After his corruption indictment last year, the Laredo Democrat forfeited his role as the top Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees more than $65 billion in annual spending.
Posted in
Economy
Last Christmas: An East Texas Christmas tree farm closes after 40 years, despite booming sales
Christmas tree sales are up in the Lone Star State, even as many tree farmers are aging out of the business with no successors.
Posted in
Higher Education
6 takeaways from our investigation into the ouster of Texas A&M’s president
Mark Welsh III’s two-year tenure as president of Texas A&M University was marked with political controversies.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Gov. Greg Abbott wants a tighter lid on home values. Tax policy experts warn that’s a bad idea.
Conservative and liberal tax policy experts said Abbott’s proposal would lead to higher housing costs and tax benefits flowing disproportionately to wealthy homeowners.
Posted in
Politics
A national GOP push to exclude noncitizens from future redistricting could have big ramifications in Texas
Some Republicans only want citizens included in population counts used to draw political districts. In Texas, that raises important questions about power and representation.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
National Democrats put Texas House on list of legislative targets for 2026
Rep. Christina Morales, the new chair of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, said she wants to initially target five GOP-controlled districts, with a broader list to come later.
Posted in
Immigration
Migrants held at Fort Bliss suffering physical abuse, unsafe conditions, human rights groups claim
The ACLU and other groups interviewed more than 45 migrants held at the detention center and call it a “human and civil rights catastrophe.”
Posted in
Environment
Binational effort is fixing chronic pollution problem on the Rio Grande
Nuevo Laredo was dumping millions of gallons of sewage a day into the Rio Grande. The U.S. and Mexico worked together to find a solution.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Why Gov. Greg Abbott wants to let taxpayers decide whether cities can raise — or cut — taxes
Texas cities and counties already face limits on how much revenue they can generate. Local leaders have warned that further restrictions would mean fewer services like parks and libraries.
Posted in
Higher Education
How the political tide turned on Mark Welsh, the four-star general ousted as Texas A&M president
The A&M Board of Regents came to want a more explicitly conservative leader who would shut down controversy before it reared its head, as members grew weary from the steady drumbeat of online posts accusing the university of embracing liberal ideology.
