"This is a scam": Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls it laughable for people under 65 to fear voting in person
Texas is locked in a legal battle over whether it must expand voting by mail. Full Story
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Matthew Watkins began serving as editor in chief of the Tribune in September 2024. Matthew is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended public schools and graduated from Texas A&M University. He’s spent nearly two decades in Texas journalism, and previously worked at The Eagle in Bryan-College Station and The Dallas Morning News. Matthew joined the Tribune in 2015 has held various roles, including higher education reporter, breaking news editor and politics editor. As a managing editor, Matthew has guided the Tribune’s award-winning journalism and other reporting of statewide significance, including coverage of elections and legislative sessions to major breaking news and ambitious storytelling about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Texas-Mexico border, the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, the impeachment of Texas attorney general and battles over public education. He lives in Austin with his wife, Susan, and their two children.
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Rice University asks "small group" to self-quarantine due to employee's possible exposure to coronavirus
The Houston university said it's making the move out of an abundance of caution. Full Story
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![A man walks past a notice for passengers about new coronavirus that has broken out in China, at Seoul railway station in Seoul, South Korea on Jan. 23, 2020.]()
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How are the top Democratic U.S. Senate candidates in Texas different? We asked them 11 questions to find out.
To help voters make sense of the U.S. Senate race, we asked the top candidates in the 2020 Democratic primary a series of simple questions designed to help voters understand their political and policy-based differences. Full Story
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TribCast: A special election blowout and checking in on the presidential primary
On this week’s TribCast, Matthew talks to Alex, Cassi and Patrick about the big Republican win in House District 28, growing unrest among grassroots conservatives and the state of the presidential primary in Texas. Full Story
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![Republican Gary Gates is the newly-elected representative for state House District 28.]()
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Texas politics in 2019: Take a look at the top stories of the year
The first half of the year was marked by cooperation in the Texas Legislature. The second half was dominated by scandal. All the while, the specter of 2020 loomed. Full Story
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![The Texas State Capitol on May 22, 2019.]()
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820 new Texas laws go into effect in September. Here are some that might affect you.
The laws include new rules for smokers, telemarketers and kids selling lemonade. Full Story
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![Texas State Capitol on Jan. 8, 2019.]()
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TribCast: The El Paso aftermath and the latest on Dennis Bonnen
In this edition of the TribCast, Matthew talks to Alexa, Patrick and Cassi about the deadly shooting in El Paso, Dennis Bonnen’s trouble in the House and a wave of GOP congressional retirements. Full Story
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![Hundreds lay flowers and candles at a shrine outside the Walmart in El Paso on August 6th, 2019.]()
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill declaring children's lemonade stands legal
The bill, which goes into effect Sept. 1, prevents cities and neighborhood associations from prohibiting or regulating children who sell nonalcoholic drinks on private property. Full Story
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![Focus on sign at lemonade stand. A lemon, strawberry and pile of red plastic cups in foreground. Out of focus girl in background.]()
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Judge temporarily blocks enforcement of Texas law banning contractors from boycotting Israel
The order came in a case brought by a Pflugerville school speech pathologist who was told she could only continue her contract work if she promised not to boycott Israel. Full Story
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![The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announces the filing of a lawsuit against Texas' "No Boycott of Israel" law, on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018 in Austin. Speaking at the press conference is plaintiff Bahia Amawi, a teacher in the Pflugerville Independent School District who was forced to sign a pledge against her beliefs in order to get paid. She later quit her job as a speech therapist in the district.]()
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Former University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers has died
Powers presided over the university from 2006 to 2015. Full Story
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![Former University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers, who died Sunday, in 2011.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune