One of the state’s largest oil and gas industry groups condemned French’s comments about South Asian students. They have not pulled their endorsement.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick balked at the contract two boards approved for Pablo Vegas. The ERCOT chief said officials then decided not to execute the deal.
The Trump administration has said the remote West Texas region needs measures to stop illegal immigration. But a bipartisan group of elected officials is pushing to halt that plan, especially in the national park.
Following hours of testimony on Friday, the Public Utility Commission of Texas has approved two transmission lines to ship electricity to the oil-and gas-producing west.
TribCast is joined by state Sen. César Blanco and politics reporter Alejandro Serrano to discuss the growing bipartisan outrage over building border barriers in Texas' largest national park.
Energy regulators and industry experts warn that the state’s delays to major projects amid backlash from residents could create rolling blackouts and strangle growth of other industries that need power.
With early voting about two months away, the Democrat has had TV nearly to himself, outspending his Republican rival more than 200-to-1 on advertising as GOP groups weigh when — or whether — to get involved.
The Trump administration says it is temporarily pausing construction of a controversial border construction project in the Big Bend National Park while the head of the agency tasked with building the wall visits Texas to do an “on-the-ground evaluation.”.
The attorney general’s campaign said he wants strong border security that considers Big Bend’s “unique characteristics” — but did not say whether he supports building a wall there.
Public health officials said some parents are confused about what vaccines are required to attend Texas schools amid efforts to change recommendations.
Clinics with better internet connections are now offering telehealth services to patients who can’t do it from their homes.
The sprawling district, vacated by former GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales earlier this year, went for President Trump by 15 points. But Democrats see an opening to win its Hispanic-majority electorate.
Amid a backlash, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and a chorus of state senators said the process of building new high-voltage transmission lines — which they created in 2023 — needs to be changed as the oil and gas industry faces an electricity shortage.
Property-wealthy districts say recapture gives the state too much control over local finances. But advocates warn that without it, underserved students could end up worse off.
Midland school trustees argue they have minimal control over local taxes and can’t properly serve students as a recapture system redistributes millions of the district’s revenue.
As attorney general, Paxton threw unprecedented resources into stopping Biden’s agenda. That record is his sword and shield as he runs for U.S. Senate.
Geraldo Lunas Campos repeatedly raised concerns about his mental health before he died at Camp East Montana in West Texas. Records indicate the facility's staff failed to respond adequately.
Despite the spike in demand for measles shots following the deadly 2025 outbreak, exemptions on all vaccines for schoolchildren rose after the release of a downloadable exemption form.
Nearly half of the power plants planned to supply electricity for data centers would be in Texas. Experts warn they will emit significant pollution that could harm the health of communities nearby.
Republican Bo French is keeping Islam, immigration and LGBTQ+ issues at the fore of his campaign for Texas’ oil regulatory agency. Democratic foe Jon Rosenthal is betting on his technical expertise.
The Texas Department of Public Safety released the cause of death for a suspect involved in a mass shooting in Midland.
The state’s environmental regulator will hold a public hearing June 15 on its proposed rules for how the toxic wastewater can be reused. Here’s what you should know.
Gov. Greg Abbott is a top sponsor and Speaker Dustin Burrows will be the first sitting speaker to address the gathering, as Republicans close ranks ahead of a tough midterm.
The Trump administration is bypassing federal environmental laws to speed up border barrier projects in West Texas.
At least 248 data centers are planned to be built in Texas. Of those, nearly half will be built in unincorporated areas, where county officials are limited in their ability to regulate development, according to a Texas Tribune analysis.
With their Republican nominations in hand, the two are favored to win their GOP-leaning seats in November to replace outgoing Reps. Jodey Arrington and Wesley Hunt.
A Customs and Border Protection statement said the funding would not be used for “a 30-foot-high barrier" in the region’s parks, echoing a previous commitment from a top CBP official.
Data centers are largely driving the sudden rise in natural gas power projects on the waiting list to connect to Texas' grid.
Data center construction is unpopular among locals, and a majority of the facilities are being proposed in red, rural counties. That puts Texas Republicans in a tough spot, as the White House has encouraged states to let the centers flourish.
Laredo is working with federal officials to minimize the disruptions a potential wall could pose.
Jennifer Shuford, an infectious disease physician who oversaw the country’s largest measles outbreak in 30 years, is among a slate of CDC nominations with no apparent ties to the anti-vaccine movement.
U.S. House members say they will bring resolutions to the floor this week to expel the Republican Gonzales and Democrat Eric Swalwell. Each motion would require a two-thirds majority.
Production in West Texas has helped the U.S. stabilize its demand for foreign oil amid the Iran war, despite drilling fewer oil wells.
While the federal government hasn’t made a public statement about its plans, official maps show a “virtual wall” going through the region rather than a physical barrier.
Texas has added 28 more measles cases in the last two weeks. Most infections so far this year have occurred inside West Texas Detention Facility in Hudspeth County.
Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks made their fortune in the oil business. They’ve deployed millions of dollars to pull the Texas GOP and Legislature toward their hardline stances.
Most of the state’s measles cases reported so far this year are inside the West Texas Detention Facility in Hudspeth County, where four infected El Paso residents worked.
Federal prosecutors, who can face discipline for not advancing the Trump administration’s priorities, are bringing military trespassing charges against immigrants with little evidence.
Oil and gas companies have said the region needs more power. Environmentalists and a conservative think tank worry the state is moving too fast — and ratepayers will see the costs in their bills.
Herrera’s history of brash comments, and the leftward drift of Hispanic voters, has renewed Democrats’ interest in the 23rd Congressional District, which runs from San Antonio to El Paso.
Texas Democrats have picked James Talarico as their Senate nominee, and the state lawmaker now becomes a national voice against President Donald Trump.
The moderate Republican’s votes on gun control and marriage equality upset the region’s most conservative voters, but local officials said they’re grateful for the work he did on public safety and health.
As front-runners in a seven-person Republican primary, Tom Sell is running on local issues, while Abraham Enriquez is making it all about Trump.
Prosecutors say a man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting his reckless driving caused a head-on collision in rural West Texas that killed Laura Lynch, a founding members of the country group now known as The Chicks.
The primary race for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District is heating up as controversy swirls around incumbent Tony Gonzales.
Residents and elected officials are speaking out against a proposed border barrier through Texas’ biggest state park and one of the jewels of the national park system.
Park conservation advocates are raising concerns this week after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have signaled intent to waive environmental regulations for border wall-related construction in far West Texas.
Rhonda Ward, a first-time candidate for elected office who previously served on the state GOP’s policy committee, is challenging Trent Ashby for the East Texas seat.
Opponents said the proposed 765-kilovolt power line could cause irreparable damage to spring-fed rivers, aquifer recharge zones and untouched ranch land.
The first small modular nuclear reactor could be powering an industrial plant in Texas early in the next decade. And the state is pushing to become the leading site for testing and building the technology.
The Railroad Commission regulates energy infrastructure across Texas. Here’s a look at who’s running in the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries and where they stand.
The developer of one project, in Pecos County, calls it the largest power project in the U.S. Data centers are sparking a surge of gas power plant construction in Texas.
Republicans dismissed the result as a one-off explained by the unpredictability of special elections. Others cited Rehmet’s working-class appeal and Latino and suburban backlash to GOP policies.
The demographic makeup of the trigger schools raises questions about whether Texas' accountability system fairly considers historic inequities tied to race and poverty.
Cleaning up oilfield pollution in arid West Texas is costly and complicated. The bankruptcy process allows companies to move on while the public pays the price.
The lieutenant governor’s office is often described as the most powerful in Texas government. Here’s a look at who’s running in the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries and where they stand.
As President Trump marks one year back in office, his EPA has proposed rolling back key air and climate protections, which experts say has already begun to strain Texas’s air quality and public health.
International health officials plan to meet in a few months to reevaluate the United States’ measles-free status.
Texas-based oil companies have largely been silent on Trump’s assertion that they would help to rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.
The Tribune’s team of data journalists produced a congressional redistricting tool, covered several education data releases, visualized the measles outbreak and more.
District attorneys in Harris, El Paso and other counties say some cases, including murders, have been hobbled or lost because witnesses were detained, deported or too scared to come to court.
As oil and gas industry traffic continues to speed through Pecos, TxDOT said it is working to find $194 million to build an alternative route away from the heart of the city.
When a measles outbreak hit West Texas this year, school absences surged far beyond the number of children who likely became sick.
The lawsuit alleges Minnesota-based Xcel Energy failed to maintain utility poles that started the 2024 Panhandle fire that killed three people and thousands of livestock.
Joe Ely, the influential Texas-born singer-songwriter whose blend of honky-tonk, rock, roadhouse blues, led to collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and the Clash, has died.
One study estimates that an outbreak the size of the one in West Texas earlier this year costs about $12.6 million.
Ector County has boomed since the 1970s, when the drainage system was last updated. Officials hope state and federal funds will help pay for the update despite some grant programs ending under the Trump administration.
Rural leaders who have worked years to improve broadband access said they were disappointed by the sharp decrease in federal dollars.
The announcement by Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai is the latest multi-billion dollar investment in Texas by tech companies racing to build infrastructure that can support advanced artificial intelligence.
The EPA handed over power to the Railroad Commission after a two-year review. Critics say the commission has been too lax with the industry.
Texas is the third state to sue the platform, alongside dozens of private plaintiffs who say Roblox didn’t do enough to protect their kids from sexually explicit content.
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire is all-in on the hype ahead of the No. 9 Red Raiders’ biggest home game in well more than a decade.
Texas voters will decide Tuesday whether the state should continue spending $1 billion a year to secure the state’s water supply. Part of that investment will be spent to find new water supply.
High pressure is dominating the weather in San Antonio, resulting in stable, hot, and dry conditions with cooler mornings and warm afternoons. Although humidity levels are expected to decrease later in the week, there is little chance of rain as moisture from tropical systems is diverted away from the area.
The Midland school district has said it has followed the law. Six teachers and the school principal have either resigned or been fired over the alleged abuse of special needs students.
Most of the cities — Odessa, La Marque, Tom Bean and Whitesboro — said they are following the law and Ken Paxton’s office is jumping the gun on enforcing new state rules.
Local leaders see data centers, which help power the world’s shift to artificial intelligence, as a way to keep their towns open. Residents worry their way of life — and water — is at stake.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced that the Stargate AI data center in Texas will be joined by five more across the U.S. This expansion is part of a $500 billion infrastructure investment promoted by President Donald Trump.
Other smaller oil and gas producing regions in the state are better poised to help power the growing data center market, a new report found.
Thirty stations must figure out how to make up for the loss of at least $17.7 million in federal funding that came at the direction of the president without wearing out supporters.
More Texas universities are turning to politicians to lead their systems, preferring political clout over academic credentials.
Previously, parents had to wait for the state to mail them the exemption form. They still have to get the form notarized before submitting it to the school for enrollment purposes.
The one-year experiment in Midland and Ector counties is based on similar efforts in larger cities. A nonprofit backed by oil companies and Midland County are helping pay for it.
Emails show how overwhelmed West Texas officials were as they asked CDC for guidance on how to respond to the explosive outbreak.
