Texas
In Houston, what’s on voters’ minds ahead of the election?
With Election Day approaching, candidates up and down the ballot are making their final push to reach voters. CBS News Texas has been following the polls and covering political events all year long in a quest to find the Texas State of Mind.
But ultimately, it’s the people who matter and who will decide what happens. In an effort to get a better understanding of what voters across the Lone Star State will be thinking about as they cast their ballots, reporter Jason Allen and a CBS News Texas crew are spending the weeks leading up to the election traveling across the state, speaking to people from the Chihuahuan Desert to the Pineywoods.
Jason’s final stop on this road trip: Houston.
HOUSTON – For our final stop on our road trip, we decided to hit up the biggest city and second-largest metropolitan region in the state.
Jason and the crew visited two different events in sprawling Houston: a farmers market and the annual Korean Festival Houston. We found out pretty fast that no matter where Houstonians are originally from, they love that they’re here.
“We have the best diversity, we have some of the best southern hospitality here and we have some of the best food from around the world,” said one woman at the farmers market.
CBS News Texas
Another man at the farmers market, a business owner selling Bundt cakes, touted the city’s reputation as a melting pot.
“There’s so many different people,” he said. “That’s what I like about Houston.”
We heard similar responses from nearly everyone we spoke with during our 24 hours in the city. In fact, most of the people we spoke with struggled to name things they don’t like about Houston.
“I think Houstonians are enormously proud of being Houstonians,” said Bernice Kearney, a former television news director. “Houston people love being from Houston. They brag about it.”
Kearney, who has worked in both Houston and San Antonio, said there’s a resilience to all Texans that seems heightened in Houstonians.
“I think they’re battle-weary here. They’ve gone through so many storms, so many natural disaster-type things,” she said. “I’ve heard this a number of times, ‘Well we’re used to it. Well you just go and fix it up again and you just go and get back on that horse.’”
CBS News Texas
Even those who said life is pretty good for them had some issues on their mind ahead of the election.
“I would say, woman’s rights,” said one man at the Korean Festival. “Government doesn’t have the right to interfere with a woman’s choice or a doctor’s choice to get an abortion.”
“Parents want the best for their kids,” said another man at the farmers market. “And we invest more in new schools outside of the city proper. I’d love to see more investment in the center of cities in general for that level of education.”
Another woman said she’d like to see Houston become a more walkable city.
One woman who immigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo said, that despite feeling the pinch of rising prices, overall she feels grateful to be here.
“The way I think about it is there’s many people who don’t have what we have here in Texas,” she said.
CBS News Texas
This story is one of several CBS News Texas is releasing in the weeks leading up to the election, trying to find the Texas State of Mind. We asked every person we met on the road for their essential road trip song. Below is the playlist we put together of those recommendations.
An air quality alert issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for two of Texas’ most populous metro areas is advising residents against idling in drive-thru lanes due to elevated ozone levels.
Why It Matters
With a combined metropolitan population of over 10 million, the recommendation affects a significant portion of the state’s urban population.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that even short-term exposure to elevated ozone can lead to breathing difficulties, lung inflammation, and worsening of conditions such as asthma.
What To Know
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued Ozone Action Days for both the Dallas-Fort Worth and the San Antonio areas for Tuesday, an air quality alert published by the NWS said.
According to officials, atmospheric conditions were forecast to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone pollution.
“You can help prevent ozone pollution by sharing a ride, walking or riding a bicycle, taking your lunch to work, avoiding drive through lanes, conserving energy, and keeping your vehicle properly tuned,” the alert read.
Elsewhere, air quality alerts were also in effect for the western two-thirds of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities Metro, following previous alerts issued for the day prior.
“Mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures and low humidity will provide a favorable environment for two types of pollutants (volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides) to react with sunlight in the air to produce ground-level ozone,” the alerts for the state said.
“Ozone will remain elevated on Wednesday as sunny skies, warm temperatures and dry conditions persist.”
In the northeastern part of the state, an air quality alert had also been issued due to the ongoing Camp House, Jenkins Creek, and Munger Shaw fires, which had each burned over 1,000 acres as of Monday night. Smoke was expected to impact areas near and downwind of the blazes, with smoke being observed as far north as the Canadian border, the alert said.
What People Are Saying
AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham previously told Newsweek: “Ozone is a secondary pollutant, meaning it’s not emitted directly from sources but is formed through chemical reactions. These reactions require sunlight and higher temperatures, making warmer months more prone to ozone formation. When air is stagnant, pollutants don’t get dispersed, allowing ozone to build up to unhealthy levels.
“Ozone pollution is often more severe in urban areas where there are higher concentrations of pollutants from sources like cars, power plants, and industrial activities.”
Professor of pediatric respiratory and environmental medicine Jonathan Grigg, with Queen Mary, University of London, previously told Newsweek There are “very clear links” between inhaling particles and earlier death from both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Additionally, he added that conditions such as asthma are also exacerbated by exposure to air pollution.
What Happens Next
At the time of writing, Ozone Action Days for Texas were in effect through Tuesday. The next ozone action day, if required, would be issued by 3 p.m. Tuesday.
HOUSTON – If you’ve ever wanted to be on the front lines helping the community, why not consider a career as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)?
SEE ALSO: New, elegant shared office workspaces debut in Houston’s River Oaks
The National EMS Academy, a sister company of Acadian Ambulance, is cutting its training costs by a substantial amount.
Ordinarily, the tuition for its 12-week course is $1,600, but for a limited time is discounted to only $400 at all 5 Texas National EMS Academy’s campuses.
These include its Austin, Beaumont, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio locations.
After completing the course, Acadian Ambulance EMTS who train to become paramedics can get reimbursed for their training costs.
SEE ALSO: Texas has created more jobs than any other state in last year, data shows
And if you’re not looking to stay in one place, once you complete the course and pass the National Registry exam, you’re eligible to work at any of the Acadian Ambulance locations in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Registration is now open for classes starting on May 26.
To learn more about the National EMS Academy’s Texas program, visit their website by clicking here.
Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Texas A&M earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division I softball tournament on Sunday, edging four-time defending national champion Oklahoma for the top spot and leading seven Southeastern Conference teams seeded in the top eight.
Oklahoma won the SEC regular-season title by a game over Texas A&M in its first season in the conference. Texas A&M and Oklahoma tied for the conference tournament title after the championship game was canceled because of bad weather.
No. 3 seed Florida, a national semifinalist last season, and No. 4-seeded Arkansas also represent the SEC. Oklahoma State, which has made five consecutive Women’s College World Series appearances, is in the regional with Arkansas.
The final eight teams in the 64-team field will play in the WCWS from May 29 to June 5 in Oklahoma City.
No. 5 seed Florida State, the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season champion, is the top-seeded team from outside the SEC. The Seminoles won the national title in 2018 and were runners-up in 2021 and 2023.
Florida State is followed by three more SEC teams. Texas, the national runner-up two of the past three seasons, is the No. 6 seed. Tennessee, with hard-throwing Karlyn Pickens, is the No. 7 seed. South Carolina is the No. 8 seed after being picked 15th out of 15 teams in the preseason SEC poll.
No. 9 seed UCLA hosts a regional in its first season as a Big Ten member.
No. 10-seeded LSU could be challenged. Nebraska, led by former Oklahoma pitcher Jordyn Bahl, also will be in the Baton Rouge Regional. Bahl was the Most Outstanding Player of the World Series in 2023.
Clemson, the ACC tournament champion after knocking off Florida State in the title game, is the No. 11 seed.
No. 12 seed Texas Tech, the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion, features reigning National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Year NiJaree Canady. She did not allow a run in 16⅔ innings at the Big 12 Tournament and was named its Most Outstanding Player.
Arizona, which lost to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, earned the No. 13 seed.
Duke reached the WCWS for the first time last season, and it will host a regional this year as the No. 14 seed.
Another SEC team, Alabama, is the No. 15 seed.
Oregon, the Big Ten regular-season champion, is seeded 16th.
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