Incendiary State Board of Education candidate Rob Morrow advances to runoff
Neither party wants to see Morrow, who has a history of sexist and racist rhetoric, elected to the board, but he is headed to a runoff for the District 5 seat. Full Story
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Sami Sparber
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Sami Sparber was a reporting fellow at The Texas Tribune from 2020 to 2021. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she has been a political unit intern at NBC News and a reporting intern at the Houston Chronicle. She has also worked as managing editor and projects editor at The Daily Texan.
Past Contributions
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![Robert Murrow at a Texas Tribune Event on May 10, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Reps. Kay Granger and Henry Cuellar claim victory in congressional primary races
Cuellar faced a challenge from attorney Jessica Cisneros, while Granger defeated former Colleyville City Council member Chris Putnam. Full Story
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![Incumbent U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, speaks to supporters at the Blue Mesa restaurant in Fort Worth during the 2020 primary election on March 3, 2020.]()
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Alarm grows over coronavirus as thousands prepare to travel to Texas for SXSW and Houston rodeo
The March festival and other upcoming Texas events draw crowds from around the country and the world. But mounting fears around COVID-19 have some organizers canceling and attendees considering staying home. Full Story
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![Over 400,000 attended the SXSW in 2019 in Austin with over 100 countries being represented among attendees. Taken on March 8, 2019.]()
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San Antonio mayor demands extension of coronavirus quarantine, bans evacuees from entering city
Those moves — and an unsuccessful attempt to get an injunction against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — came after a person who tested "weakly positive" for the new coronavirus was released over the weekend. Full Story
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![The entrance to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.]()
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More young Texans are registering to vote. Will they actually turn out?
Voter registration activity at Texas high schools spiked ahead of the 2018 general elections, when young and Hispanic voters turned out in record numbers for a midterm. Full Story
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![Students Jasmine Barrera, left, Louis Lor, and Liana Smoot register to vote with Pamela Orr at McCallum High School in Austin on Jan. 31, 2020.]()
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U.S. citizens exposed to coronavirus on cruise ship quarantined in Texas and California
More than a dozen Americans who tested positive for coronavirus have been quarantined at military bases in the two states, federal officials said Monday. Full Story
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![A doctor disinfects the entrance of a community health service center, which has an isolated section to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the novel coronavirus and suspected patients of the virus, in the Qingshan district of Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on Feb. 2, 2020.]()
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Amanda Edwards lost a family member to gun violence. But she doesn’t want to "take your AR-15."
The U.S. Senate candidate's proposals on guns and other issues are moderate compared with those of some of her primary competitors — but she said they have the most realistic chance of passing. Full Story
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![Houston City Councilwoman and U.S. Senate candidate Amanda Edwards outside of 919 Congress Avenue in Austin on Feb. 7, 2020.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas A&M chancellor fires back at Harvard over criticism of controversial beef study
John Sharp sent Harvard’s president an open letter calling for an investigation into Harvard scientists whose actions he said “are false and harmful to Texas A&M University and its faculty.” Full Story
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![Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp addresses the press on the findings of the report on Hurricane Harvey on Dec. 6, 2018.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
"The farmers are sticking with Trump": President touts new trade deal during Austin speech
The president also exuded confidence that Texas will remain in Republican hands in 2020, despite some political watchers suggesting it's more purple than it has been in years. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump gestures to the audience at the American Farm Bureau Federation's Annual Convention and Trade Show in Austin on Jan. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque