In the Panhandle, a conservative vision for higher education takes root at West Texas A&M
University president Walter Wendler’s plan to promote “Panhandle values” has conservatives cheering. But he’s not without critics. Full Story
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![President Dr. Walter V. Wendler speaks to the graduates during the West Texas A&M University Commencement program Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP increasingly considers push to close its primaries
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley has talked openly about targeting states like Texas that have open primaries to get a boost over Trump. Full Story
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![Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary election, in Conway, South Carolina on Jan. 28, 2024.]()
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National Democrats back Michelle Vallejo for 15th congressional district
The U.S. House Democratic campaign arm added Vallejo to its “Red to Blue” program, which supports promising candidates challenging Republican incumbents. Full Story
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![Democratic congressional candidate Michelle Vallejo for TX-15 speaks at a rally with former President Bill Clinton in Edinburg on Nov. 7, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: Sign up for The Texas Tribune’s Voting Help Desk
Try our new text messaging line that guides you through the voting process. Full Story
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West Texas A&M turned to leading conservatives to build out institute for “Panhandle values”
Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune suggest the new center is more closely aligned with influential conservative actors than publicly discussed. Full Story
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![Amarillo businessman Alex Fairly speaks to the crowd Saturday night after his endorsed candidate Cole Stanley won the Amarillo mayoral election in downtown Amarillo.]()
Credit: Michael Cuviello/Amarillo Globe-News via REUTERS -
Democrats Colin Allred, Roland Gutierrez show contrasts during U.S. Senate primary debate
During potentially their only primary debate, Gutierrez suggested Allred was pandering to Republicans, while Allred defended his bipartisanship as necessary to winning in GOP-dominated Texas. Full Story
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![Candidates running for the U.S. Senate in the Texas Democratic primary participate in a debate in Austin on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. From left: state Rep. Carl Sherman, D-DeSoto; U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas; and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP vice chair challenges Matt Rinaldi for party leadership
Dana Myers has been critical of the party’s ties to Defend Texas Liberty PAC, a hard-right group that’s been tied to white supremacists. Full Story
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![Former State Rep. Matt Rinaldi spoke to Tarrant county Tea Party supporters in Grapevine for an event called Spread the Red on Oct. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton could be deposed after Texas judge’s ruling in whistleblower lawsuit
The attorney general accused the judge of “recklessly disregarding legal precedent” after he attempted to end the long-running lawsuit from former staffers. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sits alone at the defense table during the morning of day nine of Paxton's impeachment trial in the Texas Senate on September 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Colin Allred looks to protect advantages in crowded race to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who is trailing Allred in money and polls, is positioning himself as the chief progressive in the race. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is one of the Democratic candidates for theU.S. Senate.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas attorney general requests transgender youths’ patient records from Georgia clinic
This is at least the second time Ken Paxton’s office has sought such records from an out-of-state provider since Texas banned transition-related care for kids. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Collin County Labor day picnic in Plano, Texas on Sept. 2, 2023, just days before his impeachment trial.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for the Texas Tribune -
Republican senator who voted to acquit Paxton wants Senate to consider reopening impeachment proceedings
The bombshell request by retiring state Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, comes after Paxton decided to stop fighting a whistleblower lawsuit whose claims factored into his impeachment trial. Full Story
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![State Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, sits on the floor during the afternoon session of Day 1 of the Ken Paxton impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas companies reported releasing 1 million pounds of excess pollution during recent cold snap
Called “upset” events, companies are required to tell the state when they emit pollution above what their permits allow. Full Story
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![A house in the Hillcrest neighborhood in Corpus on Feb. 7, 2022. Houses in this neighborhood have co-existed with oil refineries like Flint Hills for decades.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Hispanic and teen fertility rates increase after abortion restrictions
More than 16,000 babies were born in Texas in 2022 than in 2021, a new study from the University of Houston shows. Full Story
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![Over 100 people gather for an abortion rights rally at the federal courthouse in San Antonio on May 3, 2022, after a Supreme Court opinion draft that would overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked the night before.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for the Texas Tribune -
“Hold the line”: Republicans rally to Abbott’s defense in border standoff with Biden
From the Texas House to former President Donald Trump, Republicans around the country defended Gov. Greg Abbott’s challenges to the Biden administration's border policies. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott, displays SB 1900, one of six bills he signed during a border security bill signing session at the state capitol in Austin on June 8, 2023. The bills signed include SB 423, SB 602, SB 1133, SB 1403, SB 1484, and SB 1900. “Washington D.C. has failed to do its job to secure the border,” Abbott said. “As a result, Texas has had to take unprecedented steps in responding to the crisis caused by the Biden administration on the border, and in response the Texas legislature has stepped up to make sure that we will be able to more robustly respond.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Texans face a bigger burden than ever to pay rent, study finds
More than half of the state’s 4.2 million renters spend at least 30% of their income on rent and utilities, according to a Harvard University report. Full Story
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![The Mueller neighborhood in East Austin on Oct. 7, 2023.]()
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Texas could swap land in Boca Chica State Park with SpaceX
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to vote in March on a deal that environmental advocates, the Esto'k Gna Tribal Nation of Texas and local officials oppose. Full Story
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![SpaceX rockets at the launch pad at the Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. On Oct. 22, Elon Musk said via Twitter the Starship rocket would be ready for an orbital launch by next month.]()
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Why some Texas election leaders are scrambling to find more polling locations, machines and workers
A new law requires counties that allow residents to vote at any polling location to increase the number of locations. 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 -
Texas’ border standoff with feds continues, despite U.S. Supreme Court order
Texas officers are still erecting border wire and some Republicans are calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to defy the high court. Full Story
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![A Texas National Guard member walks past a line of buoys in Eagle Pass on Jan. 17, 2024. The U.S. Department of Justice, in a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court, stated that U.S. Border Patrol agents have been blocked off of a section of the border, accessible through Shelby Park.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
More Texans than ever before enrolled in ACA health plans in 2024, feds say
The final enrollment numbers, released Wednesday, touched off discussions over whether Texas should create its own marketplace exchange. Full Story
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![Medical assistant Alesia Bolden checks Nereyda Penaloza's vital signs during a visit to Women's Services at CommUnityCare, a federally qualified health center, Feb. 25, 2013, in Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa/The Texas Tribune -
Bidens invite Kate Cox, Dallas mom who sued to terminate pregnancy, to State of the Union address
The Supreme Court of Texas ruled against Cox’s lawsuit to block the state’s abortion ban. She traveled out of state to have an abortion. Full Story
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![Kate Cox of Dallas is asking a Travis Co. district judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the state abortion ban so she can terminate her pregnancy.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Kate Cox