Rising interest rates, property taxes and insurance have made homebuying in Houston more difficult, pricing many first-time buyers out and limiting affordable inventory as builders shift toward rentals.

One of the state’s largest oil and gas industry groups condemned French’s comments about South Asian students. They have not pulled their endorsement.

For La Union del Pueblo Entero’s biennial convention, members under 45 years old made up the largest share of participants.

Democrat James Talarico is consistently leading in the polls over Ken Paxton, which is unheard of in recent decades. National forecasters are calling Texas a tie, or else giving the advantage to the Democrat.

The Public Utility Commission will vote to greenlight three proposals to build first-of-their-kind transmission lines after approving two massive lines last month.

With high costs top of mind, GOP candidates in competitive races tested a tightrope act: Trump’s policies are helping, but Biden is still the culprit for your gas and grocery bills.

On the campaign trail, the governor said dismantling city-owned utilities will save customers money by introducing competition.

Gas prices are taking a bite out of Labor Day travel this year, with drivers paying significantly more at the pump than they were a year ago.

More Texans have become food insecure due to a rise in natural disasters and less qualifying for SNAP benefits. Rural food banks in particular face additional pressures.

If not carefully vetted, candidates’ proposals to lower costs could exacerbate future affordability issues, experts say.

The city agreed to deannex roughly 445 acres near the Port of Brownsville at SpaceX’s request in exchange for funding for water and wastewater projects.

SpaceX and other large employers have brought a surge of new wealthy homebuyers in the region. As home values grow, Brownsville officials plan for future housing.

Data centers and agriculture depend on many of the same resources, such as water, land and electricity, which has some in the industry worried about the future.

Austin is considering new regulations for massive AI data centers amid growing concerns over their significant water and energy demands.

Lawmakers gutted an old state law that required a city council supermajority to approve a new housing development if neighbors petitioned the proposal.

Energy regulators and industry experts warn that the state’s delays to major projects amid backlash from residents could create rolling blackouts and strangle growth of other industries that need power.

Rising costs, slowing tax revenue and a sluggish economy have saddled some of Texas’ biggest cities with multimillion-dollar deficits.

The state’s power grid operator had already planned on auditing several data center proposals, but Abbott’s directive reworks the timeline and adds new requirements.

Without key details on the audits but the eagerness to support them, policy watchers question how impactful these audits will be in curbing data center growth.

Rio Grande Valley residents are unhappy with the economy, salaries, and other factors. That could sway their political views, according to political watchdogs.

Activists gathered nearly 13,000 petition signatures to place the measure on the November ballot. Legal challenges are expected.

The Texas Broadband office made the announcement after facing scrutiny from lawmakers for changing the rules to seemingly favor companies such as Elon Musk’s Starlink.

Inflation and federal funding cuts have squeezed Texas’ child care subsidy, causing the Texas Workforce Commission to scale back the program.

What information is accessible about a data center project can differ from place to place and depend on whether a project seeks out tax breaks, whether it needs local rezoning or special permits, and how it will get its power and water.

Data center developers can use nondisclosure agreements and shell companies to shield the details of their deals from the public. Even state officials also say they need more transparency from the industry.

Moody’s Ratings upgraded Houston’s general credit rating for the first time in 12 years, citing improved budget decisions that narrowed a projected fiscal 2027 budget gap and declining pension-related liabilities.

The Texas agriculture commissioner has openly criticized Gov. Greg Abbott for not taking a stronger stand against data center development. The governor has ignored him.

Like his U.S. Senate rival, Ken Paxton, the Austin state lawmaker introduced a plan to address what he called an “affordability crisis.” But they differed on who is to blame for rising costs.

Rising uncertainty has led businesses that depend on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) pact to pull back on investment in Texas, experts say.

Sandra Lopez built a successful contracting company while creating opportunities for single mothers and people new to the trades. Now, a LiftFund loan is helping her grow even more.

Dream Con, one of the country’s largest Black-owned pop culture conventions, is at risk of looking elsewhere to find financial support and resources.

Despite community concerns, the president of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance said neither piece of land would be conducive for a data center.

Republican business leaders said immigration raids on the Latino community would be top of mind at the ballot box in the midterm elections.

Texas lawmakers accuse the state broadband office of favoritism and sweetheart deals after satellite internet providers received most of the funding.

The laws, which make it easier to build apartments, face stiff resistance from North Texas suburbs. State lawmakers vow to force cities to comply.

The limited resumption will allow a southern port of entry in Arizona to reopen in phases. The move comes after 41 of 42 cases of screwworm have been reported in Texas.

Diode Ventures said Gov. Greg Abbott's tougher stance on data center development in rural areas drove the decision to cancel the project

Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor, unveiled her own plan this week and called on Gov. Greg Abbott to take executive action to pause data center development.

State and community leaders are working to keep the reVision soccer nonprofit alive after it was featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are questioning how the state distributes funding for internet services.

Texarkana’s first lithium symposium marked a milestone for Texas lithium development, laying the groundwork for discussions on critical issues.

For years, the state has been the leading exporter of semiconductor chips. After the Legislature invested more than $1.5 billion into incentives since 2023, the industry has been booming.

Saronic Technologies accepted a tax incentive deal on the promise of bringing 10,000 jobs in 10 years. Critics say this deal comes with a caveat.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is barring horses, pigs, cattle and other animals from Texas due to concerns over New World screwworm, a parasitic fly.

Despite efforts to boost domestic energy production, Mexico will continue to depend on Texas for natural gas, experts said, undermining its stated goals of energy independence.

A judge will hear arguments this week after industrial users protested a rate hike by the city, which said residents and businesses were unfairly subsidizing industrial rates.

Kaesha Avishai and other Angelina County residents are worried about what the data center's arrival means for their property and their way of life.

Colleges are pivoting to offer students more job training and credentials as many skipped enrollment to go into the workforce, report finds.

Lawmakers and experts pin the blame for rising insurance costs on health companies consolidating and creating less competition.

The exchange represents the most well-funded challenge to the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ duopoly of U.S. stock trading.

As Texas counties have faced hurdles to curb the rapid growth of data center developments, cities could have more success with banning them through their zoning laws, land experts say.

Krispy Kreme agreed to pay $1.6 million in a class-action settlement after a 2024 data breach exposed sensitive information of about 161,000 customers. Impacted individuals have until June 22 to file a claim, with average payouts estimated at $75 and some eligible for up to $3,500, plus one year of free credit monitoring.

Following SpaceX’s arrival in 2014, another large technology company is eyeing South Texas, once known as the poorest area in Texas.

As cases of screwworm infections in the state rise, sellers and buyers believe heightened precautions will benefit consumers.

For many downtown business owners, restaurant managers and bar staff, the anticipated surge of customers tied to the World Cup has yet to materialize.

The recommendations for legislative action amount to a striking call for industry regulation by the Republican governor in a state that has long prided itself on being a favorable environment for business.

A proposed data center in Angelina County will occupy more than 1,000 acres outside of Lufkin. The county judge says there's nothing he can do to stop it.

In this week’s episode, the TribCast team talks to Phillip Kaufman, head of Texas A&M’s entomology department, and Josh Winegarner from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association about the arrival of screwworm in Texas.

A Texas Tribune analysis identified at least 248 planned data center projects. Opponents fear the projects will spike Texans’ electric bills and make the grid less reliable. But industry representatives say they promise huge economic gains.

The first case of New World screwworm in 60 years has been confirmed in Zavala County, near the Mexican border. The flesh-eating fly poses a threat to the state’s $15 billion cattle industry.

Officials tested a sample from La Pryor in Zavala County at a lab in lowa, confirming the infestation, Secretary Brooke Rollins said.

Paxton is banking on his recent lawsuits against tech and social media companies like Meta, WhatsApp and Discord to win a Senate seat, building on notable victories in years past.

At least 248 data centers are planned to be built in Texas. Of those, nearly half will be built in unincorporated areas, where county officials are limited in their ability to regulate development, according to a Texas Tribune analysis.

A new Texas law has changed how nearly 900,000 people in the Houston area shop for groceries — but weeks after taking effect, there are still major questions about whether it’s working.

Lacy Lakeview, a Waco suburb, said it is considering a data center project in efforts to boost their spending power to repair aging roads.

A federal appeals court had allowed Texas to require app stores to verify users’ ages and seek parental consent before a minor can download apps while litigation continues.

Texas lawmakers proposed a bill to allow private-sector lithium mining companies to work on certain military bases.

The lawsuit comes after a Galveston County family said their 13-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted by a person she interacted with on the platform.

The attorney general’s office argues WhatsApp and parent company Meta are deceiving users by claiming the companies can’t view their encrypted messages.

SpaceX has had seven OSHA violations in the past year. Despite the worker’s death, the next rocket launch is scheduled for May 21.

Here’s what you should know about the market forces at play and what higher prices mean for oil companies and the state.

There are 66 fewer active summer camps in Texas compared to December, according to the state.

Some smoke shops say the flurry of court actions since March 31 has already forced them to scale back hours, cut staff and prepare to shut down.

Lacy Lakeview’s hasty approach to the data center project has alienated the Waco officials who would control water service to the site. “Without the City of Waco agreeing to it, Lacy Lakeview can’t do anything out there and neither can Infrakey," State Rep. Pat Curry said. "Those guys don’t know what the hell they’re doing.”

Six of Texas’ largest cities lost residents in 2025: Dallas, El Paso, Arlington, Plano, Irving and Garland.

Hill County commissioners’ split vote to issue a moratorium appears to be a first in Texas.

A company’s legal home determines which state taxes and laws governing corporations it will be subject to. Some are fleeing Delaware in search of a friendlier environment in Texas.

James Talarico, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, has pushed to suspend the federal gas tax amid soaring fuel costs. Cornyn previously opposed the idea.

Data center construction is unpopular among locals, and a majority of the facilities are being proposed in red, rural counties. That puts Texas Republicans in a tough spot, as the White House has encouraged states to let the centers flourish.

A recent survey of hoteliers in the Dallas area and Houston found anticipated demand is not translating into strong hotel bookings less than 40 days from the start of the tournament.

The city's economic growth has taken a dip, falling short of expectations amid a steep decline in international migration, among other factors.

The average price for a gallon of gas in Texas has risen from $2.55 in early February to $3.78 at the end of April.

Almost all of the costs for organizing the tournament fall on the cities, whose ability to collect revenue is limited. In Texas, that could leave taxpayers on the hook.

As Texas lawmakers prepare to tackle the thorny data center issue next session, what can we learn from Virginia's experience?

People will be allowed to buy smokeable hemp THC products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, from Texas businesses until at least April 28.

Texas builders struggle to finish new homes to meet growth as data centers with deeper pockets poach electricians.

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University has released its 2025 Area Survey Report, which paints a complex picture of life across the Houston region in 2026.

The lieutenant governor’s office is one of the most powerful in Texas government, and the 2026 race features a Democratic runoff between Vikki Goodwin and Marcos Velez.

While East Texas areas are struggling with a chronic lack of care, hope is being seen in the South and West.

The couple’s latest $750 million investment will help build a new Austin medical center that will provide specialized care, such as MD Anderson cancer treatment, and integrate AI into care.

Admissions to Texas computer science programs are down roughly 20%, professors said, but they still see a future for their students.

So far this year, cryptocurrency PACs have spent more than $2.5 million on Texas congressional candidates, up from $1 million in 2024.

Diana Padilla has spent a decade teaching Rio Grande Valley residents how to farm and was set to expand across the rest of the state, first in Kaufman County.

The city has ramped up encampment enforcement while officials concede there aren’t enough beds for those displaced.

Hundreds of Houston-area small business owners are scrambling after Painted Tree Boutiques, an indoor marketplace with six locations across the Houston area, abruptly shut down all of its stores nationwide with little to no warning.

With interest rates easing and more homes sitting on the market, many are calling this a buyer’s market—but financial experts say the decision to buy a home still comes down to personal readiness, not just market conditions.

Houston Hispanic Chamber offers tools, events and tips to help Houston businesses grow. Dr. Laura Murillo stops by Houston Life to chat about their Annual Luncheon & Business Expo.

Tesla’s Giga Texas water use jumped more than 200 million gallons — by about 60% — in two years, as massive chip plant proposal raises concerns about Austin’s strained supply.

Dining out in Houston is becoming noticeably more expensive, with restaurant prices rising about 4.6% over the past year — a rate that’s outpacing several other major U.S. cities.

Production in West Texas has helped the U.S. stabilize its demand for foreign oil amid the Iran war, despite drilling fewer oil wells.