As veteran disability claims soar, unaccredited coaches profit off frustration with VA system
Austin-based VA Claims Insider says it has helped hundreds of thousands of clients. It has also touched off complaints and investigations. Full Story
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![Jim Peckey, a former U.S. Navy Yeoman, holds a plaque gifted to him from his time in the service, in Abilene on Feb. 13, 2023.]()
Credit: Ronald W. Erdrich for The Texas Tribune -
Infant girl among four found dead in Rio Grande
All four of the deceased were found within 48 hours in the Rio Grande, a common but dangerous crossing point into the United States from Mexico. Full Story
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![A row of shipping containers and razor wire placed on the banks of the Rio Grande River by Gov. Greg Abbott to form a makeshift border wall in Eagle Pass on Nov. 19, 2021.]()
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Ken Paxton will not testify at impeachment trial, defense attorney says
The Texas Senate could compel the suspended attorney general to testify, but members of his defense team say they will fight those efforts. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement to the press May 26, 2023, a day before the impeachment vote in the Texas House.]()
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An unlikely provocateur, Miss Texas, takes on the state’s GOP leaders
Averie Bishop, whose reign ended Saturday, was the first Asian American to win the contest in its 85 years. She spent her year with the crown as an outspoken avatar for a rapidly diversifying Texas. Full Story
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![Miss Texas, Averie Bishop, blows kisses as she rides in a parade on June 12 in Fairfield. Bishop, the first Asian Miss Texas, made a three-day trip to visit local businesses and emcee a local pageant.]()
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As race-neutral college admissions begin, Texas counselors work to convince students of color they still belong
Black and Latino students make up about two-thirds of Texas’ public schools. But they are vastly underrepresented at its top universities, and Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling will shake up an already complicated application process. Full Story
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Emergency room visits surge, Texans die amid dangerous heat wave
After weeks of extreme heat, health officials have reported numerous deaths, while emergency departments across the state are seeing record numbers of people seeking treatment for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Full Story
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![Firefighter EMT William Dorsey lifts a migrant woman suffering from heat exhaustion onto a stretcher in the border community of Eagle Pass, Texas on June 26, 2023.]()
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Nearly 1.4 million Texans could be impacted by U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking student loan forgiveness
The court ruled in favor of the six GOP-led states that alleged President Joe Biden overstepped his authority with his loan forgiveness plan. Full Story
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![A student sits by the Littlefield Fountain at the University of Texas on May 30, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Federal investigation faults Houston company in 2020 explosion that killed three people
The explosion at a machine shop damaged hundreds of nearby homes. Investigators found that flammable gas leaked into the building and was ignited by a light switch. Full Story
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![Fransisco Castrejon, 62, stands inside his house, damaged by a warehouse explosion nearby in Houston, on Jan. 24, 2020. A massive explosion occurred at Watson Grinding & Manufacturing in Northeast Houston in the early hours and affected nearby homes.]()
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TribCast: How will Texas universities maintain diversity without considering race in admissions?
In this week’s two-topic TribCast, we discuss the U.S. Supreme Court blocking the consideration of race in college admissions and the dangerous heat inside Texas prisons this summer. Full Story
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![UT Austin students respond to the Young Conservatives of Texas critiquing affirmative action policies on Oct. 26,
2016. The Young Conservatives were met with criticism, which resulted in a protest and several intense conversations among students.]()
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Texas Supreme Court says Gov. Greg Abbott’s COVID ban on local mask rules was lawful
Several of Texas’ largest cities sought to put in place mask requirements, which Gov. Greg Abbott overturned. The ruling is a legal win for Republicans in Austin their ongoing symbolic fight with cities, often run by Democrats. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference in Austin on Dec. 17, 2020, regarding COVID-19 and the Pfizer vaccines that have been sent to hospitals across Texas. Gov. Abbott was adamant that despite rising cases and deaths, he will not be ordering any shutdowns. Gov. Abbott also said he has not received the vaccine, but he will take it when the time comes.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Former Texas Sen. Carlos Uresti, convicted for his role in Ponzi scheme, released from prison
The Democrat from San Antonio was initially sentenced in 2018 to 12 years in federal prison. His sentence was later reduced, and he will stay in a halfway house until December 2024. Full Story
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![Carlos Uresti talks with the media following his sentencing in Federal Court on June 26, 2018. The former state senator will be released today from federal prison after serving more than 4 years of a 12-year sentence.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Judge says DPS must release documents related to Uvalde shooting response
The state police agency had been withholding nearly all of its records on law enforcement’s botched response to Texas’ deadliest school shooting. DPS will have an opportunity to redact the files before they are released. Full Story
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![Family members and friends participate in a march in support of those killed and injured in the school shooting at Robb Elementary, in Uvalde on July 10, 2022.]()
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Nearly 10,000 more babies born in nine months under Texas’ restrictive abortion law, study finds
This is the first analysis of live births since the law, which banned abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, went into effect in September 2021. Full Story
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![A patient looks at her ultrasound before proceeding with a medical abortion at Alamo Women's Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S., August 23, 2022. To open the clinic, Dr. Alan Braid and his staff had to obtain new medical licenses and move their families. During the building renovation, some contractors who opposed abortion refused to work with them, Braid said. Anti-abortion activists resented that New Mexico had become a refuge for those seeking to end pregnancies. The state allows abortion throughout pregnancy. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein SEARCH "HOCKSTEIN ABORTION FAMILY" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.]()
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Travis Scott won’t be indicted for Astroworld concert tragedy that killed 10, grand jury decides
A Houston grand jury decided Thursday not to indict rap star Travis Scott for the deaths of 10 people at the 2021 Astroworld Festival when fans collapsed in a massive crowd. Full Story
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![A makeshift memorial for the concertgoers who died in a stampede during a Travis Scott performance at the 2021 Astroworld Festival, in Houston, on Nov. 9, 2021.]()
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Voting by mail in Texas will get a little easier with these legislative fixes
Two bipartisan bills passed this session will give voters more time and opportunities to fix mistakes when they request and return ballots by mail. Full Story
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![The Travis County Tax Office at 5501 Airport Blvd is now the only drive-thru location open for hand delivery of mail ballots in the county. The drop-off location photographed here on Oct. 2, 2020, will be open until Nov. 3, 2020.]()
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Third-party candidates may have an easier time getting on the ballot in Texas
A federal judge blocks an 118-year-old state law that required minor political party candidates to collect more than 83,000 signatures on paper in order to appear on the ballot. Full Story
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![T-Shirts for sale at the Green Party Presidential Convention in Houston on Aug. 5, 2016.]()
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Texas House investigation widens to include Ken Paxton real estate purchases, report says
The Wall Street Journal says the impeached attorney general, his wife and a family trust spent nearly $3.5 million buying properties in four states in 2021 and 2022. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement to the press May 26, 2023 a day before a scheduled impeachment vote in the Texas House in a long-running ethics complaint.]()
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Texas’ pick to lead Houston’s schools used aggressive, polarizing methods in Dallas
Mike Miles has wasted no time in restructuring schools and proposing administrative layoffs. The changes are designed to pay teachers at struggling schools more if their students show improvement. Full Story
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![Wheatley High School on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
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UT-Austin only Texas public university affected by Supreme Court’s ending use of race in admissions
No other public universities use race as a factor, but Texas private schools like Rice and Southern Methodist University will be impacted. Full Story
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![Students walk through the University of Texas campus on May 30, 2023.]()
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With race-based admissions no longer an option, states may imitate Texas Top 10% Plan
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the practice unconstitutional, admissions experts say other states could look to Texas’ Top 10% Plan as a way to diversify their student bodies. Full Story
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![The Texas flag flies on the south lawn of The Univerisity of Texas at Austin campus on Dec. 3, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune
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