Texas drag shows become a right-wing target amid rising extremism
LGBTQ Texans say lawmakers and right-wing figures are misrepresenting what happens at all-ages performances to propagate hate and violence against queer people. Full Story
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![Counter-protesters form a barricade outside of a transgender storytelling event as Sara Gonzales of Defend our Kids Texas chants “there are only two genders,” in Denton, on Nov. 19. 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Houston native Brittney Griner, a WNBA star, released from Russian custody in prisoner swap
The Texas basketball star was first detained in February and was recently moved to a Russian penal colony before her release Thursday. Full Story
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![WNBA MVP candidate and All Stars player Brittney Griner during media day before she enters her eighth season with Phoenix Mercury.]()
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Watch: Texas lawmakers, local leaders and reporters discuss the 2023 legislative session
A series of conversations hosted by The Texas Tribune explored what’s ahead for the Texas Legislature in 2023. Full Story
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Texas state court throws out lawsuit against doctor who violated abortion law
The court’s ruling does not overturn the 2021 law, which banned abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. It also does not impact the near-total ban on abortion that went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Full Story
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![Dr. Alan Braid, abortion provider and owner of Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services in San Antonio, sits in his office for a portrait on June 14, 2022.]()
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Texas hits 1,000 days under Greg Abbott’s public health disaster as a new COVID-19 wave and legislative session loom
After more than 92,000 deaths and 8 million reported COVID-19 cases in Texas, the state remains one of less than a dozen still under a statewide disaster or public health emergency. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott declares a state of disaster in Texas amid new cases of COVID-19 in the state on March 13, 2020, at the state capitol.]()
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On the margins of downtown San Antonio, a maligned neighborhood mobilizes to save itself
Born of segregation and redlining, the near West Side has long been mostly Latino, mostly low-income. Redevelopment pressures are closing in, and neighbors are working to keep it affordable for some of the city’s poorest residents. Full Story
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![Attendees watch as the Dia De Los Muertos procession continues down the Alazan-Apache neighborhood in San Antonio, TX on Nov. 1.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott bans TikTok on state phones and computers, citing cybersecurity risks
Following the lead of several other GOP governors, Abbott said banning the social media platform, which is run by the Chinese company ByteDance, would protect state information from the Chinese Communist Party. Full Story
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![FILE PHOTO: TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration]()
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Texas House Democratic Caucus elects Trey Martinez Fischer as its new chair
Martinez Fischer replaces Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, who has led the caucus since 2017 and did not seek reelection. Full Story
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![State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, speaks at a press conference at Mt. Zion Baptist Church near the state Capitol in Austin after Democrats broke quorum in opposition to Senate Bill 7, a sweeping GOP voting bill. May 30, 2021.]()
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In defamation lawsuit against Beto O’Rourke, lawyers debate whether Kelcy Warren is a public figure
Warren, a Dallas pipeline tycoon, sued O’Rourke in February over accusations he made on the campaign trail that Warren effectively bribed Gov. Greg Abbott with a $1 million campaign contribution following the 2021 power grid collapse. Full Story
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Why some Texas cities and counties had to return millions of dollars meant to help renters during the pandemic
For some local relief programs, a lack of staffing, political support and effective community outreach got in the way of spending federal funds to prevent evictions, a new report found. More than $30 million went unspent and had to be returned. Full Story
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![Demonstrators gathered outside the Harris County Courthouse in Houston to protest ongoing evictions on Aug. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Travis County judges can’t hear appeals from migrants arrested under Texas border security push, court rules
The Court of Criminal Appeals scuttled nearly 450 cases, saying migrants arrested for trespassing in Kinney County can’t ask Austin judges to hear their appeals. Full Story
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![Walkthrough of the migrant processing facility located adjacent to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office in Del Rio, TX.]()
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A boil-water notice in Houston made national news. In rural Texas, it’s a way of life.
Rural communities face compounding reasons they can’t improve their water infrastructure, including inflation and a lack of human resources. Full Story
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![David Wilshusen, 69, stands outside his home in Houston County, Texas on on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. (Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune)]()
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Cruz: “Of course” Trump was wrong to call for terminating Constitution
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz condemned the comment by the former president, but he also said that reporters were overblowing the story and should instead “focus on what matters.” Sen. John Cornyn called the move “irresponsible” on Monday. Full Story
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![Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Robstown on October 22, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott says he will nominate retiring state Sen. Jane Nelson to be secretary of state
Nelson planned to retire from the Senate after 30 years in office. But her nomination will give Abbott a clearer path to having his nominee confirmed by the Senate after his last three have gone unconfirmed. Full Story
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![Then-state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, in the Senate on May 27, 2019.]()
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How Austin’s housing crisis has shaped the race for a new mayor
The capital city’s mayoral race is something of a test case in how the state’s rising housing costs might influence local races in major cities. Full Story
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![State Rep. Celia Israel and former State Sen. Kirk Watson debate on ATX Decides, hosted by Austin PBS at Studio 919 on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022.]()
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Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick diverge ahead of the legislative session on property taxes, power grid
The dueling approaches are coming into focus as lawmakers prepare to return to Austin for the session which begins Jan. 10. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at a joint press conference on the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion on Jan. 9, 2019. Newly-elected House Speaker Dennis Bonnen was also present.]()
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Texas lawmakers ask state agency to delay power market redesign until after 2023 legislative session
In a Monday committee hearing, lawmakers questioned whether a Public Utility Commission proposal to redesign Texas’ electricity market would lead to the building of more natural-gas-fired power plants. Regulators say it would. Full Story
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![From left: Peter Lake, chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Brad Jones, interim president and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), speak at a press conference about the grid on May 17, 2022.]()
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John Scott, Texas’ top elections official, to step down at end of year
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Scott as secretary of state in October 2021, and he served in an interim capacity pending Senate confirmation. He is stepping down right before the legislative session, in which his appointment would have come up for debate. Full Story
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![John Scott speaks to a reporter during an interview inside his office at the Texas State Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 in Austin, TX. Scott was appointed last week by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his appointment has been criticized by some after Scott's role in representing the Trump administration in a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results. Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune]()
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Houston’s at-large City Council districts deprive Latinos of fair representation, lawsuit alleges
The League of United Latin American Citizens sued the city Monday, asking a federal court to halt its practice of electing five of its 16 council members through at-large elections. Full Story
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![Houston City Hall on October 2, 2017.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
A Texas program that backs school districts’ bond debt is about to reach its limit — and it could mean raising taxes
Under the state’s Permanent School Fund’s Bond Guarantee Program, schools get the best interest rate on bonds. That soon may be over if the federal government doesn’t act. Full Story
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![Desks are spaced out in a classroom at Ott Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune
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