Texarkana Gazette
U.S. consumers are muscling through higher prices, but for how long?
WASHINGTON — High gas prices are intensifying inflation and vacuuming up more of Americans’ dollars, yet consumers are still digging deep to spend, powering the economy, at least for now. A slew of economic data Thursday showed that inflation...
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Agreement introduces Japanese tech to U.S. market through Texamericas Center
TEXARKANA, Texas — A Bowie County industrial park has formalized its partnership with a Japan-based research organization. Texamericas Center, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, or AIST, and the research agency’s...
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Christa Pike survived 2 doses of an execution drug
Christa Pike regaining consciousness and speaking a week after receiving two doses of execution drugs in Tennessee has astonished even some medical professionals and left many people wondering: How did she survive? Attorneys for Pike, 50, called her...
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Community marks National Night Out
— Neighborhood residents spent time at outdoor and indoor block parties Tuesday night to visit with local law enforcement and each other during National Night Out. National Night Out is a yearly event that allows neighborhoods and members of the...
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Immigration crackdown divides rural voters as midterms approach, poll finds
WASHINGTON — More than a year into President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, a poll finds that voters in rural parts of the country are divided on whether those immigration policies have benefited or harmed their communities. In The...
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No environmental threat to public at local Superfund site, EPA says
TEXARKANA, Texas — A vacant, federally supervised neighborhood that led to the city’s nickname of “Toxicana” reportedly is no danger to the public because of ongoing remediation efforts. The Environmental Protection Agency recently completed a review...
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Main Street Texarkana’s Oktoberfest
Downtown took on a German-inspired flavor Saturday, when Main Street Texarkana hosted its 2026 Oktoberfest. The free event featured beer, food, live entertainment and activities for children and adults.
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Arkansas gem hunter finds a diamond he claims could be worth $1 million
LITTLE ROCK — Jack Pearadin is the first to admit that his diamond-hunting hobby hasn’t paid off, despite sifting rocks for more than a dozen years. But earlier this year, the Navy reservist and his friend shoveled a six-carat diamond from a field in...
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Lawyers: Christa Pike is in critical condition after Tennessee’s failed execution attempt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Christa Pike was in critical condition Thursday and receiving “lifesaving care” at a hospital, her lawyers said, a day after a failed attempt to execute her pushed Tennessee’s governor to halt further executions this year and order...
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Candidates make their case
Judge Carlton Jones, of the 8th Judicial Circuit South in Arkansas, speaks on election integrity during a candidate meet-and-greet Wednesday at Lonoke Baptist Church in Texarkana, Ark. Jones is seeking reelection and is running unopposed in the Nov. 3...
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Fire breaks out at composting facility
TEXARKANA, Texas — A fire that broke out Monday night at the Texarkana Water Utilities composting facility on South State Line Avenue was about 50% contained as of Tuesday morning. Firefighters were working to keep the fire contained as lower humidity...
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Rain forecast welcome but not enough
TEXARKANA — Rain expected across the Four States Region this week could provide some welcome relief from the area’s recent dry spell, but it won’t be enough to erase the area’s accumulated drought deficit, according to the National Weather...
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Official: Big Pine tenants wouldn’t trump existing water customers
BOWIE COUNTY, Texas — A 500-acre development that could attract resource-intensive businesses to Texamericas Center has yet to make a deal with the industrial park’s water supplier. Project Big Pine is a $3.5 billion collaboration between Texamericas...
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HAIR-RAISING EVENT
Denise Taylor of Manchester, N.H., is buffeted by the wind as she films the raging sea during a nor'easter storm Saturday in Hampton, N.H. The storm caused coastal flooding and knocked out power to parts of the East Coast.
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Court lets administration use revamped federal voter eligibility database for now
NEW YORK — The Supreme Court on Friday lifted restrictions on a controversial federal voter database before November’s elections, granting President Donald Trump a temporary win in his aggressive campaign against noncitizen voting. The court’s three...
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Trump welcomes China’s President Xi
A military flyover is pictured as President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, China's President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan watch a military review Thursday in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Presidents Donald Trump and...
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Rec Fest in Texarkana trains athletes, volunteers for Special Olympics
TEXARKANA, Ark. — Texarkana Resources for the Disabled and Special Olympics Arkansas partnered to host the first Rec Fest on Wednesday at the Terry Lee Rogers Recreation Center. Rec Fest brought together 29 athletes from different organizations...
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AR-TX REDI to move offices to A&M Texarkana
TEXARKANA, Texas — The offices of Arkansas Texas Regional Economic Development, Inc. will relocate to the Texas A&M University Texarkana campus in October, the university announced Tuesday. AR-TX REDI is a nonprofit organization focused on connecting...
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Health experts: State lacks info about screenings
Since 2023, Arkansas lawmakers have stepped up efforts to improve the state’s dismal maternal health outcomes, including a requirement that doctors and other providers offer mental health screenings to women after giving birth. But maternal health...
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Paved in frustration
A large-scale transportation project has some businesses in Nash and Texarkana feeling like they are on a rocky road. The Farm to Market Road 989/ Kings Highway bridge over Interstate 30 closed in June for replacement of the overpass, which connects...
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Trump announces Medicaid drug-pricing program
President Donald Trump speaks as South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, from left, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,...
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BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION
Crews install the first sections of a new border wall Wednesday in the Big Bend region of west Texas. The start of construction marks an important milestone in the administration’s $46 billion plan to line the border with walls, barriers, roads and...
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Razorbacks host tennis tri-meet
Arkansas High senior Grayson Miller hits a forehand against Hope senior Monica Bobo during a non-conference tri-meet with Maumelle on Thursday at Arkansas High School in Texarkana. Each singles and doubles match was a single-set, first-to-eight...
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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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