Texans are falling behind on their light bills — especially during extreme heat
One organization helping Texans pay their electric bills said the average household was $1,400 behind. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ab7acf273cbbd2e6c397740f1c5bde58/0420%20Light%20Bill%20RS%2001%20TT.jpg)
-
![Mary Ann Estrella sits for a portrait inside her apartment in Midland, Texas, on April 20, 2024.]()
Credit: Reilly Strand for The Texas Tribune -
Austin enacts sweeping reforms to cut down housing costs
City leaders and advocates hope reducing the size of lots used to build homes will increase housing supply. Full Story
![An attendee listens and takes notes as people testify during an Austin city council meeting on Thursday, May 16, 2024 in Austin. Attendees spent hours at Austin City Hall as the council went through numerous testimonies.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Push to enforce occupancy rule in College Station highlights Texas A&M students’ housing woes
The new fines underscore the challenges college students face when looking for affordable housing — and how cities struggle to provide it. Full Story
![Ethan Tan, center right, and his roommates stand for a portrait on their front porch in College Station, Texas on Wednesday, April 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune -
Meatless in South Texas: Thousands flock to vegan festival in Rio Grande Valley
From brisket to carne asada, Texas is known for meat, making this annual gathering in a small Rio Grande Valley town stand out. Full Story
![Attendees and non-profit organizations are seen at Vegan Fest in Elsa, Texas on May 11, 2024.
Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas leaders zero in on exploding hemp market
Thousands of hemp dispensaries have sprung up in Texas in the years since consumable hemp became legal. Full Story
![Owner Shayda Torabi, poses for a photo inside of Restart CBD on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Austin. Torabi, along with her two sisters, become curious about the properties of the plant after Torabi had an accident and started using CBD as a solution to manage her pain.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texans get their first crack at electing the people overseeing the state’s complicated property appraisal process
In the state’s larger counties, voters can now elect people to the agencies that appraise property values. Full Story
![Some Texans will soon have a say in who sits on their tax appraisal boards.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
“Trust in yourself”: Colony Ridge residents rely on business savvy to establish life in U.S.
Despite several daily and systematic challenges, the Liberty County community is home to industrious entrepreneurs from across the Latin American diaspora. Full Story
![Susana Cazares, 49, Leo’s Beer Barn owner in Cleveland, helps her nephew Santiago Lopez, 3, blow bubbles at her business on April 12, 2024, in Cleveland. The longtime Colony Ridge resident, Cazares, fostered her entrepreneurial spirit in the development and included her family in the business growth.]()
Credit: Marie D. De Jesús/Houston Landing -
Legalized marijuana supporters hope voters in this Texas city will send a message to state lawmakers
There is no process in Texas for a voter-driven statewide referendum. So, supporters are going city by city to build statewide momentum. Full Story
![A shirt promotes the legalization of marijuana in Lubbock at the South Plains Fair in Lubbock on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Coal power plants must reduce pollution under new federal rules
The rules will require coal-fueled plants, including Texas plants that produced about 12% of power on the state’s grid this year, to reduce carbon emissions and mercury pollution and handle disposed coal ash more safely. Full Story
![The entrance to the San Miguel Electric Cooperative coal-burning power plant on April 26, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
This East Texas town hasn’t held a city council election in at least 18 years
In Kennard, City Council members have been appointed after previous members retired or died. Full Story
![Donald Lamb Sr., a member of Kennard’s city council, poses for a portrait outside of City Hall following a city council meeting in Kennard on April 8, 2024. The city of Kennard recently canceled its city council elections for at least the 18th time.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocks Harris County’s guaranteed income pilot program
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging the program, saying it violates the Texas Constitution. Full Story
![State Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Oil and gas leaders at Tribune panel say the industry’s crucial to West Texas but pollution must be addressed
Panelists discussed how the industry has changed Midland and Odessa and how to confront environmental concerns. Full Story
![Article thumbnail]()
-
South Texas farmers are in peril as the Rio Grande Valley runs dry — again
With the hottest days still ahead, local leaders have declared emergencies. And farmers are lobbying for the U.S. government to pressure Mexico to release water. Full Story
![Mike England surveys a field on his farm near Mercedes on April 18, 2024. England had to destroy 500 acres worth of sugar cane he'd grown because of drought in the Rio Grande Valley.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks state to halt new cement plant permits until 2025
Citing community concerns about a planned cement plant in Grayson County, Patrick’s letter asks TCEQ to reject the permit and halt permit approvals statewide. Full Story
![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during a keynote lunch at the Texas Public Policy Foundation Texas Policy Summit 2024 at the AT&T Hotel & Conference Center in Austin, TX on Mar. 21, 2024. Lt. Gov. Patrick spoke on policies regarding energy, border control, school choice and taxes.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Biden administration agrees to provide $6.4 billion to Samsung for making computer chips in Texas
The planned manufacturing and research cluster is expected to create at least 17,000 construction jobs and more than 4,500 manufacturing jobs. Full Story
![The logo of Samsung Electronics is seen at its office building in Seoul, South Korea, March 23, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji -
After Texas’ largest wildfire is contained, a rancher moves on with a single calf
In testimony to state lawmakers, Dale Jenkins and his Panhandle peers shared the “hidden cost” of the wildfires. Full Story
![Dale Jenkins poses for a photo inside a cattle pen where he left his livestock prior to the Smokehouse Creek fires on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 in Canadian. “You'd be out there fighting this fire and you're all by yourself,” Jenkins said. “There's not a soul round. But you've got light from the fire line. And you're working at it and concentrating so hard and finally you get to the end you finally put up the last flames and then it's just totally dark and totally quiet is a really it's an interesting feeling.”]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
South Texas groups trying to stop state’s land swap with SpaceX
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is negotiating a land trade involving part of Boca Chica State Park. Full Story
![SpaceX rockets at the launch pad at the Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. On Oct. 22, Elon Musk said via Twitter the Starship rocket would be ready for an orbital launch by next month.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Harris County to block program that would give cash to poorest households
The program would give roughly 1,900 households payments of $500 for 18 months with no strings attached. Paxton called it “plainly unconstitutional.” Full Story
![The Houston skyline in November, 2017.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
1.7 million Texas households are set to lose monthly internet subsidy
The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a $30 monthly subsidy to help low-income households pay for internet service. The program is slated to run out of money at the end of the month. Full Story
![A colonia, unincorporated neighborhoods that lack basic services such as street lights, proper drainage, paved roads or waste management, is seen near Edinburg on March 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Republicans’ budding interest in Texas’ housing crisis could create strange political bedfellows
Republican lawmakers may try to force Texas cities to allow greater housing density as the state faces a housing crunch. Full Story
![An Aerial image of a suburban neighborhood in San Marcos on October 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8b777d6efea9d68dace2d0f8a09623fc/0516%20Austin%20City%20Council%20Housing%20MC%2022.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2745ee9473283398e11882a1f01bf4a0/0423%20TAMU%20Student%20Housing%20IS%2005.JPG)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/cf027ac44ca8d58ac03c397612421630/0515%20RGV%20Vegan%20Fest%20VCG%20TT%2001.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6795a7159dd2284ffa6986aebbf0aa13/0509%20Hemp%20MC%20TT%2008.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f202ac8689fe992bbba03c8462db14ee/Nakisha%20Platt%20CLT%20CO%20TT%2005.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/392d1ed615e0ebbc4bce2cf2d318c767/0501%20COLONY%20BIZ%20MDJ%20HL%2001.JPG)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5912eaeec86d7f6161c457250dda3090/0925%20Decriminalization%20JR%20TT%2002.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0e00f849f688cd835de3972b784a2b65/15%20Peeler%20Ranch%20San%20Miguel%20Coop%20Coal%20Ash%20MG.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0fd65c70cad3eb29224d6a59a07d0ec0/0411%20Kennard%20Democracy%20CO%20TT%2018.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dacb3c47e3e64b4e8b64e29f2a08293e/Ken%20Paxton%20File%20MF%20TT%2007.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/59454c51d33fd77a58b026663fbb9f40/05-08_TexasOil-Lead-Title-01-v1.png)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ac4663e79b416628097ea59744969877/0418%20RGC%20Drought%20BL%20TT%2005.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/58f90afec00c4357f9731d2f6b61dd98/0321%20TPPF%20Dan%20Patrick%20MC%20TT%2011.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ab3ed7843175f49376242533ab05bb31/2024-04-14T183240Z_940118657_RC2H67AE28R5_RTRMADP_3_USA-CHIPS-SAMSUNG.JPG)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/04f1f04c0f6461a06c054fe042091eb4/0403%20Dale%20Jenkins%20MC%2034.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/474ce36c7dc42f4b4356ffa483e275a9/SpaceX%20Brownsville%20MGO%20TT%2005.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/413c037abf4deb74925c7e6aa84fdb55/Houston%20Skyline%20CR%20TT%2001.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/380592600268fa7955ad03e1b520334b/Edingburg%20Telephone%20Pole%20TT.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/91c66c3846388c43bca287ed4d0d9e68/Aerial%20Suburbs%20JV%20TT%2004.jpg)