Faculty, advocacy groups fear Texas A&M firing threatens academic freedom
The firing happened over two years after Texas A&M stressed its support for academic freedom and amid a changing higher education landscape.
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Federal loopholes may have opened the door for sports betting alternatives that skirt Texas’ gambling ban
While the state's strict ban on gambling hasn’t changed, fast-growing daily fantasy sports and prediction market apps are giving Texans new ways to wager without leaving home.
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Latest News
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State Board of Education OKs Texas-heavy social studies plan, setting stage for clash over history lessons
Educators worry the plan will deemphasize topics like world geography, history and cultures. The board aims to vote on what specific content social studies lessons will include by next summer. Full Story
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![A school bus drives past the Texas Capitol Complex as State Board of Education members hold a meeting in the William B. Travis building on Nov. 17, 2023, in Austin.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Texas legislative committees will study freedom of speech on college campuses in wake of Charlie Kirk killing
The committees were made to honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and come as university faculty have come under online scrutiny. Full Story
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![A student walks through the Library Mall at the University of North Texas in Denton on March 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune
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Gov. Greg Abbott orders minors banned from THC products
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday called Abbott’s decision a pathway to full legalization of cannabis, including marijuana which is still federally illegal. Hemp-derived THC is legal. Full Story
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![THC products sit near the cash register in Hyde Park Market in Austin on May 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Democratic voters favor undeclared candidates O’Rourke and Crockett in hypothetical Senate primary, poll finds
The survey found many Texas voters are either undecided or would support candidates who haven’t actually entered the race. It also showed GOP Sen. John Cornyn leading Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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![Left: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday, January 6, 2025. Right: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn speaks with press after taking a tour of Camp East Montana, a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility that will be housing migrants, at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas on Monday, August 11, 2025.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune
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“Operation Lone Star 2.0”: DPS arresting thousands of undocumented immigrants across Texas to aid Trump’s mass deportation
The Department of Public Safety has shifted from Biden-era border enforcement to helping expel people from the country, a job once exclusively done by federal authorities. Full Story
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![DPS troopers return to their patrol route after making a traffic stop in southeast Austin on Aug. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Providing basic care to students does not violate Texas’ parental consent law, state guidance to schools says
The guidance comes in response to confusion over a new state law requiring schools to notify parents whenever students need health care services. Full Story
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![Students and teachers walk between classes at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Monday August, 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas drops lawsuit against doctor accused of illegally providing care to transgender youth
Dr. Hector Granados of El Paso said he wished AG Ken Paxton’s office had let him show he stopped providing gender-affirming care for youths before the law took effect. Full Story
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![Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Hector Granados speaks during an interview at his private practice in El Paso on Jan. 21, 2025.]()
Credit: AP Photo/Andres Leighton
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Texas State fires professor accused of trying to incite political violence in video
Thomas Alter is the second professor in the state to be terminated for allegedly violating university policy after a video was posted on social media. Full Story
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![Empty seats in the Alkek Teaching theatre on the first day of the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos on Aug. 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Republican U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell will not seek third term in Congress
The Houston-area Republican’s departure continues the drain of tenure from Texas’ GOP delegation, which was already poised to add several freshmen in the midterms. Full Story
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![Retiring U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Magnolia, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Running Out: Texas’ water crisis — and the path forward
A growing population, leaking pipes and changing climate threaten the state’s water supply. Texas lawmakers hope a $20 billion investment will help. Full Story
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![Jay Ornelas, El Paso County Water Improvement District Manager (left) and Ramon Tirres (right) in Clint, Texas on march 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune
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The cost of owning a home in Texas is on the rise, census shows
Despite efforts by Texas lawmakers to ease property tax bills, increases in expenses like insurance and utilities ate into that tax relief. Full Story
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![Homes in an East Austin neighborhood on Aug. 24, 2025.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
“This is going to be hard”: Texas public radio stations fighting to stay on the air after budget cuts
Thirty stations must figure out how to make up for the loss of at least $17.7 million in federal funding that came at the direction of the president without wearing out supporters. Full Story
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![Brad Burt reporter for Lubbock NPR or KTTZ sits at his desk in the studio Sept. 2, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas.]()
Credit: Jacob Lujan for The Texas Tribune -
Waco’s public radio station faces uncertainty after 25 years on the air
The radio station launched a last-ditch fundraising campaign to save the station, after cuts from both Baylor University and Congress. Full Story
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![KWBU reporter Molly-Jo Tilton interviews Risher Smith-Gilbert (left) and Andrea La Valleur-Purvis (right) on Thursday at Art Center Waco for an upcoming show on KWBU.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel/The Waco Bridge/CatchLight Local/Report for America
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Texas solar program left in limbo after Trump administration pulls the plug on $250 million grant
Texas’ Solar for All program was intended to bring solar panels and batteries to low-income neighborhoods and create jobs by training workers to install the technology. Full Story
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![An Oberon solar project on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Notrees, Ector County. The farm, operated by 174 Power Global, produces 180 megawatts of power and according to Chariot Energy has an estimated lifespan of 25 to 30 years.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas A&M professor fired after viral video disputes termination
An attorney for Melissa McCoul, seen in a video clashing with a student over gender-identity content in her class, said the professor is weighing her legal options. Full Story
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![The Academic Building at Texas A&M University in College Station on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025.]()
Credit: Adriano Espinosa for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Texas is replacing the STAAR test
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Tribune reporter Sneha Dey and the Commit Partnership’s Bridget Worley about the changes to the state’s standardized test. Full Story
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![Austin Voices for Education and Youth hosts a summer camp at the Dobie Middle School for students that attend three Austin ISD schools at risk of closure, on July 23, 2025.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune
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Deb Haaland, Joan Huffman and Jake Tapper join this year’s TribFest lineup
The history-making former interior secretary, Houston’s longtime state senator and CNN’s lead DC anchor join us in Austin this November Full Story
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Some of Texas’ highest-paid charter superintendents run some of its lowest-performing districts
Three Texas charter school districts underreported compensation paid to top leaders. They also recently had failing or near-failing performance ratings. Full Story
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![A stack of schoolwork rubber-stamped with “D” and “F” grades, mixed together with $100 bills.]()
Credit: Lauren Crow for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Texas lawmakers limit use of parent-child reunification therapy in custody battles
Opponents of reunification therapy say it can psychologically harm children, while supporters say it’s unnatural for children to reject parents. Full Story
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![Tiffanie O'Brien, right)=, looks toward her daughter, Abbey, as they sit in their neighbor’s home near Lake Austin on Aug. 8, 2025. Both women testified in favor of banning reunification therapy, a form of court ordered family therapy that Abbey started going into her final year of high school in 2024. Abbey and her mom were separated for several months without a way to communicate with one another so that Abbey could spend time with her dad.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett for The Texas Tribune - More News