Starting Sept. 1 in Texas, your speed limit may vary based on local highway conditions
Lawmakers who ushered through the change say the new law will make roads safer during storms or construction. Full Story
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![Cars drive down the highways after winter weather went through Dallas on Feb. 2, 2023.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas imprisoned migrants after they should have been released, lawsuit claims
The lawsuit alleges that four migrants who were arrested under Operation Lone Star remained locked up as long as six weeks after their criminal trespassing cases were dismissed or they served their sentences. Full Story
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![Department of Public Safety agents oversee a group of three undocumented migrants as they continue the process of arresting them after they were caught in private property as part of Operation Lone Star in Kinney County near Brackettville, on Nov. 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
Tony Buzbee, lawyer for Ken Paxton, running for Houston City Council seat
Buzbee is currently defending Texas’ impeached attorney general. He ran for mayor in 2019, challenging incumbent Sylvester Turner while self-funding his campaign with over $10 million. Full Story
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![Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, speaks during a press conference at the Travis County Republican Party suite in Austin on June 7, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
As the death toll in stifling Texas prisons climbs, congressional Democrats ask for investigation
Most Texas prisons lack air conditioning. At least 41 prisoners have died of heart-related or undetermined causes since the unrelenting heat wave began. Full Story
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![A thermometer is pictured inside a mock prison cell during a "Beat the Heat" awareness event at the Capitol on March 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
Under new state law, Texas will bill electric vehicle drivers an extra $200 a year
The new registration fee is meant to make up for the state’s lost revenue from gasoline taxes that are used to pay for road construction and maintenance. Full Story
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![While waiting for the battery in his Tesla EV to charge, a traveler cleans the windshield on his vehicle at a service station in Childress on Aug. 23, 2022.]()
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State power grid operator calls on Texans to conserve energy late Sunday
ERCOT asked energy customers to reduce their electricity use from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday, the third conservation request this year and the second in three days as punishing summer heat continues. Full Story
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![A boat traveled along Lake Travis during a drought in the summer of 2011. Drier than normal weather in Texas with no precipitation for several months had caused lakes and rivers to run dry.]()
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Former judge declines to serve as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s adviser for Ken Paxton impeachment trial
A day after Patrick announced the appointment, Marc Brown declined it, citing a campaign contribution he made to Paxton’s GOP primary opponent in 2021. Full Story
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![Judge Marc Brown listens to attorney Mike DeGeurin during Jessica Tata's pretrial hearings in the 180th state district court Monday Oct. 15,2012.]()
Credit: Dave Rossman for the Houston Chronicle -
Ken Paxton’s team said there was no evidence to support impeachment. The House published nearly 4,000 pages.
The Senate, which is conducting the trial, published the exhibits Thursday night. House impeachment managers say Paxton abused his office to help friend and political donor Nate Paul. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at a news conference at the William P. Clements State Office Building on a pilot program to dispose of medications, especially opioids on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2022 in Austin, TX. Paxton was joined by a group of former athletes and coaches to make the announcement. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)of former athletes and coaches to make the announcement.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s former personal assistant and “second son” a star witness in impeachment probe
Drew Wicker testified that he ferried documents to Nate Paul on behalf of his boss and witnessed conversations that suggested Paul was paying for the attorney general’s home renovations. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, talks with staff members before a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Big changes in Houston ISD after state takeover
In this week’s episode, we discuss the changes at Houston ISD after a state takeover in June. Full Story
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![Students at Houston’s Northside High School hold up signs in protest of the state takeover of HISD on April 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet for The Texas Tribune -
New allegations against Ken Paxton raise stakes for early votes in impeachment trial
Before 30 senators take on their role as impeachment trial jurors, they face a series of momentous decisions on whether to dismiss the charges as requested by the attorney general. Full Story
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![Rep. Andrew Murr delivers the Articles of Impeachment to Secretary of the Senate Patsy Spaw on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
For deaf children in Texas foster care, limited accessibility compounds trauma
Advocates say better accounting of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the state’s care and better access to translators are needed. Full Story
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![A sign for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services building in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
The national debate over books has come to West Texas. And librarians are stuck in the middle.
West Texas residents are organizing over their love — or concern — for books. Meanwhile, from Lubbock to Midland and Odessa, librarians are trying to reaffirm libraries’ role as community hubs. Full Story
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![Library clerk Cencee Gordon returns a children's book to its proper location on a shelf in the children section of the Ector County Library in Odessa on Aug. 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Jacob Ford for The Texas Tribune -
Texas drivers vexed by toll road payment problems got little relief from state lawmakers
Double billing, rejected automatic payments and expensive late fees are the most frequent complaints about a toll system with different operators and rules across the state. Full Story
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![Tolls in Austin.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/The Texas Tribune -
Smaller Texas counties could face a poll worker shortage due to new state requirements
A law that will give voters more time to vote across the state means election offices have to find more workers. That isn’t an easy task in rural Texas. Full Story
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![Voters walk up to the New Berlin City Hall voting center to cast their vote on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in New Berlin, Texas.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
University of Houston students brace for LGBTQ Resource Center closure in response to Texas’ DEI ban
The announcement confronted students with the impact of a new law that will require all state-funded colleges and universities to close their diversity, equity and inclusion offices. Full Story
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![The LGBTQ Resource Center at University of Houston, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian/Houston Landing)]()
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State grid operator asks Texans to reduce energy use Thursday afternoon as demand spikes
This is the second voluntary conservation notice issued this summer by ERCOT, which hopes to lower electricity use and avoid tight grid conditions amid an ongoing heat wave. Full Story
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Kyle Rittenhouse launches nonprofit with far-right Texans as he ramps up political engagement in the state
The activist known for shooting Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020 has created the Rittenhouse Foundation, which promises to fight for gun rights and includes leaders who have close ties to ultraconservative megadonors from West Texas. Full Story
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Texas’ environmental agency enables companies to increase oilfield wastewater disposal in rivers
Researchers are still studying the chemical makeup of “produced water” from Permian Basin oil fields. But regulators say they’re ready to issue permits to discharge the water into rivers and creeks. Full Story
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![Fracking's water demand requires the construction of ponds like these, which store millions of gallons of fresh water. Aug. 21, 2013.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Legal fight over Texas law banning transgender health care for youth centers on whether treatments help or hurt
Texas families and health care providers sued the state over Senate Bill 14, which restricts transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care. The groups are requesting an injunction from a state district court judge before the law goes into effect on Sept. 1. Full Story
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![Laura’s son holds his Pride flag at Discovery Green in downtown Houston on Sunday, June 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune
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