HAZARD, Kentucky — U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Kentucky State Director Travis T.

Rural Development published the Fiscal Year 2026 Section 533 Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) Notice of Funding Opportunity on August 6, 2026. The HPG program awards grants to qualified organizations to repair or rehabilitate homes, rental properties, or co-ops occupied by low- and very-low-income residents in rural areas. Eligible applicants include most State or local governmental entities, federally recognized Indian Tribes, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based organizations.

The Hidalgo County Service Center in Edinburg, Texas, will be temporarily closed. Effective July 30, 2026, USDA Rural Development staff at the Hidalgo County Service Center will be relocated until further notice. Customers seeking assistance or to do business with USDA Rural Development may meet with staff in person by appointment each Wednesday at a temporary location in Edinburg.

Interested customers may make meeting arrangements or ask questions by contacting Area Director Roel Gomez at 956-383-4928.

Unicom, Incorporated proposes to use a middle-mile1 system to interconnect with a fiber-optic cable (FOC) in Nunapitchuk and extend the Airraq Network through Mertarvik to Tununak and Toksook Bay. The preferred route is overland from Nunapitchuk to Tununak, Toksook Bay, Alakanuk, Emmonak, and Kotlik, which would also require a marine fiber lay through Baird Inlet to Mertarvik and from Tununak to Alakanuk. Through Airraq Kotlik, the Airraq Network would extend from Emmonak to Kotlik, primarily via overland route.