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Public Safety

‘Fire almost doubles in size every 60 seconds’: Texas takes stock of its wildfire defenses

Two and a half years after a snapped utility pole ignited the largest wildfire in Texas history, the Senate Committee on Natural Resources spent more than three hours Tuesday auditing every layer of the state's wildfire defenses — and heard that the machinery lawmakers built in 2025 is largely on schedule, but that the hardest questions, from powerline liability to who approves a utility's mitigation plan, are already queued up for the next Legislature.

The Texas Dispatch · Aug 12, 2026

Governor Abbott Touts Third Straight Yearly Decline in Texas Crime Rate

Governor Greg Abbott touted new Uniform Crime Reporting data showing the Texas crime rate fell for the third consecutive year under his current term, with the statewide rate dropping 13% in 2025, according to an Aug. 7 press release from the governor's office.

The Texas Dispatch · Aug 10, 2026

Senate Border Security Committee Turns to Port-of-Entry Inspections and Cartel Fuel Smuggling

The Texas Senate Select Committee on Homeland and Border Security will gavel in at 9 a.m. Aug. 13 for the second of two back-to-back hearings, taking invited and public testimony on four interim charges that run from commercial inspections at the state's land ports of entry to the cartel-driven fuel-smuggling economy along the border.

The Texas Dispatch · Aug 7, 2026

Senate Border Security Committee to Take Up Hostile Drones, DPS’ New Homeland Security Division

The Texas Senate Select Committee on Homeland and Border Security will gavel in at 9 a.m. Aug. 12 to hear invited and public testimony on two interim charges — how the state should help defend Texas airspace against hostile drones, and how the Department of Public Safety is standing up the homeland security division lawmakers created last session.

The Texas Dispatch · Aug 5, 2026