Abbott says HHSC acted on his directive by referring allegations involving two South Texas hospitals to Ken Paxton for possible enforcemen view article

Rumors that former Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa would run for mayor started shortly after he stepped down from his second stint of leading the district in 2022.  Those rumors became reality when he officially announced his campaign this week— 16 months ahead of the November 2027 election.   "I'm baaaack," Hinojosa said in a sing-song voice during his first presser Tuesday morning.   November 2027 will be an open seat election because Mayor Eric Johnson is termed out. Hinojosa is the first person to announce his candi view article

Reports circulated Tuesday morning that Rogan was expected to host the vice president on an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Adam Wren, a senior national politics correspondent for POLITICO, reported that a person familiar with the plans said Vance was expected to record the podcast. view article

Landen Williams-Callis is not ready to announce his college football commitment. He did not speak with a prominent recruiting analyst about the Texas Longhorns.  It seems to be a misunderstanding.  The college football pundit who made his prediction was doing so based on his own information. The college football prospect still felt compelled to set the record straig view article

In the wake of the right-wing activist’s assassination, the state education agency investigated 350 complaints against educators. Most have been dismissed, but some teachers have struggled to move on.    Illustration by Texas Monthly; Kirk: Joe Raedle/Getty  In her 28 years as a teacher working at schools in the Harris County area, Jennifer Courtemanche felt most at home at Lee High School. That changed for the 54-year-old English teacher on September 10. Hours after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s assasination, Courtemanche made a series of posts on Facebook about the right-wing influencer’s death and was met with dozens of comments, texts, and voicemails from strangers attacking her positions. Someone—it’s unclear who—reported her to the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District, while others attacked her directly. “I hope you’re next,” one read. “I hope you die by violence in front of your family,” said another. “Kill yourself,” said a third.  view article

Colleges are pivoting to offer students more job training and credentials as many skipped enrollment to go into the workforce, report finds. view article

San Antonio is getting a public high school for 18- to 50-year-olds who want a second chance at earning a diploma.  This March, the state granted Restore Education, a local nonprofit focused on dropout recovery and job training, a charter license for an adult high school.  It took three different application cycles and a 500-page application for a green light, but now the nonprofit is getting ready to open Restore TECH Academy at its Eastside campus at 4603 E. Houston St. view article

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico on Monday dismissed the Republican convention coming to Dallas as an effort to blunt what he called a growing “bipartisan backlash” against “extremism and corruption.”   view article

The settlement is a result of a multi-state antitrust case, which accused three egg companies of illegally conspiring to inflate prices. 
Food banks across Texas will receive over seven million free eggs after Attorney General Ken Paxton alongside other state attorneys general and the Department of Justice secured a settlement with three egg companies, which were accused of purposefully manipulating consumer prices.  Texas, along with 16 other states, filed suit against Cal-Maine Foods, Centrum/Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch, alleging they conspired to inflate egg prices between 2022 to 2025. This was discovered during an investigation conducted with the U.S. Department of Justice and other partners.  Details from the investigation revealed that the three companies had allegedly conspired to coordinate their bidding in a way that would influence daily egg price quotes published by a benchmark pricing service company Urner Barry. Urner Barry prices are used in egg supply contracts with retailers and the food service industry. view article

Universal Music partner joins White Rocks project to build hotel and private residences      view article

The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday will weigh and vote on ERCOT’s proposal to streamline the power approval process for data centers. view article

From live elephants to Islam, TribCast recaps the biggest GOP event of the year with reporters Alejandro Serrano and Renzo Downey view article

Texas A&M announced a 77-acre lease for a new nuclear energy reactor at its RELLIS campus in Bryan. view article

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As thousands of Texas children head into summer break, state officials are urging parents to carefully vet childcare arrangements and warn against placing children in unregulated operations that may not meet basic health and safety standards.  The press release from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission comes as the demand for childcare during the summer increases and follows growing concerns about the number of children being cared for in unregulated   establishments. State officials are encouraging families to choose licensed or registered childcare providers that undergo inspections, background checks and safety reviews.  The agency said regulated childcare providers are required to meet state health and safety standards designed to protect children. Parents can search for regulated providers and review inspection histories through the state’s childcare database. view article

District officials announced cuts affecting 558 positions.  Austin Independent School District has released its recommended budget for the 2026-2027 school year, including cuts to reduce the $181 million deficit. The cuts will affect over 558 positions.  Superintendent Matias Segura has guaranteed that teachers with state certifications will retain their jobs. However, non-certified teachers will move to different qualifying roles that the district is still working to find. Additionally, 112 qualified teachers will move to different districts, and Austin ISD will eliminate 228 department vacancies.  Austin ISD will also close 11 schools, saving approximately $21 million.   The district is also planning to increase the teacher-student ratio and reduce the amount of teacher planning periods. Educators have already started petitions claiming that the reduced amount of time will not allow them to serve their students effectively, especially when increasing the teacher-student ratio.  view article

Sequoia Solar, in Callahan County, Texas, has officially brought its first 400 megawatts of capacity online. That first phase is now operating, while a second 415-megawatt phase is due online before the end of the year.  Together, the two phases will bring the project to 815 megawatts, placing it among the continent's largest solar developments, according to Electrek. Power from the project is being sold under long-term purchase agreements to AT&T, Toyota, PepsiCo, and Donaldson Company. view article

Budget discussions continue for Austin ISD, as leaders ask for additional time before releasing a full 2026–27 proposal while working to close a projected $181 million deficit. Officials said they are still exploring ways to preserve the student experience as much as possible, despite the expected cuts. view article

Sam Altman’s high-profile courtroom win comes at a cost for the OpenAI CEO view article

Critics are pointing to two other serious felony cases that the attorney general’s prosecutors took to trial that ended in mistrials and, eventually, plea deals. view article

Campaigns are racing to turn out small slice of voters expected to decide contests for the U.S. Senate, House and statewide offices. view article

Sally (Womack) Smith, age 79, of Lufkin, Texas, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Monday, May 4, 2026. She was born November 1, 1946, in Lufkin, Texas, where she spent her life loving, serving, and caring for others.  Sally is survived by her husband of fifty-four years, Joe Smith; her son, Joshua Smith; her daughter-in-law, Jennifer Smith; and her grandson, Jason Smith, who was a constant source of pride and joy. view article

For those of you that have known TexasISD.com for a long time. We lost our beloved wife, mother. editor and proofreader this past Monday.

100,000 strong showed out in Aggieland on Saturday night. view article

   Talia Natterson is a sophomore at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, a private school in Los Angeles, California. She writes for her school publication, Crossfire.