A group of activists is suing the Texas Department of Transportation, saying the agency split the Interstate 35 project in Austin into segments to obscure its full impacts and “circumvent” federal requirements.
Houston
Posted in
Climate Change in Texas
U.S. Senate approves bill containing Texas’ “Ike Dike” coastal protection project
The U.S. Senate voted to authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning for a massive coastal barrier project in Galveston Bay meant to protect against hurricanes’ storm surge. Funding is not yet secured.
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Homeless in Texas
Homeless Texans left with few places to cool off during record heat
Heat-related emergency calls have spiked amid historic heat. Cooling centers are available in major cities but often close in the late afternoon — during the hottest parts of the day.
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Environment
Black and Latino residents’ complaints about illegal trash dumping in Houston lead to federal investigation
The U.S. Justice Department says it has launched a civil rights investigation to determine whether the city’s response to residents’ complaints about illegal dumping was discriminatory.
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Texas Abortion Restrictions
Roe v. Wade, overturned: Scenes of despair and joy after a historic decision
Texans on both sides of the abortion debate marched, rallied and chanted after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
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Environment
Texans tell environmental agency: Stop being reluctant to regulate industry
A report from the state Sunset Advisory Commission found that Texas Commission on Environmental Quality commissioners have become “reluctant” regulators and often encourage industry to “self police.”
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Courts
Supreme Court sides with tribes in fight with Texas over authorized gambling on their lands
The ruling doesn’t expand the kinds of games tribes can offer on their lands but reaffirms their autonomy to regulate gambling activities that aren’t prohibited in Texas, regardless of the state’s rules.
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Uvalde school shooting
Addressing NRA in Houston, Donald Trump rejects gun regulations and calls for school safety overhaul
Trump spoke at the Houston event three days after the Uvalde school shooting.
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Investigations
New Texas plan for federal Hurricane Harvey aid yields same old result: Funds diverted away from Gulf Coast
Despite an admonition from federal authorities, Land Commissioner George P. Bush’s plan still steers aid disproportionately to whiter, inland counties at less risk of natural disasters.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Democrat Jolanda Jones narrowly wins special election for state House seat in Houston
They were separated by a difference of 202 votes in unofficial returns, which means the election is eligible for a recount if Keys Bess petitions for one.
