Cryptocurrency miners line up to come to Texas, and rural counties are welcoming them
Eager to bring new jobs to their towns and boost their tax base, rural Texas counties are courting companies that produce cryptocurrencies. Full Story
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![Employees service a computer that they pulled out of one of the pods at Helios, near Afton, on Sept. 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Lackluster employment numbers signal economic slowdown for Texas, Dallas Fed says
A new report shows the number of employed Texans remained virtually unchanged from July to August, while unemployment ticked up slightly. Full Story
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![An empty portion of land which was proposed to be a parking lot and a service area for the proposed 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 -
State agencies push for better worker pay as critical staffing crunch hits Texas government
Texas agencies say they are being hammered by a historic staffing crisis, particularly when it comes to those in the trenches serving the state’s most vulnerable populations. Full Story
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![Exterior of the Texas State Capitol on Nov. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
They saved to buy their own mobile homes. Then the land beneath them was sold to an investor.
Mobile homes are a vital source of affordable housing for around 2 million Texans. But as Texas cities grow, many mobile home parks are being closed and redeveloped, pushing out longtime residents. Full Story
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![Sisters Edith, Carolina, and Maribel Velarde watch as workers from Magnolia Movers struggle to fit their fridge through the front door of their home at Congress Mobile Home Park in Austin on Aug. 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
As inflation skyrockets, local Texas governments ponder tax rate increases as they balance budgets
Local governments in Texas have spent the summer preparing their budgets for next year, wrestling with inflation and a law that prohibits them from raising property tax revenues beyond 3.5% without voter approval. Full Story
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![New home construction in north Longview's Hidden Hills subdivision on Dec. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
Key Texas industries could face bottlenecks over railroad labor dispute
If railroad companies and workers can’t resolve their dispute by Thursday night, the country could see its first railroad strike in 30 years. Full Story
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![The Union Pacific Englewood railyard in Houston on Sept. 9, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ housing market shows signs of cooling down after the pandemic drove it to new heights
Texas had more houses on the market in July than any time since late 2020 as home sales declined in the state’s major metros. Sellers have had to cut prices to entice buyers. Full Story
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![A recently sold new home in east Longview's Mission Creek subdivision on Dec. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ cotton industry is facing its worst harvest in years — costing the state more than $2 billion
Cotton is Texas’ largest crop, and industry experts say they expect just half the normal annual yield — which will drive up costs for consumers. Full Story
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![Cotton plants grow in a field while a dust storm blows ahead of a late summer thunderstorm on Aug. 29, 2022, in Terry County, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan could lower debt for more than half of Texas college graduates
People earning $125,000 or less will see $10,000 eliminated from their student loan debt. People in that group who received federal Pell Grants will see $20,000 in debt eliminated, a move intended to help low-income borrowers. Full Story
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![U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks after the the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs v Women's Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision, at the White House in Washington, U.S., on June 24, 2022.]()
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Texas Dems uniformly vote for Biden’s cornerstone climate and health care legislation
The bill would invest billions into issues acutely impacting Texas, including climate change and health care, and is the result of months of intraparty fighting between moderates and progressives. Full Story
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![From left: U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin; Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston; and Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Texas House speaker says he’s confident Legislature will revive expiring corporate tax break program
Lawmakers let the program, known as Chapter 313, expire at the end of this year after the Senate declined to consider a bill extending it. It was the first time in its 20-year history that legislators decided not to renew the program. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan sits on an interview with The Texas Tribune at the Capitol on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
EPA says it is looking for “super-emitters” of methane gas in Texas’ Permian Basin
The federal environment agency says it will continue flyovers of the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico until Aug. 15 using infrared cameras to survey oil and gas operations. Full Story
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![Dozens of stacked oil drilling rigs sit in a yard just north of Interstate 20 between Midland and Odessa.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
Family newspaper with storied past seeks to create a more certain future
Readers say Canadian, Texas, wouldn’t be the same without its weekly newspaper, The Canadian Record. The current editor and publisher is looking for a successor who wants to make a living — and an impact. Full Story
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![Laurie Ezzell Brown at her desk, December 2020.]()
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Dallas landlord made record profits while evading eviction moratoriums, U.S. House committee says
Four corporate landlords, including Dallas-based Invitation Homes, tried to evict thousands of tenants during a federal ban on evictions, according to an investigation by a congressional subcommittee. Full Story
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![An aerial view of the Kelly Village housing complex in Houston on Sept. 16, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Semiconductor subsidies bill backed by top Texas Republicans passes in U.S. House and heads to Biden for final approval
In spite of strong support among Texas GOP leaders, nearly all Texas House Republicans voted against the bill intended to boost the state’s semiconductor industry. Full Story
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![Workers inside the clean room of U.S. semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology, where computer chips are made, in Bloomington, Minnesota in April, 2022.]()
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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. Full Story
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![Michelle Smith, Outreach and Engagement Manager at The Bridge, hands a health kit to a homeless man sleeping outside of the Dallas Public Library in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Top Texas Republicans, Biden administration look to grow the state’s semiconductor industry
As companies like Samsung and Texas Instruments expand their operations in the state, Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders are backing federal efforts to grow the industry. Full Story
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![U.S. President Joe Biden, isolating following his COVID-19 diagnosis, appears virtually in a meeting with business and labor leaders about the Chips Act — relating to U.S. domestic chip and semiconductor manufacturing — in an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, U.S., July 25, 2022.]()
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Limiting crypto helped the Texas power grid weather a heat wave
Cryptocurrency mining requires huge amounts of electricity, prompting concerns over the industry’s environmental impact — and whether the state’s grid can keep up. Full Story
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![Power lines outside of Whinstone's Rockdale facility on Oct. 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
For Lubbock residents, conserving energy to prevent mass outages is a new thing to navigate
Until last year, Lubbock residents didn’t get electricity from the main power grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Now, many residents are getting used to requests to limit electricity consumption. Full Story
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![Downtown Lubbock.]()
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto -
Inflation, high energy prices mean the Texas Legislature will have unprecedented funds to allocate next year
The state will have an extra $27 billion in its coffers in 2023 — money that could help pay for property tax cuts and other legislative priorities. Full Story
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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