Houston Public Media

Fewer teachers are considering leaving the classroom, new poll finds. Most are still thinking about it Last year, 78% of Texas teachers were thinking of leaving education, now its down to 66%. Salaries and the desire for other benefits for teachers could be contributing factors.

Fewer Texas teachers are considering leaving the classroom than last year, new polling finds, but two-thirds of all teachers say they're still thinking about it.

Why is Trump sending Texas National Guard troops to other states? The move has sparked legal challenges and pushback from Democratic governors who say the president overstepped his authority.

President Donald Trump has authorized Texas National Guard troops to be sent to Illinois and other states to bolster federal immigration enforcement.

Alejandra Salinas, Dwight Boykins lead Houston City Council candidate field in fundraising, endorsements Two of the 15 candidates are pulling ahead in fundraising and political endorsements with less than a month until the special election to fill an open at-large seat on the Houston City Council.

With less than a month until the special election to fill an open at-large seat on the Houston City Council, trial attorney Alejandra Salinas continued to lead the 15-candidate field in fundraising as of the most recent campaign finance reporting period. 

East Downtown ‘Superhub’ for homeless proposed by Houston Housing Department Some community members are already opposed to the facility. The housing department described it as “a place of refuge for people with no other places to go.” The housing department plans to pursue a city council vote for the purchase on Oct. 15.

The city of Houston’s housing department hopes to open a facility with 150 to 225 beds for homeless people in East Downtown sometime in early 2026. 

Uphill effort to recall Whitmire kicks off with single canvasser, misspelled signature forms On the first day of the long-awaited, highly publicized sprint to collect more than 63,000 signatures within 30 days, only one person canvassed at the main signature collection event. The forms contained a misspelling of “petition.” 

On the first day of the long-awaited, highly publicized sprint to collect more than 63,000 signatures within 30 days, only one person canvassed at the main signature collection event.

Houston-based Occidental Petroleum to sell chemical business to Berkshire Hathaway in nearly $10 billion deal Occidental said the deal will help the company pay down its debt.

Houston-based company Occidental Petroleum will sell its chemical business, OxyChem, for $9.7 billion to Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s holding company.

U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt enters GOP Senate primary against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas AG Ken Paxton Hunt represents Houston's Energy Corridor and northwest Harris County in the U.S. House of Representatives. His entry into the Republican primary increases the likelihood of the bitter, expensive contest dragging on into a May 2026 runoff.

Hunt’s entry increases the likelihood that the GOP contest will go to a May runoff. 

Two more deaths inside Harris County Jail mark 15 in-custody deaths this year The sheriff's office said that 34-year-old Pebbles Girardi suffered a sudden medical emergency inside of her cell at the Harris County Jail last Friday, only two days after she was booked into the jail. She was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital and pronounced dead.

Two more people died inside the Harris County Jail last week, bringing the total of in-custody deaths this year to 15, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.  

Stretch of I-10 Katy Freeway to be reduced to two lanes until mid-2026 The upcoming prolonged traffic switch is part of the $407 million I-10 White Oak Bayou project that is designed to reduce flood risks.

A section of the I-10 Katy Freeway will be reduced to two lanes beginning later this month until mid-2026 as the TxDOT continues work on the I-10 White Oak Bayou Elevation Project.

Mother arrested, charged with murder for shooting her four kids, killing two Oninda Romelus, 31, is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault for the alleged shootings of her four children, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff.

A Montgomery County woman was arrested Saturday morning and charged for allegedly shooting her four children, killing two of them.

Former state lawmaker Tommy Williams named interim president of Texas A&M Williams replaces former president Mark A. Welsh III, who resigned amid the fallout over a viral video showing an A&M student confronting a professor over a gender-identity discussion.

Texas A&M has a new interim president, just weeks after its former president resigned after a fallout from a viral video showing a student confronting a professor over a gender-identity discussion.

State of Texas to begin calling witnesses in federal hearing over Trump-backed congressional map A three-judge panel in El Paso will continue hearing arguments in a lawsuit challenging the controversial new map of Texas' congressional districts. Ultimately, their decision will determine whether Texas can use the new map for the 2026 midterm elections.

A federal hearing over Texas' controversial redistricting continues on Monday. The State of Texas is expected to bring its own witnesses forward this week.

GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt announces run for U.S. Senate, joining Cornyn, Paxton in primary The Houston congressman is giving up his safe seat after just two terms, scrambling the contest between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Houston congressman Wesley Hunt is entering the U.S. Senate primary, amidst a heated race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Greg Abbott authorizes Trump to deploy Texas National Guard to other states to protect federal officials After Illinois' governor condemned the planned deployments as "Trump's invasion" and urged Abbott to resist, the Texas governor said he fully authorized them.

Governor Greg Abbott authorized the Texas National Guard to be deployed to other states, under the Trump Administration's deployments to cities like Chicago and Portland.

Huntington’s disease community balances ‘hope and hype’ as new gene therapy early report shows promise The neurodegenerative disease damages patients' motor, cognitive and behavioral controls, which sometimes manifest as psychiatric symptoms. It is extremely rare and affects only an estimated 40,000 Americans.

UTHealth Houston has several patients included in a study showing promising results in delaying the debilitating symptoms of Huntington's disease.

Harris Health notifying more than 5,000 patients of alleged medical information leak An internal investigation conducted by Harris Health in 2021 determined that medical and insurance information of patients may have been obtained by a former employee in 2011 without permission.

Harris Health is notifying more than 5,000 patients of a "privacy incident" in which a former employee allegedly accessed and released patient information to unauthorized individuals.

Houston light rail commuters experience delays on Red Line following signal change To raise awareness about the new delays, LINK Houston organized a morning rush hour race on Thursday between pedestrians and the METRO Red Line across seven downtown blocks.

Light rail riders are experiencing delays along the METRO Red Line after adjustments to the timing of traffic lights.

More than 20,000 Fort Bend County voter registrations pending after system changes The backlog comes after the company that ran the county’s voter registration system abruptly shut down and the state overhauled its own voter registration system.

Thousands of Fort Bend County voter registrations – including new applications, cancellations and changes – are still pending.

Renewed focus on Roberson case is latest in deluge of political pressure aimed at Texas judiciary The latest calls to stave off the politically charged execution come after a summer where GOP leaders asked the state courts to kick Democrats out of office and throw Beto O'Rourke in jail.

Robert Roberson is scheduled for execution on October 16. Once again, his case is catching the eyes of politicians and advocates after a political battle last year.

Government shutdown could cause problems at Texas National Parks Visitors to Texas National Parks like Big Bend National Park and The Padre Island National Seashore are likely to encounter a lack of services and other issues.

With the federal government shutdown, Texas National Parks like Big Bend and Padre Island are still open. Not everyone thinks they should be.

UT Austin among nine universities asked to sign new ‘compact’ by Trump White House The universities reportedly received letters asking them to sign a "compact" banning the consideration of race in admissions, freezing tuition and more in exchange for a federal funding advantage.

The White House is pressuring universities, including UT Austin, to sign a "compact," banning the consideration of race in admissions and more.

Memo: more than 70 percent of Johnson Space Center’s workforce furloughed amid government shutdown The furlough plan targets the agency's workforce of more than 15,000 civil servants. That includes 2,317 employees - or about 15 percent - at the Houston-based Johnson Space Center. The Johnson Space Center employees included in the furlough cover about 73 percent of the total Houston-based workforce. 

A memo from NASA's chief financial officer this week suggests the agency has furloughed more than 80 percent of its civil service workforce following a Wednesday shutdown of the federal government. 

Texas Renaissance Festival to honor founder George Coulam’s life at private memorial Approximately 1,500 vendors and festival employees are expected to attend the memorial.

The Texas Renaissance Festival will host a private memorial Saturday for its late founder, George Coulam, who died earlier this year. 

Apparent explosion at downtown Houston high-rise injures several people The cause of the reported explosion has not yet been determined, but the Houston Fire Department indicated it could have been a boiler.

An apparent explosion at a downtown Houston high-rise has injured several people, according to the Houston Fire Department. 

At hearing, Democrats say the redistricting process was flawed from the start On the first day of a two-week trial, the plaintiffs’ lawyers honed in on who drew the new map and whether race was a factor.

Supporters of Texas' redrawn congressional maps had previously said race played a role in redistricting. Now, they argued in court it was a purely partisan effort.

‘We are coming for you:’ Abbott announces Harris County task force targeting repeat violent offenders Abbott pointed to stats that show violent crime and murders across Harris County are trending down. But crime remains at front of mind for residents in the country's fourth largest city. 

Fulfilling a longtime objective proposed during John Whitmire's mayoral campaign, the state plans to deploy Department of Public Safety troopers to Houston in an effort to curb violent crime. 

How to vote in the November 2025 election in Harris County The state-imposed deadline to register for the November election is Oct. 6. Residents can verify their registration status online to ensure their information is up to date.

Harris County residents only have a few more days to register to vote for the upcoming Nov. 4 election.

How news of Houston bayou deaths sparked a serial killer conspiracy theory City leaders have noted 2025 is on track to have fewer dead bodies found in local bayous than last year. Some Houstonians still believe there’s more to the story.

Six bodies were found in Houston's bayous in less than two weeks. In a matter of days, many social media users theorized a serial killer was to blame.

Exclusive: Houston ramps up citations of homeless after July civility ordinance expansion The Houston Police Department ramped up its enforcement of rules intended to keep homeless people off sidewalks after the city council expanded the so-called civility ordinance. The typical fine was about $200. 

In the two months following the Houston City Council’s vote to expand the so-called civility ordinance, the Houston Police Department issued more than 500 tickets to homeless people — marking the highest two-month rate of citations since Mayor John Whitmire took office last year.

The longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk of cargo backups at Texas ports Most U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees are considered essential government employees and will remain on the job, despite the federal government shutdown that began at midnight Eastern Time. But that could change if the shutdown lasts more than a few weeks, and customs inspectors start calling in “sick.”

While the federal government has shut down, many essential federal workers remain on the job unpaid.