Texas

As of last year, Texas had 24 full-time, public virtual schools in operation serving nearly 62,200 students. In 2014, the state had only a few virtual schools and less than 5,000 students in them.

Some students say being disconnected from cellphones at school deprives them of an academic and socializing tool, while school officials have noticed improvements in academics and student behavior.

State and college technology leaders examined how to use artificial intelligence most effectively at the recent Texas Digital Government Summit in Austin. Off the shelf, one said, may not always be the best solution.

Some Texas parents are in an uproar at the idea their child wouldn’t have cellphone access at school, but the editorial board of the Weatherford Texas Democrat argues that their anger is misplaced, and unwarranted.

Two major Texas companies are partnering to develop a $1.2 billion hyperscale data center campus in Bosque County that will be the first U.S. data center to be co-located with an existing energy source.

The project, a collaboration between the North Central Texas Council of Governments' TXShare arm, the Alliance for Innovation and Civic Marketplace, provides an AI tech purchasing platform with already vetted vendors.

The center will be a two-story computer warehouse spread across 578,000 square feet of space, and it’s the first of four such structures, comprising a $1.44 billion campus being built by EdgeConneX.

As the federal government scales back support for public-sector cybersecurity, and services from MS-ISAC poised to end this fall, states and local governments move to defend themselves.

As three longtime North Texas university leaders prepare to step down this summer, they reflect on how higher education has bolstered the region’s workforce development, economy and cultural capital.

Gov. Greg Abbott has signed 10 tech bills recently, including the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act. In a statement, he addressed the possible federal moratorium on state AI regulations.

Legislation signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last week leaves it up to individual school districts to establish standards for storing cell phones during class and set discipline procedures for those who break the rules.

The University of Texas at San Antonio was supposed to have an administrative role in the new Texas Cyber Command, but it was written out of the final version of the bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Lawmakers have sent 10 pieces of legislation to the governor’s desk, including a House bill that refreshes the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act. If not signed or vetoed by June 22, they become law Sept. 1.

Personal data from more than a quarter-million Texas Department of Transportation reports was accessed improperly through a compromised account. It originated in Crash Records Information System documents.

In its fourth round of grants, the Texas Space Commission awarded $20.7 million in state funds to businesses and nonprofits, including one run by the family of Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

The University of Texas at San Antonio will build a $135 million command center that will work with Regional Security Operations Centers across the state to repair weaknesses in government systems and educate users.

The state is on course to stand up a taxpayer-funded nuclear power incentive fund, following a Texas Senate vote on Tuesday. If it passes, the proposal would dedicate an estimated $350 million toward development.

A workshop for energy and data center developers, state agencies and community leaders to discuss affected industries, power providers and policy and regulatory agencies is planned for Sept. 18.