Area News

The deadline to apply for a 2026 Rescuing Texas History Mini-Grant is August 7, 2026. If you or your organization has been considering applying, now is the time to do it. Portal staff are glad to answer questions or help you determine whether your collection is a good fit before you submit. Contact Jake Mangum…

By Jessica Priest, The Texas Tribune July 27, 2026 Texas’ higher education commissioner signaled last week that the state could expand the use of the conservative-favored Classic Learning Test in public university admissions even though an independent review found far less evidence linking the exam’s scores to college performance than SAT and ACT scores. In…

By Joshua Fechter, The Texas Tribune July 27, 2026 DALLAS — An early proving ground for Texas to tackle the state’s housing affordability problem — and the pushback those efforts often generate — sits at an aging shopping center in North Dallas. Large stretches of storefronts at Pepper Square sit empty. Signs from a touring…

July 27, 2026 Average gasoline prices in Texas have risen 12.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.67/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 42.6 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 93.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The…

By Hien An Ngo, The Texas Tribune July 20, 2026 The race for Texas’s senate seat is shaping up to be one the most expensive competitions in the nation. Democratic nominee James Talarico is setting records, raising more at this stage of the race than any Texas general-election candidate in the past decade and posting…

By Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune July 24, 2026 Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday a third person has died in the flooding that swept through much of the Hill Country and South Texas. The flood victim was swept away while driving July 20 in Val Verde County, Abbott said during a media briefing in Cotulla,…

By Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune July 24, 2026 Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare on Friday said federal investigators have not shared evidence with his office, including the name of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston earlier this month. “My office has reached…

By Jaden Edison, The Texas Tribune July 24, 2026 Educators with national teaching certification could no longer automatically qualify for salary raises under Texas’ pay-for-performance program if officials who oversee the credential do not de-emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion. The State Board for Educator Certification voted Friday to require that National Board Certification — a…

July 24, 2026 Having trouble viewing the News? View as Webpage Letter from the Executive Director Rob Hughes Good policy creates opportunity without sacrificing what already works. That is why the recent introduction of the bipartisan Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate deserves attention from the forestry community:…

SAN ANTONIO, TX – The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC) led a multi-agency investigation that resulted in the arrest of three Romanian nationals accused of operating an organized skimming scheme targeting retailers across Texas. The investigation began in June 2026 after local retailers requested assistance with multiple reports of point-of-sale skimming devices. Investigators determined…