Skip to main content

All Coverage

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Galbraith on energy conservation and basketball, Ramshaw (and Serafini of Kaiser News) on what would happen if states abandoned Medicaid, Hallman on cities and counties lobbying the feds (and a Stiles data app visualizing what they're spending), Aguilar on legislative attempts to stop human trafficking, Aaronson on cuts in Senate office spending, Philpott on the latest run at a Senate rule that empowers political minorities, yours truly on how the GOP landslide will change the way things work at the Capitol, Hu catches the first day of bill filing and finds immigration at the top of the agenda and Hamilton on a wobbly partnership between two Texas universities: The best of our best from November 8 to 12, 2010. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • "Grandiose Cuts" to Higher Education?

    By Elise Hu

    The session hasn't started yet, but the battles have. In a heated exchange over possible cuts to higher education at a post-election debrief, Democratic consultant Matt Angle spars with Gov. Rick Perry's campaign manager, Rob Johnson. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • Size Matters

    By Ross Ramsey

    How big is the state’s budget shortfall? It all depends on who's doing the math. A big number means the coming session will be all about what’s cut — what programs and services won’t be offered. A smaller one puts lawmakers in the position of deciding, in hard times, what they can add to current spending. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • On the Ball

    By Kate Galbraith

    For five years, the director of UT's Frank Erwin Center has been on a crusade to save energy. Fans may not notice the changes, but athletics officials on campus and around Texas are paying heed — and going green themselves. Full Story 

    John Graham, director of UT's Frank Erwin Center.
    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • The Opt-Out Option

    By Emily Ramshaw, The Texas Tribune, and Marilyn Serafini, Kaiser Health News

    A week after newly emboldened Republicans in the Texas Legislature floated a radical cost-saving proposal — withdrawing from the federal Medicaid program — health care experts, economists and think tanks are trying to determine just how possible it would be. The answer? It’s complicated. But it’s not stopping nearly a dozen other states, frantic over budget shortfalls and anticipating new costs from federal health care reform, from exploring something that was, until recently, unthinkable. Full Story 

    The waiting room at People's Community Clinic in Austin, TX in November 2010.
    Credit: Callie Richmond

  • Handout City

    By Tristan Hallman

    Over the last five years, cities and counties in Texas have shelled out $17 million more to hire lobbyists in Washington, D.C., according to disclosure forms analyzed by the Tribune. “Just like anyone else in the nation, we pay federal taxes, and we expect a return on those dollars,” says Larry Gilley, the city manager of Abilene, which paid $320,000 to lobbyists between January 2006 and October 2010. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail
    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Traffic Patterns

    By Julián Aguilar

    Texas has the dubious distinction of being home to one of the busiest human trafficking routes in the country: the stretch of Interstate Highway 10 that runs from El Paso to Houston. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail
    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman