Small nuclear reactors may be coming to Texas, boosted by interest from Gov. Abbott
A nuclear power plant hasnโt been built in Texas in decades because of cost and public fears of a major accident. Now the governor wants to find out if smaller reactors could meet the stateโs growing need for on-demand power.
This West Texas town has a lot of money in the bank. Why can't it pick up its trash?
Like local leaders in many other towns in West Texas, the Kermit City Council spent years saving its tax revenue fearing the energy economy would crash. Now it is struggling to keep up with essential services like trash and road repair.
Conservative consulting group rebrands with new name after leader met with white supremacist Nick Fuentes
In a Nov. 13 filing with the Texas Secretary of State, an attorney for Pale Horse Strategies LLC wrote that the firm would also conduct future business under the name โWest Fort Worth Management LLC.โ
A Texas politician wants to provide emergency services to constituents who donโt have them. Will they let him?
In unincorporated West Odessa, residents relish their freedom. And they also go without basic services. Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, a young Republican with Ronald Reagan good looks and politics, wants to change that.
Texans approved billions for water and broadband infrastructure. Now what?
The legislation behind the historic investment directs state agencies to send money to the stateโs smaller, cash-strapped towns that have difficulty paying for upgrades. Federal money is also expected to flow to regions that need broadband.
Texas GOP chair stays silent on alliesโ connections to antisemitic extremists
Matt Rinaldi has been defiant amid calls for him to cut ties with political ally Jonathan Stickland after meeting with white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Rinaldi is also accused of embracing antisemitic leaders of a new young Republicans organization.
Defend Texas Liberty PAC names new president after leader met with white supremacist Nick Fuentes
Luke Macias, a longtime conservative political consultant, is listed as the new president of the conservative PAC on its website. Jonathan Stickland, the former president, met with Fuentes for nearly seven hours.
Exxon Mobil doubles down on fossil fuels with $59.5 billion deal for Pioneer Natural as prices surge
Exxon Mobil is buying Pioneer Natural Resources in an all-stock deal valued at $59.5 billion, its largest buyout since acquiring Mobil two decades ago, creating a colossal fracking operator in West Texas.
This new law will help health care workers save lives in ambulances that cover wide-open West Texas
The emerging technology, paid for by a grant established during the 2023 legislative session, will help emergency health care workers talk with doctors in emergency rooms to better care for critical patients.
U.S. census and other surveys likely undercount the number of LGBTQ+ people living in Texas
Some queer Texans may fear disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity to neighbors or the government. The lack of accurate numbers makes it more difficult to provide appropriate health care, especially in rural areas.
Will Texasโ new fentanyl awareness curriculum for public schools succeed where other anti-drug messaging failed?
Historically, anti-drug messaging in schools has failed to acknowledge the mental health reasons that youth self-medicate. Without that key lesson, advocates worry House Bill 3908 will be another D.A.R.E. campaign.
Texasโ environmental agency enables companies to increase oilfield wastewater disposal in rivers
Researchers are still studying the chemical makeup of โproduced waterโ from Permian Basin oil fields. But regulators say theyโre ready to issue permits to discharge the water into rivers and creeks.
Kyle Rittenhouse launches nonprofit with far-right Texans as he ramps up political engagement in the state
The activist known for shooting Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020 has created the Rittenhouse Foundation, which promises to fight for gun rights and includes leaders who have close ties to ultraconservative megadonors from West Texas.
Gen Z influencers, quietly recruited by a company with deep GOP ties, rally to impeached Ken Paxtonโs aid
After a June gathering in Fort Worth sponsored by a new company, Influenceable, social media leaders began backing the suspended Texas attorney general and a controversial human trafficking film. Those who favor transparency in political advocacy are concerned.
How an internship program hopes to end โbrain drainโ in Texasโ Permian Basin and other rural regions
This is the third year businesses in the Permian Basin โ known for high school football and oil fields โ have participated in the University of Texas at Austin program. Students this year say they are seeing their hometowns in a new way.
Inmates are dying in stifling Texas prisons, but the state seldom acknowledges heat as a cause of death
Since a heat wave gripped Texas, at least nine inmates, including two men in their 30s, have died of heart attacks or unknown causes in prisons lacking air conditioning. Itโs been 11 years since the state last classified a death as heat-related.