The number of migrant children in Texas shelters dropped dramatically in 2019
For the sixth month in a row, the number of migrant children in Texas shelters decreased in November. Full Story
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![Southwest Key National Headquarters located in Austin on Oct. 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
The Dennis Bonnen recording is out. Here's what you need to know.
A just-released recording of a June 12 meeting between House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan could have major implications for the House and Texas Republicans, who are trying to fend off bullish Democrats from potentially flipping the lower chamber in 2020. Full Story
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![Opening Day of the 86th session of the Texas Legislature with action in the Texas House
Election of Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, by unanimous vote.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Death toll in Midland-Odessa mass shooting climbs to eight, including the shooter
Officials say the shooting began with a traffic stop in which the gunman shot a state trooper. Police say the gunman acted alone and was shot to death outside a crowded movie theater. Full Story
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![From left: Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerkeand Gov. Greg Abbot take questions from reporters at a press conference on the University of Texas Permian Basin campus in Odessa on Sunday, September 1, 2019, one day after a mass shooting.]()
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Castro, Sanders court Muslim vote in Houston
They were the only presidential candidates who showed up Saturday for the Islamic Society of North America's annual convention. Full Story
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![Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro speaks at a presidential candidate forum in Houston on Saturday, Aug. 31 as part of the annual Islamic Society of North America convention.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Speaker saga, school scores and a gubernatorial misstep
On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Jolie, Aliyya and Alex about Texas’ latest school accountability ratings, the ongoing House speaker saga and a gubernatorial fundraising letter that went out the day before the El Paso massacre. Full Story
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![From left: Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa: Sullivan/Bob Daemmrich: Bonnen -
Analysis: Dumping Texas voters’ favorite shortcut might hurt down-ballot candidates — and Democrats
Straight-ticket voting helped candidates down-ballot in 2018, and according to a new study, it helped Democrats, too. But that method of voting will go away in 2020. Full Story
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![A voter walks into the Howson Branch Library in Austin on the last day of early voting in Travis County.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says “mistakes were made” in his fundraising letter before the El Paso shooting
The governor’s comments come after reports emerged of a two-page fundraising mailer that warned of a liberal plan to "to transform Texas — and our entire country — through illegal immigration." Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott meets with El Paso area state legislators on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019, four days after a mass murderer killed 22 people at a WalMart in El Paso.]()
Credit: Jesus Rosales for The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: Meet our newest board members
We're so pleased to welcome six distinguished new directors to The Texas Tribune's board: an ambassador, an education secretary, a superlative journalist, a tech visionary, an investor with big public media cred and a nonprofit stalwart. Full Story
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![Clockwise from top left: Educational Programs Inspiring Communities, Inc. Founder and Executive Director Jane Borochoff; Center for Investigative Reporting Editor-in-Chief Matt Thompson; the Honorable Tony Garza; President and CEO of Texas 2036 Margaret Spellings; independent investor John Chao; and Irving Group President and CEO Larry Irving.]()
Credit: Images via Board Members -
Trump administration announces rollback of Obama-era methane regulations
The unwinding of requirements that oil and gas companies tamp down on climate-warming methane leaks has big implications for Texas, the nation's petroleum king. Full Story
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![A gas flare burns bright on a production site northeast of Andrews, Texas.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
For those with autism and other disabilities, new law could prevent miscommunication with police
“The officer will know prior to approaching the vehicle that this person might have a challenge speaking with him," says Jennifer Allen, whose son is the namesake of the Samuel Allen Law. Full Story
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![A Dallas police car on patrol.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
Julián Castro shifted the Democratic conversation about immigration reform. Can it help his bid?
A proposal to decriminalize unauthorized border crossings has become a hallmark of Julián Castro’s presidential campaign, and many of the other Democratic candidates have jumped on board. But it hasn’t helped his campaign gain much steam. Full Story
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![Julian Castro, the former Mayor of San Antonio and the former Director of House and Urban Development announced Saturday January 12, 2019 that he is a candidate for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. Castro made the announcement in Guadalupe Plaza in the San Antonio neighborhood he grew up in and still lives in.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
820 new Texas laws go into effect in September. Here are some that might affect you.
The laws include new rules for smokers, telemarketers and kids selling lemonade. Full Story
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![Texas State Capitol on Jan. 8, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
‘Take the land’: President Trump wants a border wall. He wants it black. And he wants it by Election Day.
So far, federal agencies have managed to erect about 60 miles of replacement barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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![A segment of the border fence in the Rio Grande Valley.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
El Paso shooting suspect said he ordered his AK-47 and ammo from overseas
The white suspect in the racist massacre told El Paso police he bought the gun from Romania and picked it up at a Dallas-area store. Experts say guns imported from overseas are often cheaper than those from the U.S. Full Story
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Analysis: Release the recording already, and show everybody who’s lying
After a month of allegations and denials about a political meeting between a conservative activist, the speaker of the Texas House and a committee chairman, there's still a missing link: proof. There's a recording of the meeting, but the activist who taped it won't share it with the public. Full Story
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![Michael Quinn Sullivan of Empower Texans speaks at a conservative grassroots rally for property tax relief and reform at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Brass knuckles and other self-defense items will be legal in Texas starting Sept. 1
House Bill 446, authored by state Rep. Joe Moody, lifts a ban on brass knuckles and similar self-defense items. Full Story
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After tragedy in El Paso, a special visa could be available to some survivors
The special permit, referred to as a U visa, was created by Congress specifically for victims of certain crimes who could help with criminal investigations. But petitioners must follow a lengthy, bureaucratic process to apply. Full Story
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![People place flowers at the site of a mass shooting where 20 people lost their lives at a Walmart in El Paso, on August 4, 2019.]()
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Texas lets struggling schools partner with nonprofits or charters for improvement. But many got Fs this year.
Four public schools being run by private organizations under a partnership must drastically improve their state ratings over the next couple of years or else face forced closure. Full Story
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![Kate Yetter teaches 5th grade writing at Ogden Elementary in San Antonio. On the left is Amaya'Jaslene Jones and on the right is Ignacio Romo (cq). Bexar County's school districts are among the most segregated in the state, with boundary lines historically drawn to consolidate resources. San Antonio ISD is working to create more socioeconomic and racial diversity through public school choice measures.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Snubbed by Texas lawmakers, local officials look to children for help to avoid a census undercount
Hoping to avoid an undercount of thousands of Hispanic and black Texans, Dallas, Harris and Hidalgo counties believe getting children engaged can bring families to participate in the 2020 census. Full Story
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![High school students between classes in the hallway at the high school in Buffalo on March 28, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott selects former appeals court judge Jane Bland for Texas Supreme Court
Bland lost her Houston appeals court seat in the November 2018 election. Full Story
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![Justice Jane Bland.]()
Credit: Image via The University of Texas at Austin School of Law