Abbott responded to criticism about his language by pointing to a decade’s old Pace salsa ad. He told a critic to “lighten up.”
Chase Karacostas
Chase Karacostas was a reporting fellow in 2020. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was the projects editor at The Daily Texan, started the paper’s first legislative newsletter and worked as a news editor and reporter. Chase previously had internships at the Austin American-Statesman, the San Antonio Express-News and The Dallas Morning News.
Posted in
Public Education
A year before Fort Worth ISD fired a teacher over her tweets about immigrants, students say she threatened to call the FBI on them
Fort Worth ISD fired Georgia Clark after she asked President Trump on Twitter in May to “remove the illegals from Fort Worth.” The Texas Education Agency reversed their decision late last month mostly on procedural grounds, but the school district plans to appeal.
Posted in
Public Education
Fort Worth teacher who asked Trump to deport students said her tweets were protected by the First Amendment. Texas officials agreed.
Commissioner of Education Mike Morath wrote that Georgia Clark did not waive her First Amendment rights when she signed her contract with Fort Worth ISD.
Posted inState Government
Texas AG Ken Paxton joins effort to stop Fort Worth hospital from removing 9-month-old girl from life support
The case centers around the Texas Advance Directives Act, a controversial law that allows doctors to end treatment for patients when further care is deemed futile.
Posted in
Demographics
Texas isn’t providing major support for the 2020 Census. Local officials and nonprofits say they will instead.
Several nonprofits, local governments and philanthropy organizations have formed Texas Counts, a coalition aimed at ensuring an accurate census count in 2020, which could affect representation in Congress and billions in federal funding.
Posted inState Government
Texas athletes could make money from pending NCAA rule changes. How much? It’s not yet clear.
The NCAA’s proposed rule changes could let prominent athletes generate major endorsement money. But for most athletes, there won’t likely be much of a windfall.
Posted in
State Government
Toxic algae blooms that kill dogs are becoming more common. And climate change is making it worse, scientists say.
A toxic algae bloom in Austin that killed five dogs caught officials by surprise, but despite how dangerous the blooms are, there’s almost no way for cities to combat them.
Posted in
State Government
Sid Miller heard a Confederate group was excluded from a Veteran’s Day parade. His Facebook response? “Get a rope.”
Miller, Texas’ Agriculture Commissioner, has a history of making inflammatory, offensive and false posts on social media.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Ted Cruz calls efforts to halt Rodney Reed’s execution “remarkable bipartisan coalition”
“If there is credible evidence there’s a real chance a defendant is innocent, that evidence should be weighed carefully,” Cruz tweeted Friday night.
Posted in
2019 Texas Constitutional Amendment Election
Texas law requires retired police dogs be auctioned off. Proposition 10 would send them home with their handlers.
On Nov. 5, voters have the chance to change the Texas Constitution to ensure retired law enforcement animals can be adopted by their handlers, erasing a decades-old requirement that government property must be sold or destroyed when no longer in use.