Past Contributions

• Time Lag Between Primaries and Runoffs Could Shape Races

  By Jim Malewitz and Shelby Cole March 12, 2014

  Will primary night results carry into runoffs? Not necessarily, political observers say. A recent change in election law has prompted Texas to extend the time between primaries and runoffs. Full Story 

• Advocates Fear Voter ID Law Could Deter Transgender Voters

  By Shelby Cole Feb. 28, 2014

  Texas' voter ID law, which was passed in 2011 and will face its biggest statewide test yet in Tuesday's primaries, presents an added hurdle for transgender voters, who advocates fear may be discouraged from showing up at the polls. Full Story 

• Report Sheds Light on Poor Working Mothers in Texas

  By Shelby Cole Feb. 13, 2014

  Fifty-six percent of Texas women heading low-income households lack any college education, the third-highest percentage of any state, according to a report released Wednesday by the Working Poor Families Project. Full Story 

• Craft Brewers Celebrate New Beer Laws

  By Shelby Cole Feb. 7, 2014

  When Texas legalized brewpubs in 1993, the owners could only sell their product on-site. That changed in June with the implementation of the largest overhaul of the craft beer industry in two decades. Full Story 

• News App: Expanding the Ethics Explorer

  By Shelby Cole, Alina Carnahan, David Maly, Catharine Benavidez and Jordan Gass-Poore Jan. 30, 2014

  We've expanded the officials in our Ethics Explorer to include the judges on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the members of the State Board of Education. We've also updated our existing analysis on members of the Legislature. Full Story 

• After Failed 911 Call, Family Seeks Changes to Hotel Phone Systems

  By Shelby Cole Jan. 23, 2014

  A gruesome murder in a Texas hotel room and a 9-year-old’s futile effort to call 911 has sparked a national petition — and prompted federal officials to seek a legislative remedy. Full Story