Real Estate Photographer in Cedar Creek, TX

A Central Texas community on the outskirts of Austin is gearing up for massive, multimillion-dollar data center facility that will broaden the region's already sweeping tech industry footprint.

Global data center EdgeConneX already operates more than 80 data centers across four continents and in more than 20 countries, with an existing Texas center already operational in Houston. Soon, the Austin area will join its rankings, with a large-scale project planned in Bastrop County.

Headquartered in Virginia, EdgeConneX is set to develop a $440 million data center facility in Cedar Creek, according to filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation registered on Monday, July 14. The upcoming 578,000-square-foot, two-story facility will be located at the northeast corner of Wolf Lane and FM 635, according to TDLR documents.

Construction is tentatively set to kick off on August 1 and wrap on June 14, 2026, according to current project estimates.

Back in July 2024, the Bastrop County Commissioners Court adopted an order that designated a plot of land in Cedar Creek as a commercial-industrial reinvestment zone, with multi-phased plans detailing four data center campus buildings on the property, with each building subject to its own tax abatement agreement, according to county documents.

In December 2024, commissioners approved entering into tax abatement agreements with EdgeConneX for a 10-year term, which was projected to create approximately 60 or more quality trade and engineering jobs and more than $6 million in wages and benefits, per county documents. During the construction period, county officials said the project was expected to create 400 to 600 daily, on-site construction jobs.

Data centers are facilities that are home to servers and other equipment necessary for internet consumption (including online shopping, banking and health care work) and are regarded as "energy intensive" facilities due to the constant need for cooling units and fans to prevent system overheating. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts noted nearly 80 registered qualifying data centers or center projects listed in its system that qualify for state sales tax exemptions, including Central Texas projects affiliated with Google and Giga Texas' data center. As of September 2024, there were nearly 300 data centers in Texas, with a strong concentration between Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio, according to the Texas Comptroller.

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation is holding the Thunder Over East Texas airshow, Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake airshow, and the Warbird Expo on the weekend of July 4th to raise money for organizations serving veterans.

Randy Ball, North America’s Premier Jet Demonstration Pilot, is participating in all three events. He founded the Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake airshow over 20 years ago, which was around the time he moved to East Texas.

“F-16 sitting on the ground in Tyler. That doesn’t happen. The opportunity to bring that to the community. That’s what makes me happy,” Ball said.

The Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation supports veterans through CampV Tyler, Fisher House, and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Ball’s work has given him the opportunity to work on military bases around the country.

“You can’t spend 30 years working with these guys week in and week out without seeing the need and wanting to do something about the need,” Ball said.

Louis Thomas is a past president of the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum in Tyler, an Air Force Veteran, and a pilot. He said that these events have give veterans in East Texas the opportunity to come together.

“We have a lot of veterans in this area, but you don’t see them. It brings them out to have something like this,” Thomas said.

Ball hopes these events inspire kids into a career in aviation.

“Walking around with my dad when I was little, looking at this stuff, saying ‘man, I want to do that,’” Ball said.

Thomas said that seeing these planes is important to everyone.

“It’s aviation history, which is very important in our life,” Thomas said. “If we don’t know where we were, we’re not going to know where we’re going.”

Copyright 2025 KLTV. All rights reserved.

HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas (KLTV/Gray News) - Two girls, ages 3 and 5, are dead after the boat they were on capsized on a Texas lake, leaving them trapped underneath.

Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse says a boat with a group of 12 people onboard flipped over Sunday night on Cedar Creek Lake, KLTV reports.

“The boat had lost power. It was overloaded, and it capsized,” Hillhouse said.

The sheriff says the adults on the boat jumped in the water and were able to swim to shore, but two girls, ages 3 and 5, died.

“They had life vests on, but they actually got caught under the boat when it was sinking and couldn’t get out,” Hillhouse said.

The incident happened around 8 p.m. Emergency responders arrived on scene at 9:30 p.m. after they received the call.

“Our call log goes up on Cedar Creek Lake,” Hillhouse said. “There’s lots of rental properties that people use to come for vacation; there’s lots of people that have lake houses and lakefront property to get away and come down here.”

Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 Jamie Fawns said alcohol was not a factor in the boat’s capsizing. He ordered full autopsies on the girls.

As Texas Game Wardens lead the investigation, Hillhouse says people on boats should continue monitoring their boat safety.

“The Cedar Creek Lake can get extremely rough,” Hillhouse said. “Watch the weather, watch the waves. When it gets choppy, it’s really better to get off the water. Bad things can happen.”

Copyright 2025 KLTV via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

A boating accident at Cedar Creek Lake claimed the lives of two young girls, leaving the local community devastated.

HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas — A boating accident Sunday night at Cedar Creek Lake left two young children dead and the local community shaken.

Henderson County deputies and the Tool Volunteer Fire Department responded to a call at 9:56 p.m. about a boat that had overturned near a cove surrounded by homes. According to Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, two girls, ages three and five, drowned in the incident. Both were reportedly wearing life vests at the time.

“What I understand is the boat capsized and when it sank, they were underneath it and couldn't get free from the boat,” the sheriff said.

“It’s tragic when it’s an adult, and when we had the two children, that’s hard on everybody,” said Sheriff Hillhouse.

A GoFundMe has been created to support the children's parents.

Witnesses described rough conditions on the water Sunday evening.

“It was so bad my daughter and my brother and I had to leave. It was hitting the grass behind us,” one local resident told WFAA.

Search and rescue teams say their efforts were made more difficult by darkness, strong winds, and choppy water. The sheriff added that the boat had lost power as the family was trying to return to the dock.

“It was a bunch of folks on the boat,” the sheriff said.

Texas Parks and Wildlife and its game warden are investigating the incident. No official details have been released yet.

In a separate incident earlier that same evening, a 43-year-old man drowned while attempting to retrieve a flotation device. This brings the total number of drowning deaths at the lake this year to three. There were six in 2024.

“It strikes the entire community over here,” one resident said.

2 young girls drown when boat capsizes on Cedar Creek Lake

TxDOT’s car seat safety checks can keep your children safe

Updated: 4 hours ago

According to the Texas Department of Public Transportation, the leading cause of death for children in Texas is car crashes due to improper child restraints. According to TxDOT, 46 percent of all child car seats are misused.

Super fans descend upon Longview Expo Hall for ‘East Texas Comic-Con’

Updated: 21 hours ago

From superheroes to Villains, aliens to anime characters, all are on tap at an event that brings thousands of visitors to East Texas.

11th 'Adaptive Aquafest' at Lake Palestine gives disabled East Texans chance to water ski

Updated: 23 hours ago

Andrew Culver spoke with Mike Schovanec, who hosts the Adaptive Aquafest at Lake Palestine, about what the event offers people with disabilities. Volunteers work those with down syndrome, the paralytic and other disabilities to help them learn how to water ski. This is the 11th annual year at Lake Palestine.

‘It’s just a hot mess’: Reel Road construction continues in Longview with lane closure

Updated: Jun. 27, 2025 at 8:37 PM PDT

Crews are working to make Reel Road a four-lane roadway between Gilmer and Pine Tree roads. Now, crews have converted the roadway to a one-lane route as they work to relocate and install new storm drains. “It’s just a hot mess,” said Pat Douty, who owns Reel Good Stuff, a gift shop on Reel Rd.

Berry-balsamic summer salad by Mama Steph

Updated: Jun. 27, 2025 at 8:37 PM PDT

During the summer months when produce is at its most delicious and beautiful, I incorporate as many salads into our menu as I possibly can, and I switch it up based on what produce looks freshest and most flavorful each week. This salad has a nice contrast between the sweet berries, the slight bitterness of the greens, and the tang of the delicious balsamic glaze. You might also notice that it leans a bit patriotic, with the red, blue and white elements. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center installs public, free microchip reader

Updated: Jun. 27, 2025 at 8:37 PM PDT

Most pet owners know the anxiety that comes with having a cat or dog run away. A new microchip scanner that's free to use will be available in Longview beginning on Saturday.