/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Morgan.jpg)
Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Texas gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott held back from taking a position on private school vouchers or state education funding during a Wednesday appearance at a San Antonio charter school. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/11/12/GregAbbott_BlockWalk_JP_MG_8477.jpg)
Emphasizing her support for public schools could be a path to a competitive gubernatorial race for Democrat Wendy Davis. But with an education policy rollout planned of his own, Republican Greg Abbott has made clear he is not ready to let her dominate the issue. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/10/24/Abbott_Wendy.jpg)
Staples campaign says Texas Farm Bureau endorsement of Dewhurst is "an example of a lobby organization opting for the status quo." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1cdfcd14e91639ce3a4a66d246952045/BD%20INC%20Staples%2097%202013)
The Texas Farm Bureau endorsed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in his bid for re-election Monday, casting lots in a four-way Republican primary that includes current agriculture commissioner Todd Staples. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/504c90ec851572b4157db9fbdc22177e/BD%20INC%20Dewhurst%202013)
In the first television spot of his campaign for lieutenant governor, Land Comissioner Jerry Patterson talks about "a strong Texas woman" — his mother. The commercial will run on Fox News and in major state markets. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/Screen_shot_2013-12-06_at_11.06.13_AM.png)
The Pecos River has avoided some of the challenges faced by the state’s other waterways. But it has not been spared from the ecological changes brought by the manmade lakes bookending its passage through Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/14069a55d67cc63db30c016b1270f18e/DO%20NOT%20USE%20Troubled%20Pecos%202013)
The David Dewhurst campaign offers a civics lesson on the Texas Legislature and the responsibilities of the lieutenant governor — while showcasing the incumbent's conservative record in office — in a new web ad. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/Screen_shot_2013-12-03_at_11.55.53_AM.png)
Greg Abbott will launch a series of education policy roundtables Tuesday in Plano, debuting what his campaign said would be a "major issue" for the campaign of the leading Republican candidate for governor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/11/13/Tarrant_TeaParty_19.jpg)
Long rumored to be a contender, state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte has now made it official: She is running for lieutenant governor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/11/23/X_F5U8981CMS.jpg)
Becky Berger, a candidate for Texas railroad commissioner, this week criticized an environmental science textbook that is under review by the Texas Board of Education, muddling the book's path to final approval. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/110509_bookstack001_rr.jpg)