Special legislative session is packed with controversy but not clarity, Tribune reporters say
The list of questions is as long as the list of issues for the new session. Full Story
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Federal judge finds U.S. government inaction mostly to blame for Sutherland Springs mass shooting
Federal Judge Xavier Rodriguez said the U.S. Air Force's failure to report the shooter's domestic violence conviction to the FBI allowed him to purchase the gun used in Texas' deadliest mass shooting. Full Story
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![Hannah Krueger adds a cross to a memorial near the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs on Nov. 8, 2017, three days after 23 churchgoers were killed in a mass shooting there.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott includes voting restrictions, critical race theory and rules for transgender student athletes on special legislative session agenda
Abbott also put border security and restoring funding to the Legislative branch — which he vetoed last month — on the special session agenda. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the surge in immigration in 2021 at a border wall tour accompanied by former President Donald Trump.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Houston-area COVID-19 outbreak — including delta variant cases — should be a wake-up call for Texans, health expert warns
The latest, most transmissible coronavirus variant is spreading rampantly in countries with low vaccination rates, and health experts are bracing for impact in Texas. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott tells electricity regulators to encourage building more power plants, penalize renewable energy
The governor did not include many specifics about how regulators should carry out his requests to improve the state's main power grid. Full Story
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![A wind farm in Harrold.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas students of color returned to in-person learning at below-average rates. Experts say the reasons are nuanced.
The Texas Education Agency cited COVID-19’s disproportionate effect on communities of color as reason for lower engagement and attendance rates among students of color. Full Story
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![Candace Hunter’s children are home-schooled due to the pandemic and have been struggling to manage the onslaught of assignments that come with remote learning. Her son is photographed here in Austin on Nov. 13, 2020.]()
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Amarillo was vaccinating people at double the state’s pace. Then the effort hit a wall.
Local health officials are trying to boost vaccinations in this Panhandle city and its surrounding counties, which rank near the bottom of the state’s population centers in the percentage of residents fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Full Story
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![Pharmacist Cody Frausto gives Alfredo Pacheco his does of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at Amigos Pharmacy in Amarillo on June 28, 2021.]()
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Former legislative leaders from both parties oppose Abbott veto of legislative funding as state defends him
In a new court filing, the attorney general's office said the governor properly used his veto power when he nixed funding for the Legislature in response to House Democrats walkout over a Republican priority bill on elections. Full Story
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State Sen. Jane Nelson announces she won't seek reelection
The Flower Mound lawmaker is the most senior Republican in the upper chamber and has served as its top budget writer for the past four sessions. Full Story
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![State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flowermound, on the Senate Floor on March 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The noisiest branch of Texas government goes into overtime
Special sessions are tempting for governors, but they’re risky. Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest attempt — starting Thursday — might go better if it’s relatively short. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks with lawmakers on the House floor during the legislative session on May 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texans with disabilities fear voting will get harder for them as special session on GOP restrictions nears
The extent to which Republicans’ proposed voting restrictions might affect voters of color has received much attention, but Texans with disabilities also face the prospect of new barriers to the ballot box. Full Story
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Allen West announces he is running against Gov. Greg Abbott in Republican primary
The Texas GOP chairman made his campaign official Sunday. Full Story
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![State GOP Chairman Allen West speaks at a Texas Republican Party rally on the east side of the Capitol Grounds on January 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
State museum canceled book event examining slavery’s role in Battle of the Alamo after Texas GOP leaders complained, authors say
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick confirmed on Twitter that he called for the event to be canceled. Abbott, Patrick and other GOP leaders are board members of the State Preservation Board, which oversees the Bullock museum. Full Story
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![The Bullock Texas State History Museum in Downtown Austin on Oct. 9, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott wants to build a border wall. South Texas landowners are divided over whether they want it.
Some landowners who sued the Trump administration say they aren't "just going to roll over and give up" now that Abbott has taken on a border wall project. Others say a wall is needed to protect people and property on the border. Full Story
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![Gerardo Vargas stands on his favorite cliff overlooking the Rio Grande River on June 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jessica Nicole Rodriguez for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says more apprehensions, drug seizures justify a border wall. Advocates say he's misrepresenting the numbers.
The governor said Texas needs to build a border wall to reduce migrant apprehensions and fentanyl seizures. But immigration and drug treatment experts say Abbott's oversimplifying the issue. Full Story
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![Asylum-seeking migrant families walked to turn themselves into the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico in Roma on June 9, 2021.]()
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2,100 state workers caught in the crosshairs of Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto of Legislature funding
The legislative branch budget includes funding for House and Senate lawmakers, their staffers and those working in nonpartisan legislative agencies. In total, there was more than $410 million allocated in the 2022-23 fiscal budget. Full Story
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![A staffer passes out papers while state Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, speaks during session on the House floor at the state capitol on May 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Army sergeant indicted on murder and aggravated assault charges after fatally shooting Austin protester Garrett Foster in 2020
Army Sgt. Daniel Perry shot and killed Foster, who was legally armed, after an altercation during a protest against police brutality last summer, police said. Perry argues it was in self defense. Full Story
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![A vigil is created for Garrett Foster on July 27, 2020, in Austin.]()
Credit: Marshall Tridick for The Texas Tribune -
"Everything is on the table": Democrats mull options for special session, including another walkout
After killing Republicans' priority voting bill during the regular legislative session, Democratic lawmakers are mulling how to try to stop it in the special session that starts July 8. Full Story
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TribCast: Donald Trump and Greg Abbott visit the U.S-Mexico border
In this week's episode, Matthew speaks with Ross, Patrick and Reese about the politics surrounding Donald Trump's trip to Texas and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on student learning. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump during a border security briefing in Weslaco on June 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Brandon Bell/Getty Images via POOL -
Health experts talk about what Texas did right and wrong in the pandemic — and what it should do differently next time
Three medical professionals discuss what they have learned about where Texas is — and where it is going — in the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Story
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