New Senate bill offers last-minute reprieve for troubled Texas Lottery
A key Senate critic threw a lifeline to the Texas Lottery when he proposed moving its oversight to a new agency instead of eliminating it entirely. 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.
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![Lottery tickets sit near the entrance of Hyde Park Market in Austin on May 5, 2025.]()
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UT System announces $100 million investment into civic leadership school
The money will help pay for a permanent home for the school on UT-Austin's campus. Conservative donors and lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, helped create the school in 2023. Full Story
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![From left: Interim President Jim Davis, Gov. Greg Abbott, UT System Chairman Kevin Eltife, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and UT Dean of the School of Civic Leadership Justin Dyer sit during a press conference in the Life Sciences Library at the University of Texas campus on Thursday, May 8, 2025. They spoke on a new $100 million investment the state would make in UT’s new School of Civic Leadership.]()
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Texas Senate panel advances bill that would no longer allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition
The bill would overturn a two-decade-old law allowing some undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition. Full Story
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![Students walk across the campus at Sam Houston State University on Aug. 20, 2020, in Huntsville.]()
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The Texas Lottery and billions in school funding in limbo as deadline nears at Capitol
Lawmakers must act on two bills in order to ensure the lottery continues past September, or find a way to make up the $2 billion for schools the game provides yearly. Full Story
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![A Texas Lottery billboard in El Paso, Texas on March 14, 2025.]()
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UT System chancellor leaves to lead University of California
Former state Rep. John Zerwas will temporarily replace Chancellor JB Milliken in leading the 256,000-student university system. Full Story
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![Then-UT System Chancellor James Milliken at a regents meeting in Austin on April 2, 2019.]()
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John Bash, first candidate to enter Texas attorney general’s race, exits
The former federal prosecutor cited shifting priorities after a family health scare for his withdrawal, which comes less than a month after his entry into the race. Full Story
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![U.S. Attorney John Bash and the prosecution team leave the courthouse following Carlos Uresti's sentencing, on June 26, 2018.]()
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Texas lottery bans online sales through third-party couriers amid mounting criticism
After years of claiming that companies selling lottery tickets online could not be regulated, the Texas Lottery Commission voted to ban the practice. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas Lottery Commission sit at the front of the room during a Texas Lottery Commission meeting on April 29, 2025.]()
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Courier’s lawsuit seeks to block Texas Lottery from banning its services
Lotto.com’s suit, which was filed Thursday, comes less than a week before the state agency votes to ban the third-party services. Full Story
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![Winners Corner TX LLC in Austin sold the winning $83.5 million Lotto Texas ticket.]()
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Texas inmate executed for murder of ex-classmate
Moises Mendoza, who was convicted in 2005 of killing a Farmersville woman, became the third inmate Texas has put to death this year. Full Story
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![The Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary houses the execution chamber of Texas and is located in Huntsville on Jan. 31, 2024.]()
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Texas Lottery executive director resigns as lawmakers’ scrutiny mounts
The Texas Lottery Commission did not immediately clarify why Ryan Mindell chose to resign, as lawmakers have discussed abolishing the lottery outright. Full Story
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![Texas Lottery stand at an Austin convenience store on Feb. 20, 2025.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune