Second Health Contract Questioned; Probe Requested
A state senator wants the Texas auditor to review how a private firm was selected to operate a state psychiatric hospital in Terrell. Full Story
A state senator wants the Texas auditor to review how a private firm was selected to operate a state psychiatric hospital in Terrell. Full Story
The plan to build the Marvin Nichols Reservoir has been a subject of contention between Dallas-Fort Worth officials and opponents in Northeast Texas. State officials voted Thursday to keep the lake in the state water plan, but the dispute is far from over. Full Story
Five days before the 84th legislative session begins, Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick discussed his ambitious agenda — a lineup that includes tax relief, spending limits and education reform. Full Story
A swarm of small earthquakes started shaking the Dallas area a couple of days ago. But the tremors, while new to the region, are just the latest in a major increase in earthquakes in Texas over the last several years. Full Story
Gov.-elect Greg Abbott on Thursday called for a citizen panel on government waste to replace the Sunset Commission. He said the Sunset system “seldom eliminates unnecessary agencies.” Full Story
Instead of trusting human smugglers or risking clandestine border crossings, an increasing number of people trying to enter the U.S. illegally are taking a more brazen approach. They try to slip through legal entry points using fake papers, or documents that belong to someone else. Full Story
In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: education predictions for 2015, the Perry legacy in public education and an interview with William Fulton, director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. Full Story
Unexpectedly tough lines of questioning by federal appeals court judges hearing arguments over Texas' requirement that abortion clinics meet hospital-like standards buoyed hopes of abortion rights supporters on Wednesday. Full Story
In his first sit-down interview as the new Senate majority whip, Texas' senior senator said President Obama isn't engaged, Harry Reid is an obstructionist and Ted Cruz and he disagree over tactics, not ideology. Full Story
The state Senate will start the next session by cutting as many as one third of its committees — and the members of those panels could be named weeks earlier than usual. Full Story
University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall lays out his vision for higher education in 2015, and state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, weighs in on the contracting controversy dogging the state's health and human services agency. Full Story
Since the Texas Music Office was established a quarter-century ago, the division housed in the Texas governor's office has been run by Casey Monahan, a former music writer. But Gov.-elect Greg Abbott is letting him go. Full Story
Reeve, Evan, Ross and Morgan discuss the results of the latest round of elections, the fate of gubernatorial appointees in the new administration, plans to print guns at the Capitol, and what a record vote in the speaker's race might reveal. Full Story
As they weigh the constitutionality of a Texas abortion law, federal appeals court judges on Wednesday challenged arguments presented by the state and abortion providers during more than an hour of tough questioning. Full Story
It's official: David Lakey is leaving his job as the state's public health chief for a new academic post. His move comes as lawmakers are considering consolidating the state's health agencies, which could've meant changes for Lakey. Full Story
Republican challenges to sitting Republican speakers of the House could backfire on the renegades — showing them to be far less numerous or politically powerful than they previously appeared. Full Story
This week, a federal appeals court is set to consider two prominent Texas cases: a legal challenge to the state's strict abortion regulations and an attempt to overturn the state’s longstanding ban on same-sex marriages. Full Story
Its brand-new headquarters is almost done, and its influence on public policy in Texas — and nationally — cannot be denied. At age 25, the Texas Public Policy Foundation is the big kid on the block among Austin think tanks. Full Story
No final resolution was reached in any of the three special elections held on Tuesday. Full Story
Before he was even sworn in, freshman U.S. Rep. Will Hurd had to pick sides in a leadership fight and decide whether to knife a colleague. There were also breakfast tacos. Full Story