Jess Huff
@jess-huff.bsky.social
Hi y'all! I'm a Texas Tribune reporter based in East Texas. I cover the people, places and policy that impact this region.
Bar owners in Angelina County want to loosen local liquor laws. If voters agree, bar owners would be allowed to advertise more widely, membership would no longer be required to drink at a bar, and liquor could be sold countywide.
East Texas bar owners seek changes to liquor laws
Texas cities and counties largely control when and where liquor can be sold. Just three counties are totally dry.
texastribune.org
Weather warnings gave officials a 3 hour, 21 minute window to save lives in Kerr County. What happened then remains unclear. www.texastribune.org/2025/07/08/t...
Weather warnings gave officials a 3 hour, 21 minute window to save lives in Kerr County. What happened then remains unclear.
Federal forecasters issued their first flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4. Local officials haven’t shed light on when they saw the warnings or whether they saw them in time to take action.
texastribune.org
New: The chair of the Randall County Republican Party was booked into jail Monday on a state felony election fraud charge.
Randall County GOP chair charged with felony election fraud
Kelly Kenten Giles, 64, is accused of providing false information on his application and petition to run for the Randall County Republican Party Chair seat.
texastribune.org
🚨 First #TribFest2025 speakers announced: Karl Rove, Maureen Dowd, Tony Gonzales, @jasmineforus.bsky.social Glenn Hegar @schiff.senate.gov Mattie Parker, Renard Johnson, Jeff Flake, @postbaron.bsky.social CatherineFlowers + more. 11/13-15 in Austin. Tix at festival.texastribune.org #txlege
Little is publicly known about the three people poised to lead Texas’ next city, Starbase, which includes the launch site for Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The Texas Tribune and Sunlight Research Center reviewed public records and social media sites to learn more about each candidate. Here's what we found.
Everything we know about the 3 people who want to run Starbase, Texas’ next city
All three — running unopposed — have longstanding connections with SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company headquartered in South Texas.
texastribune.org
New: Texas lawmakers are considering following President Donald Trump’s lead and renaming the body of water that touches 367 miles of the state’s coast to the Gulf of America.
Texas may officially recognize Gulf of America change after Senate gives first OK
Senate Bill 1717 would require the name of Gulf of Mexico to be changed in every official reference made by a state agency, resolution, rule or publication.
texastribune.org
A top official in the Department of Labor this week informed all staff members that they could face criminal charges if they speak to journalists, former employees or others about agency business. Speaking to reporters is not a crime!
Labor Department Official Warns That Staff Who Speak With Journalists Face “Serious Legal Consequences”
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff issued the warning as department employees have spoken to the news media about harms they see resulting from the dismantling of their agency, wh...
propublica.org
After a brief reprieve thanks to federal pandemic funding, rural hospitals have begun to close again. Trinity County residents will say goodbye to their hospital on Friday.
Financial hardships shutter East Texas hospital 14 months after reopening
Residents in Trinity County will now have to travel 30 miles to access the closest hospital.
texastribune.org
Texas is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in 30 years. The number of cases reported has risen to 624 cases in 26 counties, as of April 22. You can keep track of Texas' historic measles outbreak here:
Track the spread of measles in Texas
Texas is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in 30 years. The virus has infected more than 600 people and killed two school-aged children.
texastribune.org
There’s political urgency for Republicans to deal with housing affordability, especially as surveys find most Texans say housing costs are a top concern.
Why Texas Republicans are trying to rein in high home prices and rents
There’s political urgency for Republicans to deal with housing affordability, especially as surveys find most Texans say housing costs are a top concern.
texastribune.org
Water is meant for more than utility in East Texas. It's a culture and an economy. But in Texas' drier regions, it's running out. Water planners are looking for a solution.
Alejandra Martinez@alereports.bsky.social · last yr.Water transports from wet areas of Texas to drier places is playing out in ETX. The deal: pipe water from Lake O’ the Pines to North TX. The idea raises the Q of whether one area should bear the cost of another’s expansion. w/Jess Huff for @texastribune.org www.texastribune.org/2025/04/17/e...