At least 187 Texans received mystery seeds mailed from China. State officials warn they shouldn't be planted.
Officials are unsure of the motive behind the unsolicited packets but suspect that they are part of an online scam. Full Story
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![Mystery seeds with labeling from China.]()
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This private border wall was already at risk of falling down if not fixed. A hurricane made things worse.
Engineering experts said photos of damage from last weekend’s storms reinforce the idea that building and maintaining a border fence so close to the river poses serious challenges. Full Story
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![Erosion along the privately funded border wall on the banks of the Rio Grande in Mission has accelerated due to Hurricane ...]()
Credit: James Hord for The Texas Tribune -
What happens when a hurricane hits a coronavirus hot spot? South Texas cities found out the hard way.
Texas' emergency response teams have worn personal protective equipment and distributed it to residents across South Texas in responding to Hurricane Hanna, another challenge for the state as it prepares for hurricane season during the pandemic. Full Story
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![High water fills the streets on Corpus Christi North Beach on the morning after Hurricane Hanna made landfall. Courtney S...]()
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Thousands of Texans remain without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna
Gov. Greg Abbott cautioned that there will be continued threats of flash flooding even as rainfall slows. Full Story
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![Bob Hall Pier is blocked off the Sunday morning after Hurricane Hanna made landfall.]()
Credit: Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times via REUTERS -
Texas ranchers, activists and local officials are bracing for megadroughts brought by climate change
A new study from the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University warns that droughts in the latter part of this century could be the worst on record. Full Story
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![Bill Hyman, executive director of the Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas, with cattle at his ranch in Austin on ...]()
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Trump administration waives federal regulations to expedite border construction in Rio Grande Valley
A group of advocacy organizations said the announcement is the latest in a series of ill-advised plans that will destroy environmentally sensitive areas, endangered species and historical burial sites. Full Story
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![A section of border wall inside the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center in Hidalgo.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Trump scales back landmark environmental law, saying it will help restart the economy
Activists warn that the changes will sideline communities of color and are concerned about projects’ climate impacts. Full Story
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![Construction on the Permian Highway Pipeline Through Central Texas in Hays County on June 29, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
As Texas grapples with a pandemic, officials must also prepare for what could be an unusually active hurricane season
State and local officials are adjusting their plans during the coronavirus outbreak to inform residents in the Houston area and along the Gulf Coast of safe steps they could take in advance of the year’s first storm. Full Story
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![Damage from Hurricane Harvey in near the gulf coast on August 27, 2017.]()
Credit: Tomas Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
As coronavirus hits Texas, the state's top health official is spending 30 hours a week on a second job — that pays $600,000
Acting Executive Commissioner Phil Wilson chose not to accept salary and benefits for a temporary position leading one of Texas’ largest and most high-profile agencies. Instead, he continues to earn $636,694 from the Lower Colorado River Authority, more than double what the previous health commissioner made. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Citing coronavirus pandemic, Trump administration stops enforcing environmental laws
A Texas environmental protection group said it is "reckless" for the Environmental Protection Agency to waive enforcement of many protections. The federal agency said companies could have trouble complying due to the new coronavirus. Full Story
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![A gas flare burns bright on a production site northeast of Andrews, Texas.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
A&M study: The future of Texas depends on climate preparedness
A study by five Aggie scientists indicates Texas should prepare for more extreme weather in the coming years — though it offers some glimmers of hope. Full Story
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![Flooding along the Blanco River in Wimberley in May 2015.]()
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Water main rupture sets off major disruption in Houston: citywide boil notice, Loop 610 flooded
The main break caused some early voting locations to close. All Houston ISD schools were closed Friday and set to reopen Monday, the school district announced. Full Story
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![A water main break Thursday in Houston has frozen traffic and closed several polling places on the second-to-last day of e...]()
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"It's a joke": Flaring expert finds big problems in report from Texas oil and gas regulator
"It looks more like a political manifesto to me," a Texas A&M professor said about a report from the Railroad Commission of Texas. Full Story
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![A gas flare burns bright on a production site northeast of Andrews, Texas.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
Texas sues company whose Port Neches chemical plant exploded
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TPC Group on Friday, citing a slew of environmental violations at its Port Neches facility, including ones connected to a Nov. 27 explosion. Full Story
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![Fire blackened towers and tanks days after an explosion at TCP Group in Port Neches on Dec. 17, 2019.]()
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Federal judge dismisses suit against Army Corps for post-Harvey flooding
U.S. Judge Loren A. Smith threw out a case brought by Houstonians whose properties flooded as a result of releases from Addicks and Barker dams. Full Story
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![Flood waters in a neighborhood along Eldridge Parkway flooded by waters released from the Addicks Reservoir, in Houston on...]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Report: Six Texas oil refineries spewing cancer-causing pollutant above federal threshold
An environmental nonprofit has released an analysis of first-of-its-kind air monitoring data that shows benzene levels at 10 U.S. petroleum refineries exceeded limits established in an Obama-era environmental regulation. Six are in Texas. Full Story
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![An oil refinery is shown in the Houston Ship Channel in 2011.]()
Credit: Louis Vest for The Texas Tribune -
Ahead of explosion, Port Neches plant reported an increase of rogue emissions of explosive gas
After the federal government required TPC Group to install air monitors at its Port Neches plant, the company detected a significant increase in the number and size of butadiene emissions in the months leading up to multiple blasts at the plant on Nov. 27. Full Story
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![A process tower flies through air after exploding at the TPC Group Petrochemical Plant in Port Neches. An earlier massive ...]()
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Texas oil and gas industry could see a major slowdown in 2020
The Texas Oil and Gas Association reported that companies paid a record level of taxes and state royalties last year amid a historic oil boom. But association President Todd Staples said that continued growth is not guaranteed. Full Story
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![Pumpjacks at sunrise in the Permian Basin in West Texas.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
As drought persists, Texas ranchers take stock
In parts of Texas experiencing severe droughts, some ranchers are finding there is practically no grass left for cattle to graze on. Full Story
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![The U.S. Department of Agriculture is abandoning the use of hot-iron branding and moving towards the use of ear tags for t...]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Revisit some of The Texas Tribune’s best stories of 2019
Our reporters crisscrossed the Texas Capitol and traveled to the Panhandle and East Texas — as well as the Netherlands and Honduras — to tell stories about the state's politics, people and places. From a story on a migrant's desperate journey to a look at how coal companies are leaving behind contaminated land, here is a selection of their best work of the year. Full Story
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![View from the Capitol Rotunda in Austin.]()
Credit: Austin Price for The Texas Tribune
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