In the hours before Hurricane Harvey hits Texas, some local leaders told residents to flee their homes, while others urged them to stay in place and wait out the storm.
Edgar Walters
Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin. He is a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked as an editor for The Daily Texan. When not in the newsroom or at the Capitol, he could be found on the volleyball court, standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
Posted in
State Government
Want Gov. Greg Abbott’s ear? Try a Twitter message — if you can make his list
Gov. Greg Abbott’s personal Twitter inbox is a direct line for a group of about 3,000 users to reach Texas’ top politician, which some have used to ask for jobs and other favors.
Posted in
Politics
Radio made Dan Patrick powerful in Texas. And it’s helping him stay that way.
As a political outsider, radio launched Dan Patrick’s career. But now that he’s mostly off the airwaves and in the lieutenant governor’s seat, Patrick’s station continues to push his conservative agenda.
Posted in
State Government
Emails show Abbott’s vetoes ruffled feathers at the Capitol
The emails reveal how the governor’s vetoes caught some state lawmakers by surprise, while his staff has let evangelical Christian leaders know about vetoes of bills they opposed.
Posted inState Government
Texas governor signs $217 billion budget, vetoes $120 million
Gov. Greg Abbott signed the state’s next two-year budget Monday, but vetoed tens of millions of dollars in funding for various programs, including measures meant to improve the region’s air quality and assist impoverished border communities.
Posted inEconomy, Health care, Public Education, State Government
Take a closer look at the budget Texas lawmakers just passed
Did the Texas Legislature boost funding for border security? What about public education? Did they dip into the Rainy Day Fund? Here’s a wide-angle look at what’s in the $217 billion budget the two chambers ultimately settled on.
Posted in
State Government
Texas Legislature sends $217 billion budget to Gov. Abbott
Amid increased talk of a special session over other issues, both the Texas House and Senate voted Saturday evening to approve a $217 billion, two-year budget, the only bill lawmakers are required to pass.
Posted in
Health care
Legislature opts to largely maintain cuts of therapy services for disabled children
The House grudgingly voted to accept the Senate’s supplemental budget proposal, which would not restore funding for disabled children’s therapy services.
Posted in
Sold Out
Behind closed doors, Texas lawmakers strip funding for sex trafficking victims
Lawmakers cut a $3 million initiative to help victims of sex trafficking, ending child welfare advocates’ hopes that 2017 would be the year they would finally see funds set aside to help children who had been sold for sex.
Posted in
Health care
Scientists wary as Texas mulls allowing sale of unproven drugs
Supporters of House Bill 3236 say it could get experimental drugs into terminally ill patients’ hands, but its detractors say it would encourage snake oil salesmen.
