Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was released from the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville on Friday morning after serving seven years of a ten-year sentence for the 2018 murder of Botham Jean. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles granted her parole on October 1, 2026.
$nearly $100 million for civil judgment ordered by jury against Guyger
Amber Guyger, Former Dallas police officer, convicted of murder; Botham Jean, Murder victim; Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, Granted parole and 1 more
Comal County Commissioners approved a $214.02 million budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and set a property tax rate of $0.305015 per $100 valuation on September 17. The rate is higher than the no-new-revenue rate and is projected to generate $1.86 million in additional revenue.
$The adopted tax rate is projected to generate an additional $1.86 million in property tax revenue, a 1.7% increase over the previous year. [1]
Comal County Commissioners, approved the budget and tax rate; Kirsten Hoyt, Comal County Judge; Kevin Webb, Comal County Precinct 3 Commissioner
The Congressional Leadership Fund, the main super PAC backing House Republicans, is removing $3 million reserved for ads in Texas' 28th Congressional District and reallocating it to the 15th and 34th districts. The move affects the race between Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and Republican Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina.
$$3 million for ad spending pulled from 28th Congressional District
Congressional Leadership Fund, super PAC removing $3 million in ad spending; Henry Cuellar, Democratic U.S. Representative in 28th Congressional District; Tano Tijerina, Republican opponent in 28th Congressional District race and 2 more
Candidates for Texas House and Bell County offices debated education savings accounts, a proposed hospital district, and county tax breaks for data centers at a LULAC forum in Harker Heights less than three weeks before the November 3 election.
$50% for 10 years for county property tax abatement for data center development
Brad Buckley, State Rep. District 54, Republican; Dawn Richardson, District 54 candidate, Democratic, retired educator; Hillary Hickland, State Rep. District 55, Republican and 4 more
Election Day for Texas 2026 midterm elections is set for November 3. Early voting runs October 19-30. The last day to register for early voting was October 5. Voters will choose candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, Congress, state legislature, county offices and school boards, and will vote on propositions and tax measures.
$West Oso ISD ad valorem tax rate increase of 8.95% in M&O revenue; Skidmore-Tynan ISD ad valorem tax rate increase of 8.98% in M&O revenue; sales and use tax of 1.25% adoption in an unspecified city location; Nueces County Emergency Services District No. 1 considers local sales and use tax not to exceed 2%.
James Talarico, U.S. Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, U.S. Senate candidate; Greg Abbott, Governor candidate and 3 more
Texas legislators have raised the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $140,000 over a decade to reduce property taxes. School districts say state reimbursement through "hold harmless" agreements does not fully compensate for lost tax revenue, leaving funding gaps.
$State reimbursement to school districts for property tax exemptions does not fully compensate lost revenues under current hold-harmless agreements, leaving districts with funding gaps.
Paul Bettencourt, Houston-area state senator, former Harris County tax assessor-collector; Johnny Hill, Deputy superintendent for business operations, Plano ISD; Mike Morath, Texas Education Commissioner and 1 more
Avelo Airlines announced two new nonstop routes to North Dallas/McKinney National Airport: one from West Palm Beach beginning Dec. 17, and an expansion of Las Vegas service from four to six weekly flights beginning Dec. 16.
$$69 for introductory one-way fares
Avelo Airlines, airline announcing new service; Andrew Levy, founder and CEO of Avelo Airlines
El Paso voters will decide two local district court races and a statewide appeals court race in November 2026. The 120th District Court features a Republican incumbent seeking re-election against a Democrat challenger. The 168th District Court seat is vacant. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals will hold its first election since creation in 2023.
$$193,000 for base salary for district court judge
Ben Ivey, Republican incumbent, 120th District Court judge; Chris Anchondo, Democrat challenger for 120th District Court; Gov. Greg Abbott, appointed current Fifteenth Court of Appeals justices
Governor Abbott sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on October 15, 2026, requesting federal disaster tax relief for individuals and businesses affected by severe storms and flooding that began on July 14, 2026.
$Abbott requests temporary suspension of federal tax filing and payment deadlines and waiver of late fees and penalties for taxpayers in all 62 counties affected by July storms.
Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas; Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury Secretary
Elon Musk donated approximately $158 million to $190 million to Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate GOP's main super PAC, which funneled money into Texas PAC to fund advertising supporting Ken Paxton's U.S. Senate campaign against Democrat James Talarico. The donations were disclosed in Federal Election Commission filings released in mid-October.
$$75 million for donation to Senate Leadership Fund
Elon Musk, donor; founder of Tesla and SpaceX; Ken Paxton, Republican U.S. Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and 3 more
James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Texas, raised $64 million in the third quarter, the largest fundraising total for a U.S. Senate candidate in any state for that period. His Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, raised $18 million in the same period.
$$64 million for third-quarter campaign fundraising
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Texas, Austin state representative; Ken Paxton, Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Texas, Attorney General
Congressional Leadership Fund, the main super PAC linked to House Speaker Mike Johnson, withdrew $3 million in planned ad spending from Texas's 28th Congressional District this week. The money was reallocated to competitive races in districts represented by Rep. Monica De La Cruz and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
$$3 million for ad spending pulled from Texas 28th District
Congressional Leadership Fund, Republican super PAC that pulled funding; Speaker Mike Johnson, House Speaker linked to CLF; Rep. Henry Cuellar, Democrat incumbent in Texas 28th District and 3 more
State Comptroller Don Huffines reported that local governments statewide received $1.3 billion in allocations of net local sales taxes collected in September, representing an 11.6% increase compared to the same period last year.
$Comptroller Huffines said rising sales tax revenue is an opportunity for local elected officials to reduce property taxes, which can help make housing more affordable and reduce financial strain on Texans.
Don Huffines, Texas State Comptroller; Tyler County, county receiving sales tax increase
Early voting for Texas's Nov. 3 general election begins Oct. 19 and ends Oct. 30. The ballot includes statewide races for U.S. Senate, governor, and other offices, along with U.S. House, Texas House and Senate, municipal, and referendum races.
$$12 million for ad buy by Abbott campaign
Ken Paxton, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate; James Talarico, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, state representative; Greg Abbott, Republican governor seeking fourth term and 1 more
Data center companies QTS and Lancium announced an agreement with the city of Turkey to provide funding for municipal infrastructure improvements. The agreement includes annual payments, a one-time contribution for water and sewer work, and additional infrastructure assistance.
$$1.5 million per year for annual payments to city through 2032
QTS Data Centers, data center company committing funding; Lancium, data center company committing funding; City of Turkey, recipient of funding agreement and 2 more
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a nationwide tax fraud crackdown involving 76 defendants and more than $490 million in estimated intended losses to the federal government. The operation, called the National Tax Enforcement Surge, included 23 new charging actions against 31 defendants involving more than $350 million in estimated intended losses, and 39 enforcement actions involving 45 defendants and nearly $140 million in estimated intended losses.
$$490 million for estimated intended losses in federal tax fraud enforcement surge
U.S. Department of Justice, Announced and coordinated nationwide tax fraud enforcement; Colin M. McDonald, Assistant Attorney General; Todd Blanche, Attorney General and 3 more
Texas A&M has added Texas Southern to its 2027 football schedule, replacing a canceled nonconference game against New Mexico. The game will be played Oct. 16, 2027, at Kyle Field.
$$550,000 for guaranteed money to Texas Southern for football game
More than $500 million has been spent on advertising in the 2026 U.S. Senate race between Democratic state Rep. James Talarico and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to CNN reporting cited by Texas Standard. The spending includes advertising already purchased and reserved across primaries, runoff and general election.
$over $500 million for advertising spending
James Talarico, Democratic state representative and U.S. Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, Republican Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate; Brendan Glavin, Director of insights at OpenSecrets and 1 more