A surge in oil and gas production has been a boon for the state's economy, but it has come at the expense of the safety of oilfield workers, who not only face physical injury but also long-term health issues like fibrotic lung disease. Full Story
State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, expected a tough fight in the GOP primary for Senate District 25. But instead, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, Wentworth has instead been tussling with a political newcomer who has broad Tea Party support. Full Story
A University of Texas at Austin professor who led a report that denied a link between fracking and groundwater contamination has come under scrutiny for not disclosing financial ties to the oil and gas industry. Full Story
A year after the Obama administration said it would prioritize resources on criminals when selecting which illegal immigrants to deport, the backlog in immigration courts has swelled to new highs in Texas and the nation as a whole. Full Story
With the July 31 runoff around the corner, the Democratic candidates in Congressional District 23 are busy rallying voters across the district. And the size of CD-23 is only adding to the challenges for Pete Gallego and Ciro Rodriguez. Full Story
An ad by a pro-David Dewhurst Super PAC features a Pennsylvania mother as it again hits Ted Cruz over his connection to the developer in the "kids for cash" scandal. Full Story
The Texas House Committee for Land and Resource Management heard testimony Monday regarding the use of eminent domain by oil and gas companies to build on private land for what they say is the public good. Full Story
On the first day of early voting in the July 31 primary runoffs, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz took part in their final televised debate of the election cycle. It wasn't your usual debate. Full Story
Your evening reading: Cruz, Dewhurst out with new ads ahead of third debate; Perry, Dewhurst dismiss gun restriction talk; Club for Growth throwing more money behind Cruz Full Story
Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz accused Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst of "false attacks" and "dishonesty" in a new 30-second TV ad released Monday — the first day of early voting in the U.S. Senate runoff. Full Story
There's no mention of his opponent in the latest ad from Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Instead, he touts his business credentials and says, "I don’t think President Obama understands business" or "the potential of the private sector." Full Story
Early voting began Monday morning for the July 31 runoff. Every vote counts in an election with low turnout. Unless maybe you're former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz. Ben Philpott reports for KUT News and the Texas Tribune. Full Story
The 2011 drought wreaked havoc on the state's trees, but according to a new report, few of them died directly from dehydration. Rather, trees weakened by the drought likely fell prey to a different culprit: diseases and insects. Full Story
Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, who has argued nine times before the U.S. Supreme Court, has made that work the cornerstone of his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Full Story
As the latest round of school finance litigation goes to trial this fall, it appears there is reason for optimism about the number of Texas students leaving high school with a diploma. But it's hard to know what's responsible for the success. Full Story
The debut of our go-to source for public education data, Aguilar on President Obama's fundraising pit stop in Texas, Batheja on attacks over honesty in the U.S. Senate race, Galbraith on the state's struggles to keep up with power demand, Hamilton on the seeds of tension between Ted Cruz and David Dewhurst, Luthra on efforts to preserve two El Paso smokestacks, Ramshaw on a controversial new tool in Medicaid fraud investigations, Root on the newly completed restoration of the Governor's Mansion and Tan's wrap-up of the most comprehensive look yet at the politics of reproductive health in Texas: The best of our best from July 16 to 20, 2012. Full Story
Your evening reading: Bush to skip Republican National Convention; new fundraising records show Cruz again leading Dewhurst; Sharpton to campaign with Garcia Full Story
Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz raised $523,000 in the first 11 days of July for his U.S. Senate race, more than triple the haul that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst reported for the same period, new disclosures show. Full Story
Texas added 12,900 nonfarming jobs last month, keeping the unemployment rate virtually the same as it was in May, according to statistics released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission. Full Story