How this Texas elections official keeps the peace with right-wing voting activists
In the face of their suspicions and threats, Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia didn’t fight back. He welcomed them in and listened. Full Story
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![Election Administrator Heider Garcia speaks to members of the ballot board in the central count station of the Tarrant County Election Administration building in Fort Worth on November 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats admit to faltering on messaging and voter turnout, contributing to resounding midterm losses
Beto O’Rourke lost by double-digits on Tuesday night and so did every other statewide Democrat. That has left Democrats in a familiar position: wounded after a disappointing election night while contemplating their strategy and their future. Full Story
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![A woman watches the election results and waves a United States flag at the Beto O'Rourke election night headquarters event, on Nov. 8, 2022, in El Paso.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
In latest challenge to student loan forgiveness program, a Texas judge blocks Biden’s policy
A federal judge in North Texas has struck down the loan forgiveness program President Joe Biden unveiled in August, citing a failure to provide borrowers with an opportunity for public comment. Full Story
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![The Old Main building behind the Burleson Quadrangle at Baylor University in Waco on Dec. 23, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Crypto company that faces scrutiny from Texas regulators files for bankruptcy after competitor questioned its viability
FTX’s collapse came after customers raced to cash out their deposits when a major competitor questioned its viability and declined to buy the company in a bailout deal. Full Story
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![Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO and Founder of FTX, walks near the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, September 15, 2022. (Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.]()
Credit: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Texas avoided election violence. Advocates say voters still need more protection.
Citing thousands of complaints received throughout the midterm cycle, voter advocacy groups want the Texas Legislature to bolster voter protection and education measures, and revisit recently passed laws that empowered partisan poll watchers. Full Story
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![Signs and electioneers greet voters at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston, Tuesday Nov. 8, 2022. (Photo by Michael Stravato for the Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Republicans rebounded in some suburban counties that had been drifting blue
After seeing Democrats gain momentum in suburbs of Houston and Dallas, Republicans succeeded in reclaiming ground this election. But the GOP is still a long way from returning to pre-Trump support, even in ruby red counties. Full Story
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![Voters line up outside of the Hays County Independent School District Arnold Transportation Building voting center to cast their vote in the Texas General Elections on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Kyle.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
State agency proposes changes to power market aimed at averting mass blackouts
The proposal is aimed at making sure power providers and electricity generators have enough power on hand in case of increased demand. But it’s not clear how it would hold up in unexpected weather, an expert said. Full Story
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![Vistra Corp.’s Midlothian Power Plant opened its doors to media on October 15, 2021 to show the plant’s weatherization process. Energy providers like Vistra are preparing their plants for extreme weather conditions following the February winter storm Uri, which disrupted the Texas electric grid and led to the deaths of more than 200 people.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Tomikia LeGrande chosen as next Prairie View A&M University president
The announcement kicks off a required 21-day period before she can be formally appointed. If approved, LeGrande will take over at the end of the current academic year. Full Story
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![Tomikia P. LeGrande is the sole finalist to become the ninth President of Prairie View A&M University.]()
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Texas’ environmental regulators need to get tougher on polluters, group of lawmakers says
The group that reviews the effectiveness of state agencies recommended several changes to how the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality operates. Full Story
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![A view of the Texas Capitol from the extension building on June 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Texas voter turnout fell from 2018. It was still higher than other midterms.
In Texas, 45.7% of the 17.7 million registered voters cast ballots in the 2022 midterm election. That’s 7.3 percentage points lower than the state’s total turnout in 2018 but higher than in every other midterm election in the last 20 years. Full Story
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![Eliza Smarr and her son Mason, 8, wait in line to cast their ballots on Election Day at the Blue Mound City Hall in Blue Mound on November 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
High schoolers’ overdose deaths leave a Central Texas town grappling with the opioid crisis
The deaths at Hays Consolidated Independent School District have sparked heartbreak, anger and calls for action. Full Story
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![At Lehman High School in Kyle, Texas, a poster warns about the dangers of fentanyl. Four students in the Hays Consolidated Independent School District, south of Austin, died from fentanyl overdoses in July and August.]()
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No red wave, but Republicans continue inroads into long-Democratic South Texas
The GOP flipped only one of the three congressional seats it wanted this cycle. But the party made inroads down the ballot. Full Story
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![Supporters of Monica De La Cruz hold a campaign banner outside the Lark Community Center in McAllen on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas case could change adoption rules for Native American children, and undercut tribal rights
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the preferences Native American families and tribes are given under the Indian Child Welfare Act. Full Story
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![Organizers and activists rally as the Supreme Court hears a case that challenges the legality of the Indian Child Welfare Act on Nov. 9, 2022.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Photos: Election Day 2022 in Texas
Texas Tribune photographers spread out all over the state to document a momentous midterm election. Full Story
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![Voters are in line at the Lark Community Center in McAllen on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas executes Tracy Beatty for strangling mother to death
Beatty’s lawyers argued unsuccessfully that the 2003 Smith County murder didn’t qualify for the death penalty. Neither the Supreme Court nor Texas Gov. Greg Abbott intervened on Wednesday. Full Story
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![Huntsville, Texas: Exteriors of the Texas State Penitentiary “Walls Unit” August 20, 2020 in Huntsville, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Republicans narrowly increase their majorities in Texas Legislature
Republican incumbents are successfully defending their seats while the party appears to be making inroads in South Texas. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol in Austin on Aug. 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
“The fight goes on”: Families of Uvalde shooting victims hoped for change that didn’t come
The families of some of the 19 children killed at Robb Elementary rooted for Beto O’Rourke, hoping he would help change Texas gun laws. They left disappointed but determined to fight on. Full Story
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![Jerry Mata rubs his eyes after learning the news that Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to win the election at the Lunkers Bar and Grill watch party in Uvalde on Election Day Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wins tight race for reelection
GOP donors spent millions to unseat Hidalgo, a Democrat who leads the state’s most populous county, and take back a seat they lost four years ago. Republican Alexandra del Moral Mealer conceded the race Wednesday morning. Full Story
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![Houston, Texas: Judge Lina Hidalgo poses for a portrait outside of her office on May 13, 2020 in Houston, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Abortion helped Democrats across the U.S. hold off a “red wave.” Not in Texas.
In conservative Kansas and Kentucky, voters turned out in droves and crossed party lines to support abortion access. In Texas — where candidates, not issues, were on the ballot — there was no such surge in support. Full Story
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![Demonstrators march against the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which virtually bans abortion in the state of Texas, on June 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans against “critical race theory” win seats on the State Board of Education, strengthening its GOP majority
The board is responsible for dictating what Texas’ 5.5 million students are required to learn in the state’s public schools. Full Story
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![Linder Elementary School second grade students participate in Rosa Ramirez's class. They are studying the life of Martin Luther King Jr., and the significance of the upcoming holiday.]()
Credit: Miranda Lipton for The Texas Tribune