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
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![Some Texans will soon have a say in who sits on their tax appraisal boards.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
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
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![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
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![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
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![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
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![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
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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
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![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
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![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
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![The logo of Samsung Electronics is seen at its office building in Seoul, South Korea, March 23, 2018.]()
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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
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![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
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![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
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![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
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![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
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![An Aerial image of a suburban neighborhood in San Marcos on October 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Cows at two Texas dairy farms have bird flu, another blow to Cattle Country following wildfires
Federal officials said the nation’s milk supply should be not at risk after a bird flu outbreak hits dairies in Texas, New Mexico and Kansas. Full Story
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![Livestock at a dairy farm on Feb. 19, 2013.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Court challenge from Texas AG Ken Paxton could end Austin’s light-rail plans
The attorney general took issue with the financial strategy Austin used to navigate the limits state lawmakers have placed on how Texas cities can raise money. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton looks up at the gallery during the first day of his impeachment trial in the Texas Senate chambers at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/Pool via The Dallas Morning News -
Why some Texas cities are getting rid of their minimum parking rules
Most cities require homes and businesses to have parking. Critics say they drive up housing costs, foster car dependency and raise carbon emissions. Full Story
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![An apartment parking lot in East Austin on Saturday, March 16, 2024.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Texas firefighters completely contain Panhandle inferno that burned more than 1 million acres
A series of deadly wildfires have burned for nearly three weeks, destroying farms and ranches in several counties. Full Story
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![A burned yucca stands in a field after the Smokehouse Creek fire Sunday, March. 3, 2024, in Hemphill County, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott wants the Texas Legislature to rein in investors behind large-scale home purchases
So-called institutional homebuyers noticeably ramped up home purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. But housing experts point out investors have retreated amid high interest rates. Full Story
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![A construction worker, who declined to give their name, rolls up hosing as they work on building a home at a new housing development Saturday, March 12, 2022 in Odessa, Texas.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
“It does not get easier”: Texas ranchers lose cattle and land in historic wildfires
As ranchers recover from the Smokehouse Creek fire, they face the agonizing choice of what to do with an unknown number of injured cattle. Full Story
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![Cattle stand in the burn scar from the Smokehouse Creek fire Sunday, March. 3, 2024, in Hemphill County, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune