SpaceX wants to turn its Texas launch site into a city
Citing all the work the company has put into the region, employees are requesting a special election in Cameron County to incorporate a city. Full Story
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![The Starbase letters at SpaceX's Boca Chica Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. The SpaceX facility has become a popular destination for tourists.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Odessa elected its first gay City Council member
Donald Trump won Ector County, which includes Odessa, with more than 70 percent of the vote. Full Story
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![At Large City Council member Craig Stoker poses for a photo at city hall on Dec. 3, 2024.]()
Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune -
Attorney General Ken Paxton sues companies over “forever chemicals”
Paxton’s office has accused 3M and DuPont of misrepresenting or concealing the health risks of PFAS, which have been sold for decades for use in consumer products. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the 2024 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas professors self-censor for fear of retaliation, survey found
At least a third of respondents at UT-Austin, UT-Dallas and Texas A&M said they’re not sure administrators at their universities protect free speech on campus. Full Story
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![Cristian, a student protester, is dragged out from the crowd and arrested by law enforcement during a demonstration in support of Palestine at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh for The Texas Tribune -
A South Texas lawmaker's 15-year fight for a Rio Grande Valley law school
Advocates say a law school in one of the state's poorest regions would exponentially help communities with legal aid. Full Story
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![Armando Martinez speaks during the Inside the Interim with RGV Lawmakers Event in Edinburg on Aug. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott signals support for David Cook over Dustin Burrows in GOP fight for House speaker
Days after the Texas House GOP caucus backed Cook, Abbott made clear that he expects Republican representatives to do the same. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to DPS Troopers and National Guard troops at a Thanksgiving dinner event in Edinburg on Nov. 26, 2024.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
A 2021 ruling found the oil giant committed more than 16,000 violations of the Clean Air Act at its Baytown refinery and plant. Full Story
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![Smoke rises from a fire at Exxon Mobil's refining and chemical plant complex in Baytown on July 31, 2019.]()
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Uvalde newspaper publisher turned journal entries after Robb Elementary shooting into book about town’s tragedy
Craig Garnett, author of “Uvalde’s Darkest Hour,” believes healing will take time but the the city is on the right path. Full Story
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Here’s how much Ted Cruz and Colin Allred raised in their U.S. Senate race
Updated fundraising figures show that the Senate candidates have fundraised a combined $193 million. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, left, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.]()
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State agency to ask lawmakers for $300 million to fix “significant neglect” in Texas’ Medicaid enrollment system
The request, which includes hiring more staff and updating the online application system, comes as applicants must wait for months to receive approval for benefits. Full Story
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![A Texas Health and Human Services client application on April 24, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
San Antonio’s housing authority plans to “play defense” with new HUD administration
Former state Rep. Scott Turner’s nomination to lead the agency may offer a glimpse of what could be cut from San Antonio’s housing ecosystem. Full Story
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![state Rep. Scott Turner, R-Frisco, listens to a speech nominating him as House speaker in January 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Webb County’s top elected official switches to Republican Party
Tano Tijerina was elected as a Democrat to lead Webb County, which includes Laredo. It is among many border counties that Trump won in November. Full Story
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![Webb co. Judge Tano Tijerina.]()
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High-speed rail efforts in Texas have gained some momentum. The Texas Legislature and Donald Trump may change that.
A yearslong effort to bring high-speed rail to Texas has recently shown signs of life, but state lawmakers have consistently put up roadblocks to keep it from happening. Full Story
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![Railroad tracks near a proposed bullet train terminus on the outskirts of downtown Dallas, on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. The entities in charge of a bullet train connection between Houston and DFW have faded despite Texas courts approving eminent domain to accomplish the massive project.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Recycled oilfield water could aid drought-stricken West Texas
Oilfield wastewater injected underground is causing earthquakes and blowouts. Now, pilot projects are exploring whether this water could be treated and used to grow crops. Full Story
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![Eric Selinger walks on his property near the Pecos River outside Imperial on Oct. 8. He previously farmed shrimp but now hopes that treated produced water could bring the land back to life.]()
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Federal judge blocks rule that would have given DACA recipients access to Affordable Care Act coverage
The temporary injunction issued Monday would affect roughly 90,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients in Texas. Full Story
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![Supporters of the the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy rally after a hearing on the DACA program outside the federal courthouse in Houston on June 1, 2023.]()
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Texas House committee demands that attorney general allow Roberson to testify
The Criminal Jurisprudence Committee plans to issue a new subpoena to the death row inmate for a Dec. 20 hearing if Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office does not cooperate. Full Story
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![From left: Texas Tribune reporter Kayla Guo moderates a conversation with State Reps. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and Joe Moody, D-El Paso, in Austin on Dec. 6, 2024. Moody, who is chairman, serves with Leach on the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Bill aimed at increasing transparency could sow chaos for election officials, experts say
Under state Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s bill, some individuals could submit requests for explanations of ‘election irregularities’ and potentially bring them to the Texas Secretary of State. Full Story
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![State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, on the Senate floor on Sept. 14, 2023.]()
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Campaign finance records don’t capture total spending on Amarillo abortion “travel ban” election
Several prominent Amarillo business people donated to support the so-called travel ban. Meanwhile, statewide progressive groups helped the opposition. Full Story
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![Anti-abortion supporters from left, Cassie Green, Mark Lee Dickson, and Bonnie Burnett talk outside of a polling location in Amarillo on November 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Dustin Burrows says he has votes to be Texas House speaker after David Cook wins GOP caucus vote
Burrows claims the support of a coalition of Republicans and Democrats, while Cook has the endorsement of the GOP caucus. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, holds a press conference in the Speaker's Committee Room, on Dec. 7, 2024, saying he has the votes to become Speaker of the House in the upcoming legislative session.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
In preview of legislative session, lawmakers expect school vouchers to pass and the House to shift to the right
Lawmakers discussed public education, gun laws and health care policy at a daylong Texas Tribune event. Full Story
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