As private developer Texas Central moves ahead with plans to build what could be the country’s first high-speed rail line, a handful of state lawmakers hope to try next year to give the state more authority over the project. But they admit there may not be the legislative appetite.
Matt Zdun
Matt Zdun was a reporting fellow at The Texas Tribune in 2018. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he studied journalism and economics. Before joining the Tribune, Matt worked at CNBC, where he wrote breaking news stories and produced segments for the midday show. He has also covered criminal justice for the Medill Justice Project, climate change for the Medill News Service and economics for the Northwestern News Network. In his free time, Matt plays piano and guitar and enjoys finding new places to eat mac and cheese.
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Politics
“Heaven was ready for him.” Texans say goodbye to George H.W. Bush
The 41st president was remembered at a funeral service in Houston on Thursday and was buried at his presidential library in College Station.
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Politics
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott closes state agencies Wednesday to mourn George H.W. Bush
In his order, Abbott encouraged Texans to gather and pay their respects to the 41st president.
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Politics
Texas officials pay tribute to President George H.W. Bush
The 41st president of the United States died Friday at the age of 94.
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Courts
State appeals court says Austin’s paid sick leave ordinance is unconstitutional
The case was being challenged in the Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals.
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Graphics and data reporting
Texas State students were likely a key factor in flipping this conservative county to Democrats
Beto O’Rourke surged to a 15-point edge over Ted Cruz in Hays County during last week’s election, even though the Central Texas county hadn’t voted for a Democrat at the top of the ticket since 1992.
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Energy
Electricity complaints filed by Texans reach three-year high, report says
Despite showing an uptick in electricity complaints this year, a report released by the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power also shows that complaints and inquiries have generally decreased over the past decade.
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Texas Elections 2018
Gov. Greg Abbott clinches second term as GOP wins closest statewide races in 20 years
Abbott easily bested his Democratic opponent, Lupe Valdez. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller faced rare single-digit contests before eventually besting Democratic challengers.
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Texas Elections 2018
Texas voter turnout in 2018 races toward presidential election year levels
At the end of early voting on Friday, turnout in the state’s largest counties already surpassed the entire turnout of the 2014 midterm elections.
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Texas Elections 2018
Why are some Texans having trouble with voting machines? This is 2002 technology in 2018.
Many Texas counties purchased their current electronic voting machines about 15 years ago. The manufacturer says that’s important context as to why some voters have faced issues voting a straight-ticket ballot.