Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic upset the fragile child care industry, about a third of the state’s child care providers remain closed.
May 2023
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Texas public records loophole lets cities keep suicide reports from families of dead soldiers
Texas law allows officials to withhold police records if no one was convicted in a case. At least one city has used this rule to deny the release of suicide records. A new bill aims to close this loophole.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
In surprise move days after Allen mall shooting, Texas House panel OKs bill raising age to buy semi-automatic rifles
The legislation would raise the minimum age for purchasing certain firearms but likely wouldn’t have been a hindrance to the Allen gunman obtaining a weapon. The bill still faces an uphill climb in the Legislature.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Driver charged with manslaughter after running red light and killing eight pedestrians in Brownsville
Police said it’s still not known if the driver intentionally struck the crowd of immigrants waiting at a bus stop.
Posted in
Guns in Texas
Mass shooting timeline: 14 years of violence in Texas
Texas has seen nine mass shootings over the last 14 years while lawmakers have steadily loosened restrictions on carrying firearms.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
State Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns ahead of expulsion vote over inappropriate relationship with aide
The Royse City Republican had come under growing pressure to step down after an investigation determined he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 19-year-old woman on his staff.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Gov. Greg Abbott focuses on border security in first address since Allen and Brownsville tragedies
Abbott announced the deployment of new “Texas Tactical Border Force” units to El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley on Monday and Tuesday.
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Inside 30 years of former NFL player Kenny Hansmire’s troubled businesses
Politicians across the country have allocated millions to the National Child Identification Program. The company stands out as a success amid a decadeslong string of businesses plagued by legal and financial problems.
Posted in
Politics
For a Texan who wants to build bridges in Congress, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales has burned quite a few
The two-term Republican, criticized by his own party for breaking with the GOP on key votes, is not inclined to change his ways.
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
A former NFL player persuaded politicians that his child ID kits help find missing kids. There’s no evidence they do.
Texas is among at least 11 states that have agreed to distribute fingerprinting kits sold by Kenny Hansmire’s Waco-based National Child Identification Program. Some are spending millions even though similar kits are available for free.
