In Pineland, a fresh batch of local elected officials and an expansion of the town’s biggest employer have created the conditions for an economic renaissance. A dearth of housing could slow growth.

Limits on who can be released without paying bail and difficulties hiring guards worsen the situation.

In conservative Sabine County, it’s hard for teens to access contraception or sex education beyond lessons on abstinence. The Deep East Texas region has one of the highest teen birth rates in the state.

HEMPHILL, Texas Texas recorded four deaths Friday linked to Hurricane Laura, which roared ashore along the Louisiana border the day before. Sabine County Emergency Management Coordinator Kerwin Lloyd identified the first death as David Murrell, 54, in East Texas. Jefferson County Precinct 7 Justice of the Peace Brad Burnett said the seven were found inside the Bida-Vinh game room in Port Arthur on Friday morning. One was 60, the other was 53, and both were from Port Arthur. At least two Port Arthur police officers also required hospital treatment for a dangerous level of carbon monoxide exposure, Burnett said.