Gov. Greg Abbott declares disaster as wildfires rage in several Texas counties
Wildfires have burned more than 58,000 acres across the state. At least one person has died and dozens of homes have burned down. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton hosted 12 attorneys general from around the U.S. for a border security briefing at Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Jan. 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
After the omicron surge in early 2022, COVID-19 cases declined in Texas schools
Student and staff COVID-19 cases declined after districts reported their highest levels in January since the pandemic began. But the data is incomplete and likely an undercount. Full Story
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![Students work at their desks at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Operation Lone Star and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week
Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial border mission was subject to a slew of bad news this week, including a major shakeup at the Texas Military Department, whose top leader Abbott replaced. Full Story
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![A National Guard vehicle is stationed near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas continues imprisoning migrants without filing charges or appointing lawyers, court filings claim
Months after the problems became apparent, migrants are still being kept in prison in violation of state laws under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security crackdown. Full Story
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![The migrant processing facility adjacent to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office in Del Rio on Oct. 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
After accepting her trans son’s hard-fought identity, a Texas mother is being investigated for child abuse
It took him three years to come out to his mother as trans. Now, under a new directive from the governor, the state is investigating whether she pressured him to transition. Full Story
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![People gather for the Trans Kids Call for HELP! rally in front of the Governor's Mansion in Austin on March 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: When 1 in 8 Texas mail ballots gets trashed, that’s vote suppression
Nearly 23,000 Texans voted in this month’s party primaries and saw their mail ballots rejected by election officials, evidently an aftershock from new state laws that were supposed to make voting easier and more secure. Full Story
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![Harris County Elections Staff members carry in and sort ballot bags at the Elections Technology Center in northwest Houston on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas CPS department’s culture kept worries about now-shuttered foster care facility from being addressed, official says
It was also revealed at a special Texas Senate committee meeting that the Texas foster care worker who allegedly sold nude pictures of girls is also accused of dating a child trafficker. Full Story
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![Buildings located at Refuge Ranch in Bastrop. The Texas-contracted facility is meant to provide residential treatment for child sex trafficking survivors, but was discovered to be trafficking the same children, according to a federal judge.]()
Credit: Via Refuge Ranch website -
Shakeup of Texas border mission leadership continues as pair of two-star generals departs
The departure of three top officials in a week signals that officials may be looking to make changes to the heavily criticized mission. A soldier leading a unionization effort welcomed the moves. Full Story
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![A sign with the Texas Military Department Seal outside Camp Mabry in Austin on Jan. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Russia extends detention for WNBA star Brittney Griner as Texans in Congress call for her release
Griner will be under arrest until at least May 19, according to Russian state media. Full Story
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![Brittney Griner of the United States in action at Saitama Super Arena during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic women's basketball Group B game in Saitama, Japan, on Aug. 2, 2021.]()
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Buttigieg thinks high-speed rail would be good for Texas, wants highway expansions to consider neighborhood impacts
The U.S. transportation secretary says high-growth areas will need to pave more highway lanes — but that state and local officials should minimize environmental and community impacts. Full Story
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![U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on March 2, 2022, in Washington, D.C.]()
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Texas warns firms they could lose state contracts for divesting from fossil fuels
A new law prohibits the state from contracting with or investing in companies that divest from oil, natural gas and coal companies. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol in Austin on Aug. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Jury awards professor $3 million in pregnancy and sex discrimination suit against UT-Austin
A jury awarded Evdokia Nikolova damages for past and future pain and suffering after finding UT-Austin illegally discriminated against her when the school denied her tenure. Full Story
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![The University of Texas at Austin tower on July 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Rangers confirm investigation into nude photos of children at Bastrop shelter but find “no evidence” of sex abuse
An attorney representing foster care children in a suit against Texas said Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw’s conclusion that there was no evidence of sexual abuse despite the investigation into the photos was “both surprising and extremely troubling.” Full Story
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![A chapel and buildings located at Refuge Ranch in Bastrop. The Texas-contracted facility is meant to provide residential treatment for child sex trafficking survivors, but was discovered to be trafficking the same children, according to a federal judge.]()
Credit: Via Refuge Ranch website -
Analysis: A power test for Texas voters
After last winter’s near-statewide electric blackouts, Texas lawmakers went after regulators they deemed responsible but tiptoed around the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas. Now voters have a chance, if they want it, to send the state a message. Full Story
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![A gas meter with icicles on it in South Austin on Feb. 18, 2021.]()
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Texas’ traditionally sleepy school board races are suddenly attracting attention — and money
As conservative parents become more frustrated with how school boards handled the pandemic, once-ignored school board elections are becoming better funded. Full Story
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![Parents demonstrate in front of the Frisco Independent School District building demanding a mask mandate for the district and improved sanitary and air conditions for students in Frisco on Sept. 10, 2021. The demonstration was organized by Unified Parents of Frisco, formed in response to the pandemic and its consequences on their children's lives and education.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
National Guard troops were dispatched to famous Texas ranches with private security as part of border mission
The dispatching of troops to the sprawling private ranches, far from the border, raises questions about the use of National Guard troops, who have widely decried the mission as aimless, political and oversized, as the cost of the effort has already ballooned to $2 billion a year. Full Story
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![Texas National Guard stationed outside a King Ranch Norias Division entrance on Jan. 13, 2022.]()
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Ken Paxton, lawyers for parents of trans kids disagree on whether child abuse investigations can continue
Paxton tweeted Friday that investigations into parents of transgender children would continue as a result of his appeal. But the state’s child welfare agency won’t confirm the status of the investigations. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021.]()
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Families are desperate for child care, but providers face a “roller coaster” trying to survive
Although child care providers have mostly reopened, 8% have closed permanently since the start of the pandemic — and 57% of Texas counties still qualify as child care deserts. Full Story
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![Children play with Play-Doh at Kid's Castle Family Daycare and Preschool in Pflugerville on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022.]()
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Video: As more Texans die from fentanyl overdoses, advocates and experts urge harm reduction policies
Alyssa Pastrana was 21 years old when she died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at her home in Abilene. Full Story
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![The Fuentes family at a memorial for Alyssa Pastrana, 21, who died of an accidental fentanyl overdose last year in Abilene.]()
Credit: Lauren Santucci/The Texas Tribune -
Trump appointees are helping Texas derail Biden’s immigration agenda
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has sued the Biden administration 20 times in Texas federal courts over everything from mask mandates to immigration policies. Trump-appointed judges have ruled in seven of them, all in favor of Texas. Full Story
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![Migrants arrive in Nuevo Laredo after being returned by Customs and Border Protection. The group requested asylum in the United States and under the Migrant Protection Protocols, are returned to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings. July 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune