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Nicole Cobler is a reporting fellow at the Texas Tribune and a senior at the University of Texas at Austin where she studies journalism. She previously worked as an investigative reporting fellow with News21 – a national reporting project housed out of Arizona State University. She has also interned for the Austin American-Statesman and the Austin bureau of the San Antonio Express-News.
Months after releasing an opinion saying it could be illegal for school districts to reduce or repeal their local option homestead exemptions, Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately intervened in a lawsuit filed Thursday. Full Story
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With the next legislative session on the horizon, lawmakers on Tuesday began debating the notion that Texas should join a call for a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution. Full Story
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The publisher of a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook that scholars, elected officials and Hispanic activists have decried as racist and inaccurate is defending the high school text ahead of a public hearing. Full Story
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As the debate over the legality of paid fantasy sports sites presses on in Texas, state Rep. Jonathan Stickland took to Twitter to bring attention to controversial comments he previously made about drugs and rape on a fantasy football forum. Full Story
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A state lawmaker says he'll file legislation to make sure Texans can play fantasy sports online without repercussions. Full Story
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After struggling with mental illness, including three admissions at psychiatric treatment centers, Republican Susan Hawk stepped down from her position as Dallas County District Attorney on Tuesday. Full Story
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Saying that a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook is "dripping with racism and intolerance," a group of educators and students is calling for the State Board of Education to reject the controversial book. Full Story
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Public high school students can prepare for careers ranging from aerospace to life sciences – all while receiving college credits before graduation – under an initiative launched by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday. Full Story
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During a visit to San Antonio on Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton discussed a partnership with truck drivers in the state's efforts to combat human trafficking. Full Story
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As Texas lawmakers consider filing legislation next year related to ride-hailing companies, they learned Tuesday that more than 30 states have passed laws calling for some level of regulation of companies like Uber and Lyft. Full Story
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Eight title service companies filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, saying the department’s service fee limits could put them out of the business. Full Story
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Smartphone users now have the power to report underage bar patrons or suspicious bartending with the touch of a button — all while sipping a drink during happy hour. Full Story
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Only 15 voter fraud cases have been prosecuted by the attorney general's office between the 2012 primary election and July. Eleven of those are cases in which “politiqueras” collect and mail ballots for elderly voters. Full Story
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David Cruz joined the U.S. Border Patrol because he wanted to be "part of the best." But family pressures, disillusionment, love and greed drove him to begin taking bribes to help immigrants enter the country illegally. Full Story
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Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Raquel Esquivel still wears a government-issue green uniform, but now it's a federal prison jumpsuit. She was convicted in 2009 of helping smugglers sneak loads of marijuana across the border. Full Story
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About 4.6 percent of Texas prison inmates are undocumented immigrants with standing requests that they be turned over to federal authorities when their sentences are served. Full Story
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Almost seven years ago, former University of Texas student Raul Zamora’s broken taillight landed him in the South Texas Detention Facility in Pearsall on the brink of deportation. Full Story
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A Texas Ethics Commission opinion that would have allowed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to fund his ongoing legal battle through out-of-state donors failed to pass by one vote Monday. Full Story
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