Transgender advocates derided Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tuesday for what they described as his “fake outrage” over the Fort Worth school district’s new transgender bathroom guidelines, calling the Republican a shameless bully.
Kiah Collier
Kiah Collier was a reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative initiative from 2020 through 2023. She previously worked at the Tribune as a reporter and associate editor, covering energy and the environment through the lens of state government and politics. Kiah has reported for numerous other publications across Texas since 2010, including the Austin American-Statesman and the Houston Chronicle. Her beats also have included government and politics, public education and business. Kiah’s work has been honored with numerous prizes, including a George Foster Peabody Award, a Gerald Loeb Award, the Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism, the National Edward R. Murrow Award for best investigation and the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award. A seventh-generation Texan, she grew up in the Austin area and graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in journalism and philosophy.
Posted in
State Government
After Austin Vote, GOP State Senator Announces Ride-Hailing Legislation
State Sen. Charles Schwertner said Sunday he would file legislation next year “designed to establish consistent and predictable statewide regulation of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft.”
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Public Education
STAAR Passing Rates Flat Under Higher Standards
Passing rates on the statewide standardized exam known as STAAR have barely changed among fifth- and eighth-graders, newly released testing results show.
Posted in
Energy
Cornyn Files Bill to Speed Texas Hurricane Study
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has filed legislation to expedite a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study that will determine how best to protect the Houston region from a devastating hurricane.
Posted in
Energy
Report: Texas Industrial Plants Spewing Pollutants Illegally
Hundreds of industrial facilities across Texas are illegally spewing millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into the air each year when they break down or perform maintenance, according to a new report.
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Public Education
Teacher Group Sues Over Plan to Tie Educator Evaluations to Tests
A teacher group filed a lawsuit Wednesday in an attempt to block the state from implementing a controversial system that for the first time ties assessments of educators to student performance on standardized tests.
Posted in
Energy
Texans in Congress Largely Silent on Hurricane Protection
With a price tag sure to reach into the billions, building seawalls and floodgates to protect Houston and Galveston from a killer storm will almost certainly require a massive infusion of federal money, state officials agree.
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Public Education
New Education Chief Overhauls Top of Agency
Three of the five key hires announced Thursday by Education Commissioner Mike Morath have extensive charter school experience, and only two appear to have solid Texas ties — something teacher groups and traditional public schools were quick to point out.
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Public Education
Lawmakers Promise Fix for Teacher Health Care Plan
A special panel of state lawmakers On Wednesday began trying to figure out how to address skyrocketing premiums for teachers under state-run health insurance plans.
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Energy
Lawmakers Pledge Support for Hurricane Plan
Meeting for only the second time in two years, a panel of Texas lawmakers pledged financial and political support to efforts at developing a plan to protect the Houston-Galveston region from a devastating storm surge.
