Once a laborer, this immigrant now owns his farm. He and his daughter are among few Hispanic farmers in Texas.
According to the most recent census, Texas has fewer than 26,000 Hispanic farmers compared to 236,000 white farmers. Full Story
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![From left, Amaldo Serrato and his daughter, Yuleida Serrato look over a failed dry-land cotton field that they had to plow under because it was too dry. The Serrato family own and run their multigenerational family farm in and around Floydada. Amado Serrato, his wife and father came to the United States, where they and their American born kids have created a successful agricultural business.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Shuttered for decades, a downtown theater in a rural Texas town is getting new life and new mission
Rural Texas towns like Levelland on the South Plains are increasingly turning to the arts to help revitalize their downtowns and provide more attractions for families. Full Story
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![Workers remove a plywood covering on the front of the Wallace Theater in Levelland on Dec. 5th, 2023. The historic theater, which has been vacant since the 1980s, is now under restoration and is expected to reopen by Dec. 2024.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ statewide poverty rate declines, but several rural counties see increase in poor residents
An influx of highly educated people from other states helped shift the state’s economic fortune. But in many parts of Texas, residents are struggling as jobs dry up. Full Story
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![Yuchih Choy loads boxes of food into a pickup. West Texas Food Bank employees and volunteers load donated food into customer's cars during their weekly pick up outside of the food bank in Odessa, TX. Oct. 5, 2022.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
I’m a Texas homeowner. When will I see my tax cut?
Tax policy is messy. Here are a few tips to help you understand what the recent voter-approved tax cuts mean for your mortgage. Full Story
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![Homes along central Longview's Centenary Drive on Friday Dec. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
Tim Dunn, the powerhouse GOP donor, to sell his West Texas oil company for $12 billion
Tim Dunn has used his wealth to establish a network of organizations that push his ultraconservative views across Texas. The deal comes amid a time of consolidation in the Permian Basin. Full Story
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![Tim Dunn, CEO of CrownQuest Operating and chairman of Empower Texans, speaks during The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 24, 2016.]()
Credit: Brett Buchanan for The Texas Tribune -
Austin will now allow more homes to be built on single-family lots
City officials hope that allowing up to three units per lot will increase supply and slow the explosive increase in housing costs. The measure was approved by Austin City Council in a 9-2 vote late Thursday night. Full Story
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![The Mueller neighborhood in East Austin on Oct. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
In this East Texas town, a 45-foot tall oil pump is a holiday symbol and connection to the past
Rudolph the Red-Nose Pumping Unit has long been a holiday tradition in Lufkin. The machinery, now used worldwide to extract oil from the ground, was invented by a local businessman. Full Story
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![The Huntington High School High Steppers drill team stands at attention at the Rudolph the Red Nosed Pumping Unit lighting ceremony in downtown Lufkin on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.]()
Credit: Joel Andrews for The Texas Tribune -
As offices sit empty and housing costs soar, some Texas developers are converting workspaces into apartments
Not every downtown high-rise is a good fit for an office-to-housing conversion, but some officials and developers see benefits in turning unused space into new residential units. Full Story
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![The Santander Tower in downtown Dallas, on Nov. 07, 2023. Texas metros have a glut of vacant offices space driven by the rise of remote work, overbuilding and other factors during the pandemic. One option companies are doing to combat the changes, is to convert office space into residential housing.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will have to cut methane emissions from oil fields under new federal climate rule
The Biden Administration announced a crackdown on methane emissions, a major driver of climate change. Major oil and gas companies also signed on to a voluntary net-zero commitment. Full Story
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![A gas flare in the Eagle Ford oil patch south of San Antonio, TX.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas workers need access to training and child care to sustain economic growth, experts say
The state’s economy is strong — but unemployment and poverty rates hint at the need to support workers, panelists at a Texas Tribune event said. Full Story
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A Texas politician wants to provide emergency services to constituents who don’t have them. Will they let him?
In unincorporated West Odessa, residents relish their freedom. And they also go without basic services. Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, a young Republican with Ronald Reagan good looks and politics, wants to change that. Full Story
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![Pigeons flock to Jesús Rodriguez as he feeds his chickens “scratch,” bird feed, while organizing the junkyard behind his home Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in West Odessa. “I come here for therapy,” Rodriguez said about tending to his animals during stressful moments. He raises a variety of animals not otherwise allowed within city limits including his fowl, goats and a donkey.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Climate change, costly disasters sent Texas homeowner insurance rates skyrocketing this year
Texas rates have increased 22% on average so far in 2023, twice the national rate. More billion-dollar disasters have occurred in Texas this year than any other year on record. Full Story
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![A family watches from their door as people assess damage after a tornado moved through Round Rock on March 21, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
More than 765,000 older Texans are struggling to cover housing costs
A new Harvard University study found an increase in the number of Texas households headed by people 65 or older spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Advocates say keeping older adults housed will require substantial public investment and reforms. Full Story
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![Seniors gather to eat and dance at the Ledbetter Eagle Ford Community Organization’s senior program held at the Jaycee-Zaragoza Recreation Center located in West Dallas on Nov. 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Despite strong economy, Texas cities grapple with excess office space
As remote and hybrid working become the new normal, major Texas cities are facing a decline in office tenants. It’s too soon to tell what that means for the vitality of downtowns. Full Story
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![Traffic on Interstate 30 passes near an area land that would have been used as pedestrian bridges leading to a bullet train terminus near downtown Dallas, on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. The entities in charge of a bullet train connection between Houston and DFW have faded despite Texas courts approving eminent domain to accomplish the massive project.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
More than two-thirds of Texas’ 30.3 million residents live in four largest metro areas
According to new Texas Demographic Center figures, the Austin region continues to grow at the fastest rate, but Fort Worth was the city that attracted the most new residents between 2020 and 2023. Full Story
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![Downtown Fort Worth.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Seeking lower electricity rates, residents in two East Texas towns hope the state will intervene
Livingston and Jasper residents hope a lawsuit will force their municipality-operated utility company to offer lower rates and create more transparency in setting rates. They’re among the 5 million Texans living outside the state’s deregulated market and cannot choose their energy provider. Full Story
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![Power lines outside of Whinstone's Rockdale facility on Oct. 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Texas is not prepared for Austin-San Antonio population boom, experts say
The neighboring regions are projected to collectively grow from 5.2 million to 8.3 million people by 2050. But the state still lacks an overarching plan to address critical housing and transportation issues, experts said. Full Story
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Texans approved billions for water and broadband infrastructure. Now what?
The legislation behind the historic investment directs state agencies to send money to the state’s smaller, cash-strapped towns that have difficulty paying for upgrades. Federal money is also expected to flow to regions that need broadband. Full Story
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![Tom Bailey flushes out a water line in Zavalla on April 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune -
Do Texans have the “right to farm?” Voters will decide with Proposition 1.
Supporters of the amendment say it will protect farmers as the state’s largest cities continue to grow. Opponents suggest the amendment is too broad and ambiguous. Full Story
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![Plants and vegetables are seen in the community garden at the Catholic Charities Guadalupe Community Center in San Antonio, Texas on February 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Christopher Lee for The Texas Tribune -
To fight climate change and housing shortage, Austin becomes largest U.S. city to drop parking-spot requirements
Affordable housing advocates, developers and climate activists say rules requiring a minimum amount of parking spaces on new projects drives up construction costs and enables a dependency on vehicles to get around town. Full Story
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![Downtown Austin on June 27, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price/The Texas Tribune