Watch a conversation about health care and the 85th Legislature
In San Anontio, we discussed the biggest health care issues facing Texas lawmakers in the next legislative session. Full Story
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The Brief: Texas executions, death sentences trend downward in 2016
This year, Texas is set to execute the lowest number of people in two decades, and juries in the state have handed out the second-fewest death sentences since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Full Story
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Forensic video analysis goes under the microscope in Texas
A Texas case shows that as cameras become more omnipresent, disputes over how such recordings are handled and analyzed are more likely to arise. Full Story
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Backers hopeful Texas ready to screen welfare recipients for drug use
While Texas already has some of the strictest eligibility requirements in the country for welfare benefit applicants, some lawmakers plan to try again next year to add required drug screenings or testing to the process. Full Story
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In an unusual year, Texas didn't lead the nation in executions
Texas didn't have the busiest execution chamber this year. In fact, it had the lowest number of executions in 20 years. Full Story
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In SEC case, Paxton lawyers zero in on Rep. Byron Cook
Fighting federal civil fraud allegations, Attorney General Ken Paxton is zeroing in on state Rep. Byron Cook's credibility in a new push to discredit the latest claims. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton entered a federal courthouse in Sherman on Sept. 2, 2016. Paxton's lawyers argued in a hearing that the federal civil fraud case against him should be dismissed.]()
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Federal health officials issue Zika warning for Brownsville
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging pregnant women to avoid Brownsville if they can and for those visiting the area to be tested for the virus, which is known to cause birth defects. Full Story
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Two Texans in the Cabinet, Paxton's Peanuts, queso on Capitol Hill
On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Patrick and Abby about Donald Trump's selections of Rick Perry and Rex Tillerson to his cabinet, Ken Paxton's battle in the "war on Christmas," Greg Abbott's wait-and-see approach to bathroom legislation and a fight over melted cheese in D.C. Full Story
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Here are 7 times Texas officials have fought over Christmas
Ken Paxton has come to the defense of a Christmas-themed Peanuts poster at a Texas public school. This isn't the first time elected officials have fought over Christmas; in fact, it's something of a holiday tradition. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton has come to the defense of a Christmas-themed Peanuts poster. But this isn't the first time a Texas official has fought over Christmas.]()
Credit: Illustration by Callie Richmond / CBS -
New in Trib+Water: TWDB issues 2017 State Water Plan
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: The Texas Water Development Board has issued the 2017 State Water Plan, scientists find soil could increase global warming and an interview with Jacquelyn Duke of Baylor University. Full Story
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Trump officially selects former Gov. Rick Perry for energy secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has officially selected former Gov. Rick Perry, a former rival turned loyalist, to lead the Department of Energy. Full Story
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The Brief: Perry second Texan to land in Trump’s Cabinet
As of Tuesday night, Trump's transition has yet to confirm the report, but praised former Gov. Rick Perry for his work in the Lone Star state. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry announces his intentions to run for president in 2016 on June 4, 2015, at the Addison Airport.]()
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South Texans claim school districts withheld special ed
Rio Grande Valley parents and educators told federal and state officials Tuesday that school districts lacked knowledge and resources to get students special education services that comply with federal law. Full Story
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![Vanessa Tijerina addresses a U.S. Department of Education panel about her 13-year-old special needs child on Dec. 13, 2016, in Edinburg, Texas. Federal education officials toured Texas to hear community members' experiences with special education, as part of an investigation into whether Texas is capping services for students with disabilities.]()
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In Texas, lawmakers don't mess with employers of undocumented workers
For all their condemnations of illegal immigration, Texas lawmakers — Republican and Democratic — have shown little interest in cracking down on businesses that employ undocumented workers. Full Story
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Analysis: Why rising property values don’t lower school taxes
Rising property values in Texas should have lowered school property tax rates. But they didn't, and you can thank the folks who write the state budget for that. Full Story
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When asked, won't tell: top three officials duck specifics on illegal hiring
The state's top elected officials are happy to go on about border security, but they get tongue tied if the conversation turns to cracking down on employers of undocumented immigrants. Full Story
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EPA: Fracking can harm drinking water
In an amped-up final report, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says there is scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact the nation's drinking water resources under some circumstances. Full Story
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![Vantage Energy on June 1, 2015 resumed hydraulic operations on a pad site on the western outskirts of Denton. It was the first company to frack within city limits after the Texas Legislature overturned the Denton’s ban on the process.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott on proposed bathroom legislation: Wait and see
Gov. Greg Abbott is adopting a wait-and-see approach about anticipated legislation that would prohibit transgender people from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. Full Story
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Here's what Rick Perry has said about his potential future colleagues on Capitol Hill
If Rick Perry heads to Washington as Donald Trump's energy secretary, he’ll have to reconcile his new gig with his past comments on D.C., the federal government, and of course, Trump himself. Take a look at what he's said. Full Story
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Rick Perry’s energy legacy is more complicated than you think
With President-elect Donald Trump set to tap former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head the department of energy, here's a closer look at the energy legacy of the state's longest-serving governor. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry speaking to the Texas delegation at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 18, 2016.]()
Credit: Abby Livingston / The Texas Tribune