Celebrate fall in Historic Downtown McKinney during one of Texas' most beloved festivals. McKinney Oktoberfest, presented by Tomes Auto Group, brings Bavarian tradition to life with live music, cultural performances, interactive games, authentic flavors, and family-friendly fun all weekend long. photo by Allen Rich

They ran ranches, drove cattle up the Chisholm Trail, saved orphaned buffalo calves, faced down federales and bandits, performed death-defying stunts in Wild West shows, and barrel raced their way into the record books. Now, for the first time in a children's nonfiction book dedicated to the subject, twelve real Texas cowgirls tell their own stories.

The Texas Authors Museum has announced the winners of its 11th Annual Short Story Contest, with 14 selected stories to be published in the upcoming anthology, 11th Annual Short Stories by Texas Authors, Volume 11. Published by Texas Authors Press, the anthology is scheduled for release on October 1, 2026.

From pepper and cinnamon to cloves and nutmeg, spices have connected cultures and shaped global trade for centuries. Discover how these everyday ingredients traveled across oceans and trade routes before reaching American kitchens. Though they may seem ordinary today, many common spices were once rare, valuable commodities traded across vast distances. Then test your sense of smell in a hands-on activity as you try to identify a variety of spices by scent alone.

In his new book, Fixing Immigration in America: A Common Sense Plan for Immigration Reform, immigration attorney Robert Coughlon, Jr. draws on more than 30 years of immigration law experience to propose a different approach: change the law to create an earned legal pathway for longtime residents while strengthening border security, reforming enforcement and immigration courts, and protecting the workforce essential to the nation’s economy.

2024 – Hurricane Helene devastates the Carolinas as a tropical storm, killing hundreds and injuring more. Hurricane Helene was a powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Maria in 2017, and the deadliest to strike the mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The eighth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Helene began forming on September 22, 2024 as a broad low-pressure system in the western Caribbean Sea. By September 24, the disturbance had consolidated enough to become a tropical storm as it approached the Yucatán Peninsula, receiving the name Helene from the National Hurricane Center. Weather conditions led to the cyclone's intensification, and it became a hurricane early on September 25. More pronounced and rapid intensification ensued as Helene traversed the Gulf of Mexico the following day, reaching Category 4 intensity on the evening of September 26. Late on September 26, Helene made landfall at peak intensity in the Big Bend region of Florida, near the city of Perry, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. Helene weakened as it moved quickly inland before degenerating to a post-tropical cyclone over Tennessee on September 27. The storm then stalled over the state before dissipating on September 29. Storm surge in Florida caused significant damage from the Tampa Bay area northward. Hillsborough and Pinellas counties combined reported the destruction of at least 419 residences, major damage to at least 18,512 structures, and minor to moderate damage to 13,909 others. Several counties in or near the Big Bend suffered extensive wind impacts. Heavy crop and timber losses occurred over southern Georgia, totaling about $5.5 billion. Tens of thousands of homes and buildings suffered wind damage as far north as the Augusta area, while floodwaters entered at least 200 structures and a number of vehicles in the Atlanta area. Catastrophic flooding and more than 2,000 landslides occurred over the southern Appalachian Mountains, especially North Carolina, due to rainfall totals up to 30.78 inches in Busick, North Carolina. In North Carolina, over 125,000 housing units and approximately 822,000 acres of timberland suffered some degree of damage. Thousands of miles of bridges and roads were damaged by floodwaters. At least 106 fatalities occurred in North Carolina, far more than any other state. Helene and its remnants also spawned thirty-nine tornadoes across the United States.