Photo Courtesy of HBJ
By Paul Takahashi
The oil slump dominated headlines about Houston residential real estate in 2015.
Houston developers, homebuilders, Realtors and brokers watched nervously all year long as oil prices plummeted — Brent even reached 11-year lows.
Photo Courtesy of The Journal
By Stacey Glaesmann
Pearland resident Jimmy Aranda has commuted to his Dionisio Winery in downtown Houston for years. He built the Dionisio label up over the years by self-education, trial and error. The one thing he has always wanted to do is to move the winery to Pearland.
By Catherine Dominguez
The Woodlands community came together in May to defeat a $350 million road bond after many residents agreed the extension of Woodlands Parkway from FM 2978 to Texas 249 including in the bond project list would make traffic worse in the community.
Photo Courtesy of The Texas Tribune
By Patrick Svitek
Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign raised $20 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, an aide confirmed Wednesday evening.
The haul is Cruz’s biggest yet by far, bringing his fundraising total to more than $45 million since he launched his campaign. Cruz raised $12 million in the third quarter and $14 million in the first and second quarters combined.
Photo Courtesy of Culture Map
By Nicole Raney
At 58 stories and 685 feet tall, The Independent is poised to be the tallest building in Austin — and the tallest residential structure west of the Mississippi River.
As the start of construction approaches, many questions are surfacing about the new addition to the Austin skyline. When will it be complete? Why does it resemble a giant game of Jenga? (And from Houston, we ask, why do you get such a cool-looking skyscraper while we get cookie-cutter high-rises?)
Photo Courtesy of Culture Map
By Marcy de Luna
It’s still not too late to plan your New Year’s Eve celebration. From a 50,000-balloon drop to a fireworks spectacular, below are 12 top soirees to ring in the New Year, including festive fetes at three bustling nightlife hot spots, four happening hotel gatherings and five mammoth parties.
Photo Courtesy of ABC 13
Former New York Gov. George Pataki is telling supporters he’s ready to drop his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
He’s also alerting supporters and reporters to tune into a “special announcement” on television Tuesday night.
Photo Courtesy of HBJ
By Olivia Pulsinelli
More than 300 hotel rooms are planned for a new development near the Texas Medical Center, according to Colliers International Houston Inc.
Houston-based Medical Center Fannin OST Investments LP recently bought 7329 Fannin and 1803 Old Spanish Trail from Houston’s Dixon Financial Services Ltd. Tom Condon Jr. with Colliers’ Woodlands office represented the buyer, and Louis Smith with Houston-based SRC Properties represented the seller.
Photo Courtesy of The Fort Bend Star
Continuing a tradition he began in 2013, Rick Miller, State Representative District 26, presented to Dennis Parmer, Executive Director of the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation, the 2014 Sugar Land ornament that adorned the Texas House of Representatives Christmas tree in Austin.
By Stephen Green
The ballot order is set for the Democratic and Republican Party primaries to be March 1.
Primary election day will be held in 2016 on what’s known as Super Tuesday because of the large number of states that also have primaries that day. Candidates hope for a high ballot position because it tends to produce more votes in their favor, according to political scientists.
Photo Courtesy of The Villager
By Jay R. Jordan
While ringing in the New Year with a bang is on most Montgomery County residents’ minds, residents should be mindful of when and where they can shoot off fireworks.
By Michael Sudhalter
The City of Sugar Land announced that it will delay plans to complete the East Sugar Creek Drainage Project, in order to re-evaluate its options.
“We thoroughly studied every single one of the alternatives and found the most effective drainage impact for the most amount of people,” Sugar Land City Council member Bridget Yeung said at a community meeting last week.
Photo Courtesy of The Journal
By Stacey Glaesmann
House Bill 910, which goes into effect on January 1, changes some laws in Texas relating to openly carrying a holstered handgun.
The Bill, “Authorizes individuals to obtain a license to openly carry a handgun in the same places that allow the licensed carrying of a concealed handgun with some exceptions, “according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Photo Courtesy of HBJ
By Laura Furr
A recent study from Forbes ranked Houston as one of the cities “doing the most to address the U.S. housing shortage.”
According to the report, homebuilding across the country has declined by almost 25 percent from 2011 to 2015. The study looked at which cities were bucking that trend based on the number of newly permitted multifamily and single-family units going up in each city between 2011 and 2014. It then compared the number of new units as a percentage of each cities’ 2010 housing base.
Photo Courtesy of The Texas Tribune
By Abby Livingston
In 2015, Texans saw their once-powerful former governor reluctantly exit the political stage as their junior senator emerged as one of the savviest and most consequential Republican presidential candidates.
Photo Courtesy of Texas Tribune
By Aman Batheja
Most Texans got around this year the same way they have for decades: driving gas-guzzling cars along the state’s highways, often in traffic. But 2015 was also the year where Silicon Valley heavyweights like Uber, Tesla and Google challenged the status quo, and a private firm’s plan to build the country’s fastest high-speed rail line in Texas drew the passionate attention of the state Legislature.
By Annette Baird
Twelve year-old Bryce Willoughby‘s walk to see friends or to the bus stop from his home on the corner of Walnut Bend and Meadowglen in west Houston has presented challenges since he and his mom moved there six years ago.
He said sidewalks are broken off, they dead end and are generally in poor shape. In addition, he said there are no parks or outdoor spaces for kids to play or hang out.
