Texas News

GALVESTON — Lauri and Scott Mathias were preparing to break ground on their retirement home just blocks away from the beach when they heard the news: The government had proposed building a massive levee a few blocks behind their property. That would leave their future home on the coastal side of the structure — and unprotected during hurricanes. The couple bought land on the sparsely populated Bolivar Peninsula two years ago after they became smitten…

GALVESTON — Lauri and Scott Mathias were preparing to break ground on their retirement home just blocks away from the beach when they heard the news: The government had proposed building a massive levee a few blocks behind their property. That would leave their future home on the coastal side of the structure — and unprotected during hurricanes. The couple bought land on the sparsely populated Bolivar Peninsula two years ago after they became smitten…

A growing number of students are leaving the Houston-area school district where 10 people were killed in a mass shooting in May. Enrollment at the Santa Fe public school district has dropped by more than 4 percent this year, according to attendance figures obtained by the Houston Chronicle. About 200 fewer students are attending the rural suburban district’s schools this year compared to the 2017-2018 school year. Half of the loss comes from Santa Fe…

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: Wildfires, hurricanes – climate change is making natural disasters more frequent and more fierce. (SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE) UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: There is a grim, new warning in the aftermath of California’s wildfire disaster. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Hurricane Maria slamming into the island – and as you heard, is destroyed. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: If unprecedented changes are not made and made soon, there will be…

From Texas Standard: The largest Conservative Jewish synagogue in the U.S. is not on the East Coast – it’s in Houston. Congregation Beth Yeshurun is made up of 2,300 families and was founded in 1891. Now, Rice University aims to shine a light on it and the rest of South Texas’s Jewish community and history through its new Houston Jewish History Archive. Director Josh Furman acknowledges that Houston is not the first place that comes to mind…

The ongoing effects of the Llano River flood, Hurricane Harvey, the Blanco River flood of 2015, and flooding across the state over the past several years have caused loss of life and immense property damage. As communities rebuild, questions about how we ensure the safety of all Texans remain. Hydrologists and engineers are rethinking traditional solutions to rising flood waters. Local governments are also taking a hard look at infrastructure deficiencies and methods for moving,…