Diversity offices on college campuses will soon be illegal in Texas, as 30 new laws go into effect
Other new laws make changes to the tax code, criminal justice and health care systems. Full Story
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Ayden Runnels
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Ayden Runnels was a Dallas Press Club Foundation reporting fellow at the Tribune in 2023. Ayden was born in the Houston suburb of Clear Lake and speaks English and Arabic. They served as editor-in-chief of the North Texas Daily, the University of North Texas' student-run newspaper, and have worked on freelance projects for Newsweek and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Past Contributions
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![Students head to class on the second day of the semester at San Jacinto College's North Campus in Houston on Aug. 26, 2014.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
The number of Texas midwives is increasing — but advocates say the state needs more
The state agency that oversees midwives is trying to make it easier for women to join the profession, including lowering fees. Full Story
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![Nancy Pedroza, 27, who is pregnant, is supported by Nichollette Jones, her doula, and Ryan Morgan, 30, her partner and father to their unborn child, as she experiences contractions in a birthing tub, while laboring at the home of Pedroza's licensed midwife, Susan Taylor, where Pedroza plans to give birth, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Fort Worth, Texas,?U.S.,?April 7, 2020.]()
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McKinney state Rep. Frederick Frazier pleads no contest to charges he impersonated a public servant
Frazier was indicted in June 2022 on two charges of impersonating a public servant, a felony offense. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges as part of a plea agreement. Full Story
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![State Rep. Frederick Frazier, R-McKinney, on the House floor during Sine Die of the 88th Texas Legislative Session, at the Capitol in Austin, on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
More than two-thirds of Texas’ 30.3 million residents live in four largest metro areas
According to new Texas Demographic Center figures, the Austin region continues to grow at the fastest rate, but Fort Worth was the city that attracted the most new residents between 2020 and 2023. Full Story
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![Downtown Fort Worth.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Texas school board launches investigation into how a trans student was stripped of his role in musical
The Sherman school board also temporarily ended the superintendent oversight of its fine arts programs pending the results of the investigation. Full Story
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![Amy and Phillip Hightower sit with their son Max Hightower in a hotel in Denton on Nov. 9, 2023.]()
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After controversy, Texas school board says transgender student can sing in school musical
After Max Hightower scored a role in the seminal American musical, administrators changed their policy on performers’ gender. After backlash, the school board directed the school to produce the original version “Oklahoma!” — not a youth version that cut Hightower’s solo. Full Story
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![Max Hightower, 17, poses for a portrait in a hotel in Denton on Nov. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Do Texans have the “right to farm?” Voters will decide with Proposition 1.
Supporters of the amendment say it will protect farmers as the state’s largest cities continue to grow. Opponents suggest the amendment is too broad and ambiguous. Full Story
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![Plants and vegetables are seen in the community garden at the Catholic Charities Guadalupe Community Center in San Antonio, Texas on February 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Christopher Lee for The Texas Tribune -
5,000 Texas GM auto workers join nationwide strike
The factory in North Texas is considered one of General Motors’ most profitable. Full Story
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![The new GM logo on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Michigan on March 16, 2021.]()
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Why a North Texas suburban school district is opening a new health clinic for students on Medicaid
The new clinic met resistance from a vocal group of parents who raised concerns the district was overstepping its authority in caring for students. Full Story
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![Passing period at United South High School in Laredo.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
Amid anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, a North Texas college town hosts its third annual trans pride event
Home to the University of North Texas, organizers say Denton acts as a liberal enclave in the sprawling conservative suburbs in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Full Story
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![Lead singer of Nip Slip Bowie Brae, right, dances while rehearsing a song Oct. 4, 2023 in Denton. The band Nip Slip will headline Denton’s third annual Trans Pride festival.]()
Credit: Matt Iaia for The Texas Tribune