Texarkana Gazette
Futurist, panel help launch new TAMUT cent er
TEXARKANA, Texas — The future is not a single destination but a range of possibilities that communities and businesses must study, prepare for and, when possible, help shape, futurist Andy Hines said Tuesday at Texas A&M University-texarkana. Hines,...
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Military says it destroyed Iranian boats trying to steal drone ship
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Tuesday that it opened fire and destroyed two small Iranian boats this week that were trying to steal a drone ship in the waters off Iran, the latest back-and-forth fire in the stalemated war. Capt. Tim Hawkins,...
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Texas Republicans denounce candidate over racist posts
A slew of Texas Republicans have denounced Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad commissioner, for racist social media posts over the weekend about students at the University of Texas at Austin. In a Sunday morning post on X, French...
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House Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump’s $5,000 ‘dividend’ needs congressional approval
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $5,000 to every American adult if his Republican Party maintains control of the House and Senate in the November election needs congressional approval, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday, while...
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Data centers could be a benefit if handled properly, westerman says
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman said Friday that data centers could be a benefit, but only if the companies building them are required to cover the added costs that they create. Data centers have drawn growing opposition over electricity and water use,...
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‘I’m in trouble’
FOREMAN, Ark. — The Rev. Stuart Hoke asked for grace before beginning his presentation Friday morning at Foreman High School. “I get to some sad parts, and I might just tear up. If I do, don’t worry about that. I’m just grieving some of the people...
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25 years later after September 11
TEXARKANA — Lloyd Jackson was like most college students at the time, sitting in class when reports began coming in about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. Students at Henderson State University were giving presentations that morning when news...
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LEES principal shares plan to raise school score
TEXARKANA, Texas — Liberty-eylau Elementary School held a public meeting Tuesday evening to inform the public about the administration’s plan for raising the campus’ accountability score. LEES principal Kiaundra Walker presided over the meeting, which...
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Microburst winds damage Texarkana buildings, trees
TEXARKANA — A weather phenomenon known as a microburst likely caused significant wind damage Monday night, according to the National Weather Service. Winds took down numerous trees and caused power outages near Spring Lake Park in Texarkana, Texas. On...
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Poorest in U.S. can’t find housing even as low-income units sit empty
PORTLAND, Ore. — Mathew Davis, who lives in a homeless shelter in Austin would love an apartment of his own. But with the little money he makes donating blood plasma, even a $450-a-month tiny home with no running water and a communal bathroom would be...
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TTPD sees boon in Flock system; public not so sure
TEXARKANA, Texas — Public criticism aside, automated license plate readers are a valuable “force multiplier” for local law enforcement, according to Texarkana Texas Police Department’s chief. The Police Department began using the Flock Safety system...
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After Abbott’s order limiting Flock system, DPS to continue using it
Gov. Greg Abbott has blocked state agencies from spending money on Flock cameras, but the Texas Department of Public Safety has no apparent plans to stop using its existing roadside surveillance cameras. As police agencies scramble to adjust to the...
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GETTING INTO FORMATION
TEXARKANA, Texas — Liberty-eylau bounced back in dominant fashion Friday night, shutting out Dekalb 48-0 in its home opener at Harris Field. The Leopards scored touchdowns on five of their six first-half possessions, beginning with a 22-yard touchdown...
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‘Our hearts are with the survivors’
Bipin Muktan speaks on the personal impact of the recent flash floods in Nepal during a vigil organized by the Nepalese Student Association on Thursday evening at Texas A&M University Texarkana. The association's representative on the Student...
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Texarkana Arkansas School District installs Junior Magnet Advisory Council
Superintendent Lloyd Jackson cheers on Harmony Academy of Music and the Arts fourth-grader Ariyon Lennox, right, as Harmony fifth-grader Angelo West, left, looks on during the Junior Magnet Advisory Council installation ceremony Tuesday evening at the...
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New salon takes root in College Hill
TEXARKANA, Ark. — A new barbershop and salon has opened in College Hill, bringing hair and nail services to a neighborhood that has seen several businesses close in recent years. The business, Kings & Queens Beauty Bar & Booz, recently opened on July...
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CHRISTUS awards more than $300,000 in grants to nonprofits
TEXARKANA, Texas — Five local nonprofits received a share of more than $300,000 in grants from CHRISTUS Health on Monday. The money was awarded through the CHRISTUS Community Impact Fund to Community Healthcore, Northeast Texas CASA Inc., Harvest...
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NASA’S new telescope on a quest to explore the hidden universe
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’S newest crown jewel blasted off Sunday to hunt for planets around other stars, explore secret dark energy and survey the cosmos like never before. Spacex launched the $4.3 billion Roman Space Telescope shortly after...
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Grave marker for WWII veteran found under local street is mystery for city crews, police officers
TEXARKANA, Texas — A city crew discovered a mystery earlier this summer while repaving a street. The crew was working on repaving Falvey Street in south Texarkana, Texas when they found a grave marker underneath the existing roadway. The name on the...
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Commissioners OK data center land sale, budget, tax rate
NEW BOSTON, Texas — Bowie County commissioners approved the sale of roughly 582 acres for a proposed artificial intelligence data center Friday, despite more than two hours of often heated public questioning over the project, government transparency,...
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‘Too many cases’: Mexico confronts U.S. over deaths of its citizens in ICE custody
MEXICO CITY — As increasing numbers of migrants perish during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has vowed to ramp up pressure on U.S. authorities to investigate the deaths. “There are too many...
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Local fans reflect on late icon Dolly Parton
TEXARKANA — Local fans on Wednesday added their voices to the millions expressing their grief and admiration upon the death of entertainment icon Dolly Parton. Parton, 80, died Tuesday of cancer. Like many around the globe, her fans in Texarkana...
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Dolly Parton, music star, actor and beloved figure who spanned generations, dies at 80
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died in Nashville....
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Social media post moves local skateboarding community to clean up downtown Texarkana
TEXARKANA — Split City Skateboards and members of the community gathered Saturday for a downtown cleanup day. Mason Curtis, lead coordinator for Split City Skateboards, was inspired to organize the cleanup event after a Facebook post. “I saw a...
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Palestinians in Limbo
Palestinians search through a garbage dump for combustible materials to use as fuel for cooking due to a shortage of cooking gas Saturday in Deir al-balah, central Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in tents in Gaza make...
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President Donald Trump announces plan to lower beef prices, but some Republicans are already balking
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration will allow more beef to be temporarily imported into the U.S. without triggering higher tariffs, as he remains under pressure to cut costs and address affordability issues...
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Teen aviation students’ struggles mobilize community
TEXARKANA — A Facebook post has created an outpouring of support for 10 South Texas high school graduates completing their aviation education at Texarkana College. On Aug. 14, aviation director Tyler Poole took to social media to relate the group’s...
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Local resident’s photo to be in a Times Square display
TEXARKANA, Texas — A photo of Texarkana resident Bryson Birl will be publicly shown in New York City on Saturday, Sept. 12, as part of the annual National Down Syndrome Society Times Square Video Presentation. Birl’s photo is among more than 500...
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Hooks residents work to open library
HOOKS, Texas — A community effort is bringing a library back to Hooks, nearly a decade after the town’s previous library closed. The project is being led by a local resident, Emily Thomes, who said the effort began with a desire to provide children...
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Making Waves
Sophomore Cason Hanson takes a breath during a butterfly drill at a Texas High School Tigersharks practice Friday at Texarkana College. Hanson is a swimmer to watch, according to head coach Eric Vogan.
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Texas court order kicks in striking federal rules on silencers, certain guns
A court order that struck down regulations on firearm suppressors and certain guns took effect Thursday after the U.S. Justice Department did not file an appeal before a seven-day deadline set by a federal judge in Texas. The ruling allows people to...
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Issue 3 could give Arkansas side new development tools, experts say
TEXARKANA, Ark. — Arkansas voters will decide this fall whether to amend the state constitution to give the Arkansas Legislature broader authority to create economic development programs, including districts that could help finance projects tied to...
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In surrogacy controversy, court documents give new detail on contract, medical plans for baby
DALLAS — The intended parents of the baby who was born this week in the midst of a multistate surrogacy controversy say they have continuously sought medical opinions and care for the child, according to documents from a Dallas County court. The...
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Meteorologist warns of flash droughts as temperatures climb in the region
TEXARKANA — The dog days of summer are over, but the blistering heat is just be- ginning. Through at least the middle of next week, temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees in the Texarkana area. The heat index on some days could make it feel as...
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Demining and Disposal
Syrian army engineering teams prepare for disposal what they say are Russian-made surface-to-air missiles found in Eastern Ghouta, near Kanaker, southwestern Syria. The new government's engineering teams routinely carry out controlled detonations in...
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U.s.-iran attacks overshadow diplomacy work
ISLAMABAD — A 10th straight day of attacks between the United States and Iran across the Middle East on Tuesday overshadowed diplomatic efforts in Pakistan to salvage an interim ceasefire deal that collapsed. Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni...
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Hazardous Haze
The Statue of Liberty is photographed from the Staten Island Ferry as smoke from wildfires blankets the sky Thursday in New York. Heavy, pungent wildfire smoke darkened skies in the U.S. on Thursday from the Great Lakes to parts of the East Coast,...
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Gov. Sanders, experts discuss lithium industry
TEXARKANA, Texas — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday said Arkansas is positioned to become a national leader in the lithium industry, telling business leaders the state’s deposits could transform its economy while reducing U.S. dependence on...
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Gov. Sanders to visit Texarkana, ‘Capital for a Day,’ today
TEXARKANA, Ark. — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has declared Texarkana to be Arkansas’ “Capital for a Day” today and will make a series of appearances during a visit to the city. Sanders’ “Capital for a Day” program highlights Arkansas cities and brings...
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Activists say county can take some action on data centers
NEW BOSTON, Texas — Residents opposed to local construction of digital data centers had a single message for Bowie County Commissioners on Monday: You are not powerless. Ten people spoke during the public comment period of a regular commissioners’...
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‘We shall not see his likes again.’
After more than three decades in elected office, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died after a “brief and sudden illness” Saturday evening, his office said in a statement. The senior senator's death received an outpouring of reaction from many of the most...
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BEST IN SHOW
“Itzamná,” ceramic art by Mario Mungula of Paris, Texas, is on display at the Texarkana Arts and Humanities Council’s 38th annual Adult Juried Exhibition on Saturday at the Regional Arts Center in Texarkana, Texas. Juror Emily Budd named the piece Best...
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Detainees: ICE shot driver through passenger window
HOUSTON — Three men inside a van who witnessed the fatal shooting of the driver by an immigration officer in Houston said the Mexican man was shot through a passenger window and that the officer was never threatened, a lawyer who has spoken with them...
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Nominees address data center opponents
TEXARKANA, Texas — During a meeting of more than 100 grassroots activists Thursday, the nominees for Texas House District 1 set aside partisanship to voice alarm about digital data centers planned for the area and call for a pre-election special...
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An uphill climb?
TEXARKANA, Ark. — The city’s recent rezoning of land to allow a convenience store on Dudley Street signals a step to breathe new life into the College Hill neighborhood. Over the past year, East Street, the neighborhood’s thoroughfare, has seen the...
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Library grant to pay for comics, manga
TEXARKANA, Texas — The Texarkana Public Library soon will grow its collection of manga, comics and graphic novels, thanks to a grant from the 2026 Texas Book Festival Library. The library applied for the $2,500 grant early this year and received...
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Local conference will share insight into lithium industry
The Texarkana region’s place in lithium development is the topic of conversation at a conference next week. State of Lithium will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 15 at Texarkana Convention Center. Hosted by Texarkana USA Regional Chamber of...
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Rockets Red Glare
Fireworks explode over King Park during a Fourth of July celebration Saturday in Wake Village, Texas. The holiday marked the 250th anniversary of the United States.
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Local history comes to life on Independence Day
TEXARKANA, Texas — The Ace of Clubs House on Saturday became the stage for an Independence Day celebration of Texarkanians’ roles in the nation’s 250-year history. Texarkana Museums System and Texarkana Repertory Co. teamed up to present “Moments That...
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Heat bears down as America 250 celebrations ramp up
WASHINGTON — Festivities commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence ramped up across the United States on Friday as demonstrations of national pride — and hints of political polarization — were balanced with efforts to stay safe as...
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Rain has helped conditions for fireworks
TEXARKANA —Record-breaking rainfall in June has made weather conditions safer for fireworks this year, but those celebrating the Fourth of July should still use caution. “Conditions are better this year then they usually are due to all of the rain we...
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INDEPENDENCE DAY 2026
TEXARKANA — Looking for a Fourth of July fireworks display near you? Here’s the 2026 list, alphabetical by location. Happy Independence Day! ASHDOWN, ARKANSAS COMMUNITY PRAYER FOR AMERICA 250 10 a.m. Saturday, July 4 — First Assembly Ashdown, 150 S....
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‘A piece of the legacy’
TEXARKANA, Ark. — Work has begun on a new mural at 218 Walnut St., in front of Hopkins Icehouse. Ray Abernathy, owner of the building, commissioned the mural after a conversation with local artist Darlene Taylor around two years ago. “He’s the one...
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