC supplies Nvidia and Apple, and its expansion choices shape where the country’s tech supply chain actually lives.

For North Texas, that makes this a growth story with real stakes. This region is already one of the fastest-growing corridors in the country, and a semiconductor campus anywhere nearby would bring suppliers, payroll, housing demand, and traffic along with it. Nothing is decided yet, and TSMC hasn’t named a site or a timeline.

Would you support a chip manufacturing campus in our area, or would you rather see this kind of development land farther out? Tell us in the comments.

Bruno’s Pizza & Pasta has been a Tyler staple since 1976, and this week the Rumbelow family is celebrating 50 years of homemade pizza and Italian dishes. The milestone party runs October 15 and 16, 2026 at 15770 FM 2493, with Happy Hour specials from 4 to 6 p.m. both days, plus giveaways, door prizes, and plenty of Bruno’s favorites on hand.

The centerpiece for a lot of fans is a Facebook page contest with free pizza for a year on the line. Fifty years is rare for any restaurant, and even rarer for one that’s stayed family-owned the whole way. Rising food costs and new competition have closed plenty of local spots, but Bruno’s keeps showing up for East Texas.

Whether it’s a Friday night tradition or somewhere you haven’t visited in years, this week is the moment to head back and wish them another fifty. What’s your favorite dish at Bruno’s? Let us know in the comments.

Texas residents can apply to any public college or university in the state without paying an application fee through Sunday, October 18. The annual Texas Free College Application Week, which runs October 12–18, requires every public institution in the state to waive admission application fees for residents. That includes community colleges, state universities, and the larger flagship schools, and it covers undergraduate programs: bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, and certificate programs.

Applying is straightforward. Head to apply-texas.org, create an account, and submit a single application to the school you’re interested in. The waiver isn’t just for high school seniors either. First-time students, transfer students, and working adults returning to finish a degree or pick up a certificate all qualify. For families in Waxahachie watching every dollar, and for adults who’ve been meaning to go back, it removes a real upfront cost at a moment when every dollar counts.

The deadline is Sunday, October 18 at 11:59 p.m. Once the clock runs out, application fees return to normal, so there’s no stretching this into next week. If you know a senior at Waxahachie High, a neighbor thinking about a nursing certificate, or you’ve been putting off your own application, this is the week to hit submit. Who in your life needs a nudge to finish that application before Sunday night?

Texas Free College Application Week is underway, and Waxahachie families have until Sunday, October 18 to take advantage of waived undergraduate application fees at public colleges and universities across the state. Applications must be submitted through ApplyTexas by 11:59 p.m. Central Time that night.

The waiver covers public universities, community colleges, and state technical colleges for Texas residents. It applies to high school seniors, first-time students, transfer students, and even some adults considering a return to school. With fees typically running $50 or more per application, families applying to multiple schools can save hundreds of dollars in a single weekend. More than 260,000 applications were submitted during last year’s event.

One important note: the waiver covers the application fee only. Tuition, textbooks, fees, and housing are not included, and grad school applications don’t qualify. Also, starting an application isn’t enough. It has to be submitted by the Sunday night deadline. Local high school counselors and college admissions offices can help if you run into questions.

Are you planning to take advantage of free application week, or has your family already sent one in? Let us know on our Facebook page.

The Congressional Leadership Fund is canceling $3 million in planned ads against Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, a retreat that suggests Republicans may be souring on their chances in Texas’ 28th Congressional District. The district was redrawn to favor Republicans and Donald Trump carried it by roughly 10 points in 2024, which makes the decision to pull that much money a notable signal about what GOP pollsters are seeing on the ground.

Cuellar is seeking a 12th term and leans hard on his seat on the Appropriations Committee, arguing that position is what delivers federal dollars to South Texas. His opponent, Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, counters that most of that money comes from grants that cities and counties secure themselves and that Cuellar simply claims credit after the fact. The race also carries the unusual wrinkle of Cuellar’s bribery indictment, which he denied, followed by a pardon from Trump.

What makes this one worth watching from up here in Ellis County is the bigger question underneath it. Cuellar argues that down-ballot Democrats outperformed Kamala Harris in Hispanic-majority counties, meaning the redrawn map may not deliver the way Republicans expected. If he’s right, that has implications well beyond one border district. Does redistricting actually change how people vote, or do they just vote for the name they know?

The State Fair of Texas made a bet this year that cheaper meant busier. Midway ride prices dropped by just over 17% on average, parking and admission came down, and a new $10 kids’ ticket is available every day of the run. There’s also a new Little Lone Stars zone built for children 8 and under, with rides priced for smaller budgets. Even the folks running the Midway said the vendors agreed they could make it work.

The early returns are complicated. Attendance fell by more than 365,000 people from 2024 to 2025, and that’s after the fair topped 2 million visitors two years in a row. Four days remain before the gates close, and final attendance figures won’t be released until after that. Lower prices clearly didn’t flip the trend overnight, though the final weekend could still close the gap.

It’s worth remembering what’s riding on this for communities like ours. The State Fair is a nonprofit, and the money it takes in goes back out through scholarships, youth livestock programs, and grants across Texas, Ellis County included. A strong fair year isn’t just a Dallas story. It’s a Texas story.

So what do you think: would cheaper tickets and rides get your family to Fair Park, or is the cost of the whole trip still too much? Let us know.

A new WalletHub study places Texas 48th out of 50 on its list of the safest states, and emergency preparedness is one of the reasons why. The ranking lines up with NOAA data showing Texas leads the country in billion-dollar natural disaster events, and the greater Houston region has weathered 28 disasters over the past 45 years. It’s a sobering picture that has Houston-area organizations pushing for a coordinated statewide readiness plan.

“If we take those steps now before a storm makes landfall, then we put the community in a much better place,” said Mary Vazquez, vice president and chief impact officer at United Way of Greater Houston, whose organization formed the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance to coordinate disaster response. The message from readiness advocates is direct: you can’t always rely on FEMA or the federal government to show up right away, so every household needs its own plan.

Here in Waxahachie, we’ve got our own list of weather threats. Spring floods, roof-shredding hail, summer heat waves, and winter ice storms that shut down roads across Ellis County. The good news is that preparing doesn’t take much. Bottled water, non-perishable food, flashlights, batteries, medications, and a plan for pets and older family members can carry you through the first three days of a crisis. The 2-1-1 Texas Help Line is available 24 hours a day for disaster assistance and questions.

What’s the one item you keep meaning to add to your emergency kit but haven’t yet? Tell us in the comments.

Three seasons, a 256-229 record, and two AL West titles weren’t enough to save Joe Espada’s job. The Houston Astros announced Wednesday that they will not renew the 51-year-old manager’s expiring contract. The move lands days after the White Sox came into Minute Maid Park and swept Houston out of the Wild Card round at home.

It came at the end of a genuinely strange season. The Astros won the division at 81-81, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball history to reach the postseason without a winning record. Injuries tested this roster all summer, and Espada kept the clubhouse steady enough to win the West anyway. Five coaches are also leaving, including third base coach Tony Perezchica. Bench coach Omar Lopez was offered a new role on staff, and pitching coach Josh Miller was retained.

The bigger picture: Houston is now searching for both a manager and a general manager, after Dana Brown was fired back in August. Ownership thanked Espada for his passion and the way he represented the organization and the city. That leaves fans around Ellis County with a real debate on their hands. Was one short playoff series enough to justify a full reset?

The Astros are looking for a fresh voice in the dugout. Do you think Espada got a fair shake? Let us know on our Facebook page.

If your fall or holiday travel plans include a flight out of DFW, your parking budget needs a second look. The airport raised rates on October 1, and the new numbers add up fast. Terminal parking now costs $37 a day with a TollTag and $40 by credit card. Remote parking is $14 with a tag and $16 by card, and even a short drop-off of 8 to 30 minutes runs $1 to $3. Meeter/Greeter parking and the International Parkway passthrough went up as well.

Airport officials say the increases reflect inflation, higher material and labor costs, and the major road and terminal construction projects underway. Not everyone is convinced. Rideshare driver Todd Engles told Spectrum Local News the credit card rates have tripled his costs, and he questions the spending when the roads themselves remain rough for drivers making airport runs.

The good news for anyone driving up from Waxahachie: booking your parking online in advance can save you around 50 percent. Before you head to the terminal, compare the TollTag price against the credit card price and lock in a spot ahead of time. With holiday travel season coming, those few minutes of planning could cover dinner out on the square. Have you changed how you get to DFW because of the new rates?

Fall finally shows up this weekend across East Texas. After a Wednesday in the low 90s, temperatures slide to around 70 by Saturday with no rain in the forecast, which sets up just about perfect conditions for the region’s biggest fall traditions.

The 89th annual Yamboree takes over Gilmer Wednesday through Saturday with a queen’s coronation, carnival, and street dances. In Tyler, the 93rd Texas Rose Festival runs Thursday through Sunday. Longview gets the 10th annual ETBG Homebrew Festival Saturday from noon to 4, and thirteen East Texas haunted houses are already open, each with its own days and hours.

Friday night brings the matchup a lot of people have circled: Winnsboro (6-0) at Malakoff (7-0). One team leaves with its first loss. With cooler air and clear skies, it is a great night to be in the stands.

Which one is on your calendar, the Yamboree, the Rose Festival, or Friday night football? Let us know.

House Speaker Mike Johnson was in South Texas on Tuesday, campaigning for Republican attorney Eric Flores in his bid to unseat Democratic Congressman Vicente Gonzalez in Texas’ 34th District. The race is one of a handful nationwide that could determine which party controls the U.S. House, and both sides are treating it like a priority.

The district’s boundaries changed this cycle. Republicans shifted it away from part of Hidalgo County along the border and toward more Republican-leaning territory around Nueces County, where Trump would have won by roughly 10 points in 2024. Even so, Gonzalez, a moderate who has served since 2017, narrowly won reelection that same year. He’s campaigning on his Corpus Christi ties and his record on infrastructure, healthcare and border security, arguing he stayed ahead of the border issue while his party struggled with it.

The wild card is whether Republican gains with Hispanic voters hold. The district remains Hispanic-majority, and a political science professor at Del Mar College says Trump’s support in that community may be eroding. If that’s true, the redrawn map may not deliver the way Republicans expect.

What’s your read: does a redrawn map decide a race like this, or do local roots still win out? Let us know in the comments.

Two Texas laws passed in 2025 raised property tax exemptions for homeowners 65 and older, adding $60,000 to the total homestead exemption and $30,000 to the school property tax exemption. For seniors on fixed incomes, that’s meaningful relief on what is often the largest bill a homeowner pays each year. Texas already ranks seventh nationally for highest property taxes, according to the Tax Foundation, so every exemption adjustment hits household budgets in a big way.

The catch is how property taxes work. Those dollars fund schools, roads, fire protection and county services here in Ellis County. When one group of homeowners pays less, the rest of the tax base typically covers more. Critics like the nonprofit Texas Policy Research argue the cuts shift the burden onto younger homeowners. Seniors like Lucille North say the relief helps, but rising food, gas and medical costs still outpace the savings. Working-age homeowners like Nathaniel McLean support helping seniors but worry about affording their own homes as costs climb.

This isn’t an abstract debate. It’s playing out in neighborhoods all over Waxahachie, where gingerbread Victorians sit blocks from brand new subdivisions. Whether you’re retired or raising a family, the question is the same: how do we keep our community funded without leaving anyone behind?

What do you think, Waxahachie? Should Texas keep expanding senior exemptions, or is it time to rethink how we pay for local services?

A Houston man is recovering from surgery after being struck by a vehicle during an immigration enforcement encounter on Saturday, and Harris County’s top prosecutor says the surveillance video raises serious criminal questions. District Attorney Sean Teare says the footage shows 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernandez and another person jumping from a white truck and running before a dark SUV pursues and hits him. Parra Hernandez suffered a broken leg that required surgery. Teare told reporters the most obvious potential charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, meaning the vehicle itself would be treated as the weapon.

ICE disputes that account. A Houston spokesperson said Parra Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle as officers attempted to apprehend him. Teare also says ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have not cooperated with his office’s investigation, a detail that matters because Houston prosecutors already investigated a fatal ICE shooting in July that killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

For those of us in Ellis County, this is a Houston story with a broader question inside it: when a local district attorney says federal agents won’t answer his questions, who ultimately holds them accountable? That debate is only getting louder across Texas, and we want to hear from you. What should happen when a local prosecutor and a federal agency tell two completely different stories? Sound off in the comments.

East Texas is getting its first Dave & Buster’s, and the Tyler location now has a tentative opening date: March 1, 2027. The incoming general manager confirmed the target in a recent interview, putting the finish line in sight for a project that’s been on plenty of local wish lists.

The venue will be a one-story, 30,000-square-foot building at 8930 S. Broadway Ave., Suite 220, directly across the parking lot from Studio Movie Grill. That means dinner, games, and a movie are all within walking distance of each other, a setup that’s been missing in this part of the state. Until now, anyone craving the full Dave & Buster’s experience had to make the drive to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

For job seekers, there’s a date to note sooner than the opening itself. Hiring is expected to begin in mid to late January, covering everything from front-of-house and kitchen roles to game technicians and management. Applications typically move quickly for new locations, so it pays to be ready right after the holidays.

Would you make the trip to Tyler for the grand opening, or are you waiting for something even closer to home?

Texas alcohol laws aren’t one set of rules. They’re dozens of them, layered on top of each other, and they change the moment you cross a county line. The confusion traces back to the dry county era, when local voters decided town by town whether alcohol could be sold. Some counties stayed completely dry, some allowed beer and wine but not liquor, and some split the difference precinct by precinct. Plenty of those decisions are still on the books today.

Here’s what the state actually controls. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission bans liquor store sales on Sundays and limits store hours to 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Everything else is up to your city or county. That’s why Smith County only started allowing beer and wine store sales in the early 2010s, and why towns like Troup, Arp and Winona have since approved liquor sales while Tyler still hasn’t. Bars and restaurants play by their own clocks too, which is how Tyler ends service at midnight Sunday through Friday while Longview keeps pouring until 2 a.m. daily.

For those of us here in Waxahachie, the takeaway is simple. What’s legal a few miles up the road might not be legal here, and vice versa. The TABC website has a county-by-county guide if you ever want the exact answer for your address. Have you ever crossed a county line for a beer run? Sound off in the comments and tell us where you went.

Texas voters in nine counties will decide on 50 local ballot measures this November, and the deadlines are closer than they look. Early voting runs Monday, October 19, through Friday, October 30, with Election Day on Tuesday, November 3. Mail-in ballot applications must be received by Friday, October 23.

The measures cover a wide range of issues, from marijuana possession and Flock license plate cameras to homelessness, school funding, parks and water infrastructure. Harris County has the most with 20 propositions, followed by Travis County with 12, Dallas County with seven and Collin County with five. Bexar County voters will consider extending the Pre-K 4 SA sales tax for up to 20 years, Lubbock County weighs school district maintenance and operations funding, and Webb County voters could expand pediatric hospital services.

Even though Waxahachie sits outside those counties, the decisions made next door will shape the region for years, especially on property taxes and school funding. SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson says the big question is how voters balance keeping taxes low against funding schools and recreational infrastructure. Want to know what’s on your specific ballot? Check with the Ellis County elections office before you head to the polls.

What local issue matters most to you this election season?

When you launch a boat onto Toledo Bend or Lake Tawakoni, you’re floating over more than water. Both reservoirs swallowed real communities, and in some cases, the history is still remarkably well documented. Take Fairdale, a farming and lumber settlement in Sabine County. By 1914 it had a post office, several stores, and about 75 residents. The timber played out, the population dropped to roughly 50 by the 1920s, and the last store closed in 1959. When Toledo Bend Reservoir filled in and covered most of the area by 1968, Fairdale stopped being a place you could drive to.

Lake Tawakoni holds its own buried story. Early settler James H. Hooker established a homestead along the Sabine River back in the 1840s. More than a century later, Iron Bridge Dam was completed in 1960, and that homestead site went under the lake. Texas Parks and Wildlife points out everything these reservoirs give us today: water supply, flood control, and recreation that draws folks from all over the DFW area, Waxahachie included.

So the next time you’re out on the water, remember that the fishing is only part of it. Underneath the surface sit front porches, storefronts, and family land. For anyone who grew up around here, that’s about as local as history gets.

Have you ever heard family stories about land lost to a Texas reservoir? Tell us in the comments.

Diesel prices across Texas have been climbing to record levels, and now President Trump has signed an executive order that lets tax-exempt dyed diesel be used on public highways through the end of 2026. He also posted on Truth Social about working with Russia to bring more oil to market and push prices down. Dyed diesel is normally reserved for off-road use like tractors and farm equipment, which is why it’s never carried the federal highway tax.

The catch is in the wording. The Texas Farm Bureau points out the tax is deferred, not eliminated, so buyers who fill up cheap today could face a bill down the road. Spokesperson Gary Joiner says folks should weigh the upfront savings against that future tax payment. Meanwhile, the Texas Trucking Association says the benefit for big rigs is limited, because the red dye can contaminate fuel systems and trigger inspections, and cleaning out those tanks costs real money.

Local growers and haulers like Anthony and Adam Gola say they’re already taking advantage of the lower price, but they’re bracing for cleanup costs once the order expires. For Ellis County families, the real question is whether this actually lowers what you pay at the pump or just rearranges the timeline. What do you think: is deferred relief still relief? Sound off in the comments.