TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

The University of Texas is rolling out new learning opportunities for non-UT students this semester. In addition to four massive open online courses — or MOOCs — it will have two synchronous massive online courses, or SMOCs.

Political contributors are ready and willing to give to candidates who can show them some reason — in a very competitive season — why they ought to contribute. But that's not as easy as it looks.

In rapidly growing Hidalgo County, officials who say the 2010 census dramatically undercounted the county’s population are seeking to influence the way its residents are counted in the future.

We’ve updated our campaign finance analyzer to cover all of the contributions to statewide officeholders and candidates during the three special sessions this summer.

The Texas Supreme Court could rule this month in a case that that is likely to weigh in on the rights of private-property owners whose lands are traversed by undocumented immigrants.

Oil and gas representatives, along with academics, gathered in Laredo this week to discuss the economic benefits of the drilling boom in the Eagle Ford Shale. But concerns over the environmental impact of the boom persist.

While Texas lawmakers this year failed to find the billions of dollars needed to address a transportation funding shortfall, Bexar, El Paso and Webb counties managed to win special approval to raise their vehicle registration fees.

We've added Texas' congressional delegation to our Ethics Explorer, an interactive tool to help educate citizens on the degree to which elected officials’ personal interests conflict with the public interest when passing bills and setting policy. 

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz continued to hit the road in Texas, promoting his plan to defund federal health reform. But while the message resonates with his grassroots supporters, it's getting little traction in Congress.