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.
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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.
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higher education
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higher education
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Latest News
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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 -
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
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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 -
“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
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Texas bill to restrict abortion pills beefs up an existing legal tool for a new fight
HB 7, which passed the Legislature this month, allows private citizens to sue abortion pill providers and manufacturers, mirroring a 2021 law that allows private enforcement of abortion bans. Full Story
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![Misoprostol on the shelf at Parker Road Drug Store in Greenville, S.C., on June 13, 2024.]()
Credit: McKenzie Lange/The Greenville News via REUTERS -
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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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 -
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
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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 -
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 -
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
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Texas educators praise new school cellphone ban
The new state ban took effect on Sept. 1, and Texas’ more than 1,200 public school districts have adopted policies ranging from secure phone pouches to increased monitoring. Full Story
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![Students eat lunch without devices at Lago Vista High School on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 in Lago Vista, TX. HB 1481 passed during the special legislative session which requires schools to implement a policy prohibiting personal communication devices. Lago Vista has implemented a policy where students stow devices, primarily cell phones, in magnetically locked pouches that also block cell phone service, the devices can be unlocked in the event of an emergency as well as when the students exit the building using a wall mounted key near the building entrance. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Video of clash over gender-identity content in Texas A&M children’s lit class leads to firing, removals
After the video fueled outrage, a professor was fired and two college leaders removed from their administrative roles for approving content inconsistent with the course’s description. Full Story
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![The Texas A&M bell tower on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in College Station.]()
Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune -
Texas voters have mixed views on redistricting and Trump’s megabill, poll finds
The statewide survey found that more voters disapprove of the mid-decade redraw than support it, fueled by overwhelming opposition from independent and Democratic voters. Full Story
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![A map of Tarrnant County sits on State Rep. Chris Turner’s, D-Grand Prairie, desk in the house chamber in Austin on August 20, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for the Texas Tribune - More News