Taylor County wildfire prompts evacuations as dry conditions raise risk in West Texas
Texas A&M Forest Service has responded to nine fires across the state this week, saying they “have the potential to exhaust state and local resources.” Full Story
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Texas A&M Forest Service has responded to nine fires across the state this week, saying they “have the potential to exhaust state and local resources.” Full Story
Climate change is here. We want to document where its effects are being felt in Texas, how communities are adapting and what government officials should do to help. Full Story
Extreme weather events, water scarcity, risks of illness: Climate change is here, and it’s already affecting Texans. Full Story
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking electricity consumers to keep their thermostats at 78 degrees or above and avoid using large appliances between 3 and 8 p.m. from Friday through Sunday. Full Story
Benzene is a known human carcinogen, according to the EPA. The Texas refineries were among a dozen industrial plants in the U.S. that emitted the highest levels of the chemical in 2021. Full Story
Texas is a great state, but there’s a lot of work to do, and it starts with the public — and what Texans really want. The political class isn’t going to do this on its own. Full Story
After back-to-back major flooding events devastated Houston, the community college is launching a new program to ensure that citizens, businesses and emergency responders are better equipped to respond to catastrophic events. Full Story
The state allows a portion of fines to be directed to projects that remediate environmental harm. Some of those projects benefit the companies that are being penalized. Full Story
The Houston and Dallas regions may soon be designated as “severe” violators of federal smog rules, which would prompt more aggressive regulations. Full Story
“The team’s coverage of a large winter storm was not just hard-hitting accountability journalism, it was public service at its best,” judges for the Investigative Reporters and Editors award wrote. Full Story
Climate change has made the Texas heat hotter and longer-lasting, enhancing drought conditions that set the stage for intense fires. More than 40% of the state is in an extreme drought. Full Story
At least 20 tornadoes tore through homes and buildings in Texas and Oklahoma on Monday. At least two dozen people were injured and a woman died, authorities said. Full Story
Wildfires have burned more than 58,000 acres across the state. At least one person has died and dozens of homes have burned down. Full Story
A civil rights complaint prompted the state’s environmental agency to guarantee interpretation and translation services at public meetings for people who don’t speak English. But the rollout has been plagued by confusing procedures and little clarity on how interpreters will be selected. Full Story
After half of a Houston family was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, reporting by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News revealed that a fire crew had failed to enter the house to check on them. A firefighter has now been disciplined. Full Story
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule earlier this week to list the prostrate milkweed, which lives along the Texas-Mexico border, as an endangered species. The rare plant is threatened in part by border security activities, scientists say. Full Story
Texas has long refused to connect its decentralized grid to two national power networks, but Hunt Energy Network CEO Pat Wood said the state could do so without additional oversight — and without state Legislature approval. Full Story
In the state’s power grid, electricity and natural gas are co-dependent. Here’s how the winter storm last year broke the system. Full Story
Advocates say emergency communications have not improved much since last year, and people experiencing homelessness were less likely to seek help this year because of new state and local policies targeting them. Full Story
The surge in seismic activity from increased underground pressure is shaking the West Texas ground and rattling longtime residents. Full Story