When it comes to high-stakes testing, Texas lawmakers have so far focused most of their attention on high school students. But as more than 3 million students across the state begin to take standardized exams this week, some members of the Legislature are examining the plight of younger test-takers. Full Story
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On today's Agenda Texas from KUT News and The Texas Tribune: A look at what's ahead for the House and Senate in the last eight weeks of the legislative session, along with an update on the debate over Medicaid expansion. Full Story
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Use our interactive map to see more than 7,000 sites across Texas where wastewater from oil and gas operations is being disposed of. Enter your ZIP code to find disposal wells near you. Full Story
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A clash of political heavyweights has pounded new urgency into the debate over Medicaid expansion in Texas. Full Story
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Cable TV providers are asking lawmakers to let them out of $200 million in sales taxes to offset local franchise fees their satellite competitors don't have to pay. Some lawmakers are worried about the state programs that would go unfunded as a result. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry and other top GOP leaders said Medicaid is broken, and adding more Texans to the program would bankrupt the state. Expansion advocates said it would reduce the state's uninsured population, largely on the federal dime. Full Story
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Customs and Border Protection officials said on Monday that the agency's proposed reduction in staffing has been put on hold after reviewing the 2013 budget the president signed last month. Full Story
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Your evening reading: press conferences highlight Medicaid expansion debate; FBI assisting Kaufman County murder investigation; House freshmen target budget to free up money for retired teachers Full Story
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On Thursday night, the University of Texas at Austin opened four massive open online courses for registration. By Monday morning, total enrollment in the free courses stood at 14,000 — and counting. Full Story
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About a dozen freshman Republicans in the Texas House have filed dozens of amendments to the state budget with the same goal: defunding various programs and agencies and putting that money toward retired teachers. Full Story
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The Texas rhetoric around a key tenet of federal health reform reached a high-water mark on Monday, with back-to-back press conferences at the Capitol featuring political leaders on both sides of the aisle. Full Story
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In their quest to woo minority voters, Republican leaders are missing something important: Most of those voters won't buy the party's anti-government message. Full Story
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Expanding Medicaid in Texas would weaken it, and weakening Medicaid would be a disservice to the Texans who now depend on it. Full Story
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The undercurrents of the bickering between Gov. Rick Perry's administration and UT-Austin President Bill Powers offer a gold mine for the conspiratorial set, with fuel for every obsession: politics, deep school rivalries, policy and governance. Full Story
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Dueling events at the Capitol today will pit Texas' top Republicans against the state's two highest-profile Democrats. Full Story
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UPDATED: As debates over gun control intensify across the nation, state senators on Tuesday tentatively approved a measure allowing Gov. Rick Perry to offer economic incentives to gun manufacturers that want to move to Texas. Full Story
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The strong message sent by Texas lawmakers to UT System regents about their plan to pay for an external review of UT-Austin is summed up in the first song on this week's news-based playlist: Sister Hazel's "Change Your Mind." Full Story
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This week in the Newsreel: The Legislature makes progress on key education and water bills; Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, is busted for barratry; and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst bares his partisan teeth. Full Story
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Aaronson on a new front in the war over abortion, Aguilar on narco cinema, Batheja on budget riders, Galbraith and Henry of StateImpact Texas on fracking and wastewater wells, Grissom on the Norwood verdict, Hamilton on the Texas Senate vs. the UT regents, Murphy and Galbraith update their app tracking Texas reservoir levels, Ramsey on the battle of St. Augustine, Ramshaw on bipartisan support for transparency, Rocha on a state lawmaker's arrest, my sit-down with the UT and A&M system chancellors and M. Smith on the passage of sweeping education legislation: The best of our best content from March 25-29, 2013. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Castros to deliver rebuttal to Republicans on Medicaid expansion; Texas politicians denounce Alaska congressman's use of racial slur; business and labor close to deal on immigration reform Full Story
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