Rural Texas is the state’s foundation. And it’s in jeopardy.
Downtowns are deserted, hospitals are closing, teachers are leaving. Every part of life in rural Texas is harder — but it’s worth saving. Full Story
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![Vehicles pass through Dublin in Central Texas on March 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
National political leaders stump through Texas ahead of midterm elections
First lady Jill Biden and U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy were in Texas Sunday to help members of their respective parties energize voters before Election Day. Full Story
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![From left: Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee; Monica De La Cruz, Republican candidate for U.S. House District 15; U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy; U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Los Indios; GOP candidate for U.S. House District 28 Cassy Garcia; and former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich at a press conference before a get-out-the-vote event in McAllen on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Top Twitter executives fired as Elon Musk’s takeover begins
The Texas-based mogul’s $44 billion deal to acquire the social media company closed on Thursday night, less than two weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm election. Full Story
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![SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk raises his phone during a joint news conference with T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert at the SpaceX Starbase, in Brownsville on Aug. 25, 2022.]()
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Dallas-Houston bullet train developer vows project is on track, but state officials lack confidence
With lingering skepticism about Texas Central’s ability to build a high-speed rail line, landowners along the route want the company to be more forthcoming about the project’s status. Full Story
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![Railroad tracks near a proposed bullet train terminus on the outskirts of 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 -
Both have deep Texas roots, but Sid Miller and Susan Hays offer stark contrast in fight for ag commissioner
The state’s agriculture commissioner oversees a vast portfolio including farming and ranching, rural health care and the scales you use at grocery store checkout. Full Story
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![Susan Hays campaign website/Juan Figueroa for The Texas Tribune]()
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Texas Indigenous leaders target banks in fight against natural gas export terminals in Rio Grande Valley
Since Congress lifted the U.S. oil export ban in 2015, three proposed LNG export facilities have fallen victim to the protest. But the war in Ukraine is an impetus for two remaining projects. Full Story
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![Juan Mancias, chairman of the Carrizo Comecrudo tribe, at the Eli Jackson Cemetery in San Juan on Feb. 11, 2019.]()
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Cryptocurrency firm FTX, billionaire CEO focus of Texas securities investigation
The state is looking at whether FTX is selling unregistered securities to Texans. The firm’s CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, is a major donor to Beto O’Rourke’s campaign. Full Story
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![Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO and Founder of FTX, walks near the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.]()
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“An inverse tsunami”: How inflation and drought are making it harder to feed West Texans in need
Food banks across Texas are now struggling to keep up with growing demand even more than they were during the pandemic. Full Story
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![Volunteer Gloria Benson uses cans to direct traffic into the food bank. West Texas Food Bank employees and volunteers load donated food into customer's cars during their weekly pick up outside of the food bank in Odessa, TX. Oct. 5, 2022.]()
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Kickapoo Tribe is getting a $2.6 million grant from the federal government to connect to the internet
Large swaths of rural Texas have poor or no access to the internet. This grant aims to close that gap for more than 300 Native American households. Full Story
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![A splice can that contains 432 fiber cables in Louisville, Kentucky on April 19, 2021.]()
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With rents rising fast, Texas homeless shelters see more families seeking help
Amid rising housing costs and relentless inflation, an increasing number of Texans are struggling to pay their rent and stay in their homes. Full Story
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![Jade Barron sits inside the learning center at The Family Gateway shelter in downtown Dallas on Oct. 4, 2022.]()
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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.]()
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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.]()
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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.]()
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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.]()
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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.]()
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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.]()
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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.]()
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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