In 2024, Texas also sued a New York provider accused of prescribing abortion pills, but her state’s law has shielded her from prosecution.

San Antonio-based CPS Energy plans to expand its portfolio with the $1.3 billion acquisition of four power facilities in Southeast Texas.

The numbers may grow as the state collects more data. Some districts adopted the plan not for its religious emphasis but for more funding and to better align with teaching requirements.

On the night of August 25, 2017, Harvey struck near Rockport, Texas, and would go on to become one of the most destructive and costly natural disasters in U.S. history.

Three construction workers are dead and two other workers are injured following a scaffolding collapse early Tuesday morning in Southeast Texas.

Harvey made landfall as a category four hurricane on August 25, 2017 near Rockport

A rising number of heat-related deaths in Texas among residents who lost power during Hurricane Beryl has pushed the number of storm fatalities to at least 36.

Repairing electricity infrastructure after storms usually costs customers. So could strengthening it before the next weather event.

Texas' Coastal areas encouraged to hope for the best and prepare for the worst as organization send hundreds of volunteers to assist those in need.

Climate scientists say that extreme rain and drought are likely to become more common due to climate change.

The state’s flood plan shows which Texans are most at risk of flooding and suggests billions of dollars more are needed for flood mitigation projects.

Texas and the federal government will begin assessing the damage caused by a series of storms that battered rural East Texas and the Houston area with rain last week.

Abbott confirmed three deaths from the storms, none were recorded from flooded areas.

Heavy rain pummeled parts of Texas over the weekend, leading to major flooding in Houston, hundreds of rescues and at least one death.

Since Sunday, multiple rounds of rainfall have soaked the region, causing rivers and creeks to swell and rise out of their banks.

Thousands of residents have either evacuated or are now under shelter orders.

The May 28 runoff promises to be an expensive, high-profile contest that will help reshape the political dynamics of the Texas House.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and former President Donald Trump are accusing Phelan of being a “RINO,” even as Phelan has overseen the passage of some of the most conservative bills in recent history.

Massive eels. Adorable baby meerkats. Nosey wildhogs. Texas had an interesting year when it came to stories about animals and wildlife.

Rafael Govea Romero was arrested on Saturday and charged with the capital murder of Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old cheerleader from Edna, Texas.

Inflation, stagnant federal funding for food programs and high housing costs mean that demand at food banks still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.

A Girl Scout troop’s trip to a Southeast Texas lake over the weekend turned into a terrifying encounter when they spotted an alligator swimming toward them.

Rapport among the state’s top three Republicans has greatly improved, the House leader said, but another relationship-testing special session awaits on contentious education issues.

A massive sinkhole in the Southeast Texas town of Daisetta had been dormant since first appearing in 2008.

Kansas City Southern Railroad says three of its tank cars derailed but remained upright in a Southeast Texas rail yard.

The Buc-ee’s beaver may rule Texas interstates, but the state has been “beaver country” for millions of years, researchers by the University of Texas at Austin recently proved.

The event came as a younger, more diverse generation of Americans increasingly flocks to the left of the Democratic Party.

A pilot was injured after they crashed their plane into Lake Livingston in Southeast Texas on Tuesday afternoon.

Police say four people riding in a golf cart were killed — including two juveniles — when an allegedly intoxicated man driving an SUV ran a stop sign at an intersection in Southeast Texas.

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.

Authorities have increased their reward in the search for the person responsible for the killing of a 4-year-old Southeast Texas girl more than 20 years ago.

The party planks specify what the Texas GOP believes students should and should not be taught in the classroom about gender and sex, signaling further shifts to the right. Critics say such policies would be harmful and discriminatory.

The Educative Teacher Performance Assessment was designed to better prepare new teachers, but faced pushback from people who thought it would create barriers for people of color to enter the profession.

Two fishermen caught a rare black gar recently in a marsh in Southeast Texas.

It’s unclear whether landlords face any penalties from state agencies for improperly evicting tenants while receiving rent relief dollars intended to help those tenants stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas’ nursing home staff vaccination rates are lower than half the country’s — but a judge’s decision last week to delay a vaccine mandate helped them avoid laying off a third of their employees.

Taylor was a key player in the 2019 school finance overhaul that lawmakers passed.

Evictions in major Texas cities have reached levels not seen since the pandemic began. But tenant protections and financial assistance for struggling renters are beginning to fade.

In response to severe weather threats along the Gulf Coast due to Tropical Storm Nicholas, Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday ordered the Texas State Operations Center (SOC) to increase its readiness to Level II (Escalated Response).

Two years later and in some ways, Texas is still reeling from the historic and catastrophic Hurricane Harvey.

The body of a U.S. Air Force member who was pulled by a rip current on a Southeast Texas beach was found by his father after a nearly 48-hour search.

Authorities say two men were killed after part of a crane fell on their pickup truck as it traveled on Interstate 10 in Southeast Texas.

Weather-related outages have been particularly stubborn in Oregon, where some customers have been without power for almost a week. The worst U.S. outages by far have been in Texas, where 3 million homes and businesses remained without power as of midday Wednesday. AdThe president of the Texas power grid manager, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said he hoped many customers would see at least partial service restored by later Wednesday or Thursday. At the peak of the storm, more than 350,000 customers in the Portland area were in the dark. In Oregon, authorities confirmed Tuesday that four people died in the Portland area of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Nearly 3.4 million customers around the U.S. were still without electricity, and some also lost water service. More than 100 million people live in areas covered by some type of winter weather warning, watch or advisory, the weather service said. Weather-related outages have been particularly stubborn in Oregon, where some customers have been without power for almost a week. At the peak of the storm, more than 350,000 customers in the Portland area were in the dark. In Oregon, authorities confirmed Tuesday that four people died in the Portland area of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Chapman said she has been without power for two nights and is using the propane to keep warm. The worst U.S. power outages were in Texas, affecting more than 2 million homes and businesses. Texas officials said more than 400,000 doses due now will not arrive until at least Wednesday because of the storm. Several cities had record lows: In Minnesota, the Hibbing/Chisholm weather station registered minus 38 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 39 degrees Celsius). Sioux Falls, South Dakota, dropped to minus 26 Fahrenheit (minus 26 degrees Celsius).

Power demand is expected to break an all-time record during a statewide winter storm. Temporary power outages are a last resort and would generally only occur after other resources had been exhausted. AdThe National Weather Service had issued a winter storm warning for every county in the state as of Sunday afternoon. He also deployed the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Military Department and other agencies to assist with the storm response. “Prepare for power outages and have non-perishable food and water on hand.

The pharmacy ran out of its initial allotment of 200 Moderna vaccine doses this week. Texas has largely left the vaccine rollout process in the hands of local providers like Tarrytown Pharmacy, one of more than 1,000 providers approved to vaccinate Texans. A Department of State Health Services official said there is some overlap between groups 1A and 1B (doctors and other health care workers over age 65, for example). Seemingly overnight, many Texas hospitals, health centers and pharmacies’ phone lines were clogged. Across the state, the vaccine providers quickly realized “first come, first served” was not working.

(House Television via AP)AUSTIN, Texas – Rep. Kevin Brady said he has tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The Southeast Texas congressman and ranking Republican Ways and Means Committee member revealed his test results in a tweet late Tuesday, followed by a prepared statement Wednesday. The disclosure came as a record number of Texas COVID-19 deaths were reported Wednesday. Brady had been tested when he began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and began receiving outpatient treatment from Walter Reed Medical Center. Austin-area officials announced Wednesday that they were discussing plans to turn the Austin Convention Center into a field hospital as hospitals continue to fill close to their capacities because of the soaring number of COVID-19 cases.

SABINE PASS, Texas – The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday continued to search for a tanker ship crew member who fell overboard along the Southeast Texas coast. The 27-year-old crew member fell into the water from the tanker ship Sagami about 29 miles offshore of Sabine Pass, Texas, on Wednesday evening. He was last seen wearing an orange life jacket and coveralls with reflective tape. A 45-foot Coast Guard rescue boat and a helicopter were part of the search effort by authorities.

HOUSTON – Beta weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday as it parked itself over the Texas coast, raising concerns of extensive flooding in Houston and areas farther inland. Beta, which made landfall late Monday as a tropical storm just north of Port O’Connor, is the first storm named for a Greek letter to make landfall in the continental United States. The storm was moving east-northeast at 5 mph (8 kilometers) and was expected to crawl inland along the coast over Texas through Wednesday. However, forecasters and officials reassured residents that Beta was not expected to be another Hurricane Harvey or Tropical Storm Imelda. Now a tropical storm, Paulette was expected to become a post-tropical remnant low in the next day or so.

CLEVELAND – Deputies are looking for a man after one woman was found chained inside his home and the body of another woman was found inside a burning vehicle outside his Southeast Texas house, authorities said Sunday. After responding to a 911 call Saturday evening, deputies with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office found a woman who had been chained to a bed inside a home near Cleveland, Texas. The woman who survived alleged that Soriano pulled a gun on them, chained her to a bed and assaulted her. The other woman fled the home, got into her vehicle and crashed into some woods across the street, where the car caught on fire, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators say Soriano fled the scene in a gray Ford truck, and he could be armed.

HOUSTON – As Tropical Storm Beta neared the Texas coast Monday, the biggest unknown was how much rainfall it could produce in areas that have already seen their share of damaging weather during a busy hurricane season. Rain from Beta was already coming down Monday in the Houston area. Earlier predictions of up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) in some areas were downgraded Monday to up to 15 inches (38 centimeters). Forecasters and officials reassured residents Beta was not expected to be another Hurricane Harvey or Tropical Storm Imelda. Harvey in 2017 dumped more than 50 inches (127 centimeters) of rain on Houston, causing $125 billion in damage in Texas.

Forecasters said Beta was not expected to bring the same amount of rainfall that Texas experienced during either Hurricane Harvey in 2017 or Tropical Storm Imelda last year. The first rain bands from Beta reached the Texas coast on Sunday, but the heaviest rain wasn't expected to arrive until Monday into Tuesday. If the system makes landfall in Texas, it would be the ninth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in 2020. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Bermuda. Wilfred, which had been a tropical storm, weakened to a tropical depression earlier Sunday.

Location 60 miles NNE of Birmingham Alabama Wind 10 mph Heading NE at 10 mph Pressure 29.83 Coordinates 86.3W, 34.3NDiscussionAt 400 AM CDT (0900 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Beta was located near latitude 34.3 North, longitude 86.3 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the northeast near 10 mph (17 km/h) until it becomes indistinguishable within the background wind and pressure field by mid-afternoon Friday. Maximum sustained winds are near 10 mph (20 km/h) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1010 mb (29.83 inches). Tropics Satellite at 3:39 Friday Night, September 25thWatches and WarningsThere are no watches or warnings in effect.

After being nearly stationary for most of the weekend, Tropical Storm Beta is finally on the move and heading toward Texas. Here’s what you need to know:As of Monday afternoon, Beta was located in the far western Gulf with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving WNW at 7 mphLatest stats for Tropical Storm Beta; Valid Monday, September 21st (Copyright 2020 by KSAT - All rights reserved.) Farther west, rainfall totals will be a good bit lowerThe San Antonio/Bexar County area could see around an inch of rain through midweekMaximum potential rainfall due to Tropical Storm Beta; Valid Monday, September 21st (Copyright 2020 by KSAT - All rights reserved.) You can also find your local forecast anytime - including potential impacts from Tropical Depression Twenty-Two - on the KSAT Weather page. Types of Tropical SystemsNot all tropical systems are created equal!

MAGNOLIA, Texas – A 12-year-old boy was killed over the weekend when the golf cart he was riding in rolled onto its side on a Southeast Texas road, authorities said. Erik Burse said Tuesday that a 16-year-old girl was driving the golf cart Sunday evening in neighborhood near Magnolia when she made an abrupt turn that caused it to roll onto its side. Burse said the 12-year-old and the 16-year-old were the only two occupants of the golf cart. He said the boy was pronounced dead at a hospital and that the girl was treated and released. Magnolia is located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Houston.

Texas health officials have not said how many of the evacuated residents had active coronavirus infections, but state records indicate at least nine nursing homes reported plans to move COVID-19 patients. Statewide, nearly half of nursing homes report having at least one active coronavirus infection among residents or staff. Evacuating nursing homes is challenging even under more normal circumstances. But remaining in place is not an option during a hurricane, and federal regulations require nursing homes to develop and practice emergency preparedness plans. Disclosure: The Texas Health Care Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

The order could keep millions of Texans from being evicted. A previous measure, which expired in July, only stopped evictions in homes that were backed by federal loans. I want to make it unmistakably clear that Im protecting people from evictions, said President Donald Trump in a White House press release. Finally, renters will have to state that they are using their best efforts to pay rent on time. Researchers said that the stimulus check, unemployment benefits and rent assistance programs have helped.

A sign in Galveston as Hurricane Laura approached. Credit: Julio-Cesar Chavez/REUTERSThursday's biggest developments:Hurricane Laura downgraded to Category 2Hurricane Laura downgraded to Category 2[7:12 a.m.] After battering the Gulf Coast shortly after midnight Thursday, Hurricane Laura has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm as it moves northeast through the Texas-Louisiana border. Cassi Pollock, Matthew Watkins and Brandon FormbyHurricane Laura intensifies and is close to becoming Category 5 hurricane[8:27 p.m., Wednesday] As Hurricane Laura barreled toward the Gulf Coast on Wednesday night, the National Hurricane Center reported that the storms maximum sustained winds had reached 150 mph just 7 mph short of becoming a Category 5 hurricane. The storm is expected to bring "catastrophic" storm surge, winds and flash flooding. The storm, currently a Category 4 hurricane, is expected to hit land just east of the Texas-Louisiana border by Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

SAN ANTONIO The Salvation Army announced on Wednesday that staff members and volunteers from San Antonio would be heading to Southeast Texas, prepared to help people affected by Hurricane Laura. According to the organization, San Antonio is one of five additional Texas sites that have prepared trucks for standby should additional support be needed. Director of the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services in Texas Alvin Migues said deployed staffers and volunteers have the experience to face the natural disaster head-on. The Incident Command Team members provide leadership in all areas of disaster response including safety, operations, logistics, finance, planning and communication, Migues said. We have established protocols specifically to address responding to disaster during the current pandemic, Migues said.

A Galveston resident boards up a home on Broadway Street, hours before Hurricane Laura is set to make landfall. Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters CoWhat you need to know:Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday morning. Due to the coronavirus, state officials are looking to house evacuees in hotels rather than crowded shelters. According to an advisory, tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the coast of Southeast Texas on Wednesday evening. Dan Patrick will not attend Trump's RNC speech[1:50 p.m.] With Hurricane Laura heading for the Louisiana and Texas coasts, Lt. Gov.

Port Arthur residents board buses to evacuate the area before Hurricane Laura strikes the Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas. Almost three years after hurricane Harvey damaged their homes and their belongings, masked volunteers in bright colored t-shirts brought new beds, chests and nightstands to their doorsteps. According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Laura continues to strengthen and is expected to become an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane. At a noon press conference Wednesday, Gov. The report from the National Hurricane Center forecasts a storm surge of between 10 and 15 feet around the Jefferson County area. On Friday, I went to a house that we had fixed [after Hurricane Harvey]," he said.

Latino workers gathered for a car protest to demand economic, rental and health relief outside of Houston City Hall on Tuesday. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a new rent relief program, but opposed a mandatory eviction grace period. They have also relied on federal benefits from a congressional pandemic relief package, eviction moratoriums and rent assistance programs to remain housed. In May, Houston's first $15 million in rent assistance ran out in 90 minutes, according to The Houston Chronicle. Dallass $13.7 million rent assistance fund reached capacity within 30 hours of opening.

But housing attorneys and tenant and immigration advocates say undocumented immigrants are frequently hesitant to exercise those options. There have been cases in Texas in which undocumented immigrants were arrested in courthouses while appearing for cases unrelated to immigration. And so you have seen evictions spiking during the COVID period.In these cases, many undocumented immigrants rely on their community and avoid seeking assistance from the government or nonprofits. Godines has worked with families searching for rental assistance, and she said that funds are running low among nonprofit organizations that are allowed to serve undocumented immigrants. In Texas, undocumented immigrants contributed $1.5 billion in local and state taxes, a 2017 study found.

Preparing for hurricane season and knowing it happens annually, that in and of itself is stressful, said Camille Garcia, director of communications and public affairs for the Insurance Council of Texas. Those preparations come less than three years after a wide swath of Texas was battered by Hurricane Harvey and the epic amount of rainfall that storm poured on Houston and Southeast Texas. There is also expected to be plexiglass in place at shelters to help mitigate the spread of the disease, officials said. If forecasts of an unusually active hurricane seasons prove true, that would amount to five consecutive years of above-average storm activity. At Friday's news conference, Abbott acknowledged the dynamic situation that Texas was facing during the pandemic and hurricane season.

SAN ANTONIO – Texas Department of Public Safety offices in San Antonio will reopen Friday with limited services. Services will be available by appointment only and are currently limited to customers seeking a first-time Texas driver’s license, commercial driver license, learner license or identification card, or anyone needing to take a driving test. Greg Abbott said the Texas DPS will open offices in four phases, starting May 26 with offices in the Northwest and West Texas regions. DPS offices in South and Central Texas will reopen May 29 but customers can already start scheduling appointments online. DPS officials said the following safety measures will be in place as DL offices reopen:

DEWITT COUNTY, Texas – Updated April 23:As of Thursday, DeWitt County reported its 15th case of COVID-19. Updated April 17:Three new COVID-19 cases have been reported in DeWitt County, totaling the total number of cases to 13. Updated April 9:A new COVID-19 case has been reported in DeWitt County, totaling the number of cases to eight. Updated April 4:An additional COVID-19 case has been reported in DeWitt County, totaling the number of cases to seven. Original:DeWitt County officials on Thursday reported two new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number to six cases in the county.