Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms made headlines over the summer for making millions by selling pre-purchased power back to the grid. The news highlighted how the grid can benefit businesses more than consumers.
Kevin Vu
Kevin Vu was an Austin-based reporting fellow at The Tribune in 2023 while studying journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked as a news reporter and editor for The Daily Texan, the campus paper, and his work has appeared in the Austin American-Statesman and on NPR's Next Generation Radio. He previously interned at NewsGuard, which combats misinformation. On his off days, you can catch Kevin cooking and catching up on shows.
Posted in
State Government
Texas must remove floating barrier from Rio Grande, Fifth Circuit Court orders
The appeals court upheld an earlier ruling by an Austin federal judge to remove the 1,000-foot-long barrier the state deployed near Eagle Pass.
Posted in
Climate Change in Texas
Texas board rejects many science textbooks over climate change messaging
The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education this week rejected most of the proposed textbooks that include climate science for eighth grade students. Five of 12 were approved.
Posted in
Public Education
Proposition 9 would increase pensions for retired teachers and public school employees
If approved by voters on Nov. 7, the proposal would allocate $3.3 billion to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, increasing pensions between 2% and 6%.
Posted in
Energy
Texas power grid operator approved for a 40% budget increase
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it needs more money to comply with new regulations, hire more employees and fight legal challenges. It said the budget increase will cost power customers less than 20 cents per month.
Posted in
Economy
Texas drought has deepened amid this year’s brutal heat
After a long summer of extreme heat, Texas has been battered by a lingering drought that’s damaging crops, drying up water supplies and causing wildfires.
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The 2023 Texas Tribune Festival
Texans in U.S. House describe GOP in chaos ahead of likely government shutdown
Texas Democrats decry Republican infighting that has halted attempts to approve annual spending bills and avoid a federal government shutdown.