In a preview of a likely battle in the upcoming legislative session, state lawmakers on Friday heard testimony on school choice programs, including vouchers that would allow students to use public money to attend private schools. Full Story
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The Texas Juvenile Justice Board on Friday voted to hire Michael Griffiths to be the next leader of the youth justice agency as it struggles to improve security and safety at its juvenile correctional facilities. Full Story
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The state auditor's office on Friday released a report that breaks down the salaries of state agency executives in an effort to assess the current salary landscape at the executive level and identify pay disparities. Here's what it found. Full Story
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The executive director of the state's $3 billion cancer institute said Friday that news retired cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong would be stripped of his Tour de France titles would not affect the agency's partnership with him. Full Story
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Texas State University in San Marcos on Friday will announce a major gift from the Meadows Foundation. The $1 million donation will help launch the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. Full Story
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The end of a controversy has clouded the legacy of one of Texas' most famous athletes and policy activists. Full Story
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If Rusty Hardin ever thought he was special, he says, he'd lose all the advantages that have made him one of Texas' most successful prosecutors and famous defense lawyers. Now he's taking on a special role: investigating the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton. Full Story
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As the state and its independent school districts head to court again in October to debate school financing, it's still possible that the issue of a statewide property tax could be revisited. Full Story
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Women in the Rio Grande Valley who are seeking a second-trimester abortion must travel several hours north to access the procedure. Illegal immigrants face an additional hurdle: getting past internal checkpoints. Full Story
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One of the last private landowners in Texas fighting the company laying the controversial Keystone XL pipeline suffered a major setback this week. But the landowner, a North Texas farmer, says she'll keep up the fight for property rights. Full Story
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For years researchers have been studying how to develop cattle that are heat and drought tolerant. And while crossbreeding isn't a new development, it's becoming more common among Texas ranchers as summers become drier and hotter. Full Story
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This afternoon I asked three U.S. senators — including John Cornyn, R-Texas — to comment on the damage done to the GOP by U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., who refuses to quit his U.S. Senate race. Full Story
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In case you missed it: State Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, and the Tribune's Aman Batheja participated in a TweetChat on transportation issues. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Democrats call for judge's resignation over Obama civil war comment; national GOP platform backs "self-deportation"; Texas judge's ruling hands victory to Keystone pipeline Full Story
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According to news reports, former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, on leave from his position as dean of Texas A&M University's Bush School of Government and Public Service, is facing charges for drunken driving and a hit and run. Full Story
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Ross, Reeve, Emily and Ben talk about the latest in abortion-related politics, the battle to build a medical school in the Rio Grande Valley, and what Texans can look forward to at the upcoming national political conventions. Full Story
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In this edition of the Weekend Insider, we talk about high-profile Houston defense lawyer Rusty Hardin and U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler. Full Story
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Nearly a third of Texans are obese. Limited access to healthy food options is part of the problem, particularly in low-income communities. This map shows the percentage of food retailers that offer healthy options by census tract, as calculated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Full Story
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Ten months into his tenure, the executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation on funding the state's transportation needs, the prospects for high-speed rail and what the expansion of the Panama Canal means for Texas ports. Full Story
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Texas, the biggest prize for Republicans on the electoral map, won't be getting a whole lot of love at the GOP convention this year. Full Story
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