Texas, Beaumont | featured news

A college student from Spring pleaded guilty on Monday to plotting to join ISIS in Syria in a case that dates to the earliest American news reports of about terrorist group.Asher Abid Khan, 23, admitted in a Houston courtroom that he conspired with others and attempted to provide "material support" to a foreign terrorist organization. The mechanical engineering student at the University of Houston ultimately ditched his plan en route to joining jihadist forces, but continued to talk of becoming a martyr after he returned home.

Local colleges continue to expand with new buildings popping up on campuses around Southeast Texas. At Lamar State College-Orange, the new $12.5 million Cypress Center houses faculty offices, classrooms, computer labs and a multipurpose room for hosting events. Lamar Institute of Technology's new Petrochemical and Advanced Technology Center contains nearly 40,000 square feet of space for the school's petrochemical and science courses. The building replaced the T-2 and T-3 buildings that were demolished to make way for the new construction.

The welcome mat to Tommy Spears' Deweyville home sits about four feet above the ground, on the landing of the stairs leading up to his front door. From his living room, Spears looks out over the surrounding neighborhood - the trees that use to loom above his house are at eye level outside. His house, which flooded twice in the past two years, now sits 10 feet off the ground on stilts. "If you're going to be here, you've got to do something," Spears said.

The Texas Board of Nursing has suspended the registered nursing license of the the owner of a Nederland clinic raided by federal authorities this fall.

More than three months after Tropical Storm Harvey overflowed drainage districts, cut off water and prompted hundreds of boil-water notices across the Gulf Coast, access to safe water still seems a pipe dream for some. Thirteen boil-water notices remain in effect across Harvey's affected areas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reported Friday. Seven counties, including Orange, Newton, Matagorda, Liberty, Jim Wells, Harris and Angelina, are struggling to bounce back after Harvey's 50-plus inches swamped water systems, subdivisions and mobile home parks across Southeast Texas.

Our cameras were at Beaumont's Pub Crawl - did we see you?

Our cameras were at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas' annual gingerbread house decorating event Saturday - did we see you there?

Our cameras were at the Bringing Back the Memories Car Show - did we see you there?