Poems are selected by Poetry Editor Lupe Mendez, the 2022 Texas poet laureate and author of Why I Am Like Tequila. To submit a poem, please send an email with the poem attached to [email protected]. We’re looking for previously unpublished works of no more than 45 lines by Texas poets who have not been published by the Observer in the last two years. Pay is $100 on publication.
DALLAS – Despite a surprising loss already in the 2026 election cycle, the chairman of the Texas GOP is confident Republican voters will turn out when the votes matter most in November.
What we know:
Republicans currently hold a majority in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the White House. But the party that holds the White House typically loses one of the two houses of Congress in the midterm election.
We’ve already seen an early example of that in Texas. In January, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election runoff for Texas Senate District 9 in Fort Worth, a seat that has been held by Republicans for decades.
Rehmet beat Republican Leigh Wambsganss with 57% of the vote, despite his opponent having the backing of President Donald Trump and being outspent by a considerable margin.
He will have to win a full term for the seat in the November election under the runoff rules, but the shocking result has Democrats thinking of big things to come.
What they’re saying:
Abraham George, chairman of the Texas GOP, told FOX 4’s Steven Dial he’s confident that the GOP will win back that Senate seat and others when the votes matter the most.
“People are looking at it and saying, we’re kind of tired of this, a lot of the policies,” Abraham told Dial. “Then you add personalities like Talarico. Who thinks Jesus is not really God, and quotes the Bible every three minutes he gets to do it. So they just can’t come together on those, get behind these people anymore.”
George also doesn’t think that recent developments with ICE in Minnesota will negatively impact Republicans in the race.
“So I was at a town hall in South Texas. The biggest thing I heard was not about ICE. It was all about property tax.” George said. “Because we asked, and I even kind of preempted in my speech saying, I know some of you may be looking at, and your neighbors are saying something bad about Republicans. And they said, no, we support legal immigration. We support deportation of illegal immigrants.”
What’s next:
Early voting starts Tuesday, Feb. 17 and goes until Feb. 27. Primary election day is on March 3.
Every weekday in February, you can watch Steven Dial and other Texas political correspondents from FOX discuss Texas primary races on Battleground Texas.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 reporting.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has filled six new county agent positions across the state. They will serve as the agency’s primary connection to people in their local communities, providing hands-on education and science-based programs.
The grassroots structure of AgriLife Extension, with a presence in all 254 counties, ensures area residents can contact someone familiar with everyday solutions and emerging needs specific to their county. County offices are anchored to 12 district offices located throughout Texas, dedicated to problem-solving and addressing unique regional challenges.
Bauer, of Llano, earned a bachelor’s in natural resource management from Angelo State University. She previously worked for AgriLife Extension as an intern in the Tom Green County office and with the sheep and goat specialist and district office manager at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in San Angelo. Bauer said she joined AgriLife Extension because of her passion for agriculture and natural resource management and a desire to serve agricultural communities. “Through my experiences with AgriLife Extension, I value the opportunity to connect research-based knowledge with real-world applications, support producers and landowners, and contribute to meaningful education and outreach efforts that make a positive impact,” she said.
Bushkuhl, of Spring Branch, earned her bachelor’s in agricultural services and development from Tarleton State University. She spent the last three and a half years as an agricultural and natural resource agent for Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension. She earned her master’s degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M University. Bushkuhl said she looks forward to serving the residents of Hays County. “I joined AgriLife Extension to help farmers, ranchers and communities turn research into practical solutions,” she said. “I’m passionate about empowering people to make informed decisions that strengthen their land and resources.”
Despain, of Laramie, Wyoming, earned an associate’s in animal science from Casper College, and a bachelor’s and master’s in animal science from Texas A&M. He spent the last year as the livestock judging coach and coordinator at Texas A&M and also completed an internship with AgriLife Extension. Despain grew up exhibiting livestock at the county, state and national level. He was involved in livestock judging at every level. He said he is passionate about the livestock industry and looks forward to working with families in his county role. “AgriLife Extension has a very broad net that covers so much of our industry,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working at the county level, where production agriculture starts.”
McClellen, of Odem, earned her bachelor’s in agribusiness with a minor in business administration from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She has collected numerous hours in work experience interning with AgriLife Extension in Nueces County, the Texas FFA Foundation and with the Buccaneer Commission. McClellen grew up in San Patricio County where she was active in showing livestock and agriculture youth leadership organizations. She said she is excited to move to Victoria County to work with the youth to develop their leadership and community involvement. “I did not have the fortune of growing up in the 4-H program, but I have seen the impact and opportunities that are open to members of 4-H. I look forward to bringing those opportunities to the youth of Victoria County,” she said.
Meiwes, of Del Rio, earned her bachelor’s in animal science at West Texas A&M University. She spent three years working as an embryologist before starting as an elementary school teacher in Perryton and then a family and community science teacher at Spearman. Growing up, Meiwes was active in Val Verde County 4-H, including shooting sports, food and nutrition, wool and mohair judging, livestock judging and showing pigs, lambs, angora goats, horses, meat goats and dogs. She was also involved in the 4-H Council through the junior and senior divisions and is excited to share her well-rounded passion with the youth and community members of Hansford County. “I joined AgriLife Extension because I have a passion for teaching, a passion for agriculture and a passion for helping,” she said.
Patitsas, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, earned her bachelor’s in horticulture at Texas A&M and master’s in theological studies at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. She studied abroad with Semester at Sea and has a permaculture design certificate in international development. She previously served as the agricultural programs manager for a non-profit and has worked with farm and homestead management and consulting. Patitsas assisted with research on vineyards in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences viticulture and enology program. “I hope to equip people, build community resiliency, bring food growing skillsets and conservation agriculture, and foster environmental stewardship in Comal County and beyond,” she said.
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ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) – A Texas man has died after a fire at the Ardmore Valero refinery Monday evening.
Beaumont television station KBMT reported that Jesse Cole Biscamp, of Kirbyville, Texas, passed away after he was severely burned. A GoFundMe set up for Biscamp’s family stated he was flown to a burn unit at a Plano hospital.
Biscamp was a volunteer youth football coach, and the GoFundMe described him as a beloved husband and father.
He was one of five people that were hospitalized after the fire broke out.
Valero has not released any more information about the fire or the other people injured.
Copyright 2026 KXII. All rights reserved.
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