Texas saw the nation's sixth-highest voter turnout increase, but still lagged behind most other states

Between the general election results and the changing management of the Texas House — where Joe Straus is retiring and Dennis Bonnen is poised to be the next speaker — the state government is getting a reboot.

Law enforcement leaders say civil asset forfeiture is a necessary tool for fighting crime, but several lawmakers see it as a violation of Americans’ civil liberties. Texas legislators are poised to take up the issue once again in 2019.

More than 450 others were sexually abused, according to the Austin newspaper's investigation of the state's oversight of child care facilities. Gov. Greg Abbott's spokesman said lawmakers should address the issue next year.

State Reps. Carol Alvarado and Ana Hernandez, both Democrats, are the most well-known candidates running to replace former state Sen. Sylvia Garcia in a district that Hillary Clinton won in 2016 by 46 percentage points.

The Public Utility Commission is considering measures to ensure Texans don't lose power in the hot summer months. A plan generators are pushing would cost $4 billion — and lead to higher electric bills.

The super PAC, Texas Forever, was set up in a way so that it did not have to disclose its donor before Election Day.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments Thursday for Deanna Robinson's First Amendment case against the Hunt County Sheriff's Office. At issue is whether the sheriff's office was allowed to block her from its Facebook page.

Juan David Ortiz, an intelligence supervisor for the Border Patrol, was arrested in the pre-dawn hours Sept. 15 after local and state law enforcement say he allegedly murdered four Laredo-area sex workers.

The Texas Tribune hosted a conversation with state Reps. J.D. Sheffield, R-Gatesville, Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, and Dr. Stephanie Jones from the UT Southwestern Medical Center. The discussion was moderated by Tribune health and human services reporter Marissa Evans.