The U.S. doesn’t produce the minerals and metals needed for renewable energy, microchips or military technology. Companies are rushing to open new mines in Texas.
Dave Harmon
Dave Harmon joined the Tribune in 2017 after spending 18 years at the Austin American-Statesman as a reporter, assistant metro editor and member of the investigative team. A Kalamazoo, Michigan, native, Dave moved to Texas with his family in 1981 and went to high school in Katy. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a journalism degree, he started his reporting career in the Rio Grande Valley at The (McAllen) Monitor, covering health care and the environment on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border. Dave lives in Austin, is a proud Longhorns fan and taught journalism at his alma mater as an adjunct instructor for more than a decade. He’s proficient in Spanish and travels frequently to Mexico.
Sylvester Turner eulogized as a man of faith, family and public service to Houston
The former Houston mayor’s funeral drew more than 1,000 mourners on Saturday, including 20 of his congressional colleagues from both political parties.
Texas schools illegally suspended thousands of homeless students
A 2019 law banned schools from suspending homeless students from school grounds but didn’t include money for enforcement.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner resigns amid suspended-cases scandal
The resignation came amid a probe into how the department has suspended thousands of criminal investigations due to a lack of personnel.
“Trust in yourself”: Colony Ridge residents rely on business savvy to establish life in U.S.
Despite several daily and systematic challenges, the Liberty County community is home to industrious entrepreneurs from across the Latin American diaspora.
“This school district has failed him”: Trans Katy teen drops out after gender policy passes
The district’s new approach to gender identity has dramatically impacted students like Kadence Carter, who left Mayde Creek High School after it went into effect.
Houston congressional candidate accused by former staff of sexual misconduct and using Israel conflict as political cover
The Democrat running against incumbent U.S. Rep Lizzie Fletcher for District 7 has lost endorsements and staff following a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct.
Grieving Houston-area students’ well-being at stake as federal COVID-19 funds fade
The federal stimulus money that helped fund many mental health positions in Texas schools will end in the fall of 2024.
Texas inmate Syed Rabbani taken off death row after original appeal was left pending for decades
A prosecutor called delays in Rabbani’s long-standing appeal “a due process disaster.”
Judge upholds 2022 Harris County election results, throws out most GOP lawsuits
The judge found that Harris County’s elections office made mistakes and violated the state’s Election Code — but that didn’t affect the outcomes of several 2022 races. He also tossed all but one Republican lawsuit challenging the results.

