Biden to nominate Texas judge to be first Latina on federal appeals court
Both of Texas’ Republican senators voiced support for Irma Carrillo Ramirez’s nomination to the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Full Story
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![U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez gives opening remarks during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Sept. 7th, 2016.]()
Credit: US Senate Committee on the Judiciary -
Unsealed evidence shows racist comments, threats of violence made by Daniel Perry before killing of Austin protester
Gov. Greg Abbott has said he wants to pardon Perry, who was convicted by a Travis County jury last week. Full Story
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![Daniel Perry and his family walk to the 147th District Courtroom at the Travis County Blackwell Thurman Criminal Justice Complex on Thursday Mar. 23, 2023 in Austin. Perry is on trial for shooting and killing protester Garrett Foster during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Austin.]()
Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Llano County library supporters declare victory as officials decide not to close all branches
Llano County commissioners had considered closing the three libraries in response to a ruling from a federal judge who ordered banned books returned to the shelves. Full Story
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![Amanda Starkes and her mother Brenda embrace Suzette Baker after the announcement that the Llano Public library will remain open outside the Llano County Sheriffs office on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Baker and Starke were both terminated from the library branch in Kingsland. The county ruled that the library will remain open after a vote on whether or not to close it due to disagreements over book banning. (Sergio Flores for the Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves $15 million bill to expand local mental health treatment options for children and families
The proposal would offer hospitals and nonprofits grant funding to expand child and family mental health services. Full Story
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![State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, speaks to her colleagues in honor of Texas Independence Day on the Senate floor on March 2, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas billionaire Harlan Crow bought property from Clarence Thomas. The justice didn’t disclose the deal.
The transaction is the first known instance of money flowing from Crow to the Supreme Court justice. The sale netted the GOP megadonor two vacant lots and the house where Thomas’ mother was living. Full Story
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![Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow.]()
Credit: George W. Bush Presidential Center -
More than 18,000 cows are dead after dairy farm explosion in Texas Panhandle
The state fire marshal’s office is investigating. Full Story
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![A worker was critically injured and more than 18,000 cattle were killed in a massive explosion at Southfork Dairy Farm in Dimmit on Monday, April 10, 2023. Dimmit is about 60 miles south west of Amarillo.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Castro County Sheriff's Office -
With tweet about a pardon, Gov. Greg Abbott injects politics into Texas’ criminal justice system
In an unprecedented use of his power, the Republican governor moved to pardon Daniel Perry less than a day after an Austin jury convicted him in the murder of protester Garrett Foster. Full Story
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![Daniel Perry during his first day of trial in the 147th District Courtroom at the Travis County Justice Center on March 28, 2023.]()
Credit: Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Texas Senate passes school library bill meant to keep “harmful” materials off shelves
Proponents of the bill say it will keep inappropriate material away from kids. Some librarians are concerned about the logistical challenges it could bring. Full Story
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![The library at Blanco Vista Elementary in San Marcos on Nov. 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes $12 billion property tax relief package, setting up fight over appraisal cap with Senate
House Speaker Dade Phelan has said tightening the appraisal cap is the best way to cut property taxes, but Senate tax-cut proponents, housing experts and business groups predict the move would have dire consequences. Full Story
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![An East Austin neighborhood.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House OKs bill that would fund community colleges based on their performance
Under this new model, community colleges would receive state funds based on the number of graduates who earn certificates or degrees and the number of students who transfer to four-year universities. Full Story
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![Houston Community College’s Northeast Campus on April 26, 2022, in Houston.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
A plan for Texas to build its own power plants could cost $7 billion more than expected
The plants would be activated during emergencies. Lawmakers haven’t decided whether to pay for them through state funds or higher charges to electricity customers. Full Story
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![A natural gas powered electricity generating station next to the Guadalupe River in Victoria, TX on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes CROWN Act, which would ban hairstyle discrimination
The bill seeks to ban discrimination based on certain hairstyles — like braids, dreadlocks and twists — in schools, workplaces and housing. Full Story
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![State Rep. Rhetta Bowers, D-Rowlett, sits on the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee at a hearing in the state capitol on April 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Abortion drug remains approved, with restrictions, appeals court rules
Mifepristone will remain on the market, but approved only for use up to seven weeks of pregnancy, versus 10 weeks, and it cannot be prescribed by telehealth or mailed, which were already illegal in Texas. Full Story
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![Boxes of mifepristone, the first pill given in a medical abortion, are prepared for patients at a clinic in New Mexico on Jan. 13, 2023.]()
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Watch a conversation with Texas Tribune journalist Roxanna Asgarian about her new book
Asgarian, a law and courts reporter for the Tribune, talked about “We Were Once a Family,” a deeply reported story of a murder-suicide that claimed the lives of six children. Full Story
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EPA proposes major air pollution reforms to lower residents’ cancer risk near industrial facilities
The EPA has proposed tougher air pollution rules for chemical plants and other industrial facilities after ProPublica found an estimated 74 million Americans near those sites faced an elevated risk of cancer. Full Story
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![Midwest Sterilization Corporation in Laredo Texas, operates 24/7 and emits more ethylene oxide than any other sterilizer plant in the country, according to the ProPublica analysis, which relies on self-reported emissions data from companies. That makes it the most toxic facility of its kind in the country and the 11th most toxic overall.]()
Credit: Kathleen Flynn, special to Texas Tribune/ProPublica -
Texas lawmakers take first steps to reverse course on costly requirement for election technology that doesn’t exist
The original provision was part of the state’s major overhaul to election laws in 2021. Full Story
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![A voter casts their ballot at a polling site at the Austin Oaks Church on Oct. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Ahead of primary, Rep. Tony Gonzales touts $1.3 million raised, 80 endorsements
After being censured by his party, the San Antonio Republican posts a strong fundraising quarter and district support. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, speaks at a Congressional Hispanic Conference press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.]()
Credit: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Watch: While lawmakers consider legalizing fentanyl test strips, this volunteer isn’t waiting to distribute them to his West Texas community
Michael Prado, with the grassroots organization West Texas Harm Reduction, is on a mission to distribute fentanyl test strips, syringes and overdose-reversing drugs like naloxone to his community. Full Story
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![Michael Prado with West Texas Harm Reduction shows a "bleach and teach" kit for cleaning syringes from the back of his Dodge SUV before heading out to distribute supplies in Abilene on Feb. 21, 2023.]()
Credit: Justin Dehn/The Texas Tribune -
Immigrant rights advocates waited over 9 hours to testify against a proposed Border Protection Unit to “deter and repel” migrants
House Bill 20 introduced by Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, would create a unit whose officers can “arrest, apprehend, or detain persons crossing the Texas-Mexico border unlawfully,” and deter those attempting to cross the border. Full Story
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![Migrants help carry a raft towards the Rio Grande river before being smuggled into Roma, Texas from Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Mexico, on Aug. 26, 2022.]()
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Federal judge says Texas’ use of psychotropic drugs puts foster kids at serious risk
Residential facilities did not refill medications in a timely manner, failed to follow psychiatric orders and, in several instances, violated state guidelines, court monitors documented after site inspections. The lawyer representing the foster kids said it could be “the tip of the iceberg.” Full Story
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![Heart Galleries, portraits of adoptable children, on display at the Child Protective Services office at Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune