Houston ISD kicked off the New Year by switching from Aetna to UnitedHealthcare for employee health care benefits. view article

The governor is calling for an expansion of in-state anti-terrorism programs and an increase in federal partnerships.   view article

Weather News School closings & delays: Latest from ISDs in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, Jan. 7   view article

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare disaster relief resources as temperatures across the state continue to fall below freezing, according to a Monday news release. Abbott ordered emergency management officials to work with local partners to update warming center maps, and the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas National Guard were also activated, according to the release. Seven hundred TxDOT employees worked over the weekend to treat roadways with more than 500,000 gallons of brine — a saltwater solution that acts as an anti-icing agent — and other material, according to the release. view article

As an arctic blast settled over Texas on Monday, dropping temperatures into the low 20s in some areas, the state’s grid operator said it’s not expecting any power disruptions this week. view article

Cleveland ISD has already announced it will be closed on Tuesday due to forecasted weather conditions. In an announcement on Facebook, the school district said "Cleveland ISD will be CLOSED Tuesday, January 21, 2025, due to weather and road conditions in our area."  view article

Advocates say interstate compacts, which allow professionals to use their work licenses in multiple states, can solve Texas’ workforce shortage. Skeptics fear Texas would send more workers than it would receive. view article

Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced the completion of a stretch of border wall along the Rio Grande on Wednesday. view article

Evacuating a wildfire area can be scary, but experts say people can significantly improve their own safety with a little preparation and common sense. view article

PowerSchool, a vendor providing services to multiple North Texas school districts, recently announced a data breach affecting the personal information of students and staff, the district said in a letter to parents. PowerSchool, a company hired by districts to store student information, reported the data breach to Dallas ISD. Similar to Dallas ISD, several other North Texas districts, including Denton ISD, Frisco ISD and Richardson ISD, use PowerSchool but were not impacted by the breach. view article

Houston's first freeze of the year may be over, but another one is headed our way next week—and so is the possibility of some snow..  "There are no bones about it, next week looks pretty cold," said meteorologist Eric Berger of Space City Weather in Houston.   "I do think we're likely to see freezing conditions in the Houston metro area on at least one or two nights," Berger added. But he said it remains to be seen whether we see a hard freeze (defined as 28 degrees or below by the National Weather Service) in Houston. view article

The weather phenomena occur when thunder rumbles while sleet falls.  North Texans awoke to snow, sleet and the ever-elusive "thundersleet" Thursday morning as a storm unleashed a mix of wintry precipitation in the region. Thundersleet occurs when thunder rumbles while sleet, a mix of ice and snow, falls. As of 5 a.m. Thursday morning, thundersleet was registered in Abilene.  view article

North Texas woke up to its first winter storm of the season with a mix of sleet and snow that started around sunrise Thursday. A winter storm warning is in effect for North Texas, including Fort Worth, through early Friday. The types of precipitation will change throughout the day Thursday with sleet and snow transitioning to rain later on and then finally to snow in the evening hours. Roads in the region are becoming slick and travel is expected to be treacherous from midday Thursday into Friday. Multiple school districts have announced closings. And nearly half of flights out of DFW and Love Field airports are canceled. view article

An analysis finds that among Texas public universities, Texas A&M offers the highest return on investment for a bachelor’s degree. view article

As a winter storm approaches North Texas, here are the school districts that have announced closures for Thursday: view article

Texas parents that have to get ready for work today may need to trek carefully. But as far as getting their children ready for school, it's looking like they'll get a break there due to the winter storm warning issued this week.  view article

Natural disasters like winter storms and hurricanes can create life-threatening situations for Texans. These types of disasters can be devastating and can hit at any time. view article

"We are not used to driving on ice and snow."   view article

ODESSA — When he was 13, Ramon Rodriguez stood before the Presidio City Council. He had a vision for his hometown, a hot, arid border community. view article

As an arctic blast settled over Texas on Monday, dropping temperatures into the low 20s in some areas, the state’s grid operator said it’s not expecting any power disruptions this week. view article

North Texas is bracing for a wintry mix of snow and rain that is expected to begin overnight Wednesday as the National Weather Service upgraded several North Texas counties, including Dallas, from a winter storm watch to a warning. view article

Angelina College has paid $315,000 to a former longtime employee to settle a race discrimination and retaliation case that had previously been scheduled for a jury trial in November 2024, according to a press release from the Hightower, Franklin, & James law firm in Nacogdoches, which represented the plaintiff. view article

The very unserious company that took over the defunct Enron brand on Monday unveiled its supposedly "groundbreaking" product: the Enron Egg.  view article

A likely fight over how much power to take away from local governments may dominate the debate.   view article

The state’s electric grid operator issued a weather watch until Friday but says it doesn’t expect power disruptions as demand rises.   view article

The Texas power grid should hold steady next week when cold temperatures are expected to sweep across much of the state, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the entity that operates the state’s grid.  view article

The state’s 988 suicide had the nation’s fifth highest rate of abandoned calls in August, the latest data available, amid a multi-million funding deficit that could worsen as federal dollars expire this year.   view article

Alvin ISD leaders are working tirelessly to ensure that students can return to class next week after an EF-2 tornado caused significant damage to Walt Disney Elementary School. The school district has announced that students will temporarily finish the rest of the school year at the Old Alvin Elementary School, located just four miles away, on Rosharon Road. view article

Rusk ISD is extending Christmas Break for GW Bradford Primary school while repairs take place. According to RISD, significant water damage was caused to the campus by a broken pipe. A statement from the school announced winter break would be extended to preschool students at GW Bradford Primary by one week. view article

Two Midland ISD employees were taken to the hospital following a school bus accident this morning at South County Road 1232, according to the school district. view article

(The Center Square) – Millions of residents in blue states have migrated to red states within the past 30 years, according to federal data. A policy group that analyzed the data says it's a clear sign that many Americans find Democratic policies unlivable.  view article

According to Aaron Hood, Superintendent of Robert Lee ISD, a school bus carrying the girls varsity basketball team was involved in a major collision with a truck Saturday. The team was returning from a basketball tournament hosted by Borden ISD. view article

  Groups are urging the state’s estimated 1.6 million undocumented migrants to prepare financially and make plans for their loved ones if they’re detained.  SAN JUAN — A plan, Joaquin Garcia told a crowd of immigrants last week, they must have a plan. view article

Energy Alliance Policy Director Bill Peacock said the reliability of the state’s grid is not keeping up with the demand for electricity, which follows Texas’ economic growth.   view article

A financial crisis is looming over many Texas school districts, and without immediate action, the consequences could be devastating. Many are on a collision course with fiscal insolvency. view article