Proposed launch site for SpaceX.
A “Record of Decision” giving approval for a SpaceX Texas Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas has been published by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) office of Commercial Space Transportation. (Video)
Continue reading… “FAA approves proposed SpaceX launch site in Texas”
Governor Perry wants public universities to craft four-year degrees costing no more than $10,000 in tuition, fees, and books.
Bill Ayers did not have in mind any endeavors of conservative Texas governor Rick Perry when he observed that “every revolution is impossible until it happens, and then, looking backwards, every revolution appears inevitable.” But Perry may have launched a revolution of his own with his 2011 state of the state address. Perry challenged Texas’s public universities to craft four-year degrees costing no more than $10,000 in tuition, fees, and books, and to achieve the necessary cost reductions by teaching students online and awarding degrees based on competency.
Continue reading… “The ‘impossible’ $10K degree marches on in Texas”
A rendering of BiblioTech, a public library offering only electronic books.
Officials in Bexar County, Texas, celebrated the opening of the BiblioTech library, an all-digital public library, last week . The facility offers about 10,000 free e-books for the 1.7 million residents of the county, which includes San Antonio.
Continue reading… “All-digital, bookless library opens in Texas”
How Texas and North Dakota won the recovery.
If you want to understand how to create hundreds of thousands jobs at once you just need look to Texas and North Dakota. Together, these two states account for a little more than 8 percent of the country’s population — about one in 12 people. But they’re also responsible for 20 percent of net new jobs since the end of the recession. And, crucially, they account for “more than 100 percent of the increase in U.S. [oil] production since 2009,” James Hamilton writes.
Continue reading… “Smart policies are good, but oil is better”
An abandoned Walmart becomes a library.
Thousands of big box stores sit abandoned and empty all over America, including hundreds of former Walmart stores. Each store takes up enough space of 2.5 football fields. More that 698 million square feet of in the U.S. is used by Walmart’s and is one of the biggest environmental impacts. But at least one of those buildings has been transformed into something arguably much more useful: the nation’s largest library. (Photos)
Continue reading… “Abandoned Walmart in Texas becomes largest library in the U.S.”
Houston, Texas
Texas dominated the recession, crushed the recovery, and in a new analysis of jobs recovered since the downturn, Houston, its largest city, stands apart as the most powerful job engine in the country — by far.
Continue reading… “Houston is America’s #1 job creator”
Brownsville, Texas
When it comes to affordability you can’t mess with Texas. Major metropolitan areas in the Texas reign supreme on Kiplinger’s annual ranking of the least expensive places to live in the U.S. All of the picks are cities located either in Texas or the heartland of middle America.
Continue reading… “10 cheapest places to live in the U.S.”
Austin, Texas
Austin, Tex., drew the largest numbers of young Americans from 2007 through 2009, according to an analysis by a senior demographer at the Brookings Institution, replacing Riverside, Calif., which was the most popular destination for young people in the middle of the decade.
Continue reading… “Austin, TX Most Popular Destination for Young People”
Ravioli like pieces of pretzel dough are deep fried for about 20 seconds.
A chef in Texas has created what he claims is the world’s first recipe for deep-fried beer. The beer is placed inside a pocket of salty, pretzel-like dough and then dunked in oil at 375 degrees for about 20 seconds, a short enough time for the confection to remain alcoholic. (Pics)
The opening in a rusty metal fence built in recent years to keep illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States has a new nickname among local residents, Jurassic Park Gate.
The giant rusty fence of metal bars along the border here, built in recent years to keep illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States, has a new nickname among local residents: Jurassic Park Gate, a nod to the barrier in a 1993 movie that kept dangerous dinosaurs at bay in a theme park.
Continue reading… “Mexicans Fleeing the Drug War Pour Into the U.S.”
If you could create the ideal community to raise a child in, what ingredients would you include? First off, you’d probably want a low crime rate. A strong school system would also be key. From there, you’d need lots of other children, expansive green spaces to play in, and plenty of nearby family events. Toss in an abundance of artistic and recreational activities, and all of a sudden you’ve got one heck of a place to grow up. Continue reading… “10 Best Places To Grow Up”