Latest effort to block school ratings cracks Texas districts’ once-united front
Dozens of districts sued Texas saying the ratings painted an unfair picture of their schools. Others voluntarily have released their own. Full Story
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![Students leave the classroom to work in the computer lab at Mata Intermediate School.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Cards Against Humanity says in new lawsuit that SpaceX has destroyed some of its South Texas property
The card game company crowd-funded money to buy the land in an attempt to block a portion of Donald Trump’s border wall. Full Story
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![SpaceX rockets at the launch pad at the Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. On Oct. 22, Elon Musk said via Twitter the Starship rocket would be ready for an orbital launch by next month.]()
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Republicans who want to oust Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan unanimously back state Rep. David Cook
Four GOP state representatives suspended their bids to challenge Phelan and 48 Republicans backed Cook, which could threaten Phelan’s shot at a third term. Full Story
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![State Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, takes the oath of office with his hand on a bible on the first day of the 88th Texas legislative session on Jan 10, 2023.]()
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Aquí te decimos cómo puedes votar en las elecciones presidenciales del 5 de noviembre en Texas
La fecha límite para registrarse para votar es el 7 de octubre. El último día para solicitar una boleta para votar por correo es el 25 de octubre. El periodo de votación anticipada será del 21 de octubre al 1 de noviembre. Full Story
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Republicans feature 9/11 conspiracy theorist in South Texas ads
The small business owner featured in the ad previously shared memes calling 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic inside jobs and mocking U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, left, and former Rep. Mayra Flores.]()
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Ted Cruz, Colin Allred agree to debate in U.S. Senate race
The Oct. 15 debate will mark the first time the nominees will face each other onstage before the November election. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, and U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas.]()
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Study finds levels of a dangerous gas “off the scales” in Central Texas oilfield
The smell of oil wells has long permeated Caldwell County, near Austin and San Antonio. Now researchers have documented wells releasing dangerous amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas. Full Story
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![A cow next to a non-producing oil well in Caldwell County. Gas was venting out of the well even though oil is not being produced.]()
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Texas prisons and jails are recruiting more teenagers to shore up guard shortage
Two counties house training programs in local high schools as officials pitch corrections jobs as gateways to criminal justice careers. Full Story
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![19 year-old Detention Officer Justtice Taylor of the Smith County Sheriff's Office, on September 10, 2024, at the Smith County Jail in Tyler.]()
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Tarrant County GOP sought an election advantage with failed effort to shutter college voting locations
In a resolution signed Friday, the party blasted two Republicans who voted against the measure and accused them of undermining its electoral chances. Full Story
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![Cases of ballots and equipment at the Tarrant County Elections Administration building in Fort Worth, Texas. on May 6, 2023.]()
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Bipartisan Texas House majority urges clemency for man facing execution in shaken baby case
Lawmakers cite new scientific evidence that they say proves Robert Roberson, who is set for execution on Oct. 17, did not kill his daughter. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson seeks a new trial for the 2003 conviction of the murder of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in Palestine, Texas on August 14, 2018.]()
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A new personalized way to read The Texas Tribune
We’re partnering with aLayer, a research organization, to test a tool that will help Tribune readers customize their reading experience. Full Story
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![Logos for The Texas Tribune and aLayer, a research firm leading a presentation experiment for Tribune content.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune and aLayer -
Judge allows Texas State Fair’s gun ban to stand for now
Texas AG Ken Paxton says the fair's gun ban violates state law, which bars most government bodies from prohibiting weapons. Full Story
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![The State Fair of Texas in Dallas on Oct. 20, 2016.]()
Credit: Allison V. Smith for The Texas Tribune -
At this South Texas political convention, everyone has a voice, regardless of legal status
Inspired by the work of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, the biennial “cumbre” helps South Texans organize for political change. Full Story
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![People cast their votes for the topics that they are interested in LUPE focusing on for the next two years during the Cumbre de Miembros 2024 in San Juan, Texas on Sept. 14, 2024.
Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
How Texas counts ballots and keeps elections secure
From election equipment to ballot counting and storage, Texas elections officials follow a long list of laws and procedures to ensure free and fair elections. Full Story
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![Harris County Elections Staff members sort ballot bags at the Elections Technology Center in northwest Houston on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.]()
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Doug Emhoff to lead San Antonio rally for Texas Democrats
The second gentleman’s visit will focus on voting rights. Full Story
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![Doug Emhoff, second gentleman of the United States, walks on stage to speak with supporters for his wife, Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, in The Villages, Florida, on Sept. 13, 2024.]()
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Even as state mental health spending rises, private psychiatric hospitals struggle to stay open
Texas hasn’t increased Medicaid rates for inpatient health care at private hospitals in 16 years, falling behind other states. Full Story
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![The Nix Health behavioral health center in San Antonio closed in 2019.]()
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Maternal deaths surged in Texas in 2020, 2021
Even excluding deaths related to COVID, Texas’ maternal mortality rate spiked, reversing two years of improvement. Full Story
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![A woman gets a sonogram in an Austin clinic.]()
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Texas education commissioner calls for student cellphone ban in schools
Mike Morath made the recommendation as concerns rise that phones are harmful to students’ mental health and distract them from learning. Full Story
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![High school students walk to their next class after the bell rings at Elsik Ninth Grade Center in Houston on March 28, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Republicans pour money into attacking Texas Democrats on LGBTQ+ issues ahead of Election Day
In his largest ad buy to date, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz attacks U.S. Rep. Colin Allred for his support of the Equality Act. It would have prohibited gender discrimination in public places. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Texas Unconstitutional Abortion Ban and the Role of the Shadow Docket", in Hart Senate Office Building in Washington on Sept. 29, 2021.]()
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What you need to know about the Venezuelan gang that Texas is targeting
Gov. Greg Abbott has declared the Venezuelan gang a foreign terrorist organization and asked the Department of Public Safety to create a strike team targeting them. Full Story
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![Members of the Chilean Armed Forces participate in a security operation against suspects with links to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, on May 29, 2024.]()
Credit: Patricio Cortés B./Ulan/POOL via REUTERS