Some California companies have famously decamped for Texas. (Paging Elon Musk.) Now you can add Colorado to the mix, a new report shows.

Why it matters: Texas loves gobbling up companies from other states, especially ones that begin with the letter C.

• The new Colorado Chamber Foundation findings are leaving Coloradans fretting about the state's economic competitiveness and business environment.
• What's lost are well-paying jobs, community investments and talent.

By the numbers: Since 2019, at least 98 companies have relocated or skipped Colorado, including 27 in 2025 alone — costing the state at least 13,600 jobs.

• Texas — followed by California, Arizona and North Carolina — is the top destination for Colorado companies.

Case in point: Last year call center giant TTEC Holdings Inc., which employs over 50,000 people worldwide, moved its headquarters from suburban Denver to downtown Austin.

The big picture: The chamber began tracking the trend in 2019, just as Democrats took control over lawmaking and regulatory drafting.

• The chamber argues that burdensome regulations — particularly environmental and labor force restrictions — are increasingly driving companies out of state.

The other side: The administration of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, took issue with the report, saying it doesn't provide a full picture.

• The administration says that since 2019, 160 companies picked Colorado over other locations because of a job growth tax incentive program that is projected to create 42,767 net new jobs.

The intrigue: Denver was one of the places Gov. Greg Abbott ordered migrants be bused in 2023.

• But he has not courted Colorado companies the way he has California firms.

Will Hurd, the former Republican congressman from San Antonio, has joined Austin-based 3D construction firm Icon as it makes a push for more government contracts.

Why it matters: The firm is looking to diversify its revenue streams amid a housing market still slowed by high interest rates.

Driving the news: The company is announcing today the launch of Icon Prime, a dedicated defense and space tech business unit focused on deploying Icon's robotic construction systems for the U.S. military and NASA.

Between the lines: Hurd is the president of the new unit, leading strategy as Icon builds its government partnerships, the company is also announcing today.

• "The demand signal is through the roof," Hurd tells Axios about the need for inexpensive, rapidly scalable military housing.

By the numbers: To date, Icon has been awarded more than $360 million in government contracts, including for the construction of military barracks.

State of play: Since its founding in 2017, Icon has raised $551 million in investment. It has just over 250 employees, company officials tell Axios.

The intrigue: Hurd, a former intelligence officer who represented the sprawling 23rd District for three terms, has been a big critic of President Trump, even running briefly for president ahead of the 2024 election as a never-Trumper.

• "When it comes to making sure our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and guardians lay their head safely down each night ... that's not a bipartisan issue, it's a nonpartisan issue that everyone can get behind," Hurd tells Axios.

🏗️ Two towers planned for West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, each over 400 feet tall, have won Austin City Council approval, despite resistance from the University of Texas and neighbors. (Daily Texan)

Austin officials are considering clearing homeless encampments at 66 sites. (Austin American-Statesman 🔒)

🐮 Five people have been arrested in Williamson County in connection with the theft of 70 livestock. (KVUE)

🛑 Following opposition from Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Austin Transit Partnership, the entity in charge of building Austin's voter-approved light rail, has tabled a plan to lease downtown office space for $32 million for 7.5 years — and to furnish the space for $15 million. (KXAN)

🏀 Former Longhorns guard Rori Harmon was drafted by the Washington Mystics with the 34th pick in last night's WNBA draft. (247 Sports)

Texas ranks 41st in the country for girls' physical, academic and emotional well-being, per a new report from the Girl Scouts.

Why it matters: The findings point to a gender gap between boys and girls that only widens in adulthood, the organization says.

Stunning stats: Nationally, the number of girls who report feeling persistently sad or hopeless is nearly double that of boys, the report says.

• The report found that only 8% of girls in Texas get at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, putting the state in last place for physical activity compared with other states.
• Meanwhile, 76% of girls report watching TV or playing video games for over three hours a day.

Between the lines: Long screen time, societal pressure to be perfect, relatively low funding for programs that cater to girls and a shortage of safe spaces outside school just for girls could account for the findings, according to speakers at a recent event in Dallas unveiling the report.

Read the rest

Roughly 100 gallons of oil spilled from a tanker by 38th and Guadalupe streets yesterday, eventually making their way into Hemphill Creek, according to city of Austin officials.

Why it matters: The creek cuts through Adams-Hemphill Neighborhood Park and oil was spotted as far south as 30th Street, leaving an iridescent sheen in the water.

The bottom line: The oil company hired a remediation contractor to contain and clean up the spill, per the city's watershed protection department.