INSIDER
How 11 Texas cities made housing unaffordable — and what’s being done to fix it
Read full article: How 11 Texas cities made housing unaffordable — and what’s being done to fix itTexas desperately needs more and denser housing to keep up with the demand. But zoning restrictions get in the way, a Texas Tribune analysis found.
Pilot tried to pull out of landing before plane crashed on the doorstep of a Texas mall
Read full article: Pilot tried to pull out of landing before plane crashed on the doorstep of a Texas mallA Federal Aviation Administration incident report says the pilot of a small plane that crashed and burned on the doorstep of a strip mall in Texas was trying to pull out of a landing before the accident.
Facing declining enrollment and charter school competition, San Antonio and Plano consider closing campuses
Read full article: Facing declining enrollment and charter school competition, San Antonio and Plano consider closing campusesSchool officials in San Antonio announced earlier this week that they are looking at closing about 20% of their campuses while Plano school officials are starting those discussions.
New Texas law bars animal cruelty offenders from owning animals for five years
Read full article: New Texas law bars animal cruelty offenders from owning animals for five yearsThe law bans those convicted of animal cruelty, including those involved with dogfighting, from owning any kind of animal for five years after their first criminal offense.
“Let’s clean house”: Paxton tells supporters to lead charge in removing his Republican rivals who impeached him
Read full article: “Let’s clean house”: Paxton tells supporters to lead charge in removing his Republican rivals who impeached himPaxton named House Speaker Dade Phelan, a fellow Republican, in his brief remarks Saturday in North Texas. The suspended attorney general faces a trial Tuesday that would remove him from office permanently.
Texas sues to block Biden’s abortion medication guidance
Read full article: Texas sues to block Biden’s abortion medication guidanceIn July, the Biden administration reminded pharmacies of their obligation to not discriminate in filling prescriptions, including for abortion-inducing drugs, many of which can be used to treat other conditions as well.
As lawmakers begin a new session, Texas mayors want to maintain control of local issues
Read full article: As lawmakers begin a new session, Texas mayors want to maintain control of local issuesMayors from the state’s most populous cities presented their legislative wish list, including economic development and workforce programs, broadband infrastructure and violence prevention.
Watch: Four new Texas House members discuss immigration, property taxes and public school financing
Read full article: Watch: Four new Texas House members discuss immigration, property taxes and public school financingThey talked about their campaigns and journey to the Legislature, what has stood out to them so far about working in the House and what they hope to accomplish this session.
Woman arrested after racist rant, assault in Dallas restaurant lot
Read full article: Woman arrested after racist rant, assault in Dallas restaurant lotA woman is facing a possible hate crime charge after she was captured on video in a racist rant and assault on women of South Asian descent in a suburban Dallas parking lot.
Pregnant Texas woman says unborn baby should count as car passenger after receiving HOV ticket
Read full article: Pregnant Texas woman says unborn baby should count as car passenger after receiving HOV ticketA pregnant Texas woman said her unborn baby should count as a second passenger in her vehicle after she received a ticket, citing Texas’ penal code in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s being overturned.
How a Plano toy inventor helped push U.S. Rep. Van Taylor out of office
Read full article: How a Plano toy inventor helped push U.S. Rep. Van Taylor out of officeJosh Malone funded a super PAC that spent over $400,000 working to defeat the Plano congressman, who got forced into a primary runoff and then admitted to an affair and ended his campaign.
Delta variant, lax mask policies delay Plano family’s return to school
Read full article: Delta variant, lax mask policies delay Plano family’s return to schoolParents remain divided over whether to require masks in the classroom. For Carmen Campbell, there’s just too much uncertainty right now to feel comfortable sending her son back. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
Gas leak in Texas home likely caused blast that injured 6
Read full article: Gas leak in Texas home likely caused blast that injured 6Fire officials say a gas leak in a suburban Dallas home was the likely cause of an explosion that destroyed the house and heavily damaged the two next door, injuring six people.
Companies could be shielded from liability after commercial vehicle crashes under Texas House bill
Read full article: Companies could be shielded from liability after commercial vehicle crashes under Texas House billHB 19’s sponsors say the bill will prevent excessive lawsuits against companies, but road safety advocates say the bill would make Texas roads more dangerous and prevent victims of crashes from receiving justice.
The Woodlands ranked the No. 1 best city to live in America
Read full article: The Woodlands ranked the No. 1 best city to live in AmericaThe Woodlands is the best place to live in the country according to a recently released ranking. Niche, a ranking and review site that helps users select schools and places to live, recently released its 2021 list of the Best Cities to Live in America. The education is a bit hard and competitive but you get the best teachers and many class opportunities.”Among its other accolades, The Woodlands is ranked the second best city to buy a house in America and the second best city to raise a family in America. 7, Plano was the only other Texas city to secure a spot among the list’s top 10 best cities to live in America. These are the top 10 best cities to live in America, according to Niche:The Woodlands, TX Arlington, VA Naperville, IL Overland Park, KS Cambridge, MA Ann Arbor, MI Plano, TX Columbia, MD Berkeley, CA Bellevue, WAView the list in its entirety here.
Texas expecting 400K more vaccine doses for next week
Read full article: Texas expecting 400K more vaccine doses for next weekSyringed doses of the COVID-19 vaccination sit ready for distribution at a senior living residents facility Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, in Plano, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas – Texas again reported more than 400 new COVID-19 deaths Friday as the state is on the brink of surpassing 3 million administered doses of vaccine. More than 38,000 people in Texas have died from COVID-19, the third-highest in the nation. On Friday, state health officials announced Texas is expecting to receive more than 400,000 first doses of the vaccine for next week. Roughly 7.5% of Texas residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 2% are fully vaccinated.
Six Outstanding Student-Athletes Honored as Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the Year
Read full article: Six Outstanding Student-Athletes Honored as Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the YearPLANO, Texas – January 28, 2021 – The 2020 Texas high school football season had a few challenges because of the global pandemic. These high school football stars have been selected as Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the Year. For fifteen years, Ford Motor Company has recognized the best players of each high school football season. The six Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the Year will receive their trophies soon. Ford is proud to recognize the Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Players of the Week.
Attorney for doctor accused of stealing COVID-19 vaccine says DA investigation false, client was following CDC, health guidelines
Read full article: Attorney for doctor accused of stealing COVID-19 vaccine says DA investigation false, client was following CDC, health guidelinesThe attorney of a Harris County Public Health doctor held a news conference Friday to address the allegations accusing him of stealing a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in a news release Thursday. The release said that a week later, he told a fellow Harris County Public Health employee, who then reported him to supervisors. According to Doyle, Gokal had been administering vaccines and overseeing a vaccination site on Dec. 29. A Harris County Public Health adminstrator stated that there are protocols in place to deal with unused vaccines and open vials, and those protocols were not followed. He is being prosecuted by the Public Corruption Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
This is where Texas cities rank on the list of lowest, highest living costs in the US
Read full article: This is where Texas cities rank on the list of lowest, highest living costs in the USThree Texas cities ranked among the top 15 for lowest living costs. Analyzing the 75 most populous cities according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Move.org looked into the average living costs within each region basing its calculations on five costly living necessities. The average monthly cost of living in the Texas beach city including all aforementioned expenses computed to $1,537.77. According to Move.org, while the northern Texas suburb’s living costs are high compared to other cities on the list, Plano still beat other U.S. cities. Its average monthly cost of living comes out to $1,752.63.
Hacked software provider won't say if ransomware involved
Read full article: Hacked software provider won't say if ransomware involvedAn updated statement on Tyler's webpage did not address whether ransomware may have been involved. Customers' use of Tyler products for election data reporting appears limited. Nashville's information technology director said the city uses a Tyler “open-data” product, Socrata, to post unofficial election night results, among other uses. Tyler said Socrata data is hosted on Amazon Web Services, not on the network that was hacked. Hanna Pickering, director of information technology in Portland, Maine, said the city uses Tyler platforms for payroll, permitting, city inspections, city planning and human resources, among other things.
National Democrats add three more Texas congressional districts to target list
Read full article: National Democrats add three more Texas congressional districts to target listCredit: United States CongressThe Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is adding three more districts to its Texas target list, expanding an already ambitious battlefield in the state. The DCCC is now targeting 10 districts across Texas, or nearly half the GOP-held seats in the state's congressional delegation. "That consistent message and our 16-month long investment in Texas have put fast-changing districts like these ones in play and Democratic candidates in strong position to deliver in November." Taylor, Williams and Wright all won their races in 2018 by margins ranging from 8 to 10 percentage points. The National Republican Congressional Committee has argued that the Democratic candidates are too liberal for Texas and that the GOP is the party on offense with strong challengers against Allred and Fletcher.
Face shields, gloves, wipes: Texas votes as virus rages
Read full article: Face shields, gloves, wipes: Texas votes as virus ragesPLANO, Texas As coronavirus cases skyrocket in Texas, Regina Greenwell showed up to vote Monday bent on minimizing the risks. She brought her own pen but inside was a touchscreen system with disposable latex finger guards for voters to use. A steady trickle of eager morning voters all arriving in masks kept poll workers busy at Davis Elementary School in Austin. Poll workers sat behind plastic shields, and blue tape on the floor encouraged voters in line to keep their distance from one another. Dana DeBeauvoir, the Travis County Clerk who oversees Austin's elections, recruited about 80 poll workers on standby after having a slew of no-shows on Super Tuesday.