How Texas polluters classify big facilities as smaller ones to avoid stricter environmental rules and public input
Industrial developers describe large facilities as โminorโ polluters to avoid federal permitting requirements, and environmental lawyers say the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality lets it happen.
Texans receiving federal food assistance caught in crosshairs of congressional funding fight
More than 225,000 Texans could get turned away from the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children next year unless Congress allocates more money for the program, advocates and the White House warns. But partisan divisions are obscuring the path forward on government funding.
Vouchers, border security, abortion: The issues you heard about in 2023 will continue to be hotly debated in 2024
After nearly a yearโs worth of legislative sessions, several issues are poised to dominate Texas politics this year. Hereโs a look at how things ended on several fronts last year โ and where theyโre headed next.
A Texas politician wants to provide emergency services to constituents who donโt 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.
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.
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. Theyโre among the 5 million Texans living outside the stateโs deregulated market and cannot choose their energy provider.
Texans approved billions for water and broadband infrastructure. Now what?
The legislation behind the historic investment directs state agencies to send money to the stateโs smaller, cash-strapped towns that have difficulty paying for upgrades. Federal money is also expected to flow to regions that need broadband.
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.
One of Texasโ oldest towns needs $200 million for upgrades. Itโs asking voters to approve $44 million this fall.
The East Texas town is one of 218 local governments asking voters to approve new debt for repairs and upgrades to city infrastructure. Local leaders say inflation isnโt helping them keep up with capital needs.
A shift in how we build commercial buildings could be a boon for East Texas
Globally, mass timber construction projects are expected to reach more than 24,000 by 2034. So far, at least 134 mass timber projects are in progress or completed in Texas. The first such project was a six-story office building in downtown San Antonio.
Texas economy slows as summers get hotter, Dallas Fed economists say
The summer heat may have cost the stateโs economy $24 billion this year, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas economists, who add that Texas is twice as vulnerable to heat-related economic slowdowns than the rest of the country.
How Texas lawmakers are trying to deter illegal immigration and secure the border
Two Texas House members and an immigration lawyer sat down with Matthew Watkins, the Tribuneโs managing editor of news and politics, to discuss the current state of Texasโ border and immigration bills that lawmakers are weighing during the special session.
Looking for an economic rebound, an East Texas town looks to the arts โ and is rebuffed by the state
A town of 34,000 people, Lufkin sits deep in the Piney Woods, a region dotted with rural towns. Local civic leaders hope a long list of efforts can revitialize the cityโs downtown and reboot its economy.
Texasโ unemployment rate is among the nationโs worst โ but experts say it signals a growing economy
The state has yet to return to its pre-pandemic unemployment rate of about 3.5%, even as it leads the country in new jobs created. However, state economic experts say the unemployment rate is an indicator of Texasโs rapidly growing population and labor force.
Dallas selected as one of three national hubs for new medical innovation federal agency
The city joins Cambridge, Mass. and the Washington, D.C. area as epicenters of the new agency. A Biden administration initiative, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health will work toward medical breakthroughs in treating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer and diabetes.
Texas job growth likely to slow in late 2023, Dallas Fed economist says
The state will likely see the two years of post-pandemic growth start to decelerate, according to Roberto Coronado, senior vice president and senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Coronado also cited lowering inflation rates as a top priority for the Dallas Fed.
British economy unexpectedly grows by 0.2% in second quarter largely because of June weather boost
The British economy unexpectedly grew in the second quarter of the year largely as a result of a strong rebound in June when many businesses, particularly in the leisure sector benefited from the warm and settled weather.
How an internship program hopes to end โbrain drainโ in Texasโ Permian Basin and other rural regions
This is the third year businesses in the Permian Basin โ known for high school football and oil fields โ have participated in the University of Texas Austin program. Students this year say they are seeing their hometowns in a new way.
Billions in property tax cuts need Texas votersโ approval before taking effect. Hereโs what you need to know.
Legislation passed this month would raise the stateโs homestead exemption to $100,000, lower schoolsโ tax rates and put an appraisal cap on residential and commercial properties, among other measures. But voters must approve a constitutional amendment first.
Rural Texas may lose out on billions in broadband infrastructure funding due to federal regulations
Grant applicants are required to have a line of credit from a major bank and put up 25% of the project cost ahead of time. That will likely disqualify many small internet service providers in rural areas.