TEXAS — Many public schools across Texas are expected to be closed in observance of Good Friday in 2026, though practices vary widely by district.  Good Friday, which falls on April 3, 2026, is considered an optional holiday in Texas, meaning school districts are not required to close but may choose to observe it.  A review of multiple district calendars shows that many Texas school systems will not hold classes that day. For example, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District lists Good Friday as a student and staff holiday, with no classes scheduled.  Similarly, North East Independent School District in the San Antonio area identifies April 3 as a “no school” day for students and staff. Texas City Independent School District also lists April 3 among its days with no classes for students. view article

Some Houston drivers are already feeling the pinch more than others. As gas prices surge across the United States amid escalating conflict in Iran following U.S.-Israeli strikes last month, some Houston drivers are already feeling the pinch more than others. And in one of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods, the price gap is hard to ignore.  view article

Many of the upcoming celebrations and holidays honoring the late farmworker labor leader César Chavez are being renamed, postponed or completely canceled in the wake of allegations that he sexually abused women and girls while at the helm of the United Farm Workers Union. view article

Did you know that many of Texas' most decisive elections happen in March — not November? These party primaries typically draw far fewer voters than the general election, even though many March winners face limited opposition in November. Our latest newsletter takes a closer look at who these voters are and why it matters for the future of our state. view article

The first small modular nuclear reactor could be powering an industrial plant in Texas early in the next decade. And the state is pushing to become the leading site for testing and building the technology. Less than three years after Gov. Greg Abbott announced the creation of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group, Texas has become one of the main testing grounds in the United States for small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), a technology long discussed but with few real-world examples to show for it. view article

The 2026-28 alignments have been posted for volleyball, basketball and football. You can access this information HERE.  view article

Your one-stop shop for information on Houston public, charter and private schools. view article

Rapid growth across Texas is changing how families move, settle, and build community.  Texas continues to lead the nation in population growth, with hundreds of thousands of new residents arriving each year. From Central Texas to the Gulf Coast, this migration wave is not only reshaping housing markets. It is transforming how communities think about mobility, infrastructure, and relocation logistics.   Austin has experienced sustained migration driven by job growth in technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. Rapid growth creates pressure. Housing inventory tightens. Commute times expand. Infrastructure must catch up.   Mobility today is not limited to highways and public transit. It also includes how efficiently families transition between homes, neighborhoods, and cities. view article

Border wall expansion, national park preservation and TSA tips, in readers’ eyes. view article

Lubbock ISD will host a series of town halls throughout April and early May as the school district implements its newly adopted district optimization plan for school closures.  According to the district, it will host a series of spring town hall meetings designed to provide updates to community members, families, staff and stakeholders related to district optimization. view article

Several Republicans who thought they were delegates to the Texas GOP convention in Houston this summer discovered that they were kicked off of the list. Barbara Brewer, who repeatedly spoke out against an attempt to split the Keller school district last year, and Zee Wilcox, who sued Tarrant GOP chair Tim Davis after she was removed from the House District 98 primary ballot, were among those whose names were taken off of the list by the Tarrant County Republican Party.   view article

Lubbock Independent School District (Lubbock ISD) will hold a series of spring town hall meetings designed to provide updates to community members, families, staff and stakeholders related to district optimization. Over the next several weeks, town halls will be hosted in each of the voting districts served by the Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees, beginning with District 1 this Wednesday (April 1). A virtual town hall will conclude the series on May 5. view article

The contract change is being funded by the district's 2022 bond. The contract would add $641,000 to the project, bringing the total cost to $81.21 million. The contract will expire once all work is completed, according to board documents. The original project cost was $80.32 million, but in June 2025, trustees approved an additional $250,000 for contingency costs, increasing the total at the time to $80.57 million, according to board documents. view article

Austin ISD is set to close Tuesday in honor of United Farm Workers Association co-founder Dolores Huerta. view article

The saga of the Public Utility Commission’s power grab continues.    view article

This is only day two for Peter Licata, the new superintendent of the Fort Worth ISD, but he brought in a chief of staff from Florida and a new deputy superintendent to his team. Some Fort Worth ISD Central Office staff have been told they no longer need to come in. Licata hit the ground running, implementing change in Fort Worth ISD with his staff. view article

Bill Elliott, the former athletic director and head football coach of Celina ISD, surrendered his teaching license amid a state investigation into a misconduct claim from the 1990s. view article

Presidential memoirs, “The Three Musketeers,” and even Guinness World Records books have been pulled from New Braunfels ISD library shelves in the face of a new state law, according to records obtained by a Texas nonprofit. The apparent cuts and other restrictions appear much deeper than the school district has previously conveyed. After Texas adopted Senate Bill 13, which prohibits school library materials with “profane” and “indecent” content, New Braunfels ISD has been reviewing its library collection to align with state guidelines. view article

The Boring Company said it would begin assessing the feasibility of building an underground tunnel connecting a university with a new development.  Elon Musk’s tunneling company will begin assessing its ability to construct a mile-long underground tunnel in South Dallas after a proposed project in the area was one of three winners of a company contest on Tuesday.  The Boring Company has built a number of underground tunnels across the United States for public and industrial use, including in Austin and Bastrop. In January, the company announced an open call for new tunnel proposals up to a mile long, with the offer to build the winning submission at the company’s expense. A proposal to build a tunnel connecting the University of North Texas at Dallas with University Hills, a billion-dollar mixed-use development currently under construction, was one of three winners out of almost 500 submissions. view article

Officials approved the change after hearing from speakers who argued it would hamper the state’s economy and push immigrants to work without licenses in the black market.   People seeking a host of professional licenses in Texas, from electricians to dog breeders, will soon have to prove they are in the country legally after the state’s Commission of Licensing and Regulation on Tuesday adopted a new rule that could affect thousands of workers.  Commissioners unanimously approved the change after hearing from a parade of speakers who largely asked them to do the opposite because of worries that it will hamper the state’s economy and burden immigrants trying to make an honest living. The speakers also argued the move will push people to work without a license, and erode state oversight of crucial industries. The commission oversees the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which plans to implement the rule May 1. view article

Austin is launching a new effort to house and retain teachers as rising costs make it harder to live in the city. A widening gap between teacher pay and Austin housing costs has created an affordability crisis for district educators. This year, the Austin Independent School District took a step to address that problem by redeveloping the Anita Ferrales Coy facility, formerly Allan Elementary, into mixed-income housing that includes units for teachers. District leaders say the project could become a model as Austin ISD faces a growing number of soon-to-be vacant campuses and looks for ways to help educators find affordable housing. view article

A grieving Alvin ISD community came together Saturday morning to honor the life of 8-year-old Nicholas Gray, a Pomona Elementary student who died last month after choking on a grape at school. Dozens of friends, family members, teachers and classmates gathered at a park in Manvel for a memorial bubble release — a tribute his mother says reflects who he was. view article

The state does not track the prevalence or provide guidance on the issue, leaving inmates to languish in jail and eventually sue counties for damages.  Jessica Jackson was supposed to be released from Dallas County jail in time for the holidays last year. She was arrested in early December for misdemeanor drug possession and violating parole, but was credited time for two years she’d already served on a previous aggravated robbery sentence.  With the credits, Jackson was eligible for release on Dec. 19, when a judge ruled she had no time left to serve. But, Christmas passed, then New Year’s, and despite daily calls to jail staff from her public defender, family and a friend trying to help her, she could not understand why she was still in jail. view article

As investigations appear to stall, new international reporting sheds light on how a secretive gambling syndicate rigged a $95 million Lotto Texas jackpot in 2023.  Recent reporting by an Australian investigative journalist is shedding new light on the secretive gambling syndicate that, with assistance from the Texas Lottery Commission, rigged a $95 million Lotto Texas jackpot in April 2023. The fallout from that jackpot, along with mounting public pressure and scrutiny from lawmakers during the 2025 legislative session, led to the dissolution of the Texas Lottery Commission and the launch of two official investigations, which so far have produced no results after more than a year. view article

Texas will not observe Cesar Chavez Day this year. Gov. Greg Abbott announced yesterday that revelations of the progressive icon’s history of sexual assault are enough to withdraw the annual observance and strike it from state law.  Chavez, a socialist union organizer, has been hailed a hero on the left since before his death in 1993. Over the last 30 years, Democrats have rushed to name schools and streets after him. His birthday, March 31, became a federal holiday under Barack Obama in 2014. view article

Chinese national who spent three years researching cancer at MD Anderson while secretly working for a Chinese university has been sentenced to 364 days in the Harris County jail. view article

Omar posted the insults after the president asked for an investigation into her alleged role in Somali fraud. view article

Two Lorena High School seniors think a recent state law allowing parents more input in what books are in school libraries and classrooms leaves out an important voice: students.  Bethany Ryan and Megan Vrana, both 18 and avid readers, have put their argument together in "Every Voice Deserves a Shelf," a project submitted for competition organized by the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America student organization. view article

The day after the March 3 primary, President Donald Trump pledged to endorse either John Cornyn or Ken Paxton “soon,” and call on the other to drop out. He has yet to make an endorsement. view article

RAYMONDVILLE — Juan Rodriguez stood outside the El Valle Detention Center and watched as U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz escorted Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar, a McAllen teenager who had been detained there for 12 days.   Rodriguez was one of several demonstrators protesting Gámez-Cuéllar’s detainment. He took an interest in the teenager’s case because his fiancée is being held in the same facility and has a similar legal status.   The Gámez-Cuéllar family’s surprise detainment sparked nationwide outrage, propelled by the fact that they were detained while complying with a requirement to check in with the government — and because the brothers were part of an award-winning high school mariachi group who were invited by De La Cruz to perform at the U.S. Capitol last summer. view article

Today, Texas Values sent a letter to Austin ISD advising them that their scheduled Pride Week is against the law. Austin ISD is scheduled to have Pride week March 23-March 27. The letter explains how the scheduled Pride week violates a recent law Parents’ Bill of Rights law, Senate Bill 12, that was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2025. The Parents’ Bill of Rights prohibits references and activities regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. State Board of Education member Brandon Hall sent Austin ISD a letter last week requesting that the school district “immediately stop” Pride activities. view article

Marshall ISD has canceled classes for the day following a water main break, according to district officials. Parents are encouraged to either keep their students at home or pick them up if they are already on campus. District leaders say students who ride the bus may also be picked up by parents. view article

Brownsville may be getting a long-promised crude refinery, the nation's first new oil refinery in almost 50 years.  President Donald Trump announced the $300 billion project, to be funded by Reliance Industries, an Indian refining company owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, on Truth Social this week. But because of the more than decade-long attempt to get a light crude refinery built in Brownsville and the financial risk associated with such a project, the announcement has been met with some skepticism. view article

A plan to get more electricity to West Texas may come undone view article

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Bob Sanders bumps along the dirt roads of his 1,100-acre ranch in a beat up burgundy Chevrolet Suburban, the engine roaring as his sprawling cattle operation, known locally for its wagyu beef, stretches around him. A shotgun rides in the passenger seat and battered binoculars sit on the dashboard.  The sloping pasture where his rust-colored cows graze gives way to trees that flank a narrow ribbon of water. It doesn’t look like much, just a slow-moving channel threading through sweetgums and cypress, but this 2.6-mile stretch of the Big Cypress Bayou carries a lot of weight — it connects Lake O’ the Pines, the region’s main water supply, to Caddo Lake, the state’s only natural lake.  Water feels abundant in the area. But even in this lush corner of the state, water is increasingly top of mind. For Sanders and many of his neighbors, the bayou represents something increasingly fragile in Texas: water that still belongs to the landscape it came from.  The sloping pasture where his rust-colored cows graze gives way to trees that flank a narrow ribbon of water. It doesn’t look like much, just a slow-moving channel threading through sweetgums and cypress, but this 2.6-mile stretch of the Big Cypress Bayou carries a lot of weight — it connects Lake O’ the Pines, the region’s main water supply, to Caddo Lake, the state’s only natural lake.  Water feels abundant in the area. But even in this lush corner of the state, water is increasingly top of mind. For Sanders and many of his neighbors, the bayou represents something increasingly fragile in Texas: water that still belongs to the landscape it came from. view article