Texas must build hundreds of thousands of homes to lower housing costs, says state comptroller
Texas needs hundreds of thousands more homes than it has, per one estimate. That shortage has driven up home prices and rents. Full Story
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![A San Antonio neighborhood on Saturday, May 25, 2024.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Squeezed by inflation and politics, a Texas food bank gets creative to keep people fed
To help raise money, the Lubbock-area food bank recruited a Michelin-recognized chef. Full Story
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![Orchard manager William Russell picks Jona Gold apples in their orchard. The South Plains Food Bank has been growing limited crops in their small orchard and garden.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
The oil industry is booming. This West Texas small business worries it’s been left behind.
Before the pandemic, Ben Bilbrey worked with some of the largest oil companies. Now he’s waiting for the phone to ring. Full Story
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![Benny Ford drives back to Benro Pump and Supply after picking up a downhole pumping unit from a well site Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, near Goldsmith.]()
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How Lubbock artists pushed back after the city ended funding for its popular art walk
The City Council did approve $5,000 for security, about one-fifth of the money it withheld over last month. Full Story
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![First Friday Art Trail attendees write what they love about the montly event on a wall outside of the LHUCA gallery during
First Friday Art Trail in Lubbock on Aug. 2,2024.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump’s promise to “drill, baby, drill” probably won’t change much — least of all in Texas
Texas is producing so much natural gas right now companies are losing money. Full Story
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![A series of four drilling rigs operate in a row outside of Tarzan Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Martin County.]()
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Federal court orders regulators to fix process, reconsider gas export projects in South Texas
This week’s ruling was the latest twist since cities and groups in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley sued to block the projects. Full Story
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![Construction crews work at the 750-acre site of the proposed Rio Grande LNG facility Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 in Brownsville.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
More Texans join unions although national membership is down
The growth in union membership came from the technology and nonprofit sectors, as well as coffee shops. Full Story
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![Soleil Baker, a supervisor at the Bartonville Starbucks, in front of the building on Sunday, July 28, 2024. Baker has been at this location for about two years, but has worked for Starbucks for around three years total.]()
Credit: Maria Crane for The Texas Tribune -
Nine out of 10 Texans say housing costs too much, poll finds
Some Texas lawmakers have signaled an appetite to tackle the state’s housing affordability crisis when they convene next year. Full Story
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![Downtown San Antonio on May 25, 2025.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Chevron to move its headquarters from California to Texas
The oil giant said it will relocate to Houston. It’s the latest company seeking a laxer, more business-friendly regulatory environment in Texas. Full Story
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![A Chevron oil exploration drilling site near Midland, Texas, on Aug. 22, 2019.]()
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Weak infrastructure, distrust make communication during natural disasters hard on rural Texas
When disaster strikes, Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy takes command of her county’s emergency communication channels, including a text service and Facebook page. Full Story
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![Floodwater accumulates in a residential area following significant rainstorms in Coldspring, on Saturday, May 4, 2024.]()
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Meta to pay Texas $1.4 billion for using facial recognition technology without users’ permission
Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Facebook parent company in 2022, claiming it had used personal biometric data without permission. Full Story
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![A man stands in front of a sign of Meta, the new name for the company formerly known as Facebook, at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Oct. 28, 2021.]()
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Insurance rates could climb for some Texas coastal homeowners, businesses
Homeowners typically pay $2,300 a year for a Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policy. The rate increase would bump premiums by 10%. Full Story
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![Fallen tree branches obscure a house on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Houston's Fifth Ward. Power had only just returned to the area that day, after Hurricane Beryl caused multi-day long outages.]()
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Attorney general investigating CenterPoint Energy after Hurricane Beryl’s long-lasting power outages
The company’s power outages in July have drawn the ire of state leaders. Here’s what you need to know. Full Story
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![Electric trucks line up to provide support with major power outages after Hurricane Beryl in Houston, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune -
Texas city strips funding for monthly art event over drag show
The arts center that organizes the monthly art walk, which draws 20,000 to downtown Lubbock, said the drag show happened at an off-site location and had no association with it. Full Story
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![The Lubbock LGBTQ+ community protests quietly in response to the Lubbock City Council's failure to pass a proclamation that would declare the month of June as Pride Month in Lubbock, on June 27, 2023.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is once more flirting with expanding passenger rail
The state’s booming population, congestion problems and billions of federal dollars on the table have officials eyeing ways to boost passenger rail. Full Story
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![A public scoping meeting on the Dallas to Houston High-Speed Rail hosted by TXDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration in Houston on Oct. 29, 2014.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
After three citywide water outages, Odessa will invest $25 million to fix infrastructure
The Odessa City Council approved the budget to replace nearly 200 water valves and 17,000 feet of pipe. Full Story
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![City of Odessa Water Distribution employees work through the night as they attempt to repair a broken water main Tuesday, June 14, 2022 in Odessa. According to Mayor of Odessa Javier Joven, repairs were completed around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday.]()
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Elon Musk says he’ll move X and SpaceX to Texas
Musk said he decided to move his companies from California after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several laws expanding protections for LGBTQ+ students. Full Story
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![Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups, in Paris, France, June 16, 2023.]()
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Houston property insurance is already expensive. Hurricane Beryl will make it worse.
Insurance researchers and analysts expect insurers will continue raising already high premiums — and become more selective with what type of damage they cover. Full Story
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![Mohammed Durvesh looks at the tree debris from tropical storm Beryl in front of his in Sugar Land home on Monday, July 8, 2024.]()
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Just as temperatures climb, Texas towns are closing public pools to cut costs
Advocates say public pools are necessary community infrastructure and save lives. Splash pads have become a more affordable option. Full Story
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![Demolition of the Longview Swim Center continues on Friday, July 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
Millions of Texans face third day without power in summer heat
Power companies and Texas officials say restoration efforts could take days. Experts say Texans without electricity are facing a dangerous situation. Full Story
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![Electric workers gather supplies to provide support with major power outages after Hurricane Beryl in Houston, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune