More than 85% of metro areas in the United States posted home-price gains in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a new report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).
Single-family home sales prices increased in 189 out of 221 metro areas analyzed, with the median single-family price in the country rising 3.5% year over year to $391,700. This is likely due to a healthy decrease in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate, which dropped from 7.79% to 6.61%.
Furthermore, 15% of metro areas analyzed saw double-digit price gains, up from 11% in the third quarter. The greatest price increases were seen in Dayton, Ohio (up 19.9%); Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia (up 19.2%); Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (up 18.6%); Trenton, New Jersey (up 17.3%); Salinas, California (up 17.1%); Newark, New Jersey-Pennsylvania (up 16.7%); Anniston-Oxford, Alabama (up 15.7%); Bloomington, Illinois (up 15.4%); and Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, California (up 14.8%).
“Homeowners have benefitted from housing wealth accumulation. However, many homebuyers have been shocked at high housing costs, with a typical monthly mortgage payment rising from $1,000 three years ago to more than $2,000 last year,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “This doubling in housing costs for recent homebuyers is not included in the official consumer price index inflation calculations and contributes to the sense of dissatisfaction about the economy.”
The South saw the largest increase in existing single-family home sales, accounting for 45% of all sales in the U.S. The largest price increase, however, was in the Northeast, where prices jumped 7.3% year over year, followed by the Midwest (up 4.7%) and the West (up 4.2%).
Less than 14% of markets saw home price declines in the fourth quarter, down from 17% in the third quarter.
Despite these widespread price increases, affordability improved slightly. The monthly mortgage payment on an existing single-family home with a 20% down payment decreased 1.2% to $2,163, down from $2,189 in the third quarter. However, that cost increased 10% — approximately $196 — year over year. That means the typical family spent 26.1% of their income on mortgage payments during the fourth quarter, down from 26.7% the previous quarter but up from 24.2% in the fourth quarter of 2022.
For first-time buyers, affordability remained constraining. For typical starter homes, valued at $332,900 with a 10% down payment, the monthly mortgage payment rose 9.8% year over year to $2,120. However, that cost decreased 1.2% from the third quarter. That means first-time buyers spent 39.4% of their income on mortgage payments during the fourth quarter, down from 40.3% the prior quarter.
Families still need a household income of at least $100,000 to afford a 10% down payment in nearly half of all markets in the U.S.
Doggett Automotive Group acquired five dealerships earlier this week followed by a sixth one. All were sold by the same public company, which appears to be Houston-based Group 1 Automotive.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Friday will be another mild and muggy day with light showers, but Saturday could bring heavy rain that floods streets.
Widespread low clouds and fog are likely overnight as moisture continues to blow in from the Gulf of Mexico. We may not actually see the fog clear the coast until the end of the weekend after a front moves through. Temperatures will start off in the low 60s, which is closer to our average high of 67. Actual highs will warm back into the mid 70s, and light showers are possible at any time of day. Where it does rain, accumulations will generally measure at only a few hundredths of an inhc.
What weather should we prepare for this weekend?
It will remain mild, humid, and cloudy with growing chances for showers and thunderstorms. Sea fog will also be likely along the upper Texas coastline. Saturday brings a 70% chance for showers and thunderstorms, and the higher rain chances (and higher rain amounts) will depend on where a weak front stalls out in Southeast Texas. We have moderate confidence right now that this band will form somewhere over or just north of Houston and stretch northeast toward Lake Livingston. Sunday’s rain chance is also at 70%, but it’s primarily for the morning hours as a cold front pushes in from the west. Once the front blows through your neighborhood, the rain will end and the sun could even poke out before sunset.
How much rain could fall on Saturday?
Where the heavy band of rain stalls out, a quick 1-3″ of rain will fall. Isolated totals could exceed 5″, and where that happens street flooding is likely. If you find yourself outside of that heavy rain band, your rain accumulations will generally measure a quarter inch or less.
What’s the early weather outlook for Valentine’s Day?
At this time we expect fair weather with a morning low near 40 and a daytime high near 70. A mixture of sunshine and clouds are expected as our next rainy weather system approaches.
Are we done with freezes for this winter?
Probably not. While we don’t have any freezes currently in our 10 day forecast for Houston, we do think a frost is possible in Southeast Texas on Tuesday morning. Temperatures in Houston will likely drop into the mid 30s, which is cold enough to put frost on the ground and rooftops. We continue to see signs of a weather pattern change coming around Valentine’s Day that could allow more arctic air to push down the Plains and into Texas during the second half of February. Stay tuned!
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A special counsel report released Thursday found evidence that President Joe Biden willfully retained and shared highly classified information when he was a private citizen, including about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, but concluded that criminal charges were not warranted.
The report from special counsel Robert Hur resolves a criminal investigation that had shadowed Biden’s presidency for the last year. But its bitingly critical assessment of his handling of sensitive government records and unflattering characterizations of his memory will spark fresh questions about his competency and age that cut at voters’ most deep-seated concerns about his candidacy for re-election.
Beyond that, the harsh findings will almost certainly blunt his ability to forcefully condemn Donald Trump, Biden’s likely opponent in November’s presidential election, over a criminal indictment charging the former president with illegally hoarding classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Despite abundant differences between the cases, Trump immediately seized on the special counsel report to portray himself as a victim of a “two-tiered system of justice.”
Yet even as Hur found evidence that Biden willfully held onto and shared with a ghostwriter highly classified information, the special counsel devoted much of his report to explaining why he did not believe the evidence met the standard for criminal charges, including a high probability that the Justice Department would not be able to prove Biden’s intent beyond a reasonable doubt, citing among other things an advanced age that they said made him forgetful and the possibility of “innocent explanations” for the records that they could not refute.
In remarks at the White House, Biden denied Hur’s assertion that he shared classified information, saying, “I did not share classified information. I did not share it with my ghostwriter.”
He also angrily lashed out at the special counsel for questioning his recollection of his late son Beau’s death from cancer. “How in the hell dare he raise that?” Biden asked, saying he didn’t believe it was any of Hur’s business.
And in response to Hur’s portrayal of him, Biden insisted to reporters that “My memory is fine,” and said he believes he remains the most qualified person to serve as president.
Biden’s lawyers blasted the report for what they said were inaccuracies and gratuitous swipes at the president. In a statement, Biden said he was “pleased” Hur had “reached the conclusion I believed all along they would reach – that there would be no charges brought in this case and the matter is now closed.”
He pointedly noted that he had sat for five hours of in-person interviews in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s October attack on Israel, when “I was in the middle of handling an international crisis.”
“I just believed that’s what I owed the American people so they could know no charges would be brought and the matter closed,” Biden said.
According to the report, the special counsel “uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified information after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen. These materials included (1) marked classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, and (2) notebooks containing Mr. Biden’s handwritten entries about issues of national security and foreign policy implicating sensitive intelligence sources and methods.
The materials were found in “the garage, offices, and basement den in Mr. Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware home,” the report said.
Read the full report below:
Still, Hur’s office felt that the “evidence does not establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Notably, Hur believed that at trial Biden could come across not only as “sympathetic,” but forgetful and not capable of the willfulness required to convict.
“We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” the report said. “It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.”
Garage box and storage closet of President Joe Biden’s garage taken on Dec. 21, 2022, in a photo released by the Department of Justice.
Department of Justice.
Attorneys for Biden blasted the special counsel’s characterization of the president’s memory and recollections during his two-day interview with investigators in October.
“We do not believe that the report’s treatment of President Biden’s memory is accurate or appropriate,” wrote Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, and Bob Bauer, a personal attorney for the president. “In fact, there is ample evidence from your interview that the President did well in answering your questions about years-old events over the course of five hours.”
The attorneys noted that the interviews took place in the midst of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, when Biden was busy “conducting calls with heads of state, Cabinet members, members of Congress, and meeting repeatedly with his national security team.”
“It is hardly fair to concede that the President would be asked about events years in the past, press him to give his ”best” recollections, and then fault him for his limited memory,” they wrote.
Biden, speaking Thursday afternoon in Virginia, noted the differences between his case and Trump’s, and how the special counsel in his probe had decided not to press charges.
“This matter is now closed,” Biden said.
Hur’s report said investigators found documents marked classified from as far back as the 1970s, including a box labeled “International Travel 1973-1979” containing materials from Biden’s trips to Asia and Europe that included “roughly a dozen marked classified documents that are currently classified at the Secret level.”
Interior of President Joe Biden’s garage storage closet containing Senate documents, Jan. 20, 2023, in a picture released by the Department of Justice.
Department of Justice
According to the report, among the classified documents Biden retained were materials documenting his opposition to the troop surge in Afghanistan, including a classified handwritten memo he sent President Obama over the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday, which FBI agents recovered from Biden’s Delaware home and its garage.
Asked in his interview with investigators about handwriting on a folder containing marked classified documents about Afghanistan, the report said Biden “identified the handwriting as his, but said he recalled nothing about how the folder or its contents got into his garage.”
The report lays out that Biden, in writing his 2007 and 2017 memoirs, worked with a ghostwriter, and in a recorded conversation with the ghostwriter a month after he left office, referenced the 2009 memo — saying that he had “just found all the classified stuff downstairs.”
At that time, Biden was renting a home in Virginia, the report says, and met the ghostwriter there to work on second memoir. He moved out of the Virginia home in 2019 and consolidated his belongings in Delaware, where the report says FBI agents later found the documents marked classified about the Afghanistan troop surge in his garage.
Blue folder labeled “Afghanistan” in a box in President Joe Biden’s garage in a picture released by the Department of Justice.
Department of Justice
As such, the report says “evidence supports the inference,” that when Mr. Biden said the comment in 2017, he “was referring to the same marked classified documents about Afghanistan that FBI agents found in 2022 in his Delaware garage.”
The report also said that Biden “created” his own classified documents via his own handwritten notes in notebooks and notecards, some of which Biden brought home with him and stored in “unsecured locations that were not authorized to store classified information– even though the notebooks.”
The report said Biden used notebooks filled with sensitive materials to write his 2017 memoir, allegedly acknowledging to his ghostwriter that some of the documents he relied on might be classified.
“In writing ‘Promise Me, Dad,’ Mr. Biden relied extensively on the notebooks containing the notes he took during his vice presidency,” said the report. The notebooks contained “notes of meetings Mr. Biden attended as well as entries about his other activities during this period. Many of the meetings related to foreign policy and classified information, including the President’s Daily Brief, National Security Council meetings, and other briefings. Some of these entries remain classified up to the Secret level,” said the report.
Hur’s long-anticipated report was released Thursday, hours after the White House reviewed the document and announced that “in keeping with his commitment to cooperation and transparency,” the president would not assert executive privilege over any portion of the report.
Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, said in a statement that the president’s legal team had completed a review of the report and that “in keeping with his commitment to cooperation and transparency,” the president would not assert executive privilege over any portion of the report.
Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this week informed key lawmakers that Hur had concluded his investigation, which examined how approximately two dozen classified documents wound up at Biden’s personal home and office.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appears before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Sept. 20, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
The records in question date back to Biden’s time as vice president, and at least some include “top secret” markings, the highest level of classification.
Garland appointed Hur as special counsel in January of 2023, after aides to the president discovered a batch of ten documents at the Penn-Biden Center in Washington, D.C., where Biden kept an office after his vice presidency.
A second discovery of additional records in the garage of Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware, home precipitated Garland’s decision to assign Hur as special counsel, ABC News reported at the time.
The report stated that “Mr. Biden’s memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017, and in his interview with our office in 2023.”
Investigators interviewed as many as 100 current and former officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, and Hunter Biden, the president’s son. In October, Hur’s team spent two days interviewing Biden himself.
ABC News previously reported that sources who were present for some of the interviews, including witnesses, said that authorities had apparently uncovered instances of carelessness from Biden’s vice presidency, but that — based on what was said in the interviews — the improper removal of classified documents from Biden’s office when he left the White House in 2017 seemed to be more likely a mistake than a criminal act.
The White House had emphasized from the beginning that it would cooperate with investigators. Biden himself repeatedly denied any personal wrongdoing and said he was “surprised” to learn of the documents’ existence.
The Hur investigation has played out quietly against the backdrop of special counsel Jack Smith’s inquiry into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified records, which culminated last year in a 40-count indictment, to which Trump has pleaded not guilty.
Trump has sought to link his circumstances to Biden’s by trying to draw an equivalence between their conduct and calling his prosecution the result of a justice system improperly targeting Republicans.
But records subsequently released by the National Archives indicate that Biden’s legal team cooperated with National Archives officials, whereas federal prosecutors have accused Trump of deliberately withholding records he knew to be classified from investigators with the National Archives and, later, the FBI.
Hur’s report drew that distinction, saying, “Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite. According to the indictment, he not only refused to return the documents for many months, but he also obstructed justice by enlisting others to destroy evidence and then to lie about it.”
“In contrast,” the report said, “Mr. Biden turned in classified documents to the National Archives and the Department of Justice, consented to the search of multiple locations including his homes, sat for a voluntary interview and in other ways cooperated with the investigation.”
Houston-based human resources services company Insperity Inc. formed a strategic partnership with Workday Inc. to jointly develop and sell a new full-service platform for small and midsize businesses.
There’s limited data out there, but we know that organic foods have been linked to possible health benefits like an overall increase in nutrient intake and lower levels of toxic chemicals. But beyond the label, what exactly does organic mean when it comes to your food?
If a meal kit is USDA-certified organic, that means ingredients are coming from trusted farmers and producers that abide by national regulations. Think: whole fruits and vegetables untouched by synthetic materials or chemicals like pesticides.
Best organic meal kits for healthy eating in 2024
From recognizable names to meal kits that may be new to you, these are the top choices for organic ingredients in 2024:
Browse some of the best and most reliable meal kit companies for organic and sustainably sourced ingredients below.
Best overall: Green Chef
Green Chef
Green Chef makes committing to an organic diet easier than ever. This company sits at the top of our recommended list thanks to its own commitment to sending out organically sourced ingredients whenever possible.
“Green Chef is a USDA certified organic meal kit company,” says New York-based dietitian Melissa Darlow. “The meal kits are also plastic and carbon offset. Green Chef is known for its transparency and commitment to local organic ingredients.”
While it’s not the only USDA certified organic meal kit company highlighted here, Green Chef was the first to earn that distinction in the world of meal prep kits, according to the company.
Green Chef sources fresh, organic produce and eggs for its meal recipes. There are also organic beef and chicken options. The meal kit company sticks to high standards for animal welfare and food quality.
Like many other meal kits out there, Green Chef prices start at $12 per serving. If you’re new to the world of meal kits, there’s always a good chance you’ll stumble on some impressive savings when selecting your first plan — and Green Chef is no exception. Newbies can save 60% off their first box total, plus another 20% off the next eight deliveries after that.
Pros
Fully transparent and ongoing commitment to organically sourced produce, eggs, and protein.
Any ingredients that couldn’t be organically sourced will be clearly labeled in your delivery.
Other sustainable practices including recyclable packaging materials and plastic offset programs to reduce ocean plastic.
Cons
Subscribers have to deal with a flat $12 shipping fee per box — that’s higher than some competitors.
Premium meals that cost up to $10 per serving can run up your monthly expenses.
Best vegan deliveries: Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest
“Daily Harvest is a vegan delivery service and is my all-time favorite,” nutritionist Mary Sabat says. “Every item on their menu from their soups, shakes, bowls, etc. is 100% organic and full of superfoods.”
Daily Harvest is another winner in the game of nutritious, health-focused meal kits in our opinion. Everything on the company’s weekly menu — which includes harvest bowls, soups, flatbreads, smoothies, and more — is plant-based, organic, and sustainably sourced. If you like superfoods, this meal delivery service is the one for you.
We know that a healthy dose of fruits and vegetables is key to maintaining good health, so it may make sense for you to supercharge your nightly meals with offerings from Daily Harvest.
Unlike other meal kit services, Daily Harvest prices its plans per item instead of per serving. Individual items start at $6 apiece and go up to $12. Plan options include small, medium and large, letting you pick between 9 and 24 items per delivery. Save up to $25 by opting for larger plans — or use promo code DH65 at checkout to bump those savings up to as high as $64.
Pros
Fully plant-based and sustainably sourced menu.
Unique options to choose from each week, such as smoothies and lattes.
Cons
Limited menu when it comes to meal variety, especially when compared to other meal kits.
Pricing structure can be confusing for anyone used to other meal kit subscriptions that list prices per serving.
Best for sustainability: Sunbasket
Sunbasket
Another meal kit service that has an established commitment to fresh, organic produce is Sunbasket. With options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as an impressive variety of meals, this is one service that won’t get stale after two or three deliveries.
All of Sunbasket’s ingredients are sustainably sourced, according to the company. The brand partners with reliable farmers and ranchers to fill your delivery box with proteins free of antibiotics or hormones. The company is fully transparent about its high animal welfare standards, which can be found in Sunbasket’s FAQ.
If you prefer (or need to) stick to a particular diet, you’re in luck: Sunbasket has plans that cater to vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, pescatarian, and Mediterranean diets. There are also carb-conscious, diabetes-friendly, and “lean and clean” (under 600 calories) diets available.
Subscribers can also find a variety of organic products in Sunbasket’s marketplace including juice drinks, smoothies, and even organic coffee.
Plan prices start at $10 per serving for fresh and ready meals, which can be ready in minutes, or $12 per serving for meal kits you cook yourself. First time users can also enjoy $90 in savings spread across their first four boxes, plus free shipping.
Pros
Detailed and transparent commitment to ingredients that are sustainably sourced, fresh and organic.
A variety of plan options to suit multiple dietary restrictions and preferences.
More than 20 nutritious and appealing meals to choose from each week.
Nutritionally-packed and organic marketplace items add even more variety to Sunbasket’s offerings.
Cons
Total costs for each delivery are higher than other meal kits, thanks to a flat $10 shipping fee and meals that can range from $10 to $15 per serving.
Not available to households in Montana, Alaska or Hawaii.
Best recipe variety: BlueApron
Blue Apron
Up next, we have one of the most recognizable names in the world of meal kit deliveries. Blue Apron belongs on our list thanks to a number of ingredient standards that determine what makes it to each and every delivery box.
While not fully organic, Blue Apron sticks by the statement that some of its ingredients are USDA-certified organic. This meal kit company supports farmers that stick to sustainable farming practices — which means no pesticides, hormones, or other unwanted chemicals in your veggies.
Blue Apron also has a detailed animal welfare policy. This backs up the claim that you’re getting fresh, high quality proteins alongside organic vegetables when cooking with Blue Apron. Check out more of the meal kit company’s high standards, including those surrounding seafood and egg producing farmers, on its FAQ.
Ready for something new? Blue Apron recently expanded upon their menu in a big way with prepared and ready meals. Ready in as little as two minutes, these pre-made lunches and dinners are made from the same whole ingredients as Blue Apron meal kits.
Prices start at $12 per serving. First timers once again win out: Save $110 on your first order, plus free shipping, by signing up with your email address below. That translates to prices as low as $3.74 per serving for two two-serving weekly meals — perfect if you live alone.
Pros
Lots to choose from each week with dozens of new and interesting recipes to choose from.
Some interesting, chef-approved recipes that are a cut above your average meal-kit offering.
Commitment to sustainably sourced ingredients.
Cons
Not yet USDA-certified, like some other meal kit delivery services on our list.
Best prepackaged: Fresh N’ Lean
Fresh N’ Lean
If you want prepackaged meals that cut out prep entirely, Fresh n’ Lean would be the perfect addition to your weekly routine. This meal kit company specializes in meals that are fresh, never frozen, and made from quality ingredients.
“[Fresh n’ Lean] prioritizes high-quality ingredients, including organic produce, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while avoiding harmful additives and preservatives,” Sabat says. “Each meal is carefully portioned to provide balanced nutrition and promote portion control.
“Customization options cater to various dietary preferences, ensuring that individuals can adhere to their chosen lifestyles. The meals are free from artificial additives and preservatives, and the fresh and vacuum-sealed packaging maintains their freshness without compromising flavor.”
While not USDA-certified, this company does aim to ship organic ingredients whenever possible. In the event that an ingredient doesn’t meet the brand’s quality standards, it may be replaced with conventional ingredients. Once Fresh N’ Lean successfully certifies certain menu items made up of at least 95% organic ingredients (an ongoing effort according to the company’s FAQ), the company might climb higher on our list.
Fresh N’ Lean is more budget friendly than other meal kits, with prices starting at $9 per serving. Shipping can tack on up to $10 per order, but it’s worth noting that orders costing more than $100 come with free shipping.
First time subscribers can save $20 off their first weekly order after signing up via email.
Pros
Prepackaged meals make for a super quick and convenient experience at lunch or dinnertime.
Affordable prices, especially for larger orders.
Cons
These nutrition-forward meals are prepackaged only — if you want meal kits to cook yourself, consider some of the other companies listed above.
Limited details around the meal kit company’s commitment to organic ingredients beyond the stated goal of working towards USDA certification for select menu items.
What does “eating organic” mean?
Have you ever paused for a moment to consider the difference between regular products and their “organic” counterparts? According to the USDA, organic farming for products including fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and protein is held to strict standards: no artificial fertilizers, antibiotics, pesticides or genetic modifications allowed.
The best healthy meal kits get their fruits, vegetables and meats from farms that adhere to these standards. This usually goes hand in hand with other promising practices, such as high expectations for animal welfare and a commitment to sustainably sourced ingredients. The problem is, not all meal kits are fully — or even partially — organic.
“The best organic meal service would really be hard to find, because they all have some degree of using non-organic produce or animal proteins,” says Sabat.
Look for meal kit companies that are transparent about their tactics. The best ones will clearly indicate which ingredients or recipes are organic, and let you know when something needs to be swapped out for its conventionally sourced counterpart.
How to shop for meal kits when organic meals are your biggest priority
“Look for meal kits that prioritize high-quality ingredients,” says Sabat. “Some people prefer organic or locally sourced ingredients, so check if the meal delivery service offers these options.”
Delve into the fine print. Look for recipes with listed ingredients and check for labels or categories that show organic vegetables.
With most meal kit companies, your best bet is to browse the FAQ page. Here is where you’ll find information on how companies source their food items, as well as what sort of standards they have for quality assurance.
How we ranked the best organic meal kits of 2024
To provide an honest and helpful look at some of the best organic meal kits available, we considered a number of important factors. For a better idea of how we rank and review products and services, here’s what took top priority when it comes to organic meal kit delivery services:
Sustainability: We looked for meal kits that showed a clear and detailed commitment to sustainably sourced ingredients in addition to organic fruits and vegetables.
Fresh ingredients: We picked meal kit companies that built a reputation for shipping out organically sourced, farm-fresh ingredients to their customers with every delivery.
Menu substitutions: The ability to easily swap out certain meals (or individual ingredients) is great for meeting customers where they’re at. We sided with meal kit companies that keep it simple when it comes to building your ideal meal plan.
High quality recipes: Let’s be honest: you want healthy meals that are also delicious. We stuck to our guns and kept our standards high by picking meal kit companies that serve up unique and tasty recipes on a regular basis.
Tom Horton is a resident health expert for CBS Essentials, with deep experience in topics ranging from chronic conditions to health-care devices to diet options. He lives in upstate New York, and draws his power from local bookstores, long hikes on a sunny day, and his cat Sammy.
WHARTON – A search is underway for an inmate who escaped Wharton police custody in handcuffs Wednesday night, according to the Wharton Police Department.
Waynard Austin was arrested around 7:42 p.m. for seven felony warrants.
Shortly after his arrest, police said Austin escaped in handcuffs.
After an exhaustive search of the area, Austin remains on the run. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans and white shoes.
If you see him, or know his whereabouts, contact 911 or tip anonymously via www.p3tips.com.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
HOUSTON – A bus ticket shows the family of four that vanished during their move from Louisiana to Houston might be in a different country. KPRC 2 Reporter Corley Peel got a copy of the bus ticket and she is taking a closer look.
But the bus ticket shows they left Houston and made their way to McAllen, Texas and had a final stop in Monterrey, Mexico.
Missing Family’s bus ticket (click2houston.com)
It’s unclear if the family is in Mexico. But the family tells Peel, they had no idea they were headed in that direction. Peel reached out to the police in New Orleans, asking if they’ve been in contact with authorities in Mexico. But the police in New Orleans cannot comment. They’re still working to find the missing family.
If you have any information on the family, please call police.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
Home sales increased over 2023 volumes again in the fifth week of the year, according to the Weekly Activity Snapshot from the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR).
Closings increased by 12.2%, with 1,614 properties sold compared to 1,438 during the same week in 2023. Pending listings remained stagnant year over year.
Meanwhile, new listings skyrocketed over 2023 volumes, with 3,161 properties added to the MLS compared to 2,518. That’s a 25.5% increase year over year.
Traffic at property showings and listing views on HAR.com also increased annually, by 1.3% and 4.7%, respectively.
Home sales are underway in Jubilee, a Johnson Development master-planned community centered on holistic wellness.
Eight builders are constructing in the first phase of development for Jubilee, which is located in Hockley, just south of Highway 290. Three builders have begun sales: Coventry Homes and Highland Homes, which are both offering homes ranging from 1,500 to 2,600 square feet with prices starting at $350,000; and David Weekley Homes, which is offering homes ranging from 1,600 to 2,800 square feet with prices starting at $300,000.
Chesmar Homes, Perry Homes, Westin Homes, Newmark Homes and Tri Pointe Homes all plan to begin sales in the near future.
“It’s exciting to see our vision come to life,” June Tang, vice president and general manager of Jubilee, said in a press release. “Soon we will have our first residents moving in and experiencing the unique wellness-focused lifestyle planned for Jubilee.”
As announced last October, Jubilee will include a number of enhanced wellness features in each home. These include a fresh-air intake, improved air-quality and a reverse-osmosis filtration system in the kitchen, as well as circadian rhythm lighting throughout the home.
“These enhanced standard features are part of what has allowed us to become an early adopter of the WELL for Residential program by the International WELL Building Institute,” Tang added.
Planned amenities for the community include a pool and recreation center, dog park, sport courts, 30 acres of parks and 270 acres of nature trails and waterways. The community also has plans for scheduled resident events, including “No-Tech Tuesdays,” nature yoga, “Eco-Happy Hours” and community potluck meals.
The pace of change in AI and the ongoing energy transition have transformed businesses across industries in 2023. TXBizCon 2023 highlighted these transformative trends in the global economy by bringing industry leading experts together for informative panels and insightful discussions on these developments.
“The idea behind this event is really to provide business leaders and professionals with insights and guidance from experts on topics and trends relevant to your organization. Our goal is to…
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Keeping fit and healthy might be your New Year’s resolution but you don’t have to spend an obscene amount of money to achieve it. ABC anchors Sam Champion and Dani Beckstrom rounded up the best health and wellness deals below, including everything from discounted massage guns to a stylish Lululemon bag to get you started on your fitness or self-care journey. There’s no telling when these deals expire, so add them to your carts soon.
BowFlex SelectTech 840 Kettlebell
This kettlebell can be adjusted between eight and 40 pounds, depending on how much weight you need for your workout. It’s perfect for at-home gyms and can be used for everything from squats to rows. You’ll even get a two-month free membership to JRNY which offers all sorts of classes including pilates, yoga and bodyweight workouts.
The Hypervolt Go 2 is a great workout accessory because it can fit conveniently in your gym bag and can be used to massage achy shoulders, calves and thighs. Sam Champion loves this massage gun, saying he wouldn’t have gotten through Dancing with the Stars without it. It comes with two attachable heads depending on the muscle you’re using it on and three speed settings. It weighs just 1.5 pounds and has a three-hour battery life once it’s fully charged.
Kitsch Rose Quartz Facial Roller
This rose quartz roller can gently massage the tension away from your skin and relieve stress, according to the brand. It can also help reduce fine lines and improve circulation in the facial area. You can also shop the jade version which has many of the same benefits and can be used in conjunction with your favorite essential oil.
Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag 1L
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An audio recording is circulating of Sharpstown principal Thomas “T.J.” Cotter absolutely screaming at a select group of students about their use of cell phones, earbuds and the wearing of crocs. Violate the policies and they’ll get Saturday detention.
There is nowhere else they can go in Houston ISD where the same rules won’t be enforced, he yells. Miss the assigned detention and if they return without a parent, they might be arrested for trespassing, he threatens.
What a message to deliver to students, many of whom are refugees and immigrants from Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, most of whom do their best to follow rules. Perhaps they take outbursts like this in stride because they come from countries and cultures where this is the norm?
The other irony? According to people at the school, Cotter who was brought in over the summer to replace longtime Principal Dan DeLeon has himself been known to wear casual footwear to school, only changing into more appropriate shoes as needed for visits from administrators. In several of his own posts on X he is shown at school with no socks, other times wearing torn at the knee jeans, and in one case, boasting bright yellow crocs as he puts up welcome balloons.
Superintendent Mike Miles has previously conceded that some of his principals and other administrators might be overzealous in applying his New Education System policies. Is this a case of a principal under pressure overreacting right after he got a visit from central office?
How do we know this happened? Because, of course, people standing there recorded it, a proof-of-an -oh-my-God event that is making the rounds. Have any members of Houston ISD’s Board of Managers heard this? Would they do anything about it if they did?
At Betsy Ross Elementary critics opposed to it opting into the NES program fear they’ll lose their magnet classes. The district said all the families would be surveyed but it seems that hasn’t happened and anyhow, whatever the results are, only the principal will see them. That principal will be the only one to decide whether to apply for the program for 2024-25, no matter any other information collected, they’ve been told in writing by the District Superintendent Dr. Luz Martinez. Who’s listening to their concerns?
Over at Westbury High School, still reeling from its low marks when the district recently did its own academic accreditation ratings, parents are scared they’ll lose their vaunted counseling program that’s received a national award once they become part of NES. What do they do? They post their worries on Facebook.
Any school district always has a certain amount of angst going on at any time among parents and staff but with what seems to be a record-setting amount at HISD right now, where can parents appeal to?.
In years past, parents, school staff and communities would take their complaints to the administration yes, but equally if not more so to individual members of the elected school board. They’d get on the phone, write letters and emails, stop trustees when they were in the area and share their concerns. Trustees were elected to represent their interests.
It’s different now. Superintendent Miles and his administration are charged with doing all the fixing. The Board of Managers are supposed “to govern” they’ve been told. They set policy and see that the superintendent carries it out. It is a distanced approach that (we hope) keeps them away from direct intervention with vendors but gives the public little additional access to getting their complaints listened to.
Board members remain cyphers in many respects, known mostly for their unanimous, unexplained votes — a frustrating situation for many in the community.
There is a way to get to know them. It involves watching them go through the kind of group exercises that can be tedious to endure but are oh so revealing about what they think now and where they are heading.
If they won’t talk about much of anything at their board meetings, attend a board workshop and get more than a glimpse of what these trustees are about. Listen and don’t interrupt with words of wisdom from the floor. Not because you don’t have anything worthwhile to say. You do.
But you already know what you think. They already know what you think. The point is to learn what and how they think.
The workshop work
Last week’s workshop meeting designed to help Board of Managers members become better at their volunteer jobs, was encouraging at several points, less so at others, and occasionally heavy organ music seemed to be playing in the background.
The sessions, open to the public (but so far almost no one attends), are designed to help them set standards for themselves and presumably for future boards . They do consider serious topics but completely avoid any of the daily controversies going on districtwide. There are no discussions about all the kids walking out of Madison High protesting the new cell phone policy or the worth of the NES program or the number of teachers leaving the district or parents upset at the prospect of losing magnet classes.
On February 1, eight of the nine board members (Angela Flowers was missing) sat in a nearly vacant room and what followed was refreshingly open and light years from their board meetings.
On the plus side, Board President Audrey Momanaee recognized that many people can’t come to their meetings that start at 5 p.m. on a Thursday. She then veered into a discussion of access vs. transparency, suggesting it might be better to have a Q &A sheet that anyone could read in 10 minutes instead of having people “slog through “ meetings of three hours or more.
Rolando Martinez suggested the board meetings could be moved around the district to make them accessible to more people. He also called for meeting notices to be posted sooner than the required 72 hours so more people would have time to see the documents, “in light of the fact we no longer have agenda review.” (And why is that?)
They pledged themselves to transparency and an adherence to the Public Open Meetings Act. The latter hit a bump later in the meeting, however, when different board members talked fondly about meeting in threesomes “pods” in early days to discuss what was on the upcoming agenda and wouldn’t that be nice to resume.
Except that’s a violation of the open meetings law as Board attorney Catosha Woods promptly told them. All discussions of matters on the agenda should be done as a group in open meetings, she said. Oh.
There were candid remarks about how long board meetings should be (two hours max!), whether video recordings made of lengthy meetings have any worth (does anybody watch them?), and a call for more decorum (applicable to the room at large) in board meetings.
The Board of Managers talked quite a bit about holding each other accountable. If this means that they hold each other to ethical behavior and don’t turn a blind eye to illegal behavior then by all means, they should be commended for saying this is imperative. And something if done by previous boards might have resulted in a very different, less troubled and less corrupt HISD board history.
But as discussion progressed it seemed that to Janette Garza Lindner and Michelle Cruz Arnold more accountability actually was synonymous with “decorum.” Both have been very concerned about this.
“Wanting to protect the level of decorum in the board room because students are watching the board meetings and we want to make sure that students can watch the board meetings,” Arnold explained. “And parents can let their students watch the board meetings without reservation. So we’d like to protect that spirit of decorum if possible.” Wow, public meetings held to a PG rating level?
When asked after the meeting if she meant just the board members or the audience too, she said both. While probably no one wants a return to the mud-slinging days of one trustee attacking another, if decorum equates with little to no public disagreement, that’s when the creepy, something-is-not-right feeling starts to tug away at onlookers.
If a call for more decorum applies to the audience, then we’re in tricky, slippery slope land. Walking the line between free speech and personal attacks is always difficult, but should a board, elected or appointed, be the sole determiner of what is appropriate? Following a recent board meeting when some really nasty signs were hoisted by audience members attacking Superintendent Miles, HISD in a special bit of overkill, has stipulated that no banners or signs can be erected during a meeting.
Martinez briefly wondered if they shouldn’t address some of the complaints brought up at meetings, followed by his quick acknowledgement this would be difficult to do and hold a meeting to two hours. Adam Rivon suggested the board explore some additional ways of reaching out to the public to explain its policies.
The workshop trainer Ashley Paz told the group that it was important that members of the public feel they can speak up without fear that they are jeopardizing their social status. She applauded them for their willingness to listen to the community. Everyone gave the amens, but a recurring theme at board meetings is a member of the audience saying they are speaking on behalf of a teacher who is afraid to do so out of fear of retaliation. Who has ever contradicted that?
Anyhow, the security-to-speak issue somehow morphed into Arnold’s complaint that people she knows are afraid to attend the meetings because they support the administration and its programs and worried that speaking out will lead to them being heckled.
Board member Ric Campos, known for his businesslike, occasionally impatient, approach to the ground a school board needs to cover doing its business, argued that meetings should last only about two hours. Longer than that, board member Campos declared, and people just aren’t listening. “You can’t watch a four-hour meeting. They’re also not going to watch it online later.” Again, nods all round and Paz topped it off by saying there is a huge body of research showing that after the first 120 minutes of any kind of engagement there is a sharp decline in cognitive engagement aka people paying attention.
You can certainly have board meetings that last longer than that, but the quality of decision making declines accordingly, she said.
A further argument was advanced that by having long meetings, candidates for an elected school board would be discouraged from applying knowing it would be too time-consuming. History would indicate otherwise; it’s one of those observations that sounds helpful and logical, whether it is or not. And best filed under patronizing and condescending.
With meetings that are often filled with an hour’s worth of speakers first (although that may be changing as several people have commented in recent meetings that it is a waste of time because the board and its superintendent aren’t listening to them) you wouldn’t have much left.
We already have a board that – to put it in math standardized testing terms – doesn’t show its work in how it has reached its conclusions. It takes mere moments to vote unanimously on its consent agenda. From this workshop meeting it appears its well-intended efforts to explain itself to the community will be codified and placed on the HISD website, available to anyone with a computer. Who knows where to look.
Communicating how?
Right now there are informational meetings going on throughout the district letting parents at NES schools and potential NES schools know about the program with a Q&A session at the end. These meetings are kept to a tight one-hour schedule and as parents at Betsy Ross discovered, when the administrators say it’s over, it’s over.
“It’s not just at Betsy Ross. HISD is giving the principals what to say about NES schools and its very positive,” one teacher said. It’s what is getting left out that has this teacher and some parents concerned.
This is a school that has a lot of volunteer groups come in during the day, which won’t be allowed with NES until after classes end for the day, the teacher said. Parties have to be before school, after school or at lunch. “Nobody’s going to be eating pizza and drinking soda at 6:30 in the morning.”
Extending the school day with programs after classes may clash with parents on a tight pickup schedule, the teacher said. Bringing in food at lunch time puts it in competition with the lunch being served at the cafeteria. All in all, the teacher said. the new policy doesn’t work and shuts out volunteers who have been coming to the school for years. “It’s like you can swim but don’t get wet.”
Betsy Ross parent Eugenio Saenz decided to keep going after the mics were shut off at the informational meeting as he attempted to persuade the school’s principal Chandra Reed not to apply for the program.
But as an audio of her introductory remarks shows, she has already bought into the idea of “high quality instruction” and the added support that signing on for NES she believes will bring to her campus. Saenz, perhaps unfairly, questioned whether it was the program itself or the huge bump in pay she would receive by becoming an NES principal. Saying she was a role model for the students, he urged her not to sacrifice “that level of influence and trust for money.”
Will the library donated by former NBA All-star Tracy McGrady disappear from the school, Saenz wants to know. Will the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program vanish with the arrival of NES and its rigidly prescribed lesson plans and slides delivered to teachers from a central office?
Tonight, at the board’s regular 5 o’clock meeting the board will set the school calendar for the next year. They will approve vendor awards of more than a million dollars. They will decide whether to pay staffers who missed work on January 16 when the schools were closed for the freeze. They will amend policies and review their latest goal progress report.
But they probably won’t talk about the issues that many of their constituents want to hear them discuss. At least it’ll be a relatively short meeting.
SUGAR LAND, Texas – Authorities say a Sugar Land city worker was killed in a major crash following a police chase on Highway 90A on Wednesday.
The crash happened on the stretch between Industrial and Eldridge.
Sugar Land city officials told KPRC 2 they have identified the victim as 56-year-old Joseph Aponte. Aponte has been employed with the public works department since last January.
JUST IN: 56-year-old Joseph Aponte, a City of Sugar Land employee, is the victim in today’s pursuit that started in Missouri City and ended with a fatal crash in Sugar Land. He had been employed with the public works department since last January. @KPRC2pic.twitter.com/oY06EtXuxw
Officers in the area of Texas Parkway and Fifth Street in Missouri City received a call in regards to a residential burglary at 10:08 a.m. The burglary was confirmed in the 1100 block of Crestmont Place Loop.
Police said when officers located two of the suspected vehicles, they started to follow them.
A traffic stop was initiated on one of the suspect vehicles in the area of Highway 90 in Stafford but the suspect fled. Officers chased the vehicle on Highway 90 into the city of Sugar Land.
A video shared with KPRC 2 appeared to show the suspects and the officer weaving in and out of traffic lanes.
At around 10:30 a.m., at the intersection of Highway 90 and Gillingham Lane, police said the suspect vehicle ran a red light and struck another vehicle in the intersection.
The SUV flipped upside down in the opposite lanes, and the truck, barely standing upright.
“As you can imagine, this is one of the worst days imaginable for us,” said Doug Adolph with the City of Sugar Land.
NEW AT 10: Videos shared with @KPRC2 shows a Missouri City police officer chasing 3 burglary suspects before they ran a red light and crashed, killing a City of Sugar Land employee. Details in minutes on KPRC 2 at 10. 🎥: kev_tinez pic.twitter.com/17nlQ1CB7p
The innocent driver, later identified as Aponte, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surveillance video shared by a neighbor shows what appeared to be a Toyota Highlander speeding away from the house with the trunk still open as a bag falls into the street.
“Officers were trying to do their job, you know, apprehending two felony criminal suspects and the loss of life is certainly tragic,” said Lt. Jeff York with the Missouri City Police Department.
Missouri City PD are now reviewing the pursuit, as they do with all pursuits. But it’s too early if Aponte’s death would result in any policy changes.
The driver and two passengers inside the suspect vehicle were all taken to hospitals for injuries sustained in the crash, police said.
The second suspect vehicle was stopped in Houston and the driver was taken into custody.
The suspects could possibly face murder charges.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
Woodforest has contracted TIPLER Group to complete the build out of Pine Island, a luxury, gated golf course neighborhood within the master-planned community. Homes are expected to be completed this spring.
Aerial view of Pine Island (via Johnson Development)
The Pine Island Estate District will include 10 homesites along the Woodforest Golf Course, ranging in size from a half acre to 1.5 acres. There will also be 20 non-golf lots ranging from a quarter acre to half an acre. All homes in the neighborhood will be custom designed.
“Pine Island has always been a destination for those looking for luxurious living and privacy since its inception in 2016,” Virgil Yoakum, senior vice president and general manager of Woodforest, said in a press release. “This final section offers an interesting mix of generous homesites — the largest we’ve ever had in Woodforest — allowing TIPLER’s talented architects abundant possibilities in the design of these custom homes.”
Since becoming the exclusive builder for sections two and three of Pine Island, TIPLER has sold 26 homes in the neighborhood, with prices starting in the millions.
“Large, single-story homes are popular requests, but oftentimes, the size of the lot restricts what our architects can do,” said TIPLER Group Founder and CEO Justin Tipler. “These homesites will have no such restrictions. Add in the privacy of the homes and the beauty of the golf course, and it’s an irresistible combination.”
All told, Pine Island will contain 83 homes upon completion.
Boutique Houston brokerage Energy Realty partnered with Blok, a back-office real estate platform that provides agents, teams and brokerages with branding, marketing, compliance and other services to increase overall productivity and allow agents to focus on client care.
“We are a team of international Realtors that offer white glove service. I train agents to be professionals, not to knock on doors,” Sherry Campbell, founder of Energy Realty, shared in a press release. “Blok offered me the opportunity to grow my brokerage under my own rules again, following my departure from another brokerage platform.”
Back in October, HomeServices of America was one of two major brokerages found liable of conspiring to inflate commissions. Now, the Berkshire Hathaway affiliate is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling related to the case.
The ruling in question occurred in August 2023, months before the final verdict in the now-famous Sitzer-Burnett trial. In that case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a lower district court’s ruling that the dispute should go to trial rather than arbitration. The appellate court said HomeServices could not enforce arbitration agreements signed by its franchisees’ seller clients, because those were not directly with HomeServices.
That decision paved the way for the eventual Sitzer-Burnett verdict which called for HomeServices, as well as co-plaintiffs National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and Keller Williams, to pay a combined $1.78 billion in damages to affected homesellers. The decision threatens the industry-standard commissions for buyers’ agents, as similar lawsuits were quickly filed around the country.
However, on Feb. 2, HomeServices filed a petition with the highest court in the land requesting that the justices review that August ruling. Subsidiary companies BHH Affiliates, LLC and HSF Affiliates, LLC are co-petitioners.
“Our appeal is rooted in the principles of the Federal Arbitration Act, which clearly mandates that arbitration agreements be honored as they are written, including clauses that delegate interpretative authority to arbitrators,” HomeServices Executive Vice President Chris Kelly said in a statement. “This appeal highlights a substantial inconsistency among circuit courts regarding the interpretation of arbitration agreements and delegation clauses.”
It’s worth noting, though, that the Supreme Court hears less than 5% cases submitted for review each year.
HomeServices’ filing comes one day after Keller Williams agreed to pay $70 million as part of a proposed settlement aiming to resolve more than a dozen pending buyer-commissions-based lawsuits. Real estate parent companies Anywhere Real Estate and RE/MAX reached comparable settlements prior to the Sitzer-Burnett verdict.
NAR, meanwhile, has yet to officially appeal, although the association continually expresses intent to do so.
Luxury home prices hit an all-time high to end the year with the typical U.S. luxury home selling for a record $1.17 million, up 8.8% from 2022, according to a new Redfin report.
The price of luxury homes rose twice as fast as the price of non-luxury homes at the end of last year and a record share of high-end buyers paid cash for those purchases. Non-luxury home prices rose 4.6% year over year for comparison.
Redfin categorizes luxury homes as those projected to fall within the top 5% of their specific metropolitan area in terms of market value. Non-luxury homes are identified as those expected to be within the 35th-65th percentile based on market value.
The notable uptick in prices, accompanied by a surge in new luxury listings and improved sales, signals increased activity among affluent homebuyers and sellers, according to Redfin.
In Houston, luxury home prices rose 5.5%, while new listings grew 15%.
Additionally, nearly half of the fourth quarter’s luxury home purchases (46.5%) were made in cash, an increase from 2022’s 40% and a new record high, the report also found.
Redfin attributes the accelerated rise in luxury prices, compared to non-luxury prices, to the ability of these buyers to make cash purchases, unhindered by current mortgage rates
“A lot of luxury buyers are coming in with cash, snapping up expensive homes,” said Heather Mahmood-Corley, a Redfin Premier agent in Phoenix. “High-end homes are selling fast, especially in desirable areas like luxurious Scottsdale, or Tempe, which West Coast transplants love because it’s centrally located. One client recently bought a house in Tempe, flipped it, and it sold for $1.4 million in two days.”
Another factor pushing up luxury home prices is inventory, similar to what we’re seeing in the non-luxury market. Even though there’s been a surge in listings year over year, inventory is still below pre-pandemic levels.
New luxury listings increased nearly 20% year over year in the fourth quarter, marking the largest increase in more than two years, bringing the number of new luxury listings to just under 53,000 the report said.
Meanwhile, new non-luxury home listings fell 3% year over year, but the good news there is that it was the smallest decline in a year and half.
“More luxury listings will temper price growth as the year goes on,” said Redfin Senior Economist Sheharyar Bokhari. “Overall, that’s a good thing for the high-end market: Sellers will still fetch fair prices, buyers will have more to choose from and sales should tick up.”
FILE – Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to the media during a press conference on the border, Sept. 27, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats in search of flipping a U.S. Senate seat are watching Texas closely on Super Tuesday to see who voters nominate against Sen. Cruz.Mariam Zuhaib/AP
FILE – Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-Texas, speaks during a news conference at a town square in Uvalde, Texas, June 2, 2022. Democrats in search of flipping a U.S. Senate seat are watching Texas closely on Super Tuesday to see who voters nominate against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.Jae C. Hong/AP
FILE – Rep.-elect Colin Allred, D-Texas., arrives for orientation for new members of Congress, Nov. 13, 2018, in Washington. Democrats in search of flipping a U.S. Senate seat are watching Texas closely on Super Tuesday to see who voters nominate against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has officially locked up the GOP nomination for a third term and awaits the winner of a wide field of Democratic challengers.
Cruz had no major primary opponent. Nine Democrats are running for the chance to unseat him in November, including U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez.
Democrats see Cruz’s seat as one of their best chances to flip a Senate seat this year even though a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race in Texas in 30 years.
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Cruz’s last reelection campaign in 2018 ended in a narrow victory over Democrat Beto O’Rourke.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats in search of flipping a U.S. Senate seat were watching Texas closely on Super Tuesday to see who voters nominate against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, whose underdog challengers have cast as vulnerable after a narrow margin of victory in 2018.
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL player and three-term congressman from Dallas, and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez have drawn most of the attention in a primary that again finds Texas Democrats in pursuit of a breakthrough candidate. No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas in 30 years, the longest losing streak of its kind in the U.S.
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Despite that, Democrats believe Texas and Florida are their best shot for upsets in November as they try to preserve a slim 51-49 advantage in the Senate. That majority includes West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who is not seeking reelection and whose seat is likely to flip Republican.
Seven other Democrats are also running in the Senate primary in Texas, including state Rep. Carl Sherman. The race heads to a May 28 runoff if no candidate wins a vote majority.
Allred, who would become Texas’ first Black senator if elected, has raised more than $21 million since getting in the race. That’s significantly more than his primary challengers, whom the civil rights lawyer has largely ignored during the primary while keeping his attacks focused on Cruz.
Allred, 40, made headlines in January when he was among 14 House Democrats who backed a Republican resolution in Congress that criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the border. Gutierrez criticized Allred for the vote, accusing him of siding “with GOP extremists,” and Cruz spokesperson Macarena Martinez called the vote a “disingenuous attempt to posture on the border.”
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Allred said he did not agree with all the language in the resolution but said he wanted to see more urgency at the federal level when it comes to the border.
“For me, it was about sending a signal that, you know, what we have been doing is not working,” Allred said in an interview last week during early voting in Texas. “We have to change something.”
Cruz only narrowly beat Beto O’Rourke for reelection in 2018 by less than 3 percentage points. It was the closest Democrats have come in decades to winning a statewide seat and happened during a midterm election that wound up being a strong year for Democrats nationally.
Texas Democrats have struggled to recapture that momentum since then. O’Rourke lost by double digits when he challenged Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022.
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“Things are shifting in the state. It takes a long time,” said Jared Hockeman, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Cameron County along the U.S.-Mexico border. “We recognize that.”
Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.
By PAUL J. WEBER and SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press
