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Houston flyers face TSA delays at Hobby Airport

The delays are impacting more than 2 million spring break travelers.

News

Travelers are waiting hours to get through security at Houston&#x27;s Hobby Airport amid Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages as the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="partial government shutdown" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/kristi-noem-dhs-shutdown-democrats-funding-trump" data-vars-content-id="656673c3-97d1-482c-98fe-59e37706bddf" data-vars-headline="Houston flyers face TSA delays at Hobby Airport" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/kristi-noem-dhs-shutdown-democrats-funding-trump" target="_self">partial government shutdown</a> drags on.Why it matters: The delays are impacting more than 2 million spring break travelers as they navigate the Bayou City&#x27;s two airports, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Houston Airports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fly2houston.com/airport-business/newsroom/articles/item/frequently-asked-questions-tsa-screening/" data-vars-content-id="656673c3-97d1-482c-98fe-59e37706bddf" data-vars-headline="Houston flyers face TSA delays at Hobby Airport" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fly2houston.com/airport-business/newsroom/articles/item/frequently-asked-questions-tsa-screening/" target="_blank">Houston Airports</a>.

Houston's energy industry looks to benefit from Iran war

Yes, but: The higher crude oil prices are hurting consumers at the pump.

Houston&#x27;s energy industry is poised to benefit from the war in Iran amid supply chain disruptions, a Rice University economist tells <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston" data-vars-content-id="ecb71111-7089-4201-aba3-f4e979a69c72" data-vars-headline="Houston&#x27;s energy industry looks to benefit from Iran war" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston" target="_self">Axios</a>, even as Houston-area consumers face pain at the pump. Why it matters: The region&#x27;s engineering and logistics expertise &quot;is set up to be able to flex ... and capitalize where possible on those shifts,&quot; says Kenneth Medlock, energy and resource economist at Rice&#x27;s Baker Institute. &quot;It&#x27;s why this region, economically, has been so vibrant for such a long time.&quot;

Judge Lina Hidalgo beefs with the Houston Rodeo

Hidalgo said she was "manhandled" by rodeo staff and security.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is beefing with Rodeo Houston officials after being kicked out of Tuesday night&#x27;s Megan Moroney concert for not having the proper credentials. Why it matters: In series of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Facebook posts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/LinaHidalgoTX" data-vars-content-id="befc6d34-ad45-46f8-b4ff-e80856ff2f0e" data-vars-headline="Judge Lina Hidalgo beefs with the Houston Rodeo" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/LinaHidalgoTX" target="_blank">Facebook posts</a> Tuesday and Wednesday, Hidalgo said she was &quot;manhandled&quot; by rodeo staff and security and questioned whether their response would be the same if she were a man.

Whitmire's Senate successor decries West Alabama plan

Sen. Molly Cook said the $28.5 million project could be a "once-in-a-generation chance" to change the street.

Community leaders say a shift in priorities at City Hall is causing unnecessary dangers and delays to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$28.5 million West Alabama Street rebuild" data-vars-click-url="https://montrosehtx.org/projects/w-alabama-improvement-project/" data-vars-content-id="1549d753-15ed-48ac-b338-1302aa7e5566" data-vars-headline="Whitmire&#x27;s Senate successor decries West Alabama plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://montrosehtx.org/projects/w-alabama-improvement-project/" target="_blank">$28.5 million West Alabama Street rebuild</a>. Why it matters: Mayor John Whitmire&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="unraveling of the previous administration&#x27;s transportation planning" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2025/08/12/houston-bike-lane-closure-update-austin-street" data-vars-content-id="1549d753-15ed-48ac-b338-1302aa7e5566" data-vars-headline="Whitmire&#x27;s Senate successor decries West Alabama plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2025/08/12/houston-bike-lane-closure-update-austin-street" target="_self">unraveling of the previous administration&#x27;s transportation planning</a> continues to receive blowback, now from his successor in the Texas Senate, Molly Cook (D-Houston).

Texas ranks low for new lung cancer cases but lags in survival rate, other metrics

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths.

Texas ranks better than most states when it comes to new lung cancer diagnoses but has room to improve, per the American Lung Association&#x27;s 2025 State of Lung Cancer <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer" data-vars-content-id="294969ca-25b9-4dfe-b964-4569acc8701a" data-vars-headline="Texas ranks low for new lung cancer cases but lags in survival rate, other metrics" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer" target="_blank">report</a>.Why it matters: Lung cancer is the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="leading cause" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/lung-cancer/about/key-statistics.html" data-vars-content-id="294969ca-25b9-4dfe-b964-4569acc8701a" data-vars-headline="Texas ranks low for new lung cancer cases but lags in survival rate, other metrics" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/lung-cancer/about/key-statistics.html" target="_blank">leading cause</a> of cancer deaths.

New high school to develop future health workers

A partnership between Memorial Hermann Health System and Aldine ISD launched its first class of ninth graders.

A fix to chronic health care worker shortages could be taking shape in some high schools nationwide, starting in Houston.Why it matters: Vocational programs immerse students as early as the ninth grade in local health systems, hoping to create a career path for a new generation of pharmacists, lab techs and nurses right out of high school.

Rice recipient of Biden's new cancer-fighting grant

Rice researchers are working to improve tumor removal for certain cancers.

Rice University is among eight institutions awarded new federal money for cancer research. The $18 million grant, spanning five years, will fund the development of a system to improve tumor removal accuracy for breast and head-and-neck cancers.Why it matters: President Joe Biden announced <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$150 million in federal awards" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/08/13/president-biden-visits-new-orleans-cancer-moonshot" data-vars-content-id="e40715bb-8c26-47cd-87ed-da09100c76fc" data-vars-headline="Rice recipient of Biden&#x27;s new cancer-fighting grant" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/08/13/president-biden-visits-new-orleans-cancer-moonshot" target="_self">$150 million in federal awards</a> this week as part of his cancer &quot;moonshot&quot; initiative, which aims to cut the cancer death rate in half by 2047.

New $1.6B hospital breaks ground on first Level I hospital outside TMC

Harris Health System hospital will be a Level 1 trauma center.

Harris Health System broke ground Thursday on a new, $1.6 billion, Level 1 trauma-capable hospital at the Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital campus after voters approved the bond last fall.Why it matters: The new hospital, expected to open in late 2028, is slated to be Houston&#x27;s first Level 1 trauma center outside the Texas Medical Center.

Houston advocates pressure city for sewage overflow funding

Local organizations are demanding the city create a $20 million private sewer pipe repair fund to help fix sewage overflows into homes and yards.

Local organizations are demanding the city create a $20 million private sewer pipe repair fund to help fix sewage overflows into homes and yards.Why it matters: The proposed fund aims to alleviate the burdens on low-income Black and brown communities, where <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="research" data-vars-click-url="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d929fa7db20143e3b84a7d7de041bf1c" data-vars-content-id="b2bd529e-8dc6-4d80-8f29-350084803e38" data-vars-headline="Houston advocates pressure city for sewage overflow funding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d929fa7db20143e3b84a7d7de041bf1c" target="_blank">research</a> has shown sewage overflows disproportionately persist, leading to health and lifestyle issues.

How hearing loss affects Harris County residents

The findings have important implications for public health officials.

Nearly 8% of Harris County residents — more than 367,000 people — experience at least mild <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hearing loss" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/03/07/americans-hearing-cdc-rural-urban-areas" data-vars-content-id="83958120-80b9-4cce-9367-52f4330967f5" data-vars-headline="How hearing loss affects Harris County residents" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/03/07/americans-hearing-cdc-rural-urban-areas" target="_self">hearing loss</a>, according to a recent study seeking to estimate the condition&#x27;s prevalence.Why it matters: The findings have important implications for public health officials, policymakers and more.

Syphilis cases surge in Houston

The city's public health department is treating the disease as an emergent outbreak issue.

Syphilis is surging in the Houston area, and the city&#x27;s public health department is treating the disease as an emergent outbreak issue.State of play: Syphilis cases in Texas have climbed, mirroring a national trend of cases rising to their <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="highest levels since the 1950s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/12/syphilis-cases-hit-70-year-high-during-pandemic" data-vars-content-id="2773a93e-92c9-44f1-a7a7-b2f3a5cea7db" data-vars-headline="Syphilis cases surge in Houston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/12/syphilis-cases-hit-70-year-high-during-pandemic" target="_self">highest levels since the 1950s</a>, per federal data.

Houston to face EPA crackdown on fine particle pollution

Air quality in Harris County, with its factories and petrochemical plants, does not meet the new standard.

The Environmental Protection Agency just tightened standards for tiny,<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" pervasive soot particles" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/03/07/epa-limits-emissions-trucks-vehicles" data-vars-content-id="daa34179-6430-4f39-9408-dfbf7f298ae8" data-vars-headline="Houston to face EPA crackdown on fine particle pollution" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/03/07/epa-limits-emissions-trucks-vehicles" target="_self"> pervasive soot particles</a> from construction sites, smokestacks, tailpipes, wildfires and other sources.Why it matters: Air quality in Harris County, with its factories and petrochemical plants, does not meet the revised standard, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per the EPA" data-vars-click-url="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-02/table_annual-pm25-county-design-values-2020-2022-for-web.pdf" data-vars-content-id="daa34179-6430-4f39-9408-dfbf7f298ae8" data-vars-headline="Houston to face EPA crackdown on fine particle pollution" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-02/table_annual-pm25-county-design-values-2020-2022-for-web.pdf" target="_blank">per the EPA</a>.

COVID, flu and allergies collide in Texas

A series of respiratory illnesses are making the rounds simultaneously this season.

Health

The germs that spread over the holidays are still making their rounds, leaving many illness-ridden Texans to wonder, &quot;Is it COVID, flu or allergies?&quot;Why it matters: Several respiratory illnesses are making the rounds simultaneously this season, including colds, flu, COVID and even <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="cedar fever" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2024/01/05/tips-for-dealing-cedar-fever-in-texas" data-vars-content-id="ed3e469b-547d-4a19-b54f-95a26e4e73fa" data-vars-headline="COVID, flu and allergies collide in Texas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2024/01/05/tips-for-dealing-cedar-fever-in-texas" target="_self">cedar fever</a>.

Texas Children’s will close its Centers for Children and Women

The centers primarily serve low-income families.

Texas Children&#x27;s Hospital is closing both of its Center for Children and Women locations, which primarily serve low-income families.Why it matters: The hospital said the news &quot;will not change&quot; coverage but pointed people to ways to find new providers, likely leaving patients from underserved communities in search of new health care options — at least in the short term.

Health 🩺

Houston's best hospitals to give birth, per U.S. News & World Report

Texas ranks low for new lung cancer cases but lags in survival rate, other metrics

Texas is one of most restrictive states for birth control access

Texas abortion ban tied to mental health declines

Texas tops U.S. in uninsured rate