How new regulations impact abortion and birth control access in Texas
Despite clarifying legislation, abortion remains banned in Texas, except to save the life of the pregnant patient. Full Story
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![An exam room at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas in Austin, Texas on August 8, 2023.]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Public education advocates propose alternatives to STAAR test, push for more pathways for teachers
As Gov. Greg Abbott expands his special session agenda to include public education funding, some still take issue with the governor tying new money for teacher raises and school safety to a voucher program. Full Story
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Longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth won’t seek reelection
The chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee has held her seat since 1997. She was the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the U.S. House. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, Committee Ranking Member, questions Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas during a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2022.]()
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State Senate approves bill to spend $1.5 billion for border walls, more policing of Liberty County development
Along with the money to build more border barriers, Senate Bill 6 would devote $49 million to beef up law enforcement of the Colony Ridge development that’s become a target of far-right media. Full Story
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Sweeping ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employers heads to governor
The legislation, which Republican lawmakers have been trying to pass since 2021, offers no exceptions for doctors’ offices, clinics or other health facilities. Full Story
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![Protesters ralled against Houston Methodist Hospital's COVID-19 vaccine mandate outside the Baytown facility on June 7, 2021. Several employees who chose not to inoculate themselves worked their last shift Monday and will face job termination, a policy criticized by the protesters as unfair and unauthorized.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Facing enrollment declines, Texas Catholic schools are leading supporters of school vouchers
The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has been one of the staunchest voucher supporters, arguing it would increase access to religious education regardless of income level. Full Story
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![A classroom at Sacred Heart Parish School in Uvalde, on Aug. 14, 2022. The school is preparing for classes to begin the following day, a full month ahead of public schools in the Uvalde district.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott touts school voucher deal with House leaders, but others reluctant to say if bill will pass
A deal between the governor and House would be a breakthrough after months of talks. But whether they actually have a deal is unclear. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texans may approve billions for energy, water, parks and broadband on Nov. 7
At stake in next week’s constitutional amendment election is $13 billion in infrastructure spending. Supporters say it’s an opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime investment. Full Story
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![Pipes lie in a trench inside the Regency Apartment complex in Austin on Feb. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Defend Texas Liberty backs Brent Money in special election to replace Bryan Slaton
The far-right political action committee is getting involved in a critical special election for the Texas House, the first major test of its influence since its then-leader was spotted meeting with a prominent white supremacist. Full Story
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![Republicans Jill Dutton and Brent Money are running in a special election for state House District 2 seat, empty since former state Rep. Brian Slaton, R-Royse City, was expelled from the House.]()
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Texas is terrifying. Hollywood has noticed.
From “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” to “Friday the 13th,” Texas is an ideal landscape to shock and delight audiences and ghost hunters. Full Story
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![Two life-size horror movie dummies sit in front of a movie prop drink vending machine at We Slaughter BBQ on Oct. 27, 2023 in Bastrop. The roadside rest stop and tourist attraction, now restored, is one of several Central Texas locations where the 1974 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre was filmed.]()
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A public health response helped reduce fatal car wrecks in Texas. Can it do the same for gun deaths?
For the first time in a generation, Texans were more likely to die of gunshot wounds than car crashes in 2021. Experts worry a lack of research on the issue has hampered the search for solutions. Full Story
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![Austin police responds to a homicide incident in North Austin on the early hours on June 28, 2019. Police reported that officers nearby heard gunshots then found a crashed vehicle. Inside, Joseph Anthony Aguilar Campos was found dead and slumped over. Police believe there was a gun battle and later arrested and charged John Paul Rivera for homicide.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Oil and gas companies spill millions of gallons of wastewater in Texas
An exclusive Inside Climate News analysis found that companies have spilled nearly 150 million gallons of toxic, highly saline wastewater in Texas over the last decade. Full Story
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![Oil and gas lawyer Sarah Stogner visits Lake Boehmer in Pecos County where abandoned wells have brought produced water to the surface for decades. The Railroad Commission considers these water wells and therefore not under their jurisdiction.]()
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Federal judge orders immigration agents to stop removing Texas’ concertina wire on the border
Border Patrol agents have cut through the state’s wire to free migrants or take them into custody. Judge Alia Moses will hear arguments from Texas and the Biden administration next week to determine whether her temporary order will continue past Nov. 13. Full Story
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![Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, gather near a wire fence after crossing the Rio Bravo river with the intention of turning themselves in to the U.S. Border Patrol agents to request asylum, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., September 22, 2023.]()
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How Texas lawmakers are trying to deter illegal immigration and secure the border
Two Texas House members and an immigration lawyer sat down with Matthew Watkins, the Tribune’s managing editor of news and politics, to discuss the current state of Texas’ border and immigration bills that lawmakers are weighing during the special session. Full Story
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Texas to get four new maternal health research centers amid mortality crisis for moms
Texas continues to struggle with maternal mortality and morbidity, despite a decade of tracking and reviewing these cases. Four new research centers will pilot innovative solutions. Full Story
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![A school flag found at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley campus in Brownsville on Oct. 19, 2021.]()
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Attorney General Ken Paxton’s securities fraud trial set for April 15
The charges stem from accusations that in 2011 Paxton tried to solicit investors in a McKinney technology company without disclosing that it was paying him to promote its stock. The attorney general has pleaded not guilty. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on Oct. 26, 2021.]()
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“It’s hell”: Surge of Texas kids dying from gun violence carves canyons of grief through families
In 2012, around 100 Texans under 18 died of gunshot wounds. Last year, that number reached nearly 300. Full Story
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![Yosha Hamilton, the mother of 16-year-old Shane Hamilton, who was shot and killed outside of his family’s apartment in January, poses for a portrait with 3 of Shane’s brothers, Lionel Hamilton, 18, Markaven Washington, 15, and Sebashton Bryant, 10, in Baytown, Texas, U.S., on Saturday, August 19, 2023. In 2022, young people, defined as those younger than 25, accounted for 26 percent of firearm deaths across the state.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Private schools are ready to expand into smaller communities if Texas adopts voucher program
With rural Texas relatively underserved by private schools, the potential for expansion could play a role in the debate over whether to let families use taxpayer money to pay for private education. Full Story
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![A student's school supplies on the first day of in-person classes in Texas on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
In crowded field, Houston mayor's race centers on prominent Democrats Sheila Jackson Lee and John Whitmire
Jackson Lee has sought to rally her party’s base, vowing to stand up to “MAGA Republicans.” Whitmire has relied on a more bipartisan coalition while also defending his Democratic credentials. Full Story
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![Houston mayor candidates State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune | Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Cruise suspends self-driving car operations in Austin, nationwide
Austin officials said residents complained about the cars not operating properly. The company’s suspension follows the launch of a federal investigation into incidents with pedestrians in San Francisco. Full Story
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![Autonomous Cruise cars line up to leave the Cruise Depot in downtown Austin on Sept. 26, 2023. Cruise, a San Francisco-based autonomous car company, is one of several autonomous driving companies that test vehicles in Austin.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune
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