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
Walker County Water and Sewerage approved a budget with no rate increase despite plans to replace more than a mile of waterline and address long-standing water pressure problems. The department has not raised rates in three years.
Brandon Whitley, General Manager of Walker County Water and Sewerage; Walker County Water and Sewerage, Water utility department
Jamaal Howard, 46, was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday at the state prison in Huntsville. He was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. after receiving pentobarbital. Howard was the first person executed in the United States since Tennessee's botched execution attempt of Christa Pike on September 30.
$$114 for cash taken in robbery
Jamaal Howard, Death row inmate executed; Vickie Swartout, Convenience store clerk killed by Howard in 2000; Dr. Jeff Hood, Spiritual advisor who spoke with Howard before execution and 3 more