What is "puffing"? Why North Texas drivers can be fined up to $500 for warming up their cars

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/24 12:25A Sergio Candido

Drivers across North Texas could face fines of up to $500 for a common winter habit known locally as "puffing," law enforcement officials and county authorities warn as temperatures drop this season. What is "puffing"? Puffing refers to the act...

Shelter from the storm: A list of warming centers, shelters across North Texas

NBC Dallas-Fort Worth (Local) 1/23 8:33A Alexis Garcia

As North Texas prepares for a winter storm this weekend, shelters across the area are opening to ensure people have a warm place to stay. The Texas Division of Emergency Management publishes a map of local shelters and seasonal relief centers....

Texas never more prepared for winter storm, Gov. Greg Abbott says

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/22 6:31A Steven Rosenbaum

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott met with leaders of multiple state agencies Thursday morning for a briefing on plans to prepare for and respond to the looming winter storm and sub-freezing temperatures. The meeting, at the State Operations Center in...

How to prevent home heating problems during a winter storm and avoid costly repairs, according to an...

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/22 3:47A Sergio Candido

With the first real cold blast of the season arriving, staying warm becomes a priority for families across North Texas. But that initial flip of the thermostat is also when many homeowners discover a problem they didn't know they had: a heater...

Mild Thursday for North Texas before rain, sleet, snow and extreme cold arrive

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/22 12:56A Michael Autovino

Thursday is the final quiet weather day ahead of an arctic blast, wintry precipitation and dangerously cold temperatures. North Texas is starting out cooler, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s with...

Rain before the winter storm: Showers taper off before drop in temperatures, sleet and ice to end...

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/21 12:45A Michael Autovino

North Texans are waking up to a few showers on Wednesday morning and milder temperatures. Expect the showers to linger for portions of the area, mainly in the morning before a front comes through,...

Texas House Democrats say they'll appeal $450,000+ fines for summer quorum break

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/20 9:58P S.E. Jenkins

Several Texas House Democrats have less than a month to appeal fines of over $9,000 each for leaving the state for two weeks over the summer to block a controversial redistricting plan , according to a letter from House Administration Committee...

Temperatures in the 60s, some showers possible ahead of cold front that brings wintry mix to North...

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/20 9:28A Michael Autovino

First Alert Weather Days are in place beginning on Friday and continuing through Monday due to wintry precipitation and dangerously cold temperatures. By Sunday, wind chills may reach the single...

Testimony ends in trial over officer's response to Uvalde school shooting

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/20 7:44A CBS Texas

Witness testimony ended Tuesday in the trial of a former Uvalde, Texas, school police officer accused of failing in his duty to stop a gunman in the critical first minutes of the 2022 Robb Elementary School attack , setting up the case to go to...

Deadline to pay Texas property taxes is Jan. 31, here's everything to know

NBC Dallas-Fort Worth (Local Beat) 1/19 7:25A Alexis Garcia

Heads up, homeowners, the deadline to pay for property taxes not already paid through escrow accounts or partial payment plans is Saturday, Jan. 31. Those who own property have until 11:59 p.m. to pay online, by phone, by mail, or in person to...

North Texas to stay chilly, breezy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day; wintry mix possible end of the...

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/19 5:31A Michael Autovino

Martin Luther King Day will be cool and breezy, as a cold front moves through North Texas. Temperatures will rise into the lower 50s, with feels-like highs staying in the 40s. Winds may gust up to 30...

What's at stake in the runoff election for an open Texas Senate seat in Tarrant County

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/18 2:55A Jack Fink

Early voting begins later this week in the runoff election for the open State Senate District 9 seat in Tarrant County. It's a race that pits Republican Leigh Wambsganss against Democrat Taylor Rehmet. Voting begins this Wednesday, Jan. 21, and...

James Talarico says electability is key in Democratic primary against Jasmine Crockett for Texas...

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/18 2:55A Jack Fink

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico told CBS News Texas that electability is the key issue in his race against Jasmine Crockett for their party's nomination. "I think that is the central question in this primary. Who can win in...

Senator Ted Cruz hopeful for free, fair elections in Venezuela after U.S. captures Maduro

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/18 2:54A Jack Fink

Senator Ted Cruz told CBS News Texas that he is hoping for free and fair elections in Venezuela. His comments came about two weeks after the U.S. military captured that country's president, Nicolas Maduro, in an overnight raid. Cruz and other...

Coldest air of the season arrived Sunday morning; temperatures to rebound into upper 50s, 60s in...

CBS Dallas-Fort Worth 1/18 2:15A Lauren Bostwick

The coldest air of the season officially arrived Sunday. The lows in the morning were in the teens and twenties thanks to radiational cooling that happened overnight. You'll need to grab a jacket...