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Axios Houston

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Hermann Park's trees are showing signs of heat, drought stress

Leaves are wilting, roots are drying out and the ground around the trees is cracking.

News

Barbers Hill student suspended over locs

The move comes as the Texas CROWN Act took effect earlier this month.

Ike Dike's progress is slow 15 years after hurricane

Wednesday marks the anniversary of Hurricane Ike's landfall.

Houston sees rise in hate crimes

Houston's hate crimes surged last year to their highest levels since 2002, according to a new report.

Remote workers decline in Houston

Houston had the smallest share of remote workers compared to the largest cities in the state and country.

Business

The Houston area has a below-average percentage of remote workers, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.Driving the news: Last year, 13% of Houstonians worked from home, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="down from 15.6% in 2021" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2022/09/19/houstonians-working-from-home-us-census-survey" data-vars-content-id="fe3935e8-6ec8-4cc9-abb6-587333b3bd86" data-vars-headline="Remote workers decline in Houston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2022/09/19/houstonians-working-from-home-us-census-survey" target="_self">down from 15.6% in 2021</a>.

FTC sues private equity firm Welsh Carson

This could be the tip of an antitrust spear aimed at private equity, after decades of avoidance.

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday filed suit against private equity firm Welsh Carson Anderson &amp; Stowe, accusing it of suppressing competition and driving up prices for anesthesiology services in Texas.Why it matters: This could be the tip of an antitrust spear aimed at private equity, after decades of avoidance.

Houston business activity remains healthy despite application decline

Houston ranked 24th among large metro areas for new applications.

About 18.6 new business applications per 1,000 residents were filed across the Houston metro area in 2022, totaling more than 135,000 applications, per new Census Bureau and IRS data.<ul><li>That&#x27;s a 10% drop from 2021, when there were 20.6 applications per 1,000 residents, but Houston still ranked 24th among large metro areas for new applications.</li></ul>

Houston weddings have gotten more expensive

The average cost of a wedding in the Houston area went up 5.7% between 2019 and 2022.

After a pandemic-induced backup and pent-up demand, wedding season in Houston is roaring back with bigger budgets, longer guest lists and grander ideas.State of play: Nearly every aspect of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="planning, hosting and attending weddings" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/29/weddings-planning-hosting-cost?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="e139f9e9-030d-47d3-b66c-d4122e36165a" data-vars-headline="Houston weddings have gotten more expensive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/29/weddings-planning-hosting-cost?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" target="_self">planning, hosting and attending weddings</a> is getting pricier thanks to inflation and high demand, Axios’ Erica Pandey and Carly Mallenbaum write.

Illustration of coins falling into a cake as if it were a piggy bank.

Houston companies stand out in Fortune 500

The energy sector dominated the state’s economy.

Houston has 22 companies in the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="latest Fortune 500 ranking" data-vars-click-url="https://fortune.com/ranking/fortune500/" data-vars-content-id="f4a6f49c-2ece-40d3-9add-ca4124ef5505" data-vars-headline="Houston companies stand out in Fortune 500" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://fortune.com/ranking/fortune500/" target="_blank">latest Fortune 500 ranking</a> of the biggest U.S. companies by revenue.Driving the news: The energy sector dominated the state&#x27;s economy, comprising 26 of the 55 Texas-based companies on the list and pulling in a total $1.4 trillion in revenue.

Illustration of an oil rig on top of a stack of cash. 

Houston holds "tallest city in Texas" title — for now

Another Texas city is expected to snatch that title by 2026.

Houston has a ton of tall skyscrapers — so many that other Texas cities can&#x27;t compare.Driving the news: Combined, Houston&#x27;s skyscrapers measure 30,498 feet — more than any other Texas city&#x27;s, according to a new study by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Texas Real Estate Source" data-vars-click-url="https://www.texasrealestatesource.com/" data-vars-content-id="ed6d1383-d802-4aa9-b1c8-ac0b5a430646" data-vars-headline="Houston holds &quot;tallest city in Texas&quot; title — for now" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.texasrealestatesource.com/" target="_blank">Texas Real Estate Source</a>.

Illustration of the JP Morgan Chase Tower in Houston being measured by a pair of giant hands with a measuring tape

Houston's global trade ties recover from pandemic

Houston led the country in exports in 2022.

Houston led the country in exports in 2022 as its global trade ties continued to recover from the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="impacts of the pandemic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/international-trade-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-big-shifts-and-uncertainty-d1131663/" data-vars-content-id="3b222e70-cb17-4a9a-9615-aa8cacfa4212" data-vars-headline="Houston&#x27;s global trade ties recover from pandemic" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/international-trade-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-big-shifts-and-uncertainty-d1131663/" target="_blank">impacts of the pandemic</a>.Driving the news: Houston shipped more than $191.8 billion in goods and commodities abroad last year, according to the Greater Houston Partnership&#x27;s annual <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Global Houston report," data-vars-click-url="https://www.houston.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/Global%20Houston-2023-Publication_Final_0.pdf" data-vars-content-id="3b222e70-cb17-4a9a-9615-aa8cacfa4212" data-vars-headline="Houston&#x27;s global trade ties recover from pandemic" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.houston.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/Global%20Houston-2023-Publication_Final_0.pdf" target="_blank">Global Houston report,</a> released Friday.

 Illustrated collage of a handshake surrounded by rectangles made from international currency.

Swifties boosted Houston's hotel occupancy

Taylor Swift had more of a chokehold on Houston's hotel occupancy rates than the NCAA men's Final Four.

Taylor Swift had more of a chokehold on Houston&#x27;s hotel occupancy rates than the NCAA men&#x27;s Final Four.Driving the news: Swift&#x27;s sold-out three-night stint at NRG Stadium — with 72,220 seats — resulted in Houston&#x27;s highest hotel revenue week of 2023, according to Houston First Corp., the city&#x27;s tourism agency.

Houston's stake in the looming recession

Houston's economy is still growing and relatively strong, economists say. But there is growing concern about economic slowdown and a possible mild recession—especially in regard to banking, commercial real estate and unemployment.

Houston&#x27;s economy is still growing and relatively strong, economists say. But there is increasing concern about an economic slowdown and a possible mild recession.Driving the news: &quot;I&#x27;m still optimistic. But I&#x27;m more concerned. I think we&#x27;re at greater risk now than we were six months ago, but I still think there&#x27;s a good chance we could avoid a recession,&quot; Patrick Jankowski, chief economist at the Greater Houston Partnership, tells Axios.

Houston leads investments in clean tech

Houston's investments in climate and clean tech have drastically increased in the past few years.

Houston ranked as one of the top five cities for investment in companies focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives in 2022. Why it matters: Houston, home to numerous energy companies built on fossil fuels, is putting its money where its mouth is. The ESG investments showed local companies are financially committed to making Houston a clean technology innovation hub and the world&#x27;s clean energy capital, according to Will Braeutigam, U.S. capital markets transactions leader at Deloitte.

Illustration of a hand depositing a one dollar bill into the Earth through a slot. 

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