The housing market appears to be cooling in North Texas, but home prices are climbing in towns that were once considered to be way out in the boonies, per an Axios analysis of Zillow data.

Why it matters: People who were priced out during the pandemic may have more options now, but they will likely have to compromise on features, location and mortgage payments.

The big picture: The demand for houses outpaced supply at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hype around the housing market, paired with supply chain disruptions, drove up prices even more, per a Dallas Fed analysis.

Zoom in: Zillow data shows that average home prices decreased across North Texas between July and October.

• Homes in ZIP code 75226, which includes Deep Ellum, saw the biggest drop in prices compared with other North Texas ZIP codes.
• The average price in the same ZIP code in October was around $331,000 — 5.4% lower than in July.

Yes, but: Houses in areas like Dallas, Plano and Allen remain pricey, posing a disadvantage for middle- and low-class families looking to replace their rent payments with a mortgage.

Meanwhile: Cities outside North Texas, where land is cheaper, experienced a spike in their average home price between July and October.

• The largest increases west of North Texas were in Crafton, between Fort Worth and Wichita Falls. The typical home price was $337,000 — almost 5% higher than in July.
• In the northeast, the largest price hike was near Commerce in Flat Prairie and Ladonia, where the typical home price increased by 5.5% to $146,000 between July and October.

Go deeper: Browse our interactive graphic to see how prices have changed in your ZIP code.

The Dallas Central Appraisal District's online functions remain down a month after a ransomware attack shut down its systems, email, website and servers.

Driving the news: The Travis Central Appraisal District was hit with a separate ransomware attack that shut down an online chat and phone lines this week, per the Austin American-Statesman. 

• Unlike in Dallas, the Travis County attack didn't affect property tax bills or the appraisal district's website. 

Why it matters: Federal government officials have called ransomware a worsening problem. The Treasury Department reported last month that suspected payments to ransomware gangs have skyrocketed, totaling an estimated $1.2 billion in 2021.

Catch up fast: The DCAD ransomware attack on Nov. 8 has caused tax bill delays for thousands of property owners in Dallas County.

• County officials reported the attack the next day to the City of Dallas IT department, which reviewed the city's servers and updated firewalls, per a memo. The city's systems were unaffected.

Flashback: Other local government agencies have been hit by ransomware attacks, including a cyberattack to the Mansfield school district's website, email and phone systems in August, per FOX4. 

• More than two dozen Texas school districts, including many in the Dallas area, were targeted by ransomware attacks between 2019 and 2021, per a WFAA investigation.

What's next: A limited DCAD website is expected to launch Dec. 14, giving the public access to some searches and forms. 

The chief executives of America's biggest companies have downgraded their view of the economy — though not to recessionary gloom.

Why it matters: CEO plans for hiring and capital spending are more consistent with a slowdown than outright contraction, Axios' Courtenay Brown and Neil Irwin report.

Zoom in: PepsiCo plans to lay off hundreds of workers in its corporate offices, including at the Plano location, per the Wall Street Journal.

• The company reported better-than-expected revenue and profit in the third quarter this year. But some parts of the business, including Plano-based Frito-Lay North America, were shrinking.

By the numbers: The new Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook declined 11 points from last quarter — continuing the steady slide of every quarter this year.

• When 142 CEOs of major U.S. companies were surveyed in late November, they reported relatively healthy plans for sales growth, hiring and capital spending.
• But those expectations had notably cooled from last year's nosebleed levels. Forty percent of CEOs expect to increase employment at their firms within the next six months. This time last year, 77% planned to do so.

🗳 Gov. Greg Abbott nominated retiring state Sen. Jane Nelson of Flower Mound to succeed John Scott, Texas' top elections official, who is stepping down at the end of the year. (Texas Tribune)

🏈 TCU quarterback Max Duggan is a finalist for the 2022 Heisman Trophy. (The Athletic)

🚁 Fort Worth-based Bell Textron was awarded the contract to build the U.S. Army's next-generation helicopter, replacing the Black Hawk. (Reuters)

🦠 Dallas County reported its first pediatric flu death this season. (CBS11)

⚖️ A Trump-appointed federal judge in North Texas ordered Dallas-based Southwest Airlines to reinstate a flight attendant who says she was unfairly fired for her anti-abortion views. (DMN)

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Dallas and the rest of the world showed Bad Bunny a lot of love on Spotify this past year.

Driving the news: Spotify Wrapped reveals the top songs, artists and podcast listening trends at the end of every year, and this year Bad Bunny was the most-streamed artist globally.

The intrigue: The Puerto Rican rapper is the first artist to earn Spotify's top spot globally for three years in a row, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.

Zoom in: Drake, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Kanye West were the other most streamed Spotify artists in Dallas.

• "As It Was" by Harry Styles was our most streamed song, and rap was our top genre.
• "Tití Me Preguntó," Dallas' fourth most streamed song, was also a pet parrot favorite.

Go deeper: Go to the Spotify app on your phone, click "Search" and then click "2022 Wrapped" to get your music roundup of the year.