What began as an almost accidental plunge into politics for Julie McCarty has evolved into what is arguably the state’s most influential Tea Party group, supplanting some of the power held by traditional Texas centers of conservative gravity. Full Story
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A woman who lost her leg in a car accident on the way back from a work meeting will start receiving her workers’ compensation benefits after all—at least for now. Full Story
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U.S. House Speaker John A. Boehner’s retirement could create an opportunity for at least two Texas Republicans — U.S. Reps. Pete Sessions and Jeb Hensarling, both of Dallas — to become national party leaders. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Friday shot down allegations that it is manufacturing its own hard-to-find execution drugs after federal defense attorneys in an Oklahoma death row case accused the Texas prison system of doing exactly that. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a persistent thorn in the side of Republican congressional leadership, basked in the news Friday that House Speaker John Boehner was resigning. Full Story
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A Travis County judge on Friday sentenced former state representative Jack Stick to six days in jail and a 90-day driver's license suspension for driving while intoxicated, according to prosecutors. Full Story
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Change is hard, as the state's new land commissioner, George P. Bush, is finding out. It will take a while to find out whether it's necessary at the agency he took over in January. Full Story
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Female lawmakers talk on inequality in the Capitol, Paxton adds heavy hitters to his legal defense team and Abbott sets his sights on traffic congestion — all that and more in the latest issue of our subscriber-only newsletter for political insiders ($). Full Story
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A recent ruling by the Texas Supreme Court has made it easier for private companies to keep secret details of their contracts with the state of Texas and local governments, a move that public information advocates warn is ripe for abuse. Full Story
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During an event The Texas Tribune hosted Tuesday as part of our "Road From Rita" series, audience members at Lamar University shared stories about the difficulties of evacuating ahead of Rita in 2005. Hear them describe what they went through. Full Story
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The number of men and women being held in Texas prisons fell by more than one percent in 2014, a slight dip that continues a downward trend aided by new diversion programs and a reluctance by state lawmakers to add more prison beds. Full Story
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In the Roundup: Pope Francis addresses Congress, exciting the Catholics in the Texas delegation, the state’s new E-verify law isn’t quite clear to those tasked with enforcing it and a judge delays funding cuts to a therapy program for poor and disabled children. Full Story
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The spotlight is shining now on a June ruling by the Texas Supreme Court that open government advocates fear will lead to much more information from government contracts being kept secret. Full Story
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Supporters insist that allowing people to legally carry concealed handguns reduces crime, but that has not been the result in at least four states that have tried it, including Texas, according to a newly published academic study. Full Story
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There won't be any toll lanes included in the U.S. 281 expansion project through San Antonio following a Texas Transportation Commission vote Thursday. Full Story
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This week on The Ticket: Jay Root and Ben Philpott take a look at how the debate over immigration is playing out in the Republican presidential primary, with perspective from Tea Party activist Katrina Pierson. Full Story
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Ray Sullivan, a former top staffer to former Gov. Rick Perry, announced Thursday he was joining the presidential campaign of ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Full Story
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When a fatal, incurable disease was found among deer at a Medina County breeding facility, state wildlife officials moved quickly to limit its reach. But breeders say the state's cure might be worse than the disease, and some are threatening to sue. Full Story
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Allowing more people to register their opinions on issues before state legislators is technologically easy. But is it really something legislators want to do? Full Story
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Steve Patterson's troubled tenure as athletics director at the University of Texas at Austin is all but over after the UT System regents gave UT-Austin President Greg Fenves approval to cut a deal to send him on his way. Full Story
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