Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and the Democratic Governors Association each sent $1 million to support Gina Hinojosa's campaign for Texas governor. Hinojosa had approximately $4 million on hand at the end of September.
$$1 million for campaign contribution
JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois; Democratic Governors Association, Political organization; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and 4 more
President Trump is considering suspending the federal gasoline excise tax. Energy expert David Holt commented on implications for Texas, which has its own state gas tax, and noted that Congress must approve any federal tax change and Governor Greg Abbott would need to waive the state tax.
$If both federal and state taxes were removed in Texas, gas prices would be reduced by almost 40 cents per gallon per sources.
President Trump, Considering suspending federal gasoline excise tax; David Holt, Energy expert providing commentary; Greg Abbott, Texas Governor who could waive state gas tax
A 28-year-old Corpus Christi resident was found guilty of transporting eight undocumented aliens in a cattle trailer at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias on July 2. He claimed a friend asked him to move cattle and that he did not know who owned the trailer.
$$250,000 for maximum fine
Jose Manuel Gomez, 28-year-old convicted defendant; U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos, Presiding judge; Border Patrol, Investigating agency and 2 more
State Fair of Texas visitors received free parking on October 9, 2026, with costs covered by DraftKings. It was the first time in the fair's history that free parking was offered at official lots.
$$25 for parking cost per vehicle
DraftKings, Digital sports and gaming company that covered parking costs; Mitchell Glieber, President of the State Fair of Texas
Texas school districts are requesting rescores of STAAR tests, with rescore requests tripling from the prior year. Many requests involve automated scoring of written answers, and districts must pay $50 per test if the score does not change.
$$50 for rescore fee per test if score does not change
Texas Education Agency, State agency administering STAAR tests and automated scoring system; North East Independent School District, School district that did not submit rescoring requests; Northside ISD, School district that submitted 60 tests for rescoring and 2 more
Houston City Council voted unanimously to transform 12.22 acres of city-owned land in south Houston into a single-family housing community called Braes Park. The development will include 144 total homes, with 89 priced for low- to moderate-income buyers.
$more than $13 million for purchase price for property
Houston City Council, voted unanimously to approve the development; Martha Castex-Tatum, Mayor Pro Tem, District K, led the effort; Willie Davis, Council Member, At-Large Position 2 and 1 more
Audio recording obtained by CNN captured Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican Senate candidate, saying at a September 24 fundraiser in Washington that Senator John Cornyn was not helping his campaign and wanted him to lose. Paxton recounted a Dallas restaurant encounter where Cornyn allegedly said Republicans needed to teach others a lesson through consequences. Cornyn's representative denied the restaurant conversation occurred.
$well over $100 million for republican spending in Texas general election
Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate; John Cornyn, Outgoing U.S. Senator from Texas; Rob Jesmer, Representative for Senator Cornyn and 2 more
Texas Tech University's Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources received a $28.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a Food Science, Safety, and Workforce Development Complex in a new Davis College Flagship Building.
$$28.9 million for USDA grant for Food Science, Safety, and Workforce Development Complex
Texas Tech University Davis College, grant recipient; U.S. Department of Agriculture, grant awarding agency; Lawrence Schovanec, Texas Tech President and 2 more
Rubinsky Roofing, LLC was found liable for 27 violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act for scamming customers out of over $500,000 for roofing work never completed. The company was ordered to pay restitution to victims and civil penalties.
$over $500,000 for customer payments accepted for work not completed
Rubinsky Roofing, LLC, Company found liable for deceptive trade practices; Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General who sued the company; Texas Attorney General's Office, Brought case against company
El Paso County voters will choose in November between incumbent Democrat County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, seeking a third term, and Republican challenger Minerva Torres Shelton, a retired FBI agent and former police officer. The race is one of three Commissioners Court contests on the ballot.
$County judge must balance increasing costs for services with impact to taxpayers, but no specific tax effect stated in sources.
Ricardo Samaniego, Democrat incumbent county judge seeking third term; Minerva Torres Shelton, Republican candidate for county judge, retired FBI agent and former police officer
Three Brown County cities posted increases in sales tax revenue in October 2026, according to data from the Texas Comptroller's Office. The October revenues reflect taxable retail sales from August 2026.
$$599,542 for sales tax revenue
Texas Comptroller's Office, Released sales tax revenue data; City of Brownwood, Received sales tax revenue; City of Early, Received sales tax revenue and 1 more
Texas is holding Free College Application Week Oct. 12-18, 2026, allowing residents to apply to undergraduate programs at public colleges and universities without paying application fees. Applications must be submitted through ApplyTexas by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 18.
$$15,000 to $35,000 for potential savings from three-year bachelor's degree
Governor Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas; Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, State agency administering the program; Wynn Rosser, Higher Education Commissioner and 1 more
The Houston County Sheriff's Office has used virtual reality headsets for deputy and jailer training for one year. The technology places officers in realistic scenarios to practice responding to high-pressure situations without recreating them in real life.
$$190,000 per year for virtual reality training contract (annual cost)
Houston County Sheriff's Office, Law enforcement agency implementing virtual reality training; Sheriff Matt Blanton, Sheriff; Major Brian Blanton, Major and 1 more
Corpus Christi City Council and mayoral candidates raised and spent campaign funds from July 1 to Sept. 24, 2026. More than $500,000 flowed into campaigns and over $400,000 was spent during this period.
$over $500,000 for campaign contributions
Paulette Guajardo, Mayor, seeking final term; David Ainsworth Sr., Mayoral candidate; Gil Hernandez, Mayoral candidate, District 5 representative and 6 more
Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa are competing for the Texas governorship with competing economic and public safety proposals. Abbott is seeking a record fourth term; polling shows a competitive race. Hinojosa called for a debate on Oct. 15.
$Abbott's campaign says his plan would cut average homeowner property tax bills by up to 50 percent, or roughly $3,000 per year, and reduce health insurance premiums by nearly 20 percent; Hinojosa proposes a one-time $1,500 tax refund to every Texas household.
Greg Abbott, Republican governor seeking fourth term; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic state representative challenging Abbott; Illinois Gov. JB Pritzer, Hinojosa supporter pledging additional donation and 2 more
A 2020 podcast interview clip emerged in which James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, stated he opposed cutting healthcare benefits to balance the state budget during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the appearance, Talarico said he did not care what taxes would need to be raised to avoid healthcare cuts.
$$4.6 billion for budget shortfall projected
James Talarico, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas; Glenn Hegar, Texas Comptroller; Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas and 1 more
Frontline Education, a software company used by Texas school districts, experienced a data security incident on Aug. 14, 2026, exposing employee Social Security numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses. The company discovered and remediated the incident on Aug. 15, 2026, but districts were not notified until early October 2026.
$two years for credit monitoring
Frontline Education, software company that experienced data security incident; Lubbock ISD, school district affected by incident; Longview ISD, school district affected by incident and 2 more
The Texas Renaissance Festival returns for its 52nd season starting October 10, 2026. The 70-acre festival in Todd Mission will run on weekends through November 29 and on Thanksgiving Friday, with eight themed weekends featuring stages, shops, vendors, entertainment and food.
$$16 to $40 for ticket price
Texas Renaissance Festival, event; George Coulam, founder in 1974; Paladin, the Errant Fool, new wandering jester performer and 2 more
The San Antonio City Council voted to approve proposed San Antonio Water System rate hikes of up to 30% spanning 2027 through 2030. The measure passed 8-3, with three councilmembers voting no. An earlier SAWS proposal for 32.7% rate increases was rejected by the council.
$up to 30% for SAWS rate hikes
San Antonio City Council, voted to approve rate hikes; Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, District 2 Councilmember, voted no; Marc Whyte, District 10 Councilmember, voted no and 5 more
The 2026 Michelin Guide Texas announced restaurant awards on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, via email. Three Texas restaurants earned new one Michelin stars: Goldee's Bar-B-Q in Fort Worth, and Kappo Kappo and Fabrik in Austin. Two San Antonio restaurants earned "recommended" status: Lovers Pizzeria and Petit Coquin. One San Antonio restaurant, Barbecue Station, fell from "recommended" status.
$$2.7 million for three-year contract with Michelin Guide
Michelin Guide, Announced restaurant awards; Goldee's Bar-B-Q, Fort Worth restaurant awarded one Michelin star; Kappo Kappo, Austin restaurant awarded one Michelin star and 5 more