Less To Love At The 2026 State Fair of Texas
January 19, 2026 – DALLAS — The State Fair of Texas has announced it will pause its rodeo for the 2026 fair season, a decision officials say comes after careful review and planning. Fair officials confirmed the rodeo will not be held during the 2026 run, citing the need to evaluate long-term operations, facilities, and overall programming. The rodeo has been a long-standing attraction at the fair, drawing competitors and...
Teachers Could Benefit From Voucher Program Soon
January 16, 2026 – Teachers and educators across Texas may soon find new income opportunities through the state’s Education Savings Account program, often referred to as school vouchers, passed by the Legislature. The program allows families to use state-funded education dollars for approved services outside traditional public schools, opening the door for educators to participate as paid vendors. Under the program, teachers and...
CEA Mario Villarino Had A Second Cup Of Coffee With John Mark Dempsey Again
January 16, 2026 – Hopkins County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Mario Villarino-Gutierrez recently visited on KSST’s A Second Cup Of Coffee With John Mark Dempsey. Mario and John Mark chatted about the importance of volunteers. Mario Villarino shared that those who would like to volunteer as a Master Gardener can get started with an online training session being held January 29th, 2026. John Mark and Mario also...
Do You Qualify For a $20 Credit From Verizon?
January 15, 2026 – Verizon Outage Hits Texas Customers, Company Offers $20 Credit Verizon customers across Texas experienced service disruptions this week as widespread network outages left many without reliable phone, text and data service. The outage affected both urban and rural areas, with reports coming in from major cities including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, as well as smaller communities. Customers began...
Abbott Meets With US Ambassador Delegation
January 14, 2026 – Governor Greg Abbott met Tuesday at the Governor’s Mansion with several U.S. ambassadors to discuss transatlantic security cooperation, Texas’ growing defense and manufacturing sectors, and opportunities to promote American industry abroad. The meeting included U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Joseph Popolo, U.S. Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose, and U.S....
The Topic on This Second Cup Of Coffee is the Hello, Dolly! Production Being Held January 16th – 18th
January 14, 2026 – Shining Star Productions cast members Brad Cummings, Jacob Harris, and Larissa Hyde dropped by for A Second Cup Of Coffee With John Mark Dempsey to chat about the production of Hello, Dolly!, which is being presented at the Sulphur Springs High School Auditorium January 16th, 17th, and 18th, 2026. John Mark and the actors discussed what you can expect from this fabulous musical, what all went into putting this...
Hopkins County Issues 90-Day Burn Ban
January 13, 2025 – During the regular meeting of the Hopkins County Commissioner’s Court on Tuesday, a unanimous vote upheld the temporary burn ban. The 90 day extension prohibits all outdoor burning until April 13, 2026 unless the burn ban is lifted by the court before expiration. Hopkins County is already designated as being in the Moderate Drought category as are Delta, Franklin, Lamar and Titus counties. Red River...
Dallas Dart Could End
January 13, 2026 – Voters in several Dallas-area cities could soon reshape the future of regional public transportation as at least five North Texas communities prepare to ask residents whether they want to withdraw from Dallas Area Rapid Transit. There were two deadly shootings on DART trains or at stations in late 2025. These unfortunate events sparked increased anxiety among the public and prompted DART to enhance its...
Commissioner Miller Calls Upon State and Federal Legislators to Protect Vital Farm and Ranchland from Data Center Expansion
Calls for the Creation of Agriculture Freedom Zones January 12, 2026 – AUSTIN — Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today unveiled a bold plan to protect the nation’s prime farm and ranchland from the rapid spread of data centers. His proposal centers on creating federal or state-designated Agriculture Freedom Zones, or AFZs, which would use targeted tax incentives to guide data center development into appropriate...
Proposal Would Increase Hemp License Fees
January 11, 2026 – Texas state health officials have proposed sweeping changes to hemp regulations that include dramatic increases in licensing fees, prompting warnings from industry members that the rules could effectively shut down small, in-state businesses while favoring large, out-of-state operators. Under proposed rules published by the Texas Department of State Health Services, manufacturer licenses would rise from $250...
