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Unionized hospitality workers in Houston secured major wage increases and improved benefits in 2025 after a 40-day hotel workers’ strike that led to new multiyear contracts at several major hotels. The agreements raised hourly pay, expanded health coverage, and established clearer scheduling and workload rules. Union leaders report that these gains already influence negotiations and pay practices at other unionized workplaces in the city. With additional hospitality contracts set to expire in 2026, unions plan to use the 2025 hotel settlements as benchmarks in upcoming bargaining across Houston’s hospitality sector.

A cold front brought strong winds to the Houston region on Monday, leaving nearly 35,000 CenterPoint Energy customers without power as of 8 a.m., according to the utility’s outage tracker, while repair crews worked to restore electricity to affected homes and businesses.

The Texas Department of Transportation has launched a statewide holiday campaign to reduce drunk driving in Texas. The initiative increases public awareness and enforcement during Christmas and New Year’s, focusing on the legal and safety consequences of driving while intoxicated. The campaign uses media outreach, law enforcement partnerships and community programs to address alcohol-related crashes across urban and rural areas in Texas.

A little-known Texas law gives state regulators flexibility over how insurers price Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, using a method known as silver loading. As enhanced federal subsidies expire in the coming days, the law may help some Texans keep net premiums lower by concentrating rate increases in silver-tier plans, which determine federal tax credits. The measure applies to individual and family marketplace coverage across Texas and affects how premium changes interact with federal financial assistance.

Flu cases are rising sharply across Texas during the holiday season as health officials track a fast-spreading influenza variant. Hospitals, clinics and laboratories report increased patient visits and higher test positivity rates for flu. Authorities urge vaccination, early treatment and basic preventive measures such as handwashing, masking when symptomatic and staying home when sick. Public health agencies continue to monitor hospital capacity and community transmission while providing updated guidance for residents, schools, employers and long-term care facilities statewide.

Texas State Representative Jared Patterson proposes a major change to his plan to restrict teen access to social media, citing rising global moves to limit platforms for minors. He calls social media the most dangerous product legally available to children in Texas and seeks stronger age verification, data protections and parental involvement.