Floyd County grows more pumpkins than just about anywhere in Texas, and this year the weather did not cooperate. A summer of extreme drought cut yields by an estimated 30 to 40 percent, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. County agent Mark Carroll told reporters that 2026 is the driest year he’s seen in his 20 years working in the area. Growers started the season with little to no subsoil moisture, so even irrigation couldn’t make up the difference. The harvest also finished one to two weeks early because there were fewer pumpkins to bring in.

For anyone planning a pumpkin patch trip around Waxahachie this fall, the outlook is a lot brighter than the fields out west. Pumpkin prices have stayed relatively steady over the past three years, and supply from other growing regions can help meet Halloween demand. That means no big sticker shock and no real risk of empty shelves at your local patch. Texas farmers grow more than 200 pumpkin varieties for carving, baking, and decorating, so there’s no shortage of choices once you’re standing in the field.

The harder story is on the farm side. High growing costs plus a reduced crop means a rough financial year for Texas pumpkin growers, even if the rest of us barely notice at checkout. One simple way to help is to buy from a local patch instead of a big-box display, and to go a little earlier in the season while selection is best. Which pumpkin patch in Ellis County is your family’s favorite? Tell us in the comments and we’ll share the list on air.

A construction worker in Houston is waking up in a hospital bed today with multiple leg fractures and a scheduled ankle surgery after a federal officer drove into him during a pursuit Saturday. The man, Miguel Parra Hernandez, was not the person ICE says it was targeting. According to the family of the man in ICE’s photo, that suspect, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, died years ago. The person in the image, they say, is Jose Hector Jimenez, who also died while fleeing immigration authorities. Immigration rights group FIEL has handed over the death documents to the Harris County District Attorney’s office.

DA Sean Teare says surveillance footage contradicts ICE’s claim that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the officers’ vehicle. He said criminal charges against the federal officer are now being considered. Meanwhile, Parra Hernandez’s attorney, Kim Bruno, and FIEL’s executive director, Cesar Espinosa, are pushing for his release before he’s transferred from the hospital to federal detention.

For our neighbors here in Waxahachie, this is a good reminder that Houston is just up the road, and how state and federal officers handle these situations affects how a lot of families right here in Ellis County think about the system. Whatever side you’re on, the question of who gets held accountable is the same one our courthouse has answered for more than a century. What do you think should happen when the record shows a federal officer got the facts wrong?

Amber Guyger left the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville this week on parole, roughly three years before her original September 2029 release date. The former Dallas police officer was sentenced to 10 years in 2019 for the murder of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old accountant shot in his own apartment after Guyger entered the wrong unit at the South Side Flats. She said she mistook him for an intruder. A Dallas jury convicted her of murder.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Guyger parole in 2024, then approved it in 2026. That two-year flip is what has people talking, because no explanation has been made public. The Dallas Police Association released a statement acknowledging the decision “will undoubtedly reopen painful memories” for the Jean family and adding that nothing about it “changes the profound loss suffered by the Jean family.” Attorney Lee Merritt, who represented the family, shared his disappointment online.

For Waxahachie and the rest of North Texas, this case never really left the room. It shaped how people here talk about police accountability, self-defense claims, and whose version of events gets believed. Brandt Jean’s courtroom forgiveness of Guyger became one of the most memorable moments of the trial, and this week’s news forces a harder question: what does forgiveness owe to accountability, and where do they part ways?

What’s your reaction to the early release? Call into the show or drop your take in the comments.

Burnet and Webb middle schools in Austin ISD have each received five consecutive F ratings from the state, a streak that could trigger a Texas Education Agency takeover of the entire district. In September, Mayor Kirk Watson proposed a Parent Petition for Action as a way to keep intervention at bay, and volunteers spent recent weeks collecting signatures at both campuses, with Thursday marking the deadline to deliver them to the superintendent. From there, the petition has to reach the TEA by December 1 before it gets any consideration.

The effort has also stirred up tension among parents. Webb Middle School PTA President Vanessa Gámez said she understood the Austin Council of PTAs would provide information, not send people to approach parents and solicit signatures in that manner. Austin Council of PTAs President Crystal Brothwell Hernandez said the group is very close to reaching its goal, though official numbers may not be available until after the board meeting. Meanwhile, at least one Burnet parent declined to sign, saying families still lack enough information and noting that a petition doesn’t guarantee the state stays out.

For families across the district, the stakes are real. A takeover could reshape how thousands of students are taught and how their schools are run, and confusion over the petition process isn’t helping anyone make a confident decision. What would you want to know before signing something like this? Let us know in the comments.

If your family tree has a few branches you’ve never been able to trace, Tyler has a free event for you next weekend. The 24th Annual Family History Conference runs Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Douglas R. Mehling II Event Center at Breckenridge Village. Doors open at 8 a.m., sessions run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and general admission is free for anyone 11 and older.

The day includes 16 breakout sessions and four hands-on workshops covering genetic genealogy, DNA interpretation, research technology, and practical methods for tracking down records. Topics range from beginner-friendly starting points to deeper dives for people who already have a paper trail going. General admission and the adult breakout sessions cost nothing, while each of the optional hands-on workshops is $25.

Registration is required, so it’s worth signing up before the week gets away from you. East Texas families have generations of history woven into this region, and a lot of those records are closer than you’d think. Whether you’re chasing a specific ancestor or just curious about where you came from, this is a low-cost way to get started with people who know what they’re doing.

What’s the one family story you’ve always wanted to prove or disprove? Let us know.

Two Texas House races on the west edge of Harris County are drawing attention from both parties, and they might tell us more about suburban Texas than any poll. In District 133, Republican Rep. Mano DeAyala faces Democrat Josh Wallenstein, an anti-corruption lawyer. In District 138, Republican Rep. Lacey Hull is up against Democrat Tyler Smith, a 26-year-old gun violence prevention advocate. Both districts are moderate and affluent, the kind of places where independent voters decide the outcome.

The issues sound familiar to anyone in Ellis County. Republicans are emphasizing property tax cuts and cultural issues. Democrats are focused on public school funding and anti-corruption reform. Wallenstein argues we are paying higher prices because of corruption in Austin, while Hull and other Republicans say they are delivering relief to homeowners. With less than a month until voters decide, both parties are pouring resources into these districts because they could tip the balance of power in the Texas House.

For Waxahachie, these races are a preview. The same battles over property taxes and school funding play out here every session, and whoever controls the Capitol sets the agenda on both. So even if you do not live in Harris County, it is worth watching how these suburbs vote. It might just predict what happens in our own back yard.

What issue matters most to you this election: property taxes, school funding, or something else?

A vacant Whataburger building on S. Broadway Avenue in Tyler may soon have a new tenant. Dave’s Hot Chicken is planning a location there, with construction expected to begin in November and a targeted opening date of April 16, 2027. The chain plans to spend roughly $500,000 renovating the space in front of Walmart, and permits have reportedly been filed with the State of Texas.

Dave’s Hot Chicken launched in 2017 as a parking lot pop-up in East Hollywood and has since expanded to 45 states. The closest existing Texas location to Tyler is in Mesquite on Town East Blvd. The menu centers on hot chicken tenders and sliders with seven spice levels, and the hottest option, the Reaper, requires customers to sign a waiver before digging in.

If the Tyler location opens as planned, it would join a packed local chicken market that already includes Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane’s, Slim Chickens, Layne’s, Golden Chick, and Chicken Express. Whether the area can support another chicken restaurant remains to be seen, but local listeners have plenty of opinions.

What do you think, Waxahachie? Is seven chicken chains in one area too many, or are you ready for a Reaper-level challenge?

The Texas Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton has turned into one of the most expensive contests in the country. Talarico, once considered a long shot, raised a record $64 million last quarter and rallied supporters in San Marcos this week, framing his campaign as a modern-day David versus Goliath. Meanwhile, the GOP’s Senate Leadership Fund has spent more than $124 million on ads promoting Paxton, fueled by a $158 million contribution from Elon Musk.

Talarico has kept his distance from national Democrats, focusing on kitchen-table issues like the cost of living rather than party politics. That strategy got tested when he disappeared from public view for nine days with the flu. Instead of a quiet recovery, the absence fed a wave of false conspiracy theories online, a reminder of how fast a vacuum gets filled in modern campaigns.

With control of the Senate potentially hanging on Texas, voters here will have the final word in just a few weeks. So we want to hear from you: does campaign spending sway your vote, or do you decide based on the candidate’s record? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

Texas election officials say the massive backlog of voter registration applications is finally cleared, and the timing could not be tighter. Early voting starts Monday, and until this week, hundreds of thousands of registrations were still sitting unprocessed because of a software glitch at the Department of Public Safety that began last October.

The problem was simple to describe and brutal to fix. When Texans registered at DPS offices, those records were supposed to flow to their home counties. The glitch stopped that from happening. Harris County alone had more than 75,000 delayed applications and brought in temporary workers to get through them. The Secretary of State’s office now says no county has pending applications, and provisional ballots remain available at polling locations as a safety net.

What is still missing is a full explanation. The state hasn’t detailed how a glitch ran for nearly a year without being caught, and voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit while U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla pressed Governor Abbott for answers. For voters here in Ellis County, the practical move is simple: confirm your registration status before Monday, especially if you registered at a DPS office in the past year. Have you checked yours yet?

James Talarico brought his U.S. Senate campaign to San Marcos on Thursday, making his closing argument as the race against Republican Ken Paxton enters its final weeks. What looked like a long shot earlier this year now has national attention, thanks in part to a jaw-dropping $64 million fundraising quarter that his campaign calls a record for a Senate candidate. Paxton, meanwhile, has the Senate Leadership Fund spending more than $124 million on ads promoting him, a sign that national Republicans are not taking this race for granted either.

Paxton’s impeachment by the Texas Legislature over corruption questions, followed by his acquittal, remains a central issue for voters. Talarico’s campaign has leaned into that history, while also dealing with its own curveball this month: the candidate was out of public view for nine days with the flu, which sparked a wave of online conspiracy theories before he returned to the trail.

For voters here in Ellis County and across Texas, the stakes stretch well beyond state lines. This race could determine which party controls the Senate during President Trump’s final two years in office. A Republican state like Texas turning blue would be a political earthquake, and both sides are spending like they know it. So what do you think: is Texas really in play this November, or does it stay red when the votes are counted?

Most of us have one: a cabinet, a drawer, or a shoebox holding prescription bottles from a surgery, a rough winter, or a medication someone stopped taking. Keeping them feels harmless, but unused medicine is a leading source of accidental poisoning in kids and a temptation for anyone who shouldn’t be taking it.

The safest option for most medicines is taking them to an authorized take-back location or using a prepaid mail-back envelope. If you have to throw them in the trash, mix the pills with coffee grounds, dirt, or cat litter so they’re less appealing, and never crush tablets or capsules. Flushing is only for drugs on the FDA Flush List, and only when a take-back option isn’t available. Before any bottle goes in the trash, black out your name and prescription details.

If you’ve been putting this off, put it on the calendar. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, October 24, and drop-off sites across the area will be ready to take unused medication off your hands. Whether you’re in Waxahachie, Midlothian, Red Oak, or anywhere else in Ellis County, a quick call to your pharmacy or local law enforcement office will point you to the nearest drop-off.

When’s the last time you actually went through your medicine cabinet?

Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 a.m. across Texas, and county clerks are treating security as the headline of this cycle. In Travis County, voting equipment moves in sealed carriers with logged numbers, and deliveries require two people every time. Ballot scans travel on secure USB drives. Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado said election security stays front of mind in everything her office does.

Other counties are taking their own steps. Bexar County ran security training for poll workers after a 2024 assault at a polling site. Dallas County is placing extra scanners and tabulators at every early voting location to catch technical problems before they slow anyone down. Travis County alone is opening 201 polling locations this year, a record for the county.

For voters here in Ellis County and around Waxahachie, the practical takeaway is simple: check your polling location before Monday, bring your photo ID, and expect busy sites as our corner of the metroplex keeps growing. Workers at those tables are neighbors, and a little patience keeps things moving. Where are you planning to vote this year, and do you go early or wait for Election Day?

Zilker Park is closed for maintenance after another Austin City Limits Music Festival, and this year the damage is drawing more attention than usual. Heavy rain during the festival’s first weekend left the Great Lawn in rough shape, and crews are now assessing how much work needs to be done before the park can fully reopen.

Austin City Council member Ryan Alter took to social media to push for changes. He called the Great Lawn a public asset that must be available for everyone after the festival, and said he’s told both C3 and city staff that something needs to change to prevent further damage. The city’s contract with C3 keeps ACL at Zilker through 2040, with the organizer paying $103,500 annually plus a share of ticket revenue directed to the Austin Parks Foundation. Parks and Recreation Director Jesús Aguirre says sections of the park will reopen as work allows, with the Great Lawn expected to follow a timeline similar to previous years.

For longtime Austin residents, this is a familiar cycle: festival comes in, park shuts down, grass slowly comes back. But with the contract locked in for another 15 years and a council member publicly calling for reform, the conversation about balancing major events with public green space is getting louder. What do you think? Should ACL change its setup to protect the Great Lawn, or is this just the cost of hosting a world-class festival?

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa accepted a one-hour debate invitation for Wednesday in Fort Worth, and she sent a memorandum proposing the event move outside the governor’s mansion at 10 a.m. Governor Greg Abbott has not responded to either offer, leaving an open question of whether Texas will hold any statewide general election debate this cycle. On the Senate side, State Representative James Talarico has asked Attorney General Ken Paxton for a debate, and so far, nothing is on the schedule.

Political science professors watching this race call the statewide silence unusual. Debate planning usually takes months, and with early voting starting Monday, organizers say it is already too late to put one together this week. That leaves voters comparing candidates through ads, mailers, and coverage instead of a live, unscripted forum.

Here in Waxahachie, local races are still doing forums and meet-and-greets across Ellis County. Candidates are showing up at the courthouse square, the fairgrounds, and neighborhood events. The contrast with the top of the ticket is hard to miss. What do you think: should Texas candidates be required to debate before voters head to the polls?

Texas and Florida meet Saturday in Austin with both seasons hanging in the balance. The Longhorns dropped to No. 7 after falling to unranked Oklahoma, a game where Arch Manning threw two fourth-quarter interceptions. Florida arrives after a 38-19 home loss to South Carolina and may be without starting quarterback Aaron Philo, who is questionable with a shoulder injury.

There’s more on the line than rankings. Florida beat Texas last year in a loss that helped keep the Longhorns out of the playoff, and Manning has said it left a bad taste in his mouth. Both teams are dealing with the same problems: shaky pass protection, defensive lapses, and special teams disasters. Texas has allowed a punt return touchdown and a blocked punt touchdown in the last two games, while Florida ranks last in the SEC in total defense.

Kickoff from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is set for Saturday, and for Waxahachie folks making the drive down I-35, expect heavy traffic and a packed campus. For everyone else, it’s a rare chance to watch two blue-blood programs fight for their season in October. So who do you have winning Saturday, the Longhorns or the Gators?

TSMC, the Taiwanese company that manufactures the most advanced computer chips in the world, says it is exploring investments in Texas to expand U.S. production. The news came alongside a record quarterly net profit of $24 billion, up 69% from a year ago, driven almost entirely by demand for AI hardware. CEO C.C. Wei confirmed the company sent teams to Texas for site evaluation and said talks are underway about joining Elon Musk’s planned Terafab complex, with one firm condition: any Texas plant would be run by TSMC. Musk has said he intends to build and operate the fab, with TSMC potentially subleasing space inside it.

The bigger picture stretches well beyond one building. TSMC already committed $265 billion to plants in Arizona and has set a 2026 capital budget of up to $64 billion. The company also cautioned that rising component prices and broader economic uncertainty could weigh on business heading into 2027. Still, TSMC supplies Nvidia and Apple, and its expansion choices shape where the country’s tech supply chain actually lives.

For North Texas, that makes this a growth story with real stakes. This region is already one of the fastest-growing corridors in the country, and a semiconductor campus anywhere nearby would bring suppliers, payroll, housing demand, and traffic along with it. Nothing is decided yet, and TSMC hasn’t named a site or a timeline.

Would you support a chip manufacturing campus in our area, or would you rather see this kind of development land farther out? Tell us in the comments.

Bruno’s Pizza & Pasta has been a Tyler staple since 1976, and this week the Rumbelow family is celebrating 50 years of homemade pizza and Italian dishes. The milestone party runs October 15 and 16, 2026 at 15770 FM 2493, with Happy Hour specials from 4 to 6 p.m. both days, plus giveaways, door prizes, and plenty of Bruno’s favorites on hand.

The centerpiece for a lot of fans is a Facebook page contest with free pizza for a year on the line. Fifty years is rare for any restaurant, and even rarer for one that’s stayed family-owned the whole way. Rising food costs and new competition have closed plenty of local spots, but Bruno’s keeps showing up for East Texas.

Whether it’s a Friday night tradition or somewhere you haven’t visited in years, this week is the moment to head back and wish them another fifty. What’s your favorite dish at Bruno’s? Let us know in the comments.

Texas residents can apply to any public college or university in the state without paying an application fee through Sunday, October 18. The annual Texas Free College Application Week, which runs October 12–18, requires every public institution in the state to waive admission application fees for residents. That includes community colleges, state universities, and the larger flagship schools, and it covers undergraduate programs: bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, and certificate programs.

Applying is straightforward. Head to apply-texas.org, create an account, and submit a single application to the school you’re interested in. The waiver isn’t just for high school seniors either. First-time students, transfer students, and working adults returning to finish a degree or pick up a certificate all qualify. For families in Waxahachie watching every dollar, and for adults who’ve been meaning to go back, it removes a real upfront cost at a moment when every dollar counts.

The deadline is Sunday, October 18 at 11:59 p.m. Once the clock runs out, application fees return to normal, so there’s no stretching this into next week. If you know a senior at Waxahachie High, a neighbor thinking about a nursing certificate, or you’ve been putting off your own application, this is the week to hit submit. Who in your life needs a nudge to finish that application before Sunday night?

Texas Free College Application Week is underway, and Waxahachie families have until Sunday, October 18 to take advantage of waived undergraduate application fees at public colleges and universities across the state. Applications must be submitted through ApplyTexas by 11:59 p.m. Central Time that night.

The waiver covers public universities, community colleges, and state technical colleges for Texas residents. It applies to high school seniors, first-time students, transfer students, and even some adults considering a return to school. With fees typically running $50 or more per application, families applying to multiple schools can save hundreds of dollars in a single weekend. More than 260,000 applications were submitted during last year’s event.

One important note: the waiver covers the application fee only. Tuition, textbooks, fees, and housing are not included, and grad school applications don’t qualify. Also, starting an application isn’t enough. It has to be submitted by the Sunday night deadline. Local high school counselors and college admissions offices can help if you run into questions.

Are you planning to take advantage of free application week, or has your family already sent one in? Let us know on our Facebook page.

The Congressional Leadership Fund is canceling $3 million in planned ads against Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, a retreat that suggests Republicans may be souring on their chances in Texas’ 28th Congressional District. The district was redrawn to favor Republicans and Donald Trump carried it by roughly 10 points in 2024, which makes the decision to pull that much money a notable signal about what GOP pollsters are seeing on the ground.

Cuellar is seeking a 12th term and leans hard on his seat on the Appropriations Committee, arguing that position is what delivers federal dollars to South Texas. His opponent, Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, counters that most of that money comes from grants that cities and counties secure themselves and that Cuellar simply claims credit after the fact. The race also carries the unusual wrinkle of Cuellar’s bribery indictment, which he denied, followed by a pardon from Trump.

What makes this one worth watching from up here in Ellis County is the bigger question underneath it. Cuellar argues that down-ballot Democrats outperformed Kamala Harris in Hispanic-majority counties, meaning the redrawn map may not deliver the way Republicans expected. If he’s right, that has implications well beyond one border district. Does redistricting actually change how people vote, or do they just vote for the name they know?

The State Fair of Texas made a bet this year that cheaper meant busier. Midway ride prices dropped by just over 17% on average, parking and admission came down, and a new $10 kids’ ticket is available every day of the run. There’s also a new Little Lone Stars zone built for children 8 and under, with rides priced for smaller budgets. Even the folks running the Midway said the vendors agreed they could make it work.

The early returns are complicated. Attendance fell by more than 365,000 people from 2024 to 2025, and that’s after the fair topped 2 million visitors two years in a row. Four days remain before the gates close, and final attendance figures won’t be released until after that. Lower prices clearly didn’t flip the trend overnight, though the final weekend could still close the gap.

It’s worth remembering what’s riding on this for communities like ours. The State Fair is a nonprofit, and the money it takes in goes back out through scholarships, youth livestock programs, and grants across Texas, Ellis County included. A strong fair year isn’t just a Dallas story. It’s a Texas story.

So what do you think: would cheaper tickets and rides get your family to Fair Park, or is the cost of the whole trip still too much? Let us know.

A new WalletHub study places Texas 48th out of 50 on its list of the safest states, and emergency preparedness is one of the reasons why. The ranking lines up with NOAA data showing Texas leads the country in billion-dollar natural disaster events, and the greater Houston region has weathered 28 disasters over the past 45 years. It’s a sobering picture that has Houston-area organizations pushing for a coordinated statewide readiness plan.

“If we take those steps now before a storm makes landfall, then we put the community in a much better place,” said Mary Vazquez, vice president and chief impact officer at United Way of Greater Houston, whose organization formed the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance to coordinate disaster response. The message from readiness advocates is direct: you can’t always rely on FEMA or the federal government to show up right away, so every household needs its own plan.

Here in Waxahachie, we’ve got our own list of weather threats. Spring floods, roof-shredding hail, summer heat waves, and winter ice storms that shut down roads across Ellis County. The good news is that preparing doesn’t take much. Bottled water, non-perishable food, flashlights, batteries, medications, and a plan for pets and older family members can carry you through the first three days of a crisis. The 2-1-1 Texas Help Line is available 24 hours a day for disaster assistance and questions.

What’s the one item you keep meaning to add to your emergency kit but haven’t yet? Tell us in the comments.

Three seasons, a 256-229 record, and two AL West titles weren’t enough to save Joe Espada’s job. The Houston Astros announced Wednesday that they will not renew the 51-year-old manager’s expiring contract. The move lands days after the White Sox came into Minute Maid Park and swept Houston out of the Wild Card round at home.

It came at the end of a genuinely strange season. The Astros won the division at 81-81, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball history to reach the postseason without a winning record. Injuries tested this roster all summer, and Espada kept the clubhouse steady enough to win the West anyway. Five coaches are also leaving, including third base coach Tony Perezchica. Bench coach Omar Lopez was offered a new role on staff, and pitching coach Josh Miller was retained.

The bigger picture: Houston is now searching for both a manager and a general manager, after Dana Brown was fired back in August. Ownership thanked Espada for his passion and the way he represented the organization and the city. That leaves fans around Ellis County with a real debate on their hands. Was one short playoff series enough to justify a full reset?

The Astros are looking for a fresh voice in the dugout. Do you think Espada got a fair shake? Let us know on our Facebook page.

If your fall or holiday travel plans include a flight out of DFW, your parking budget needs a second look. The airport raised rates on October 1, and the new numbers add up fast. Terminal parking now costs $37 a day with a TollTag and $40 by credit card. Remote parking is $14 with a tag and $16 by card, and even a short drop-off of 8 to 30 minutes runs $1 to $3. Meeter/Greeter parking and the International Parkway passthrough went up as well.

Airport officials say the increases reflect inflation, higher material and labor costs, and the major road and terminal construction projects underway. Not everyone is convinced. Rideshare driver Todd Engles told Spectrum Local News the credit card rates have tripled his costs, and he questions the spending when the roads themselves remain rough for drivers making airport runs.

The good news for anyone driving up from Waxahachie: booking your parking online in advance can save you around 50 percent. Before you head to the terminal, compare the TollTag price against the credit card price and lock in a spot ahead of time. With holiday travel season coming, those few minutes of planning could cover dinner out on the square. Have you changed how you get to DFW because of the new rates?