Texas A&M AgriLife pioneers higher-ed cloud services agreement with Microsoft

Texas A&M AgriLife, through the Center for Managed Technology Services, CMTS, has become the first higher education institution in the nation to execute a Microsoft Customer Agreement – Enterprise, MCA-E, directly with Microsoft under a tax-exempt...

Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller pushes alternative to Trump's Argentine beef proposal

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is pushing back against President Donald Trump's call to import beef from Argentina, saying it would hurt Texas ranchers already facing historically low cattle numbers — and he's offering his own plan...

Case Study: Subterranean Luxury Home Theater

For a Dallas, Texas, homeowner with a lifelong passion for music and movies, building a dedicated private cinema was more than a dream — it was a 30-year aspiration finally realized. Inside a sprawling 15,000-square-foot residence designed as a...

Dems Can Win a Senate Seat in Texas. Yes, Really

I’ve long argued that making Texas statewide races consistently competitive for Democrats requires time, patience, and sustained, multicycle investment. And I still believe that’s true. But the last decade or so of Texas politics has also been...

Graham leads The Clerico as darkness ends round two early

Texas Tech men’s golf sophomore Connor Graham leads The Clerico through the first day at 5-under-par. The Red Raiders sit in third place among a field of 12 teams at 2-over-par with several holes remaining on their back nine, as the second round...

Black communities battle Big Tech over the hidden costs of AI

When word spread through Bessemer, Alabama, earlier this year that a tech giant was eyeing hundreds of pine-covered acres at the city’s edge, Benard Simelton’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing. The longtime NAACP leader had fielded calls about toxic...

Texas state officials take over another troubled public school system, this time in Fort Worth

The Texas Education Agency is taking over Fort Worth ISD and replacing its school board, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath told the board in a letter on Thursday. The state is intervening because its campuses have received an “unacceptable” academic...

13 riveting images from the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards

At Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, a caracal chomps on its lunch of fresh flamingo. With an icy stare and pep in its step, the big cat skips away with the lifeless bird. This is the scene photographer Dennis Stogsdill witnessed and his image...

Democrats blast Trump’s decision to export US-made guns, saying they can wind up in hands of terrorists

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

What role does climate change play in extreme weather events like flooding at Vallecito?

Fall floods not uncommon, but severity can be made worse by warming atmosphere, scientists say An excavator stabilizes the banks of Vallecito Creek after floodwaters receded following several days of flooding in the area. The storms that caused...

Motiva work site released following temporary injunction hearing in death of Buna man

Attorneys have released site preservation orders after completing evidence preservation at the Port Arthur refinery where a worker from Buna was killed. BEAUMONT, Texas — A Jefferson County judge agreed Tuesday to allow Motiva Enterprises to...

CenterPoint, Entergy power outage in Houston due to bad weather - when will power be restored, here's the latest

Strong thunderstorms hit Houston early Saturday morning. They caused big power cuts in the city and nearby areas. By 5:40 a.m., CenterPoint Energy said about 157,181 people had no electricity. Tornado warnings were also sent for some counties,...

Isolated severe storms, rain expected across North Texas as First Alert Weather Day continues

Texas Gov. Abbott activates emergency resources ahead of severe storms

On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency response resources ahead of a growing threat of severe storms for a large portion of Texas beginning Oct. 23 and lasting through the weekend. This comes after the National Weather Service is...

Texas Family Initiative releases safety tips ahead of Halloween trick-or-treating

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - This Halloween, Texas Family Initiative (TFI) has provided a few safety tips to make sure kids and adults alike get the most out of their celebrations while maintaining a safe environment. Here’s the list from TFI:...

Texas Republicans allege Smithsonian broke lobbying law on shuttle

Three Texas GOP lawmakers are alleging that the Smithsonian Institution illegally lobbied Congress to block the transfer of the space shuttle Discovery from a Virginia museum to Houston, home of NASA’s Mission Control, and called on the Justice...

Houston weather: Warm, pleasant Thursday; FOX 26 Storm Alert over the weekend

Another pleasant day ahead with a cool morning ahead of a sunny and warm afternoon in the 80s. High moisture levels are returning to the Houston area and we might see a bit more clouds. Prepare for the heavy rain coming to the area over the...

At least 178k without power due to Entergy & CenterPoint outages as storms batter Houston area with warnings in place

AT LEAST 178,000 people in Texas are without power as severe storms continue to batter the Houston area. CenterPoint Energy, a Texas-based utility company, has reported 157,520 customers without power. Sign up for The US Sun newsletter Thank you!...

Farmed Fresh: Gulf Coast oysters make waves in Houston restaurants

In this episode of “Eat Like a Local”, Lone Star Oyster Company owners Blake and Stephanie Branson take host Chris Shepherd and chef Lucas McKinney of Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition out to their floating oyster farm in West Bay. There, on a...

What the Texas state fair can teach us about real estate

Our travels took us to Dallas, Texas for the last week of the State Fair of Texas – the world’s largest state fair – I’m told. After all, everything is bigger… Anytime we travel, I always look for a lesson or two or at least a way to improve...