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The Texas Tribune – As Texas struggles to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, a state fund had $1.28 billion available this year to support projects that could deliver water even in a severe drought. 

Unfortunately, 23 worthy projects requested a total of $4.2 billion, prompting the state to deny 13 of them — the first time the SWIFT fund had to say no to an applicant in its 11-year history.

It was lamentable timing for a state plagued by a brutal drought and aging water infrastructure.

“We have more demand than we actually have the capacity to fulfill this year,” said Marvin Cole-Chaney, director of program administration and reporting for the Texas Water Development Board, which administers SWIFT, the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas.

One of the denied projects is a desalination plant with the potential to create 100 million gallons of drinking water a day along the Coastal Bend in South Texas — an area including Corpus Christi, which is in the grips of a devastating drought.

The denial surprised John Byrum, executive director of the Nueces River Authority, which proposed building the plant as a critical source of water for Coastal Bend cities. 

Under the scoring system used to set priorities for SWIFT, the river authority’s plant ranked 11th. The top 10 proposals will next submit more-detailed applications for the money. 

“We really thought our project would rate higher,” Byrum said. “We were disappointed.” 

The river authority requested $140 million to fuel plans to build a seawater desalination plant in Harbor Island, which sits within the cities of Aransas Pass and Port Aransas. A desalination plant filters salt and other minerals out of seawater to make it drinkable.

The proposed project, which received federal permitting in September and is projected to cost $3.2 billion, would distribute water to cities, water districts and businesses across South Texas, including Corpus Christi, which is nearing a water crisis. The coastal city is one of the biggest water suppliers in the region and may be just months away from a water crisis as its main reservoirs have shriveled to below 8% capacity. 

Corpus Christi paid $2.7 million to the river authority to reserve an option to buy 50 million gallons of water a day once the Harbor Island desalination plant is running.

City leaders are bracing for a Level 1 water emergency, the point when the water supply is projected to be 180 days from falling short of demand, which could be triggered as soon as September. Commissioners in Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi, voted unanimously last week to declare a county-wide water emergency, restricting residents’ outdoor watering. 

SWIFT offers low-interest loans with extended and flexible repayment plans. The water development board said the denied projects may be eligible for other funding options, such as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, but Byrum believes the SWIFT fund should place a higher priority on an area’s need for water.

The water development board considers several factors when prioritizing projects, ranking them on a scoring sheet with a maximum score of 86. Projects can earn the most points by serving large populations, with readiness and water conservation among other factors also taken into account. 

A project’s “emergency need” carries little weight, earning a maximum five points.

None of the 10 highest-ranked projects earned any points for “emergency need,” a designation restricted to public water systems where supply is expected to fall short of demand within 180 days, federal money was sought or received to deal with the emergency, or the need for water will occur a decade sooner than anticipated by state planners.

The Harbor Island plant, despite targeting an area that critically needs water, earned no emergency need points and lost potential points because it is in rural Nueces County with a relatively low population. Its score of 62 was just one point behind the 10th-place project. 

This year’s 10 highest-rated SWIFT projects span the state, including the Riverbend Water Resources District — the top-rated project on the SWIFT scorecard. Riverbend is seeking $2.98 million to assess and expand water infrastructure to meet Texarkana’s growing population.

The North Texas Municipal Water District is asking for nearly $419 million for a pipeline and treatment plant in Leonard, a town in Fannin County. The water district is also receiving around $611 million to design a new raw water pump station. 

Money is also being directed to South Texas, where the Hidalgo County Drainage District made a pitch for $120 million for its proposed Santa Cruz Reservoir. 

Byrum said the Nueces River Authority is going to apply for the water board’s other funding programs, as well as seek private funding, in hopes of getting the Harbor Island desalination plant built. 

SWIFT was created by the Texas Legislature and approved by voters in 2013, allowing the one-time transfer of $2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund. Revenue bonds over the next 50 years, starting in 2015, will finance around $27 billion in water supply projects through SWIFT. 

To date, the water development board has committed about $17.2 billion in SWIFT money to 76 projects. The agency estimates the funding saved entities almost $2.1 billion over the life of the debt compared to market rates.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

The Texas Department of State Health Services is lifting a new requirement for youth camps to install “end-to-end fiber optic facilities” in order to allow them to operate this summer, following a lawsuit from 19 camps that called the measure too challenging.

The state health agency announced on Thursday that it reached an agreement with the 19 operators, allowing camps that maintain a redundant broadband internet service to avoid any potential license denial or revocation for not having fiber service this summer, as long as they meet other safety requirements.

“This agreement will ensure that youth camps in Texas operate with the safety provisions envisioned by the Legislature while allowing camps and families to move forward with their summer plans,” said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford.

The deal came after leaders of the Texas Legislature, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, released statements supporting the removal of the requirement for fiber-optic internet infrastructure at all Texas camps, citing the difficulty of meeting this requirement.

“We also recognize that there may be means other than fiber to provide reliable, redundant internet access, which would satisfy the purpose and spirit of the law,” Patrick and Burrows said in the statement.

In exchange for setting aside the requirement, camps agree to maintain “redundant internet connectivity” through other means, including through cellular or satellite technology. The lawsuit will be set aside until March 1, 2027, according to the agreement.

“This agreement keeps camp doors open for children and families across Texas,” said Brian Anderson, executive director of Camp Peniel, one of the camps that filed the lawsuit. “Camps are places where kids grow, build confidence, and form lifelong friendships, and this outcome makes sure those experiences continue this summer. Camps and campers across Texas are grateful to the state for agreeing to this temporary solution.”

Summer camps in Texas can qualify for licensure through DSHS. To obtain a license, among the steps they must fulfill is submit a sufficient emergency action plan, meet all other safety requirements, and maintain a reliable communication system capable of operating during an emergency, lawmakers said on social media and in statements.

Lawmakers are expected to revisit the camp safety standards in the 90th Legislative session in 2027 while ensuring that camps operate in good faith under these new regulations.

State legislators passed the fiber optic requirement, in addition to mandating a second type of broadband connection, after the July 4 flood in the Texas Hill Country. That flood killed 25 campers, two counselors at Camp Mystic and the camp’s executive director Dick Eastland — information that emergency responders struggled to confirm as one official noted phone lines were down and there was no cell service at the camp.

In April, the group of 19 camps in Texas filed a lawsuit saying the requirement to install fiber optic internet does not make their properties safer, violates the state Constitution and state law regarding property rights, and could prevent them from opening.

The group of camps, which includes Camp Champions, Camp Longhorn and Tejas Ministries, said in the suit that companies advised them that the service either could not be supplied, could not be confirmed as “end-to-end” — a term the lawsuit said isn’t defined — or would cost an amount “that greatly exceeded their resources.”

The suit, filed in a Travis County state district court, offered examples: Camp Liberty, in one extreme, received a quote of $1 million in upfront costs plus a $3,500 monthly service fee over five years. Camp Longhorn received a quote of more than $1.2 million.

The original requirement made no exception for rural camps, where fiber optic internet might not be available or “is so costly as to make it economically infeasible or unreasonably burdensome,” the lawsuit states.

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This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK)– For more than a century, Stephen F. Austin State University has served as a cornerstone of higher education in East Texas. Now, the university is undergoing what leaders describe as a once-in-a-generation transformation fueled by the University of Texas System.

SFA officials say a 10-year campus master plan carrying an estimated $1 billion price tag is designed to modernize facilities, improve the student experience and position the university for another century of growth and success.

Construction equipment has now taken over portions of the campus known for its towering pine trees and blooming azaleas, signaling the start of a major expansion effort.

“This institution has a really strong history of being resilient and able to weather storms and get through tough times,” SFA President Dr. Neal Weaver said. “When you take that resilience and match it with the power and resources of the University of Texas System, you see what is happening here right now.”

Since joining the UT System in 2023, at least $58 million has already been invested into SFA. The university recently opened a new cafeteria — the first built on campus since the 1960s — while at least $160 million in additional projects are currently under construction or in development.

One of the most visible projects is underway at SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, where construction crews are building a more than 100,000-square-foot facility aimed at expanding a nationally recognized academic program.

“We’re about to break ground on a brand-new entrepreneurship center, about a $45 million project that should open in 2027,” Weaver said. “Then this summer, we’re breaking ground on a brand-new $70 million residence facility that will add about 350 beds to campus.”

The growth comes as student enrollment continues to rise. SFA welcomed the largest first-time undergraduate class in school history for the Fall 2025 semester and recently recorded its largest spring enrollment increase in more than 15 years.

Weaver credits the university’s focus on affordability and workforce preparation for helping attract students.

“Being a part of the University of Texas System has allowed us to invest in the Purple Promise program,” Weaver said. “That allows students to come to school tuition- and fee-free if they come from a family that earns less than $100,000 a year.”

According to a 2025 economic report from SFA’s Center for Business and Economic Research, the university generates nearly $348 million in local economic activity and supports approximately 4,819 jobs.

“As we see more people coming to town because of SFA, we’re going to see more investment, more consumers, and more workforce candidates being generated through the university,” Kelly Augustine, President of the Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce, said. “We’re very excited about that.”

The report also found that during the 2022 school year, SFA attracted more than 205,000 visitors to Nacogdoches — spending nearly $9 million at local hotels, restaurants and retail stores.

Students themselves spent nearly $102 million locally, directly supporting about 1,100 jobs. Nearly $40 million of that spending was recirculated throughout the Nacogdoches area economy, supporting hundreds more jobs.

Augustine believes the university’s impact goes beyond economics.

“We see students giving their free time to volunteer activities,” Augustine said. “We see faculty and staff applying their talents and knowledge with nonprofits and businesses across town.”

University officials expect enrollment to reach 15,000 students over the next decade, a number that could significantly reshape the future of Nacogdoches and the surrounding East Texas region.

“Just think about it — $1 billion being spent right here in Nacogdoches,” Weaver said. “That alone is a powerful economic driver for this region. We know there’s going to be a lot of money and jobs coming to Nacogdoches and East Texas.”

As cranes rise and construction continues across campus, university leaders say SFA is not simply expanding buildings — it is investing in the future of an entire community.

LIVINGSTON (KETK)– After being sentenced to death earlier this week, the man responsible for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand has been transported to a correctional facility in Livingston.

Former FedEx driver Tanner Horner received the death sentence on Tuesday after pleading guilty earlier this year to murdering Strand in 2022. Horner was given the sentence by a jury in a Fort Worth courtroom that heard nearly a month of testimony and evidence, including audio from Strand’s final moments before her death.

Horner was arrested in December 2022 and charged with capital murder after Strand’s body was found in Wise County. It was later revealed that Horner had kidnapped Strand from her home while he was delivering a package and subsequently strangled her to death nearly an hour afterward.

Horner will now remain at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston for the foreseeable future until a date is scheduled for his execution.