Federal lawsuit wants Texas to put AC in all state prisons

A federal judge in Austin heard arguments in a lawsuit that seeks to put air conditioning in all Texas prisons. Advocates claim hundreds of inmates have died over the years because of temps that sometimes top 120 degrees.

Texas’ floating barrier in the Rio Grande can stay for now, appeals court says

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that the floating barrier Texas deployed in the Rio Grande last year to deter illegal migration could remain. The fight over the barrier is one of many broader, hard-fought legal and political battles over the state’s authority to control the flow of migrants at the border.

Bat boxes to be installed along I-35 in Austin

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is in the process of installing more than a dozen bat boxes at the Walnut Creek Bridge on I-35. The goal is to provide habitats for bats that live under bridges being demolished near Howard Lane and Wells Branch Parkway.