Federal agents searched four addresses in Midlothian this week, including the S. 9th Street office of West Texas Crude Energy, LLC, an oil and gas development company. The FBI confirmed the operation, which was assisted by Midlothian police detectives and IRS investigators. No arrests were made, and police say there is no active threat to the public. Locations on Wisteria, Eagles Nest and Springer Road were also targeted.

The raids come as the company faces multiple investor lawsuits alleging its oil and gas operations were “a sham.” Court filings claim Texas Railroad Commission records show no active production on any well operated by West Texas Crude. A Springer Road resident who witnessed the activity said he was surprised something of that magnitude could happen in a neighborhood like theirs.

For a historic courthouse town that has grown into a busy DFW exurb, the case raises real questions about how energy companies attract local investors and whether warning signs get caught early enough. The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed. Have you ever invested in an oil and gas deal? What questions did you ask first? Tell us in the comments.

For months, the question hung over the Dallas Wings: what’s the real story between Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd? This week we have the answer. Bueckers confirmed that she and Fudd broke up more than a year ago, long before the Wings selected the former UConn teammates back-to-back at No. 1. Fudd addressed the split first on her podcast, and Bueckers followed up with a message aimed at the rumors swirling around draft night.

That message was simple. Bueckers made clear that Dallas did not draft Fudd to appease her, saying “she was not drafted because she was my girlfriend. She was drafted because she deserved it.” Fudd backed up that claim on the floor, averaging 13.1 points per game as a rookie before right knee surgery ended her season at 30 games. Bueckers added that the two remain friends and remain professional.

The timing matters here. The Wings organization had steered away from the topic for months, even blocking a relationship question at Fudd’s introductory press conference. Now both players have addressed it directly, which clears the air for a franchise building around young talent. What do you think: did the Wings handle this the right way? Let us know in the comments.

For the second year in a row, two Houston-area communities landed in the top five of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Retire list. The Woodlands took fourth and Spring fifth on the 2027 rankings, which evaluated more than 850 cities and surveyed Americans 45 and older. Affordability carried the most weight this year, and Texas’ lack of a state income tax gave both towns an edge over coastal states.

The recognition isn’t just about dollars. Retiree Erika Pratt, who moved to The Woodlands in 1989, co-founded a nonprofit called Aging in Place that gives seniors rides to appointments and hosts social gatherings so neighbors aren’t isolated at home. Parks, trails and tree-lined streets help, but that kind of neighborly infrastructure might be the real secret to a retirement-friendly town.

Waxahachie has plenty of the raw ingredients: a walkable courthouse square, established neighborhoods and a community where people still know each other. As the metroplex keeps growing south, could our town build the same support systems for older residents? What would you want to see here? Let us know in the comments.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive order this week that bars city cooperation with ICE over nonviolent, non-jailable offenses, including traffic stops and citations. Whitmire framed the move simply, saying the city will still pursue immigrants who pose a danger but won’t pull working families into the federal system over minor offenses. His explanation for the timing was even shorter: elections matter. The order lands after Democrats swept Texas races, with Gina Hinojosa defeating Gov. Greg Abbott, and after protests over the federal crackdown in Houston.

The backdrop matters here. An ICE officer was indicted last week for aggravated assault after ramming a man with a car, and ICE relies on roughly 2,600 agreements with local agencies nationwide, many of them in Texas. A city the size of Houston stepping back from that framework is one of the first real tests of how local governments respond to federal enforcement after a major political shift in the state.

For Ellis County, the story isn’t Houston’s alone. Waxahachie and the surrounding towns sit in one of the fastest-growing corridors in North Texas, and questions about the line between local policing and federal enforcement will keep showing up here too. Whether you see this order as a common-sense protection or a political stunt, it’s reshaping a conversation that reaches well beyond Harris County. What do you think: should local police ever contact ICE over a traffic stop?

Governor-elect Hinojosa is making education her first fight. She says her very first act in January will be firing Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, and she’s vowing to end the state’s voucher program, which she calls a scam that sold public schools for parts.

The timing matters. The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program is set to run out of state funding in 2027, meaning lawmakers have to decide whether to refund it or let it sunset. But Hinojosa will be dealing with a Republican-majority Senate that could reject her replacement for Morath, setting up a likely standoff when the session opens in January. The Texas State Teachers Association is praising the new direction, while conservative group Texas Values says it will fight to protect Republican education priorities.

For Waxahachie and Ellis County families, the stakes are local: school budgets, teacher hiring, and the options available to parents all hang on how this plays out in Austin. Whether your kids attend WISD schools or you’re weighing your choices, the outcome will shape education policy for years to come.

Where do you stand? Should the voucher program be renewed, or should lawmakers let it end in 2027? Let us know in the comments.

Flood victims from July’s Hill Country floods finally have an answer on federal help, and this time it’s a yes. FEMA Individual Assistance is now available in 20 Texas counties, including Bexar, Kerr and Uvalde, after Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that the state’s appeal had been approved. FEMA had denied the original request in September. The program covers temporary housing, emergency home repairs and other disaster-related expenses, so anyone who was turned away before should look at it again.

At the same time, recovery crews are thinking about the next flood, not just this one. The San Antonio Botanical Garden’s TREES initiative aims to restore 50,000 native trees along the Guadalupe River, and volunteers planted the first 1,000 Thursday morning in San Antonio. Organizers timed the work so young trees can establish roots before the next flood season. As Katherine Trumble of the Botanical Garden explained, young trees are bendy and often bend and pop back up when high water comes through, though some will need replacing. The effort is expected to continue over five years.

For Waxahachie, it’s a reminder of how much our region depends on watershed health and neighborly follow-through. Whether it’s a courthouse square after a storm or a riverbank under repair, the rebuilding is done by people who show up.

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Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, this year, and several restaurant chains with locations near Waxahachie are picking up the tab for veterans and active-duty military members. The lineup includes Cotton Patch Cafe, Applebee’s, Chili’s, and Texas Roadhouse, each with its own menu, rules, and timing.

Cotton Patch Cafe is the homegrown story here, founded in Nacogdoches in 1989, and it’s offering a free Chicken-Fried Steak or Chicken-Fried Chicken to dine-in guests who show proof of service. Applebee’s is serving a free full-size entrée from its Veterans Day menu and adding a $5 Bounce Back Card for a future visit. Chili’s has a limited free menu, dine-in only, with beverages and gratuity not included. Texas Roadhouse takes a different approach, handing out meal vouchers between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on November 11 that can be redeemed through May 31, 2027.

Before you head out, plan for two things: bring a military ID or proof of service, and call your specific location to confirm it’s participating. Offers can vary from store to store, and several are dine-in only. Ellis County has a strong veteran community, and this is one small way to say thank you.

Know a local restaurant offering a veterans deal we missed? Tell us in the comments.

Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional maps at President Trump’s request, hoping to add as many as five GOP seats and protect their House majority. Tuesday’s results told a different story. Republicans won only one of the five Democratic districts they targeted, while Democrats held South Texas seats with Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, captured the redrawn 35th and 9th districts, and flipped two Republican-held seats. The next Texas delegation will seat 24 Republicans and 14 Democrats, a net gain of one for Democrats.

The outcome undercuts the mid-decade redistricting strategy playing out nationally. Democrats also picked up seats in Ohio and North Carolina despite Republican-drawn maps there. Analysts point to a swing back toward Democrats among Latino voters in Texas, driven by immigration enforcement, inflation and the Iran War. As one observer put it, you could draw lines however you want, but if you’re not addressing the needs of the people within those lines, you won’t win those seats.

For a fast-growing community like Waxahachie, where new neighborhoods are popping up and the county’s politics keep evolving, this story hits close to home. The next map fight and the 2028 cycle are already on the horizon. What issue matters most to you when you cast a vote? Let us know on our social pages.

Texas woke up to a different political map this week. Latino voters shifted sharply toward Democrats in the midterms, and the results followed: James Talarico won the Senate race with about seven in ten Hispanic voters supporting him, Democrats swept every statewide race including the governor’s office, and every House district along the U.S.-Mexico border went blue for the first time since 2008. About a third of Hispanic voters still backed Republicans in local House races, but that’s down from the four in ten who supported Trump in 2024.

The swing wasn’t confined to the border. Every county in Texas voted more Democratic than it did two years ago, with the heaviest movement in heavily Hispanic counties. Younger Latino voters led the charge, moving roughly twenty points toward Democrats, and fourteen new Hispanic Democrats were elected to the House. Voters cited rising prices, government corruption, and frustration with the immigration crackdown as their reasons.

Now the spotlight turns to what gets delivered. One Allentown mayor, a Latino Democrat, said voters saw betrayal from Trump after giving him a chance in 2024, but that Democrats are “on probation.” For communities like ours that are growing and changing fast, that sounds about right. Trust gets earned, and then it gets checked.

Where did you land on this year’s midterms? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Tuesday’s midterms, making her the first Democratic governor of Texas since 1990 and the first Latina to hold the office. The Austin state legislator, 52, ran a campaign centered on public education, concerns about data centers, and lowering costs for families, and she pulled it off despite being outspent by Abbott. At her first news conference, she pledged to build a bipartisan administration and said she will be the governor for all Texans, not just Democrats.

The political map around her has shifted too. Democrat James Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat in the same wave, and Republicans lost the Texas House while keeping control of the Senate. That split Legislature means Hinojosa’s agenda will need compromise to pass. One early sign of that approach: she named a former rural Republican lawmaker who opposed school vouchers to her transition team.

For Waxahachie, the stakes are local. School funding, rules around data centers spreading across Ellis County farmland, and utility costs are all on the table at the state level. A Democrat winning the governor’s office in a state where President Trump carried Texas by double digits in 2024 signals a real shift, and how it plays out will shape the fastest-growing corners of North Texas. What issue would you want the new governor to tackle first?

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice filed for bankruptcy in Texas on Wednesday, listing $3.5 million in debts against $677,054 in personal assets. The filing pulls together the financial fallout from a turbulent two years, most of it centered on a 2024 high-speed crash in Dallas that injured multiple people.

According to the filing, Rice’s largest creditor is owed $979,837 as part of a settlement from that crash. He’s also disputing roughly $700,000 in crash-victim lawsuits and about $200,000 from a former girlfriend who alleged assault. Rice, 26, served 30 days in jail and five years’ probation for the crash, plus another 30 days for a probation violation. The NFL suspended him six games over the crash but did not discipline him over the assault allegations.

On the field, Rice remains in the final year of his rookie contract and has 20 catches for 243 yards and two touchdowns this season. The bankruptcy case now runs alongside his ongoing civil litigation, raising questions about how his next contract, if there is one, gets structured.

What do you think: should pro athletes get mandatory financial counseling before their first big payday? Let us know in the comments.

Driving around Waxahachie, it’s easy to spot a neglected lot or an old property gone quiet and wonder who’s responsible for it. Texas law actually has a name for the idea that someone could claim that land: adverse possession. The concept allows a person to pursue ownership of abandoned or neglected property, but the requirements are far stricter than most people assume. Claimants must fence the property in a way that blocks access and visibility from the road, pay the property taxes, make improvements and obtain color of title, all before the legal work even begins.

From there, the process moves into the courthouse. A claimant has to hire a real estate lawyer, serve court papers on the landowner, draft a trespass to try title petition and file it with the correct county clerk. Photo evidence and an in-person court appearance are required to prove the claim before a judge. Depending on how the land is used and filed, the timeline can stretch anywhere from 3 to 25 years, which is why this path is rarely walked to the finish line.

The article covering this process is upfront about the odds: success is possible, but a claimant’s chances of winning are very small. With growth debates heating up across Ellis County and land constantly changing hands, it’s a useful reminder that even an empty-looking lot almost always has an owner watching out for it. Have you ever noticed an abandoned property around town and wondered about its story? Let us know on our Facebook page.

Holiday meal help is rolling into East Texas this weekend. Credit Union of Texas hosts its second annual turkey drive in Kilgore on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 110 Midtown Plaza. The branch has 300 turkeys and 300 hams set aside, which adds up to 600 free holiday meals for local families while supplies last.

The giveaway is drive-through only and operates first-come, first-served. Drivers should enter from Kilgore Street and follow the signs marked “Turkey Giveaway Entry.” CUTX organized the event alongside local food shelters and nonprofits, and officials are asking anyone traveling near Midtown Plaza Saturday morning to allow extra time for long lines and heavier traffic.

If you don’t need a meal yourself, consider being the messenger. A quick text or share could connect a neighbor to a turkey or ham they wouldn’t have otherwise. Do you know a family who could put one of those 600 meals to good use this Thanksgiving?

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged in October, following a quarter-point increase in September. That pause offers a breather for anyone borrowing in North Texas, though the Fed chair has signaled at least one more hike could come before year’s end. Annual inflation is running at 3.7%, so prices on everyday goods and big-ticket items alike are still climbing faster than most of us would like.

The Texas numbers tell the story. The average credit card balance in the state now sits at $8,394, up 4.2% year over year, ranking 15th nationally. Steven Haynes, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, says defaults are slowly rising and expects any meaningful rate relief to arrive in 2027 at the earliest. Meanwhile, Texas unemployment holds steady at 4.4% and state growth continues to outpace the national rate by 0.8 percentage points.

For families in Waxahachie, the practical advice stays the same: know the interest rate on every balance you carry, pay down the highest one first, and build a little cushion where you can. Whether you’re saving toward a home near the historic courthouse square or just keeping the truck running through football season, the next few months favor planning over waiting.

How has inflation changed the way your household budgets this year? Let us know in the comments or give us a call on the air.

For the first time since 2002, Democrats will control the Texas state House. The flip came as part of a national midterm wave that saw the party take full control of at least five state governments, sweep both Wisconsin legislative chambers, and secure at least 28 governorships heading into 2027, including the Texas governor’s office.

The driving force behind the results? Voters’ wallets. Party leaders and political analysts point to cost of living, inflation and housing as the kitchen-table issues that motivated turnout. As Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Devin Remiker put it, the work now shifts to delivering on those priorities.

That work matters right here in Waxahachie. State government sets tax rates, abortion policy, school funding and housing rules, all of which shape daily life in Ellis County. With divided government now in Austin, expect tougher negotiations, and keep an eye on redistricting fights that could redraw the political map. What’s the top issue you want state lawmakers to tackle in the next session?

White-tailed deer are on the move across East Texas, and November is the reason. It’s the rut, the annual breeding season, and bucks are roaming farther and more unpredictably than usual in search of does. Texas Parks and Wildlife research finds peak breeding averages around November 12 in the southern Pineywoods and November 22 farther north, with most activity packed between October 21 and January 5.

For drivers, that adds up to a real safety concern. TxDOT warns deer movement rises from October through December, especially around dawn and dusk when commutes overlap with peak deer activity. The guidance is straightforward: slow down, scan the roadsides, use high beams when there’s no oncoming traffic, and if a deer appears in your path, brake firmly and stay in your lane. Swerving to avoid a deer often causes a more serious crash than hitting it, and deer usually travel in groups, so one crossing may mean more are behind it.

If you’re driving the rural stretches around Ellis County, especially the two-lane roads between town and the farm roads, give yourself a little extra margin this month. It’s cheap insurance against an expensive and dangerous surprise.

Have you had a close call with a deer on an East Texas road? Share your story in the comments.

Victor Wembanyama turned in the game of his young career on Thursday night, scoring 52 points and hauling in 24 rebounds with eight blocks as San Antonio slipped past Dallas 112-111 for a sixth straight win. He did it while fighting a virus and after rolling his ankle in the fourth quarter, then returning to close it out with two putbacks and a free throw.

The first half alone was a piece of history: 29 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks made him the first player since play-by-play tracking began in 1996-97 to hit those marks in a half. Dallas had a chance at the end, but Kyrie Irving’s 15-footer with three seconds on the clock missed. Afterward, Wembanyama shrugged it off, saying his shots weren’t falling and that he can still do more.

San Antonio opened the season with two losses and hasn’t dropped a game since. It’s the kind of run that makes casual fans start checking box scores every night, even with high school football still owning Fridays around here. So what do you think: is this already the MVP race’s final word, or does the season have more to say? Tell us in the comments.

No. 10 Texas and No. 19 Missouri meet Saturday in Columbia with identical 6-2 records, identical 3-2 SEC marks, and nearly identical stakes: the winner stays in the College Football Playoff hunt, and the loser almost certainly falls out of it. Texas checked in at No. 7 in the first CFP rankings, Missouri at No. 18, so both teams have real ground to protect.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian points to his team’s three wins over current Top 25 opponents as evidence the Longhorns rise to the occasion, but the injury report is a concern. SEC sack leader Colin Simmons headlines a list that includes receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, running back Hollywood Smothers and a pair of defensive backs. Missouri has mirrored that inconsistency, knocking off Florida and Texas A&M and routing Arkansas 34-10, while also blowing a late lead at Mississippi State and falling 31-3 to Ole Miss.

The matchup also carries history: this is Texas’s first trip to Columbia since 2011, and the Longhorns haven’t won there since October 2009. Mizzou’s Ahmad Hardy returned to the field last week after being shot as an innocent bystander outside a Mississippi concert over the summer, giving the Tigers an emotional lift. So who’s your pick Saturday — Texas’s talent or Missouri’s homefield edge?

East Texas knows how to make a mark, and two Guinness World Records set right here in our corner of the state have never been broken. In 2019, Adam Sandoval organized 3,497 bikers at Cox Field airport in Paris, Texas. Riders came from across the country and Canada for a three-mile parade that raised $50,000 for Motorcycle Missions, a nonprofit supporting veterans and first responders living with PTSD. The record still stands, and so does the impact of that ride.

Grand Saline earned its own spot in the record books on November 13, 2010, during the Great American Peanut Butter Festival. The town assembled a 1,342-pound peanut butter and jelly sandwich — 720 pounds of bread, 493 pounds of peanut butter, and 129 pounds of jelly. That’s a lot of spreading, and nobody has come close since.

Texas holds plenty of other records worth bragging about, from the largest cowboy boots in San Antonio to the largest Bowie knife in Bowie, the largest belt buckle, and the Wuensche family’s 44 Texas Tech graduates. These stories are a reminder that small towns and proud families are often the ones making history.

What record do you think Waxahachie could set? Tell us in the comments.

The FBI’s Dallas Field Office has released the results of Operation Summer Heat 2.0, a violent crime initiative that ran from June 1 to September 20 and resulted in 186 arrests across North Texas. Agents also identified or located 49 child victims during the four-month operation, a figure that speaks to the protective side of this kind of enforcement work.

Beyond the arrests, authorities seized 121 illegal firearms, 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl, and 33 kilograms of cocaine. The operation produced 169 indictments and 71 convictions, reflecting coordinated work between federal agents and local law enforcement partners across the region. For communities in Ellis County and the surrounding area, the takeaway is that these cases are often worked jointly, with local police and county deputies supporting federal efforts.

For Waxahachie and the broader exurb corridor, where rapid growth has brought new public safety challenges, operations like this one highlight how federal resources filter down to the local level. The fentanyl seizures alone represent meaningful risk removed from North Texas communities. The child victim recoveries represent something even harder to quantify.

What do you think is the most important outcome from this operation: the arrests, the drug seizures, or the child victim recoveries? Let us know in the comments.

Toys R Us has an official opening date for its Broadway Square Mall location in Tyler: Friday, November 6. A reporter stopped by the mall and confirmed the date with the district manager while construction crews were still arranging displays and merchandise inside the storefront. That means East Texas families get a new toy shopping option just as the holiday season kicks into gear.

One detail worth knowing before opening weekend: this location is smaller than the Toys R Us stores many shoppers remember from childhood. The chain’s comeback format scales down the classic big-box experience, but for local families it also means a shorter drive than heading into the metroplex for holiday toy runs.

The return lands at a good moment for Broadway Square Mall and for parents working through Christmas lists early this year. Expect opening weekend to draw a crowd from across the region, especially with the nostalgia factor running high. Will you be there on day one, or are you waiting for the rush to settle down?

Diesel prices across Texas are running about $2.10 higher per gallon than this time last year, and school districts are feeling it where it hurts: the transportation budget. Down in San Antonio, North East ISD is spending $30,000 to $50,000 a week fueling its 205 buses, and it has already used more than half its transportation budget with over half the school year still ahead. Northside ISD locked in diesel at $4.46 a gallon through a statewide co-op and still expects to exceed its fuel budget by $1 million.

Districts are responding with practical changes. Austin ISD eliminated neighborhood bus routes for high schoolers and set up student walk-to bus hubs. San Antonio-area districts are cutting bus idling, including band programs waiting with the AC running. Fuel hedging and co-op rates help, but as Northside’s numbers show, they don’t make a district immune to a price spike this steep.

The ripple effects matter here in Ellis County, where growth debates and school budgets already compete for attention. When fuel eats a bigger share of transportation money, districts face hard choices between routes, programs, and classrooms, and taxpayers ultimately foot the bill. Have your local district’s bus routes or schedules changed this year? Tell us what you’re seeing.

Tuesday’s midterms delivered the biggest shakeup in state government power since 2010, and Texas sat right at the center of it. Democrats won control of the Texas state House for the first time since 2002 and will hold at least 28 governorships in 2027, with pickups in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas. They also flipped both chambers in Wisconsin, ending a 16-year Republican majority, and broke or prevented supermajorities in nine chambers across eight states.

Analysts say the wave was fueled by anger over the cost of living, inflation and housing affordability. Rice University political science professor Mark Jones credited President Trump’s policies as the driving force, while Democratic leaders leaned on a simple message: now it’s time to deliver. State lawmakers set policy on the things closest to home, from property taxes and school funding to housing and utility costs, which is why a change in Austin matters on every Main Street in Ellis County.

So what happens next? Redistricting math changes, committee chairs change, and the growth debate here in one of the fastest-growing corners of North Texas gets a new set of players. We’ll keep following how it all shakes out at the Capitol. What’s the first issue you want the new Texas House to take up? Let us know.

Texas has a new agriculture commissioner, and the result marks something the state hasn’t seen since 1994: a Democrat winning a statewide office. Clayton Tucker, a rancher from Lampasas, defeated Republican Nate Sheets, the honey company founder who had upset incumbent Sid Miller in the primary earlier this year.

The race took some unusual turns. After losing the primary, Miller wrote an essay discouraging voters from supporting Sheets while not going so far as to endorse Tucker. Through it all, Tucker kept his campaign focused on data centers, arguing that water, farmland, property rights, and rural communities need protection from unchecked corporate expansion. That argument carried particular weight across fast-growing counties like ours.

For Waxahachie and the surrounding rural stretches of Ellis County, the result matters beyond party lines. The next agriculture commissioner will oversee the state office that touches farming, ranching, and rural interests, and the debate over data centers isn’t fading. What’s your take on growth and water here in Ellis County? Let us know in the comments.