Texas House Democrats flee the state in move that could block voting restrictions bill, bring Legislature to a halt A majority of Democrats in the Texas House left for Washington, D.C., Monday afternoon in a bid to again deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass new voting restrictions with 26 days left in a special legislative session called largely for that purpose.

BREAKING: Gov. Greg Abbott includes voting restrictions, critical race theory and restrictions on transgender student athletes on special legislative session agenda Gov. Greg Abbott has announced the agenda for the special legislative session that begins Thursday, asking lawmakers to prioritize 11 issues including an overhaul of Texas' elections and …

ERCOT will have to release information about power plant outages quicker — but it may not detail what causes them Texas regulators on Thursday directed the state’s main power grid operator to drastically reduce the amount of time it releases some — but not all — information about power plant …

Greater disparities to emerge in Texas as unemployment benefits, protections against evictions and utility shutoffs end Rush hour traffic has returned, and downtown bars are loud, crowded and rowdy again. But the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic also means economic safety nets are vanishing — and Texans …

How to revive friendships disrupted by the pandemic Reviving friendships that were largely put on hold — aside from an initial flurry of video chats or Zoom happy hours — can feel awkward. And some people are even taking stock of and reconsidering their relationships.

Bipartisan group agrees on $1.2T infrastructure plan A bipartisan group of 10 senators has agreed to pitch a $1.2 trillion eight-year infrastructure spending package to President Joe Biden, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

Lumber is wildly expensive now. Even picnic table prices are through the roof The cost of a common commodity has scrambled summer plans, and it’s not gas: Soaring lumber prices are making new homes, renovations and even simple picnic tables drastically more expensive.

Many long-haul COVID-19 patients report improvement after vaccination, surprising experts Wendy French of northwest suburban Lake in the Hills used to run 10 miles a day several times a week before she caught COVID-19 in September, which left her fatigued and suffering from a variety …

UnitedHealthcare delays policy to stop paying for some ER care UnitedHealthcare is putting on hold a new policy that would have stopped payments for non-emergency health care provided in ERs beginning next month.

New mortgage refinance program for lower-income homeowners opens A new mortgage refinancing program from Fannie Mae targeted to low- and moderate-income borrowers opened to applicants June 5.

US initial jobless claims decline for a sixth consecutive week Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance fell for a sixth straight week, consistent with further improvement in the labor market and robust economic growth.

‘Every bushel matters’ as drought keeps crop markets on edge Grain prices have touched near-decade highs, and whether they rally to further heights or retreat depends in large part on the condition and quantity of plants over the next few months.