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☆ Renewable energy sources have kept the Texas power grid stable this summer even as the state breaks record after record for power usage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Renewable energy has kept the power grid "remarkably stable" despite the significant strain, an expert says. Texas leads the nation in wind-generated power and is third in the country for solar power. As these extreme temperatures continue to bake Texas, residents are cranking up their air conditioning, straining the state's power grid. Texas produces more wind-powered electricity than any other state and is a national leader in solar energy alongside California and Florida. Some state and national Republicans, however, have pushed back against legislation that would further strengthen the clean energy sources keeping the air conditioners running in Texas this summer.

Persons: Austin, Emily Foxhall, Joshua Rhodes, Rhodes, we're Organizations: Service, Lone Star, Electric, of Texas, Texas Tribune, CBS, Webber Energy Group, University of Texas, Texas, Republicans Locations: Texas, El Paso, California, Florida . Texas

☆ Bone dry on the range: Texas cattle ranchers battle drought, extreme heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Evan Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Cattle move throughout a pasture during a heat wave, on rancher David Henderson's ranch property, in Tennessee Colony, Texas, U.S. August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Evan GarciaTENNESSEE COLONY, Texas, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The brown and black cattle of Texas, beloved symbols of the Lone Star state, walk through desiccated grass and stand in shrunken watering holes while their ranchers struggle to get them enough food. Henderson, 62, manages a herd of about 150 cows in Tennessee Colony in East Texas, and said he sold roughly 30 cows in 2022 due to the drought. Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon predicts extreme heat spurred by global warming will become the norm. And that, in addition, means that the heat extremes will be that much hotter and that much more severe."

Persons: David Henderson's, Evan Garcia TENNESSEE, David Henderson, Henderson, John Nielsen, Gammon, Nielsen, Jimmy Reed, Reed, Corey Davis, Davis, Evan Garcia, Mary Milliken, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Lone Star, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas State, Tennessee Colony, Thomson Locations: Tennessee Colony , Texas, U.S, Texas, Tennessee Colony, East Texas, Tennessee

REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Texas won a round in its antitrust lawsuit with Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google on Thursday after a U.S. judicial panel refused to pause its decision to return its lawsuit to federal court in Texas. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation had decided in June to agree to a Texas request to send the lawsuit alleging Google abused its dominance in advertising technology back to the Lone Star state. Texas has argued that a measure which became law in 2022, after the lawsuit was filed, granted state attorneys general the right to choose where an antitrust lawsuit will be litigated. The judicial panel did agree to stay the remand order for seven days to give Google time to appeal to the 2nd U.S. The Texas lawsuit accuses Google of violating the law by dominating the process that advertisers use to put ads online.

Persons: Charles Platiau, Diane Bartz, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Google, Viva Tech, REUTERS, Texas, The U.S, Multidistrict Litigation, Lone Star, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Texas, The, New York, Eastern

☆ Wind and solar are propping up the Texas power grid amid a brutally long heat wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Thank wind and solar, energy experts say. “The thermal plants have bounced up and down,” Lewin told CNN, saying thermal plant outages during heatwaves have been high by Texas grid manager ERCOT’s own standards. The state is also rapidly installing battery storage, to store wind and solar energy when the sun isn’t shining and wind isn’t blowing. “I think what they’re leaving out is the intermittency of the thermal plants, they continue to neglect that,” Lewin said. That’s not to say renewables are a panacea, but the point is thermal plants are also not a panacea.”

Persons: ” Michael Webber, “, Doug Lewin, Webber, ” Lewin, ERCOT’s, Mark Felix, ”, ERCOT, Lewin, that’s Organizations: CNN, Texas, “ Renewables, University of Texas, Energy Information Administration, Renewables, Energy, US Energy Information Administration, Lone Star Locations: Austin, Texas, Hill County , Texas, AFP, Gulf of Mexico

☆ Scorching summer temperatures could strain the economy even further
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“The recent heat waves and scorching summer temperatures demonstrate the economic cost of heat stress,” Chris Lafakis, Moody’s Analytics’ director of economic research, wrote in an emailed response to a CNN query. Moody’s Analytics estimates that chronic physical risk from heat stress could reduce worldwide GDP by up to 17.6% by 2100. The losses are steepest in sectors such as agriculture and construction, but no industry or business is immune, she said. “Every summer we have a stretch [of excessively hot weather], where it might last from four days up to a week,” he said. “We have to look at the potential of our business model shifting to a nine-month facility going forward,” she said.

Persons: Lyn Thomas, there’s, Thomas, she’s, “, it’s, Chris Lafakis, Liliana Salgado, ”, Kathy Baughman McLeod, Adrienne Arsht, Cesar Chavez, Damian Dovarganes, That’s, Jack Vessey wasn’t, He’s, “ It’s, Vessey, Zeyla Alcantara, Patrick Tiseth, Jobs, Ami Feller, I’ve, Los Cerrillos, Harrold Granthan, Bonnie Mendoza, David Wagner, bloodsicles, Mendoza, Zach Fowle, Kyle Ledeboer, ” Fowle, ” They’ve, Justus Swanick, Joshua Graff Zivin, ” Graff Zivin Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Phoenix, CNN, Reuters Workers, Rockefeller Foundation Resilience, Atlantic Council, Rockefeller, IBEW, Company, Lone Star, Roofer, Saddle Riding Company, Phoenix Zoo, Arizona Wilderness, Arizona Wilderness Brewing, University of California San Locations: Minneapolis, Louisiana, United States, California, Los Angeles, Holtville , California, Imperial County, Texas, New Braunfels, Santa Fe , New Mexico, Los, “, Arizona, Phoenix, University of California San Diego

☆ How Samsung and Texas Instruments made the Lone Star State the hub of U.S. chip manufacturing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Samsung, Texas Instruments, Infineon, GlobalWafers, NXP, X-FAB and Applied Materials have all ramped up Texas operations in recent months. Texas Instruments' fab in Sherman, a town of 45,000 people 60 miles north of Dallas, is an even bigger investment. Texas Instruments was founded in 1930 as Geophysical Service Inc., adopting its current name in 1951. CNBC interviewed Flessner at Texas Instruments' RFAB2 fab in Richardson, Texas, a suburb just north of Dallas. Water and powerTexas Instruments' $17 billion chip fab project in Sherman, Texas, on June 15, 2023.

Persons: It's, Greg Abbott, Abbott, Melissa Hebert, Infineon's, Katie Tarasov, Andrew Evers, it's, Austin that's, Jon Taylor, Taylor, David Plyler, Plyler, Jack Kilby, Kyle Flessner, Flessner, Andrew Evers Flessner, Austin fabs Organizations: Samsung, Republican Texas Gov, CNBC, Lone Star State, Texas Instruments, Infineon, Apple, Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Texas, Service Inc, TI, Local, Texas -, Texas Water, Taylor, Texans Locations: Austin , Texas, South Korean, Sherman , Texas, Texas, China, Taiwan, that's, Arizona, , Texas, Austin, Taylor, U.S, United States, Sherman, Dallas, Richardson , Texas, Richardson, Texoma, Texas - Oklahoma

☆ Anti-LGBTQ+ activism spiked during Pride Month, with California leading the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Anti-LGBTQ+ activism spiked in June, according to the monitoring group ACLED. Pride Month saw more anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations than any other period since 2020. As the LGBTQ+ community has become increasingly visible in entertainment, politics, and corporate America, there has been an accompanying spike in anti-LGBTQ+ activism. "This new peak in our data comes after anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations had already surged to their highest point on record by late 2022." That — visibly showing up for LGBTQ+ rights — is what Bjorn-James argues will determine whether far-right activism proliferates or recedes.

Persons: Vanderbilt, Sophie Bjork, James, ACLED, Kieren Doyle, Wesley Phelps, Hodges, there's, Phelps, It's, There's, they've, Bjork, Donald Trump —, —, Bjorn Organizations: Service, University of North, Lone Star State, District of Columbia, Golden State, Vanderbilt University, Miss America, Target Locations: Wall, Silicon, America, California, United States, North America, University of North Texas, Obergefell, ACLED, Texas , New York, Golden

☆ These 10 states are running America's best economies for residents
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Scott Cohn | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

To determine which states have the best economy, we look at overall economic growth and annual job growth on a percentage basis, as well as the health of state finances. We measure the breadth of each state's economy by looking at how many major corporations are headquartered there. IndianaWhile the Hoosier State's economy is hardly a barnburner, Indiana offers stability. The state's debt rating is solid. UtahThe Beehive State's economy just keeps buzzing.

Persons: Christina, Dupont De Nemours, Incyte Carlos Hernandez, Eileen T, Meslar, Eli Lilly, Kyle Green, Lucas Jackson, George Frey, Zions, Tim Aeppel, —, Justin Sullivan, Lindsey Nicholson, Matthew Busch, payrolls, Jim Watson Organizations: Companies, Business, Getty, Bureau, AAA, Reuters, Indiana, Hoosier, Federal Housing Finance Agency, National Association of Realtors, Simon Property, Bloomberg, Gem, Data Solutions, Micron Technology, Lamb Weston Holdings, South, South Carolina, Union Pacific, Automotive Designs, . Tennessee The Volunteer State, Headquarters, FedEx, Tractor, Delta Airlines, Peach State, Assurant, Intercontinental Exchange, Universal, North, Bank of America, Duke Energy, Just Energy Group, Texas, Lone Star State, Oracle, Tesla, AFP Locations: U.S, States, Wilmington , Delaware, Delaware, Middlebury , Indiana, , Indiana, CBH, Calvary Springs, Nampa , Idaho, Idaho, California, York County , South Carolina, South Carolina, Palmetto, South, Salt Lake City , Utah, Utah, Bristol , Indiana, Tennessee, Alpharetta , Georgia, Georgia, Denver , North Carolina, North Carolina, Houston , Texas, The Texas, Texas, New York, Miami , Florida, Florida

☆ A fitness company is hiring for a 'chief step officer' who will make $10,000 for walking 10,000 steps. Here's how to apply.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A fitness company is hiring a "chief step officer" who will get $10,000 to walk 10,000 steps. The fitness website GymBird is hiring a "chief step officer" who will be paid $10,000 to walk 10,000 steps in a day. "For most people, walking 10,000 steps a day is an achievable goal that they can sustain long-term." "It's the first time we're hiring a chief step officer — and I believe it's the first chief step officer ever," Walton said. If you're a big walker — or want to get paid to move — the deadline to apply for the role of chief step officer is July 19 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Persons: —, GymBird, Ashley Walton, they'll, Walton, We've, Candy, Siggi's Organizations: Service, Lone Star State Locations: Texas, Canadian, Iceland

☆ Texas grid operator again forecasts record power use amid heat wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 21 (Reuters) - The Texas power grid operator again projected electric use would break a record - this time on Wednesday - after forecast usage fell short of the all-time high on Tuesday as consumers heeded calls to conserve energy during an early summer heat wave. After setting 11 new peak demand records last summer, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) projected peak demand would break records again next week when extreme heat returns to the Lone Star State. ERCOT operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state's power load. ERCOT forecast power use would rise from 79,203 megawatts (MW) on Tuesday to 80,458 MW on Wednesday, which would top the grid's current record peak of 80,148 MW on July 20, 2022. Next week, ERCOT forecast demand would reach 82,080 MW on June 26 and 83,555 MW on June 28.

Persons: Scott DiSavino, Conor Humphries Organizations: Electric, of Texas, Lone Star State, ERCOT, Texans, Thomson Locations: Texas, Houston

Companies Alphabet Inc FollowWASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - Texas won the latest round in its antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet's Google on Monday as a U.S. judicial panel ordered the case returned to federal court in Texas. At Google's request the lawsuit had been moved in August 2021 to a federal court in New York, where other advertising technology cases were being heard. Texas had asked for the lawsuit to be moved back after the U.S. Congress passed the Venue Act in 2022 that grants state attorneys general the right to choose where an antitrust lawsuit will be litigated. The Texas lawsuit accuses Google of violating the law by dominating the process that advertisers use to put ads online. And states led by Utah filed a lawsuit in 2021 saying the company broke antitrust law in handling its play store.

Persons: Texas Attorney General's, Karen Caldwell, Diane Bartz, Chris Reese, Mark Porter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: WASHINGTON, Texas, Alphabet's Google, U.S, Congress, Google, Texas Attorney, Multidistrict, Thomson Locations: Texas, New York, The Texas, Utah

☆ Texas tragedy: One weekend spotlights two distinctly American political fissures
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —The national season of violence deepened with a weekend of tragedy in Texas that hit two of the rawest political divides, guns and immigration. It was the latest in a string of mass shootings in Texas and across the country that have killed many innocent people but have brought no action to end the cycle of loss. Then, on Sunday, a driver slammed into a group of migrants waiting at a bus stop outside a shelter in the Texas border town of Brownsville. But as in the case of mass shootings, there is little chance that the nation’s polarized politics will ease in order to offer the space for meaningful resolution. The latest mass shooting in Texas came after a spree of such killings in schools, supermarkets, at community parades, a bank and places of worship nationwide.

☆ Column: Texas trumps California as key US energy transition driver
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Texas vs California vs Rest of USA electricity generation mixSince 2018, Texas has also outpaced California and the national average in both total electricity generation additions and in cuts to power emissions, making the Lone Star state a key beacon for others looking to reduce emissions but increase power generation totals. Texas vs California electricity generation by sourceThe rapid renewable energy capacity development is also a major driver of jobs growth in the state, which is helping to offset potential concerns about stranded assets and reduced demand for energy sector workers once global energy systems transition away from fossil fuels. A heavy historic reliance on natural gas and coal for electricity generation has also meant that Texas has one of the most carbon-intensive power systems in the United States. TEXAS TEMPLATEWhile California is losing its lustre as a model for power sector planners elsewhere, Texas has shown it is possible to boost electricity generation totals while reducing emissions in recent years. But many states will be able to learn from Texas' evolving mix of generation sources that have been harnessed to push electricity generation levels higher while curbing emissions.

☆ How to watch the Chevron Championship live: Start time, channel and other things to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Once again, the first women’s golf major of the season tees off with The Chevron Championship. How to watchUS viewers can watch the first and second rounds on the Golf Channel, with coverage running from 10 a.m. CST until 7 p.m. CST. “I think I was in a bit of a panic last year,” Kupcho told reporters Tuesday. But I don’t think that’s going to be my driving force going to any of these events this year.”Ko tees off at the HSBC Women's World Championship in March. “I don’t think I have a weakness in my game at all, and I think that’s partially why I’ve been very consistent,” Hall told reporters.

☆ These are the 10 cities worldwide where the number of millionaires is rising the fastest. 3 American cities made the list.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Chinese city topped Henley & Partners' list of cities where the number of millionaires is rising the fastest. Two further Chinese cities, three US cities, and two Indian cities, also ranked in the top ten. The top ten also includes two further Chinese cities, three US cities, two Indian cities, and one city in each Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. Austin, meanwhile, is the highest-ranking US city on Henley & Partners' list, coming second. New York City, meanwhile, has the most residents worth $1 million or more, at around 340,000, per Henley & Partners' report.

☆ A Texas-Sized Energy Fiasco
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

What a mess. Renewable subsidies have distorted and destabilized the Texas electric grid, which resulted in a week-long power outage during the February 2021 freeze. To prevent more blackouts, Republicans in the Lone Star State now plan to subsidize gas power plants. The Texas Senate last week passed putative energy reforms to “level the playing field,” as Lt. Gov. Texans will now spend tens of billions of dollars to bolster natural-gas plants that provide reliable power but can’t make money because of competition from subsidized renewable energy.

☆ Properties in Austin have skyrocketed in value over the last 25 years. Here are the top 10 US areas where house prices have grown.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Property values in Austin have soared over the past 25 years, an analysis from SmartAsset found. The study analyzed average home value data in metro areas from 1998 to 2022. The study analyzed average home value data in 400 metro areas between 1998 and 2022, calculating collective increases to measure growth and drops in value to measure stability. Two areas in Colorado — Boulder and Fort Collins — also saw above-average home value growth. Here are the metro areas that have seen the biggest property value growth in the last 25 years:

☆ Texas will play an outsized role in selecting the next GOP presidential nominee. So Trump isn't leaving anything to chance.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Trump has previously indicated that he wouldn't leave the 2024 presidential race if he was indicted. Among the bold-named Texas figures who have signed on to Trump's 2024 campaign are Lt. Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been floated as a potential 2024 presidential candidate, was also not on the list. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas won his home state in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Cruz took home the lion's share of Texas' GOP delegates in what is a winner-takes-most system.

☆ Trump said he'd 'fight like hell' for Marjorie Taylor Greene if she ran for the Senate: 'People don't realize how brilliant she is'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former President Trump said he'd "fight like hell" for MTG if she decided to pursue a Senate bid. While speaking at his rally in Waco, Tex., Trump praised Rep. Greene as a tough GOP politician. Greene has also been floated as a potential vice presidential running mate for the former president. But Greene, a national conservative star, has also been mentioned as a potential vice presidential running mate for Trump next year. "People don't realize how brilliant she is," Trump said of Greene.

☆ Texas' GOP leaders are skipping Trump's Waco rally because of 'prior commitments' as possible indictments dog his 2024 campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Former President Donald Trump is holding a 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas on Saturday. None of the 30 Texas Republicans Insider contacted about the event said they were going. Cheung was also non-committal about whether former Trump rally companions like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia or failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake would pop up in Texas. Other Texas Republicans who said they'd be unable to huddle with Trump for unspecified reasons include Rep. Michael McCaul, and state GOP chairman Matt Rinaldi. The bigger concern, Meek told Insider, was that the high-profile visit might in any way backfire after the decades the community has spent building back from the Branch Davidian tragedy.

☆ Bridgewater's new executive team is already making big changes. But was it all part of Ray Dalio's master plan?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

On tap, we've got stories on the top VCs in Texas, more headaches for Blackstone's BREIT, and why boomers stink. Maybe it's just the fear of facing your own mortality and realizing that life, in fact, will go on without you. As Rebecca Ungarino reports, the world's largest hedge fund is making a slew of new changes less than six months after billionaire founder Ray Dalio stepped aside. Bridgewater, which was founded in 1975 from Dalio's two-bedroom apartment, is arguably just as well known for its culture as its size. Edited by Jeffrey Cane (tweet @jeffrey_cane) in New York and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) and Nathan Rennolds (tweet @ncrennolds) in London.

Austin has emerged as a hub for relocating tech talent during the pandemic. Investors in Austin closed 416 deals in 2022 worth $4.9 billion, according to PitchBook. For this list, we asked VCs from across the country about which Texas investors we need to know. To qualify, an investor needed to be a Texas resident, but their firms and portfolio companies could be anywhere. Check out Insider's list of 46 top investors in Texas.

☆ Tesla to base engineering headquarters in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Tesla Inc FollowHP Inc FollowFeb 22 (Reuters) - Electric-vehicle maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) will make its global engineering headquarters in California, Chief Executive Elon Musk and California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday. Tesla in December 2021 moved its corporate headquarters from Silicon Valley’s Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas, where it is operating a new car factory. Billionaire Musk himself moved from Los Angeles to the Lone Star State, which does not have state income tax. California remains a key source of talent for tech companies, and the Tesla engineering headquarters will be in a former Hewlett Packard building in Palo Alto. "This is a poetic transition from the company that founded Silicon Valley to Tesla," Musk said.

☆ The biggest universities in Texas are blocking students from accessing TikTok on campus WiFi
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin have blocked TikTok from campus WiFi. Texas A&M University — thought to be the state's biggest university with close to 70,000 students — is blocking TikTok from its IT network under a directive by Governor Greg Abbott, local news outlets reported on Tuesday. Lamar University and the University of Texas at Dallas told students that TikTok would continue to work at its residence halls. Even then, access would only be granted on devices connected to cellular services, not to the university's WiFi or wired network. Do you study or work at a US university that has banned the use of TikTok on campus WiFi?

☆ Michael Dell's nepo babies: How the family of the billionaire computer mogul is making moves in the tech industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Britney Nguyen | Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Michael DellMichael Dell is the CEO of Dell. DellMichael Dell is one of the most notable tech entrepreneurs from the Lone Star State. Forbes estimates that Michael Dell has a net worth of more than $50 billion, making him among the 25 richest people on the planet. None of Dell's family members, nor Dell's investment firm, MSD Capital, immediately responded to Insider's request for comment. Meet Dell's four children and his brother, Adam Dell, and see how their connections gave them a leg up.

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