Can Texas retain and train more teachers?
In this week’s episode of the TribCast, Matthew and Eleanor ask the question: Are Texas teachers OK? Full Story
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![Substitute teacher Karie Houchin reads to a second grade classroom at Wanke Elementary School in north San Antonio on March 9, 2012.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
Sen. Mayes Middleton announces bid for Texas attorney general
Middleton is the second Republican to join what is expected to be a growing field of candidates angling to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton as the state’s top legal official. Full Story
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![Senator Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, during a Texas Senate meeting on March 25, 2025.]()
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Texas House approves push to award Attorney General Ken Paxton back pay
The vote instructs lawmakers who are negotiating a budget with the Senate to advocate for awarding Paxton the salary he missed while impeached over corruption allegations. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton stands with attorneys Tony Buzbee and Mitch Little during prayer on the ninth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2023.]()
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Texas House Democrats could hold GOP priorities hostage to force statewide school vouchers vote
More than 50 House Democrats have signed on to a plan to spike all constitutional amendments unless the House allows voters to decide whether school vouchers will be legalized. Full Story
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![State Rep. John Bucy III, D-Austin, is surrounded by Democrats on the Texas House floor while he advocates for Medicaid expansion during the budget debate in the Texas House on April 10, 2025.]()
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Texas House gives first approval to bill that would allow universities to pay student athletes
Already able to collect from private entities, athletes for the first time would be able to receive direct payments from universities under the proposal. Full Story
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![Houston Cougars guard Jamal Shead (right) works on TCU Horned Frogs guard Jameer Nelson Jr. in the Big 12 Championship Tournament at T-Mobile center in Kansas City, Missouri on March 14, 2024.]()
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“The Valley matters to us”: Texas Democratic Party leader makes first pitch to reclaim South Texas
In 2024, President Donald Trump won all four counties in the Rio Grande Valley, once considered a reliable Democratic stronghold. Full Story
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![Newly elected Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder addresses attendees at a town hall event in McAllen on April 12, 2025. The event organizers invited CD-15 Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz to the event, but she did not attend.]()
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See what each Texas state employee is paid: Search our updated database.
The Texas Tribune’s database of Texas state employees’ compensation is updated to represent salaries as of April 1. Full Story
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Trump officials cut planning grant for Texas high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said if the private sector wants the rail line, it should cover planning costs. Full Story
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![Railroad tracks near a proposed bullet train terminus on the outskirts of downtown Dallas, on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott gave Trump credit when Texas closed a border site for booking migrants. But arrests were already low.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas was able to close the Jim Hogg County facility because of Trump’s immigration policies. Records reveal that the reality is more nuanced. Full Story
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![A U.S Customs and Border Protection agent and Val Verde Sheriff’s deputy meet along a rural section of state border wall under construction Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, outside of Del Rio.]()
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String of law enforcement suicides rattles first responders and exposes gaps in state support
Four people tied to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office committed suicide recently, calling attention to ongoing mental health struggles among law enforcement. Full Story
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![Dustin Schellinger poses for a photo on Sunday, April 6, 2025 in Coppell, Texas. After loosing two close friends to suicide within six months of each other, Schellinger found that there were not many resources for law enforcement who were struggling and sought to find an opportunity to help.]()
Credit: Maria Crane for The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge rules against Trump, halts deportation of Venezuelans held in Texas under wartime act
The ruling extends a temporary restraining order for three Venezuelan migrants detained in South Texas who are facing deportation. Full Story
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![A man crosses a jet bridge as Venezuelan migrants arrive on a flight after being deported from the United States, at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela on March 30, 2025.]()
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announces he’s running for fourth term
President Donald Trump offered an endorsement of Patrick on Truth Social. Full Story
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![Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick during a Texas Senate meeting on March 25, 2025.]()
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A message from our CEO, Sonal Shah
Since 2023, we have worked diligently to reach new audiences in Texas, increase trust in our work and expand into local news. At the end of this year, with a strong leadership team in place, I will be transitioning. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Sonal Shah speaks with members and festival attendees during a happy hour at The Texas Tribune Festival 2024, in downtown Austin, Texas, on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2024.]()
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Meet the tent company making a fortune off Trump’s deportation plans
Deployed Resources, a privately held tent company, is set to operate a new ICE tent camp to hold people awaiting deportation in El Paso, Texas. Full Story
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![A large, soft-sided migrant processing facility, meant to process and house large numbers of migrants, is located on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.]()
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Five news organizations join Texas Tribune and ProPublica investigative initiative
El Paso Matters, Fort Worth Report, Houston Chronicle, The Texas Newsroom and WFAA will join us to support accountability journalism in Texas. Full Story
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Texas Republican lawmakers unwilling to change abortion laws to address doomed pregnancies
For the first time since Texas outlawed nearly all abortions, lawmakers are clarifying the “life of mother” exception. But they don’t plan to address cases where the fetus won’t survive. Full Story
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![Taylor Edwards poses for a portrait in the Texas Capitol on April 7, 2025. In 2023 (?), Edwards had to travel out of the state to receive an abortion after learning the child she was carrying would not survive the pregnancy.]()
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To avoid a water crisis, Texas may bet big on desalination. Here’s how it works in El Paso.
Desalination can create millions of gallons of fresh water a day. But it is expensive and there are many environmental concerns. Full Story
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![An illustration of a glass of water, superimposed over reverse osmosis filters from El Paso's Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant.]()
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Budget day in the House: Texas lawmakers approve $337 billion spending plan
Among the hundreds of amendments were ones that focused on school vouchers, the attorney general’s office and the Texas Lottery. Full Story
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![Texas House of Representatives Members convene in the House Chamber in Austin on April 10, 2025.]()
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$337 billion, two-year budget gets Texas House approval
The lower chamber’s plan largely aligns with the Senate’s proposal and puts billions toward teacher pay, border security and property tax cuts. Full Story
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![House Parliamentarian Sharon Carter, left, listens as state Reps: Cody Vasut, Richard Hayes, Tom Oliverson and Trey Martinez Fischer, negotiate in the Texas House on April 10, 2025.]()
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Former U.S. Attorney John Bash first to announce run to replace Attorney General Ken Paxton
Bash served as special assistant to President Trump during his first term and is Elon Musk’s lawyer. Full Story
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![John F. Bash, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas resigned from his position.]()
Credit: Mark Lambie/El Paso Times via REUTERS