As 2022 comes to a close, KRLD revisits some of the biggest headlines and stories that have had an impact on Texas this year. From businesses making the move to the Lone Star state, to the unfortunate wildfires and August floods, to H-E-B opening new North Texas locations, KRLD covered it all.
Businesses relocate to Texas, home prices drop
It was an up-and-down year for the Texas economy. The airline industry started the year slow and struggled with staffing throughout 2022, and home sales reached significant peaks at the start of the year, but dropped as the fall wore on.
On the flip side, 16 companies relocated their headquarters to the Lone Star State this year and other Texas companies, like Texas Instruments and H-E-B, expanded.
Gov Abbott tries to combat the uptick in migrant crossings
This year saw thousands of attempted border crossings and arrests, along with one mass loss of life.
As we welcomed 2022, several thousand National Guard soldiers were stationed along the border as part of Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star. Abbott continues to blame the upswing in border crossings on President Biden's immigration policies, or what he says is a lack thereof. Many state lawmakers and communities along the border say they don't find it fair to expand their own resources to deal with the crossings.
Colleyville synagogue hostage situation grabs national attention
At the beginning on the year, a horrible incident happened in Colleyville that brought national attention. Shabbat services at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville the morning of Saturday, January 15th, started off normal, except for the fact that there was a small number of people in attendance due to COVID-19.
But that all changed at around 10 a.m., when 44-year-old Malik Akram tapped on a glass door posing as a homeless man. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker let him in and made him some tea.
But after Rabbi Cyton-Walker turned his back on the congregation during the live-streamed service, Akram pulled out a gun and took Rabbi Cytron-Walker and the three congregants in attendance hostage.
Nearly 400 individual wildfires occurred in Texas throughout 2022
This year, Texas saw an incredible number of wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres, left hundreds homeless, and cost one first responder their life.
The numbers are staggering - close to 400 individual fires occurred throughout Texas in 2022, with over 210,000 acres burned.
The biggest of the state's fires was the Eastland Complex fire about 100 miles west of Fort Worth. The large volunteer crew had to fight the enormous flames that overtook 54,000 acres.
Uvalde becomes the site of the worst school shooting in Texas history
Elementary school students in Uvalde were two days away from the end of the school year, instead, they were killed in the worst school shooting in Texas history.
On the morning of May 24th, an 18-year-old shot his grandmother, crashed a pickup in a ditch near Robb Elementary School, tossed his backpack over the school's fence, and started firing.
He entered the building through an unlocked door and barricaded himself in adjoining classrooms where he would kill a total of 19 young students and two teachers. 17 more people were injured. Ramos fired over 100 rounds.
Heavy rain in August caused historic flooding in the metroplex
North Texas spent much of the year dealing with a drought, but that all came to an end with the wettest August the Metroplex has ever seen. At least one person died in heavy rain and flash flooding August 23rd. Governor Greg Abbott said North Texas received more than nine inches of rain in just 24 hours.
The heavy rainfall left people stranded at several highway interchanges when they tried to drive through high water. One woman said she didn't realize how deep the water was until she pulled through it, stalled and water started coming into her car.
The United States Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
On June 24th there was a tectonic shift in law that is still quivering in the United States. The United States Supreme Court overturned 50 years of law when it threw out Roe v. Wade.
The nation had been waiting, and on a Friday morning, the Supreme Court's decision dropped. Demonstrations were immediate, from those who were outraged...to those overjoyed. Texas right to life hailed the ruling.
Even during the off-election cycle, the Texas political arena stays hot
Typically, In any election year there are plenty of highs and lows and 2022 was no different.
In November, voters headed to the polls to choose executive level elected officials, state legislators and all thirty-eight seats in the US House of Representatives.
But the race for Texas governor dominated headlines and airwaves. Another hot topic was the decriminalization of Marijuana in Denton which ultimately ended up being passed.
HEB expands to the DFW Metroplex
HEB has had an incredibly busy year as it continues to expand its grocery empire and gain more loyal followers in the northern part of the state.
One of the most popular grocery chains finally joined the DFW Metroplex this year after announcing several stores in the area in 2022.
The chain now has multiple locations in North Texas, and the company's also building stores in McKinney and Allen set to open next year. H-E-B has also announced plans to build a store in Mansfield.
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