Texas

Austin, Texas – September 19, 2026 -- Home energy company dcbel has launched its Ara Core Home Energy Station in Texas, a single system that connects solar panels, home batteries, the public grid and bidirectional EVs to give homeowners up to 85% energy independence and cut utility bills from day one.

Ara Core makes 100 decisions per second to manage power

The station uses an intelligent operating system called Orchestrate OS to decide, up to 100 times a second, whether to consume, store or sell energy. dcbel says this centralized routing cuts power losses and delivers up to 30% more efficiency than conventional, unintegrated home energy setups.

Papenburg, Germany – September 15, 2026 -- Carnival Cruise Line has opened bookings for Carnival Tropicale, the fifth and final ship in its Excel class, which will begin sailing from Galveston, Texas, on April 15, 2028.

The ship will carry the Star of Texas on its bow

Carnival Tropicale will offer four-, five-, six- and eight-day cruises from Galveston, connecting guests to destinations in Carnival's Paradise Collection, including Celebration Key, RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, Isla Tropicale and Puerta Maya, along with Caribbean ports like Progreso and Nassau.

Ben Clement, EVP of maritime and new builds at Carnival Cruise Line, said the ship will bring a new vacation option to Texas when it debuts in 2028, citing its dining, attractions and Caribbean, Bahamas and Mexico itineraries.

Austin, Texas – September 15, 2026 -- Early Bird registration is now open for the 2026 Austin Trail of Lights Fun Run, sponsored by Raising Cane's, with discounted tickets available for a limited time through Ticketbud.

The run returns to Zilker Park on Saturday, December 5

Participants of all ages can walk, jog, dash, or dance through the holiday light display before anyone else sees it. New this year, a rolling start lets runners pick any start time between 6 and 8 p.m., while faster racers can opt into the Runner's Start, launching at the 6 p.m. countdown alongside VIP registrants.