The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said that at the maximum levels detected, the benzene levels could cause headaches and nausea, but no long-term effects. State Rep. Briscoe Cain has called for an investigation into the incident. Full Story
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An estimate to put air conditioning into one prison changed from more than $20 million to $4 million last year. Full Story
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The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that its Migration Protection Protocols, also called “remain in Mexico,” now includes the El Paso port of entry. Full Story
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On this week’s TribCast, Aman talks to Alex, Aliyya and Ross about the mood in the Texas Capitol halfway through the session, why Dan Patrick has some pot advocates feeling paranoid and how the two Texans running for president are doing — and yes, there are still two. Full Story
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In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to House members Mary Gonzalez, Sarah Davis and Toni Rose about gender, politics and public policy in a state where the population is majority female but elected officials are overwhelmingly male. Full Story
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Proposals in the Texas House would spend $6.6 billion from the state’s savings account; the Senate would spend $4.4 billion. Full Story
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Issues like city-mandated paid sick leave and "red flag" gun laws are popular among Texas voters, polls suggest. Will opposing them have consequences in 2020? Full Story
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The director of the El Paso-based Annunciation House said he needs more help from the city to ensure the migrants, most of whom are seeking asylum, don’t end up on the streets. Full Story
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The upper chamber cast three, 31-0 votes on Wednesday to approve disaster recovery and preparedness legislation that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named a top priority. Full Story
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The Texas House unanimously passed House Bill 81 on Wednesday. Full Story
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Busby, a Republican judge and former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, served on an appellate court in Houston until voters rejected him in November as part of a Democratic sweep. Full Story
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O'Rourke raised $6.1 million in his first 24 hours as a presidential candidate, surpassing his 2020 Democratic rivals' totals for the same period. Bernie Sanders raised $5.9 million in his first 24 hours. Full Story
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The fate of a half-dozen Republican congressional incumbents in Texas and, perhaps, the outcome of the presidential race could depend on how the U.S. Senate race in Texas goes. Full Story
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A decade ago, Laredo leaders hatched an idea for a riverfront development aimed at luring more people to downtown. Now they're trying to get the federal government to make it part of President Donald Trump's border wall. Full Story
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At a meet-and-greet with Democrats in Dallas Tuesday night, Castro dismissed suggestions that his bid for president was being overshadowed by Beto O'Rourke and said he was working hard "to make sure that at the right time I’m the frontrunner of this race." Full Story
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A fire that broke out Sunday morning at a petrochemical storage facility in the industrial Houston suburb stopped burning overnight. Full Story
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Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Bliss, Fort Hood and the naval reserve center in Galveston could all lose funding for construction projects if the president's plan to divert money from the military to a border wall succeeds. Full Story
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The $9 billion bill has more than 100 co-sponsors in the House but will need to be reconciled with Senate proposals. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's wariness of proposals to expand the state's narrow medical cannabis program may block any such bills from reaching the governor's desk this session. Full Story
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The newfound push this session around school safety and preventing mass shootings is reinvigorating ideas about mental health care for Texas children. But advocates often cringe when legislators make the argument that mental health care is the key to preventing mass shootings. Full Story
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