Fewer Texans sentenced to death, executed amid “evolving standards of decency”
Texas continues to lead other states on capital punishment. But the decline in new death sentences and executions reached a record low. Full Story
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Ayden Runnels is the afternoon/evening reporter. Previously, they were a breaking news reporter for the Las Vegas Sun. A graduate of the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas, Ayden was a Dallas Press Club Foundation reporting fellow at the Tribune in 2023. They were born in the Houston suburb of Clear Lake and speak English and Arabic. They served as editor-in-chief of the North Texas Daily, UNT's student-run newspaper, and have worked on freelance projects for Newsweek and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Latest Contributions
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![Protesters unload signs and speakers outside of the Huntsville Unit shortly before a scheduled execution in Huntsville on October 17, 2024.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for the Texas Tribunne -
Ken Paxton files second lawsuit against TikTok for exposing minors to explicit content
The attorney general argues that the social media company violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by listing itself as appropriate for children. Full Story
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![The TikTok logo outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, California, on Sept. 15, 2020.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott directs DPS to bolster anti-terrorism efforts after New Orleans attack
The governor is calling for an expansion of in-state anti-terrorism programs and an increase in federal partnerships. Full Story
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![Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Harris County law enforcement officials surround a residence in an armored vehicle in north Houston, on Jan. 1, 2025.]()
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Joint Base San Antonio tightens security after Army vet, Green Beret suspected in unrelated New Year’s attacks
After separate attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, officials ordered the suspension of the Trusted Traveler policy. Full Story
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![Front view of the Chapman Training Annex, a part of Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland, in San Antonio on Aug. 17, 2024.]()
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Why were border wall materials put up for auction? Here's what you should know.
Some Texas lawmakers including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick slammed the Biden administration over the auction of wall materials. But the sale was directed by Congress — and Texas has already bought some of it. Full Story
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![Building supplies and construction equipment sit along a section of state border wall Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, outside of Del Rio.]()
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Texas school districts asked to return $16 million in federal funding for special education services
The request comes after an audit found Texas improperly billed the federal government for reimbursements related to Medicaid-eligible students. Full Story
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![Students backpacks hang off the back of their chairs in an empty classroom at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Monday August, 23, 2021.]()
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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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![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.]()
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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