Gov. Greg Abbott considering legislation to put Austin police under state control after budget cut
If passed, the legislative proposal could consolidate Austin's police department under the Texas Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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![Austin police officers gathered on Interstate 35 to remove protesters from the highway. May 31, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
After a teen's death, Texas cuts ties with a rural foster care facility, then gets a tongue-lashing from a federal judge
In the first day of a two-day hearing to evaluate progress the state has made toward resolving a long-running foster care lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Janis Jack excoriated Texas child welfare officials. Full Story
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![Heart Galleries — portraits of adoptable children — on display at the Child Protective Services office at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
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Analysis: Voting in Texas could be as easy as a trip to the grocery store
Some of the biggest private-sector companies in Texas adapted quickly to customer service during the pandemic. Unfortunately, they're not in charge of voting. Full Story
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![The Collin County Elections Department created a mock polling site to prepare poll workers for early voting beginning June 29. The polling site included newly added signs to inform voters and employees on how to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 during the voting process.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Report: Harris County’s bail reforms let more people out of jail before trial without raising risk of reoffending
Texas' most populous county changed its bail practices for misdemeanor defendants last year after a lengthy lawsuit challenging cash bail. Full Story
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![The Harris County Jail in Houston on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocks Harris County from sending mail-in ballot applications to all its voters
The Harris County Republican Party had sued to stop the county from sending the absentee ballot applications. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas A&M President Michael Young says he will retire May 31 to return to faculty
Young will continue as a faculty member for the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the Texas A&M School of Law, and take on a new role as the director of the Institute for Religious Liberties and International Affairs. Full Story
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![Texas A&M President Michael K. Young during a Texas Tribune event in 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Absent widespread testing, Texas schools have limited tools to prevent coronavirus spread
Coronavirus cases are inevitable as Texas schools reopen. The challenge for administrators will be preventing large-scale outbreaks. Full Story
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![Desks are spaced out in a classroom at Ott Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in San Antonio. The arrows on the floor indicate the direction for students to walk to control the flow of traffic through the classroom.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Privately built border wall will fail, engineering report says
The report, set to be filed in federal court this week, confirms reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that found portions of the wall were in danger of overturning if not fixed due to extensive erosion just months after it was built. Full Story
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![The private border wall in South Texas on Aug. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: With schools opening, Texas enters a critical two weeks of the pandemic
Texas is poised right now as it was in late April: COVID-19 numbers are moving in the right direction, and reopenings — schools this time — are underway. Everyone's hoping for a different result this time. Full Story
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![Tubing in New Braunfels on July 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Millions of Texans could be shielded from evictions under new Trump administration order
A previous federal order, which only protected renters in federally backed housing, expired in July. Full Story
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![A protester holds up a "stop evictions" sign outside the Harris County Courthouse in Houston on Aug. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Susan Rice condemns recent violence at protests, says she does not support defunding police
Speaking at The Texas Tribune Festival, Rice said she supported "reimagining the role of police" and reallocating funds to social and economic development in some cities. Full Story
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![Susan Rice at the The Texas Tribune Festival in 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Pandemic politics ripple through Texas races, forcing U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw to defend his coronavirus response
In Crenshaw's bid for reelection, the fight over masks and rhetoric has become particularly pitched, drawing in dozens of Houston-area doctors. Full Story
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Texans spent less going out to eat and drink, but more on home improvement as coronavirus cases peaked this summer
The state collected 5.6% less in sales tax revenue last month than in August 2019. The expiration of some federal relief aid could mean more decreases in coming months. Full Story
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![Comptroller Glenn Hegar discusses the Biennial Revenue Estimate for the 2020-21 biennium at the state Capitol on Jan. 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
With time running out, Texas abruptly launches a $15 million ad campaign chasing an accurate census count
After rejecting efforts to spend state money on outreach to help ensure an accurate census count, Republican leaders are now dipping into federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for a last-minute ad campaign. Full Story
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![United States Census 2020 mailers sent to Austin. Photographed on June 23, 2020.]()
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Texas coronavirus hospitalizations are at a two-month low, but school reopenings pose new risks
After a late July peak, the number of statewide coronavirus hospitalizations has fallen from about 11,000 per day to about 4,500. Children who are infected are less likely to be hospitalized. Full Story
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![Social distancing markers at the LBJ Student Center at Texas State University in San Marcos on August 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas mayors warn pandemic's effects on city budgets will linger for years
The temporary closure of businesses and high levels of unemployment due to the pandemic have caused sales tax revenues — which make up a significant portion of cities' budgets — to plummet. Full Story
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![Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner speaks with the media after arriving at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
“In survival mode”: How some evacuees are still dealing with the dual challenge of a hurricane and a recession
Many Southeast Texans were already struggling through a pandemic and its parallel recession. Then came Hurricane Laura and officials' evacuation orders. Full Story
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![Susan Collier and Donald Bass Jr. in what they described as their outdoor dining room.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
As the school year begins online, thousands of Texas students are being left out of virtual learning
One Central Texas superintendent estimated that up to 7,000 students in his district struggled to access virtual learning, and new iPads are not likely to arrive before October. In South Texas, students share computers, phones and spotty internet with siblings. Full Story
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![A Texas elementary school student works on a laptop.]()
Credit: Erich Schlegel for USA Today Network via REUTERS
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