Originally published October 28, 2026. Campaign financial disclosures, weather observations and other time-sensitive reporting reflect the original date.
NEWS AROUND TEXAS
Governor race money • Musk records stay • Houston wage rules
October 28th, 2026AD
TEXAS’ DAILY FRONT PAGE — THE STORIES MOVING THE LONE STAR STATE
TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Candidates post highest totals
2. Appeal pauses Musk records
3. Harbor Island desalination
4. Houston adds tax-break rules
5. Shuford leaving CDC roles
GOVERNOR CANDIDATES POST HIGHEST FUNDRAISING TOTALS
Gov. Greg Abbott raised $26 million and spent $35.8 million from Sept. 25 through Oct. 24, The Texas Tribune reported via Houston Public Media.
Nearly one-fifth of Abbott's fundraising came from Elon Musk. Abbott raised $8.8 million during the same reporting period in his 2022 campaign.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa raised $17.5 million and spent $19.1 million. Both candidates posted their highest totals for a reporting period this cycle, the report says.
These are the final reports before Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, apart from daily disclosures.
APPEAL PAUSES ACCESS TO MUSK RECORDS
An appeal has paused Gina Hinojosa's access to unredacted communications between Gov. Greg Abbott's office and Elon Musk's companies.
The state's 15th Court of Appeals issued the stay Tuesday, Houston Public Media reported.
District Judge Catherine Mauzy had ordered access by 10 a.m. Thursday.
Abbott's office criticized the lawsuit, while Hinojosa raised concerns about technology executives' growing influence in Texas, Houston Public Media reported.
A separate request to dismiss the case remains pending. The appeals court gave Hinojosa 14 days to respond.
HARBOR ISLAND DESALINATION PLANS ADVANCE
Plans are moving forward for a privately owned seawater desalination plant on Harbor Island in Corpus Christi Bay, Inside Climate News reported via Texas Public Radio.
The Nueces River Authority awarded the project contract to IDE Technologies this summer, according to the report.
IDE says the proposed plant could produce up to 100 million gallons a day and would be the Western Hemisphere's largest.
The project raises questions about consumer costs and private ownership of the water supply. Texas still awaits its first seawater desalination plant, the report says.
HOUSTON ADDS LABOR RULES FOR TAX BREAKS
Houston City Council on Wednesday approved stronger labor requirements for businesses receiving city tax abatements, Houston Public Media reported.
The rules include an $18 minimum wage, or prevailing wages for construction work, health insurance, workers' compensation coverage and expanded apprenticeships.
Contractors with recent OSHA or wage-theft violations will be barred from tax-abatement-related construction projects, according to the report.
The report describes the requirements as conditions attached to the city's tax incentives for participating businesses, linking those incentives to workplace standards and employee benefits.
SHUFORD LEAVING TOP CDC ROLES
Dr. Jennifer Shuford, a former Texas health official, is leaving her positions as deputy director and chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Houston Public Media reported.
Her last day is Nov. 12, months after she joined the federal agency.
Shuford, who oversaw the response to the 2025 West Texas measles outbreak, said she is leaving to spend more time with family, according to the report.
Dr. Satish Pillai will serve as acting chief medical officer.
HOOD COUNTY WEATHER WATCH
CURRENT: Observed 2:15 p.m., Granbury airport (KGDJ): mostly cloudy, 79°F, southeast wind near 10 mph
3-DAY OUTLOOK
Thursday: showers and thunderstorms likely, 79°/63°
Friday: rain showers likely, 73°/59°
Saturday: chance showers and thunderstorms, 76°/59°
COMMUNITY PULSE
What issue do you most want the candidates for governor to address before Election Day?
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