The Schools Explorer, the Tribune's most comprehensive education tool to date, debuts today. Nathan Bernier of KUT News talks with the Tribune's Morgan Smith about what's in the app and how to use it. Full Story
Population growth has strained energy resources in Texas, leading state officials to raise prices in an attempt to encourage new power plant construction. But some utility companies say the increases may not be nearly high enough to meet Texas' growing needs. Full Story
The Schools Explorer is your go-to source for academic, enrollment and financial data on Texas’ 1,300 districts and 8,500 public schools. Track graduation rates, test scores and more. Sort campuses by accountability rating and demographics. Take a bird’s-eye view of statewide stats. Full Story
The Department of Family and Protective Services is moving forward on redesigning its foster care system, which will outsource services to private contractors. At a hearing Monday, some raised concerns about accountability. Full Story
U.S. Senate hopeful Ted Cruz raised more money from individual contributors than Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst between mid-May and June, reports released Monday show, but Dewhurst's personal wealth gives him the financial advantage. Full Story
Your evening reading: Cruz outraises Dewhurst in latest reporting report; Dewhurst loans campaign $4.5 million; megadonor rivalry spills into presidential race Full Story
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst loaned his U.S. Senate campaign another $4.5 million and raised another $1.5 million from individual contributors in the latest reporting period. Ted Cruz raised $1.7 million in the same period. Full Story
Both Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz have recently accused each other of being less than honest with Texans. The attacks are likely to color Tuesday's televised debate in Dallas. Full Story
Voter turnout for the July 31 runoff is likely to fall well short of 1993, when 1.8 million voters cast ballots in the special runoff for a U.S. Senate seat, which Kay Bailey Hutchison won. Full Story
Freedom Place, outside of Houston, is Texas' first privately run safe house that provides long-term housing for American girls who are victims of sex trafficking. Full Story
A dozen or more chemical plants in Texas are moving forward with expansion projects, spurred by the cheap natural gas created by hydraulic fracturing. But the boom is also raising concerns about water and air pollution. Full Story
Aaronson maps the dwindling number of Texas doctors accepting Medicaid, Aguilar on what the PRI's return to power in Mexico means for U.S. relations, Batheja on Ted Cruz and Chief Justice John Roberts' erstwhile friendship, Galbraith on how Midland's latest oil boom is straining the city like never before, Grissom, Dehn and Murphy's interactive on the consequences of prosecutorial mistakes, Ramsey divines Perry's future by looking to his past, Ramshaw on Perry's rejection of key parts of federal health care reform, M. Smith on a little-watched but fiery Texas Supreme Court runoff, and the final installment in Tan's series on family planning in Texas: The best of our best from July 9 to 13, 2012. Full Story
Your evening reading: closing arguments heard in voter ID trial; Democratic groups revive Perry's attacks on Romney; Mexican presidential runner-up challenges results Full Story
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, which controlled the site until a year ago, has called the decision disrespectful to the memory of the Alamo. Full Story
Film producer Gerald Molen on his new movie 2016: Obama's America, the reasons behind his involvement in the film and his hopes for the premiere. Full Story
Testimony in the federal court trial over Texas' voter ID law ended Friday, but a decision on the law requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot may be far off. Full Story
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who finished second to the Institutional Revolutionary Party’s Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico's July 1 presidential election, has announced he will officially challenge the results of the contest. Full Story
Midland lies at the heart of a region that produces 14 percent of the world's oil. With oil prices above $80 a barrel on the world market, the area is experiencing a major boom. But the growth has also strained Midland like never before. Full Story
A new report shows a growing disconnect between the number of jobs located near public transportation and the number of workers who can easily use it. And Texas metro areas are below the national averages for connectivity. Full Story