dominique bids farewell

Houston's most popular TV anchor Dominique Sachse announces retirement after illustrious 28-year career

Sachse is retiring after nearly three decades at Channel 2.

Photo courtesy of Dominique Sachse

Since 1993, Dominique Sachse has been a familiar, welcoming face to Channel 2 viewers — starting as a traffic personality and quickly becoming the most recognized, beloved television presence in Houston.

Now, the Emmy-award winning journalist, anchor, and Youtube sensation will sign off for the last time during the 6 pm newscast on Friday, October 29, Channel 2 announced.

“Saying goodbye to a 28-year career in the TV news business is bittersweet,” Sachse tells CultureMap. “I have been blessed to work with such an esteemed group of colleagues and so fortunate to have been welcomed into the viewer’s home for as long as I have.”

“But sometimes it’s necessary for one chapter to end and another to begin. I am ready and eager for this next chapter in the form of more content creation and the soon-to-be release of my first book, Life Makeover - Embrace The Bold, Beautiful and Blessed You. I sincerely can’t thank the Houston community enough for their support.”

The Houston community has indeed supported Sachse, who skyrocketed to local fame after launching her career as a Metro Traffic reporter for a variety of stations, then a disc jockey at Mix 96.5, and later as a morning traffic reporter. After a successful anchor fill-in stint, Sachse was promoted to her anchor position.

She has been a fixture on the evening newscasts since the ’90s.

Notably, Sachse covered President George W. Bush’s inauguration in January 2001 and Pope John Paul II’s visit to Mexico City canonizing Juan Diego in 2002. In 2006, she presented a compelling series on inflammatory breast cancer, along with a phone bank to answer viewers’ questions and traveled to London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016 to cover the Olympics.

A true Houston success story, Sachse attended Memorial High School, and earned a radio/television journalism degree from the University of Houston. She received the “Outstanding Young Communications Alumna” and “Distinguished Alumni” awards from UH and was named 2002 and 2007′s “Best Television Personality” by the Houston Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, per her bio. Readers of the Houston Press and Houston Chronicle often named her their favorite or best newscaster/local personality.

Sachse is currently penning a book, Life Makeover: Embrace the Bold, Beautiful, and Blessed You, set to be released on April 5, 2022. Her wildly popular YouTube channel boasts 1.53 million subscribers.

Fans (and there are many) can keep up with the star at her site dominiquesachse.tv.

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family values

Houston ranks as 7th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child

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Raising a child is not an easy or inexpensive feat, but a new study has determined Houston parents have the 7th lowest childrearing costs in the country.

SmartAsset's latest report, "Cost of Raising a Child in Major U.S. Metros – 2026 Study," calculated year-over-year changes in the annual cost of raising a child (factoring in childcare, additional housing costs, food, transportation, medical costs and other necessities) in the 48 largest U.S. metro areas. MIT's Living Wage Calculator was used to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to that of a childless household with two working adults.

Childrearing costs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands have grown 3.37 percent since last year, totaling $22,605 for a family of three in 2026. That's only $737 more than what it took to raise a child in 2025, and it's $1,209 higher than what it took in 2024.

This is how SmartAsset broke down the annual cost for raising a child in the Houston area:

Cost of childcare: $10,265
Cost of food: $1,721
Other expenses: $10,619

Houston ranked 42nd in SmartAsset's national list of cities with the highest childrearing costs in 2026, making it the No. 7 most affordable U.S. metro.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in California topped the list with the highest childrearing costs in the U.S., at $43,171. The cost for raising a child in this California metro soared nearly 11 percent higher since last year.

Memphis, Tennessee ranked dead last as the most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child in 2026. Families will spend less than $20,000 to raise a child in Memphis, only 3.24 percent more than what was needed in 2025.

Raising a child in other Texas metros
It may come as no surprise that Austin is the most expensive place to raise a child in Texas, and it appeared as the 31st most expensive U.S. metro for families. Parents will spend nearly $25,000 to raise a child in the state's capital city, which is $703 higher than it was a year ago.

Two other Texas metros join Houston among the top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a family: San Antonio-New Braunfels (No. 3) and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (No. 10). Childrearing costs in San Antonio add up to $21,393 annually, and Dallas-Fort Worth parents will spend $23,340 to raise their children in 2026.

The top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Memphis, Tennessee ($19,922)
No. 2 – Nashville, Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee ($21,216)
No. 3 – San Antonio-New Braunfels ($21,393)
No. 4 – Birmingham, Alabama ($21,684)
No. 5 – Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, Virginia ($22,314)
No. 6 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia ($22,470)
No. 7 – Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ($22,605)
No. 8 – Richmond, Virginia ($22,658)
No. 9 – Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky ($23,270)
No. 10 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($23,340)

family smartasset reports livability houston pasadena the woodlands