Howden, previously Gov. Greg Abbott’s legislative director, succeeds Jane Nelson, whose resignation took effect Friday morning.

After 20 years as AT&T Stadium and nearly 80 years bearing the name of former university president Clifford Jones, Texas Tech Athletics has announced that the Red Raiders will now play from "Galaxy Stadium." The 15-year naming rights deal between Texas Tech and data center developer Galaxy is just the latest in a push from university leadership to join in on high-tech research, large-scale data, and AI.

The Pedernales River climbed roughly 25 feet in just a few hours, reaching its highest level since 1979 as floodwaters swept through the Texas Hill Country. Officials say the flood threat isn't over, with a regional Flood Watch remaining in effect through Friday morning.

Lake Meredith, near Amarillo, was recently designated as "fully infested" with invasive zebra mussels. The mussels have been spreading across Texas for more than 15 years and Lake Meredith is the north-most body of water in the state to be infected. TPWD says the mussels have the potential to damage treatment equipment in what is a municipal water source for the region, but water officials with the lake say they're prepared.

Nearly a year after deadly flooding prompted Texas lawmakers to overhaul the state's flood preparedness laws, officials say some of those changes are already helping. But many of the state's biggest flood mitigation projects remain years from completion.

The move adds another layer of uncertainty to five lawsuits filed by families accusing Camp Mystic operators of failing to protect their children during last year's catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country.