When the drama surrounding recent decisions by the University of Texas System regents dominates the conversation about higher education, the truly critical issues facing our students and their families are left unexamined. Full Story
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UPDATED: As a bipartisan group of senators purportedly moves closer to introducing a bill to overhaul the country’s immigration system, two Texas Republicans said they would file legislation to first ensure the border is secure. Full Story
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With the budget fight largely over, attention in the Capitol has moved back to other contentious issues, like school choice and gambling. Full Story
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More than 20,000 animals go through municipal animal shelters in Texas every year, and contact information for their new owners becomes public information. A bill under consideration in the Legislature would change that. Full Story
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A fight over what defense lawyers could do with information about their clients in criminal cases after prosecutors turn it over to them is threatening to stymie the “Michael Morton Act.” Full Story
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The political sentiment behind the House’s vote against private school vouchers last week is clear. But its particulars — including whether it would ban tax credit scholarships under consideration in the Senate — are less obvious. Full Story
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Private mental health care providers would be allowed into select jails to attempt to restore inmates to competency under a proposed pilot program. The restored inmates would then be able to stand for trial. Full Story
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Amid mounting tensions between the University of Texas System and the Legislature, Senate Higher Education Chairman Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, is calling for Gov. Rick Perry to step in and calm the waters. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Action in the Capitol moves from the House and Senate floors back to the committee rooms, and senators prepare to take up bills on gambling and public education. Full Story
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Your evening reading: prospects dim for bill that would cut early-voting period; Carona touts gambling measure ahead of committee hearing; Craddick says he meant to vote against anti-voucher amendment Full Story
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"You never really know when a major issue like this will find a break or an opportunity to be passed," state Sen. John Carona said Monday of proposed legislation that could lead to the legalization of casino gambling in Texas. Full Story
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A bill that would slash the number of days allowed for early voting is likely to be pulled after scathing testimony Monday from opponents who said the bill was discriminatory and retrogressive. Full Story
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In a state fabled for its everything-is-bigger mentality, the idea of conserving resources is taking hold. Texas political and business leaders have realized that no water equals no business. Full Story
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Voters want better roads. Lawmakers want happy voters. Roads require taxes, tolls, debt or some combination of the three, which is why conservative officeholders are using those three dirty words. Full Story
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Republican legislators who want to use federal Medicaid expansion dollars are struggling to find common ground between the Perry administration in Texas and the Obama administration in Washington. But they're trying. Full Story
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Tensions have escalated again in the long-running power struggle engulfing the state's largest university system. Full Story
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As tensions between lawmakers and the University of Texas System regents worsen, one regent is calling for hearings at the Capitol. “The legislators have serious questions,” Alex Cranberg told the Tribune. “Let’s be able to respond.” Full Story
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Amid heightened tensions with state lawmakers, four University of Texas System regents have called for a special meeting of their board, likely to be held this week. Full Story
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A jury in March found Mark Alan Norwood guilty of the 1986 murder of Christine Morton, and he was sentenced to life in prison. This photo slideshow provides an overview of the timeline and characters in the tragic case. Full Story
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The prosecutor who secured Mark Norwood's murder conviction says that if Michael Morton had not fought from prison to prove his innocence in his wife's murder, the DNA testing that led to Norwood’s conviction might not have been done. Full Story
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