Texas judge temporarily blocks release of “unlawful” school accountability ratings
The ruling comes after dozens of school districts sued the Texas Education Agency, claiming the revised accountability system would hurt their ratings. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School students gather in the hallway outside of a classroom as they wait for a teacher between periods Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP chair stays silent on allies’ connections to antisemitic extremists
Matt Rinaldi has been defiant amid calls for him to cut ties with political ally Jonathan Stickland after meeting with white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Rinaldi is also accused of embracing antisemitic leaders of a new young Republicans organization. Full Story
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![Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi at a press conference on Aug. 30, 2021, amid talk about punishing House Democrats for breaking quorum.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Author Dan Egan talks with The Texas Tribune about phosphorus overuse and toxic algae blooms
Egan sat down with Tribune environmental reporter Alejandra Martinez to talk about his new book, “The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance,” which explains how overuse of phosphorus is impacting the environment. Full Story
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One of Texas’ oldest towns needs $200 million for upgrades. It’s asking voters to approve $44 million this fall.
The East Texas town is one of 218 local governments asking voters to approve new debt for repairs and upgrades to city infrastructure. Local leaders say inflation isn’t helping them keep up with capital needs. Full Story
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![Downtown Nacogdoches on October 3, 2022 in Nacogdoches.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Sheep graze on Texas solar farms as renewable energy companies embrace agriculture
The practice of using land for both agriculture and solar power generation, known as agrivoltaics, is becoming increasingly common in Texas and nationwide. Full Story
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![Sheep graze along a service road at the Enel solar farm Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Haskell County.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Relatives of Texans, Jewish and Muslim, remain trapped in Gaza
Two Texans — a Jewish man, a Muslim woman — want more support from the federal government to bring their loved ones home. Their families are stuck in a war zone, along with hundreds of other Americans. Full Story
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![Doron Katz Asher, center, and, from left, Raz, 4, and Aviv, 2 are still in hostage under Hamas militants.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Chen Dori-Roberts -
Texas’ top criminal court halts William Speer’s execution hours before he was scheduled to die
Speer has been on death row for decades after strangling another inmate at a Texas prison. The victim’s sister and faith leaders have both called on the parole board to halt the execution. Full Story
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![Interior of Death Chamber in Texas.]()
Credit: Jenevieve Robbins/Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Harris County’s voter roll errors — if left unexplained — could fuel claims of voter fraud
This isn’t the first time a state audit flagged such discrepancies. Last year, the state found similar inconsistencies when reviewing Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin counties’ 2020 elections. Full Story
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![A Harris County election worker carries in ballots and voting supplies from a polling location at NRG Arena Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Houston, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Texas high school principal cleared of child abuse charges after paddling student
The East Texas school leader was following school district policy — and state law — which allows for corporal punishment. Texas is one of 17 states that allows it, despite one Democrats efforts to ban the practice. Full Story
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![Students in class at Bowie High School in Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
These women want careers as truck drivers. They say they can’t get a job because of their gender.
The Dallas-based trucking company, Stevens Transport, said they do not discriminate against women and the complaint is based on a “misunderstanding.” Full Story
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![Ashli Streeter poses for a portrait on U.S. Route 190 in Killeen on Sept. 20, 2023.]()
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Texas House passes three immigration bills after contentious night of debate
Democrats fumed when Republicans tried to block more amendments on a bill that would create a new state crime for illegally crossing the border into Texas. Full Story
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![Asylum-seeking migrant families surrendered themselves to the U.S. Border Patrol, after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico, in Roma, Texas, on April 16, 2021.]()
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Texas House approves ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employers
Violations could bring a $50,000 fine under an amendment adopted Wednesday. The bill’s sponsor said the ban would be the strongest in the nation. Full Story
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![A man carries a sign protesting Houston Methodist Hospital's COVID-19 vaccine mandate outside Houston Methodist Hospital in Baytown on June 7, 2021. Employees who chose not to inoculate themselves by the hospital's Monday deadline faced suspension without pay and job termination, a policy criticized by the protesters as unfair and unauthorized.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Proposition 5 on Texas ballot would create new endowment for ‘emerging’ research universities
If approved, the new fund would provide tens of millions of dollars to the University of Houston, Texas Tech, Texas State University and University of North Texas. Full Story
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![University of Houston students back on campus in Houston Tuesday, September 5, 2017 after the labor day holiday and Tropical Storm Harvey.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Inaccessible private schools or underfunded public schools: Texas’ disabled students have few options with no change in sight
The few private schools that offer special education for disabled students have strict conditions and are clustered in metropolitan areas. Full Story
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![Two window decals are shown on Laurie Sharp's van on Sep. 9, 2023. The stickers reference Logan's wheelchair.]()
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Former oil executive withdraws application to build private dam on South Llano River
The withdrawn proposal would have allowed the dam’s owner to take nearly 4 million gallons from the South Llano River, the main water source for Kimble, Mason and Llano counties. Full Story
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![A golf course borders Cedar Creek, a tributary of the South Llano River, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in Junction.]()
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Why a Texas Panhandle city hit pause on a proposed abortion “travel ban” — for now
Amarillo's city council said it will continue to study the issue. The city is one of just a few in Texas to reject the policy pushed by anti-abortion activists. Full Story
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![Downtown Amarillo on June 28, 2021.]()
Credit: Madison Walker for The Texas Tribune -
Texas judge’s refusal to marry gay couples goes before state supreme court
Texas Supreme Court justices heard arguments Wednesday in the case of a Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples. It is unclear when the high court will issue a ruling. Full Story
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![Judge Dianne Hensley.]()
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Leader of anti-immigration group Texans for Strong Borders also runs anonymous, hate-filled social media accounts
Chris Russo has anonymously aligned himself with Nick Fuentes’ white supremacist movement on various social media platforms under the username “Optics Respecter.” Full Story
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![Nick Fuentes (middle) is seen exiting the offices of Pale Horse strategies with Chris Russo, founder and president of Texans for Strong Borders (right) in Fort Worth on Oct. 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for the Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans unite to elect Mike Johnson as U.S. House Speaker
All Texas Republicans in the U.S. House voted for Louisiana’s Mike Johnson to be speaker, ending a stalemate that has left the chamber leaderless for three weeks. Johnson is a deeply religious conservative who won the support of the party’s disparate factions. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-LA, speaks to reporters after securing the nomination for House speaker from the Republican conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 24, 2023.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott, House at impasse over school voucher bill as special session winds down
Vouchers are the governor’s top legislative priority. But he has signaled opposition to a proposed House compromise that would tie them to increased funding for public schools. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan listens to state Representatives on the House floor during Sine Die, the last day of the 88th Texas Legislative Session, at the Capitol in Austin on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune