Legal and political challenges continue to threaten Austin’s multibillion-dollar light rail project that voters approved in 2020.
Joshua Fechter
Joshua Fechter is the Dallas-based urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, covering policy — including housing affordability, housing and property taxes, evictions, policing and transportation — and politics in Texas' major metropolitan areas. Before joining the Tribune in August 2021, Joshua covered City Hall for the San Antonio Express-News. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
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State Government
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blocks more than 130 cities from raising property taxes
Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the cities, most of them small, of violating a state law aimed at preventing cities from unduly raising property taxes.
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Demographics
Census: As North Texas’ far-flung towns grow, Dallas and its bigger suburbs shrink
Six of Texas’ largest cities lost residents in 2025: Dallas, El Paso, Arlington, Plano, Irving and Garland.
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Transportation
Dallas’ Highland Park votes to leave Texas’ second-largest public transit system
Voters in Highland Park chose to leave Dallas Area Rapid Transit amid complaints that the transit service isn’t worth the cost.
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State Government
Questions about self-driving cars amplify after one blocked an ambulance responding to Austin shooting
While the encounter didn’t significantly hinder response to the shooting, it has raised concerns about the vehicles as they expand to more Texas cities and before new state regulations kick in.
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Texas’ housing crisis
Politicians want to stop companies from buying homes. A ban wouldn’t bring down costs.
President Trump, who wants to stop profit-driven companies from buying residences in bulk, spotlighted the struggles of a Houston woman who was regularly outbid by firms on homes in the pandemic.
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2026 Texas Elections
James Talarico defeats Jasmine Crockett in blockbuster Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
The Austin Democrat’s win comes after a bitter primary that focused on which candidate’s political and electoral strategy would get the party’s first statewide victory in over 30 years.
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Texas’ housing crisis
Dallas’ affordable housing supply is evaporating, report finds
High-cost housing in Texas’ third-largest city reflects challenges across the state, which has faced an affordability crisis amid extraordinary growth.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses Dallas of spending too little on police
In a new lawsuit, Paxton accused city officials of under-calculating how much money should go to law enforcement under a voter-backed provision.
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Texas affordability crisis
Yes, it’s more expensive to live in Texas, census finds
Incomes and education attainment among Texans have increased, while poverty has declined.