Mayor Whitmire plans a first‑ever monthly trash fee starting at $5 and rising to $25 to help close a $174M budget gap.

A TPOR poll finds James Talarico narrowly ahead of both John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, powered by voters of color and independents. The results sharpen focus on a May 26 GOP runoff.

TEA has tapped HISD chief Sandi Massey to lead Beaumont ISD as the agency installs a board of managers after years of low state ratings.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued De'Ai Postpartum Care Center, alleging a Houston-area "birth tourism" operation that targeted Chinese clients and sought to secure U.S. citizenship for newborns. The suit asks a judge to shut the program down and impose penalties.

Klein ISD projects a $20 million surplus after starting the year in the red. State reimbursements and reallocated costs helped close the gap ahead of a May budget meeting.

Public records show the mayor's podcast cost up to $60,000 in taxpayer funds. A local progressive group filed ethics complaints and City Hall says procurement followed rules.

Republican groups resurfaced classroom‑era posts from James Talarico and framed them as evidence of poor judgment; his campaign says the posts were taken out of context.

City Council approved rules to steer $150M in federal disaster grants toward home repairs, generators and resilience projects after last year’s storms. The action starts formal grant rounds and public notices.

A state‑appointed HISD board voted to terminate a 25‑year Patrick Henry teacher after an examiner faulted her special‑education documentation.

Alvin ISD trustees named Dr. Rhonda Mason lone finalist to lead the roughly 30,000‑student district; the board will vote May 13 after a state‑required 21‑day wait.

State data show a rise in foster placements made outside children's home regions, and the Houston area took the biggest share of transfers last year.

An appeals court found Adrian Garcia's Gulf Coast Protection District appointment void but ruled he need not resign; challengers say they will appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.

Trump is weighing an extension of a 60‑day Jones Act waiver that opened U.S. ports to foreign tankers; unions warn of job risks while analysts say pump‑price gains may be tiny.