Travis County judge apologizes for saying Gov. Greg Abbott "hates trees because one fell on him"
Abbott has been paralyzed from the waist down since 1984, when a tree crashed down on him while he was jogging. Full Story
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Credit: Thomas Meredith for The Texas Tribune -
How to report a possible community, school safety threat in 10 minutes
Community members can report a potential threat to iWatchTexas via an app, online or over the phone. The resource launched last year, shortly after the shooting at Santa Fe High School. Full Story
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![The iWatchTexas application was released in 2018 to help report suspicious activity in school and communities.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
After two Texas mass shootings, Greg Abbott wants to strengthen a vague network officials won't discuss
The governor's executive orders after shootings in El Paso and West Texas are meant to address gun violence without gun control. But a Department of Public Safety network he tapped says it needs more resources — and is remaining mum on how it operates. Full Story
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![Steven McCraw, Director of Texas Department of Public Safety, gives his testimony before the House Select Committe on Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety committee on Sept. 17.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Tropical Storm Imelda left 5 dead in Texas and many flooded. Will FEMA aid come next?
While Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for Tropical Storm Imelda, it does not qualify individuals for financial assistance. That will have to come from FEMA. Full Story
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![Severe flooding caused by heavy rains from Tropical Depression Imelda near Vidor on Sept. 19, 2019.]()
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Analysis: Texas gun laws might not change, but the conversation is evolving
Repeated mass shootings can change officials' minds about their policy stances. After recent massacres, Texas politicians and officeholders are talking about guns in new ways. Full Story
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![Guns at McBride's Guns in Austin on March 26, 2013.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Tropical Storm Imelda's flooding turns deadly as southeast Texas is swamped by rain
The storm quickly became the fifth-wettest rainfall event in the continental United States. Gov. Greg Abbott issued an emergency declaration for several counties Thursday. Full Story
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![Flooding caused by Tropical Depression Imelda in downtown Beaumont on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019.]()
Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters -
Beto O'Rourke's call for mandatory buyback of assault weapons roils Texas politics
The Democratic presidential candidate's proposal has upended the gun debate nationwide, but perhaps nowhere more dramatically than in Texas. It's here that both parties are facing internal divisions as they work to respond to recent shootings in El Paso and Odessa. Full Story
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![Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke takes the stage for the start of the 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Houston on Sept. 12, 2019.]()
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Analysis: For Texas Republicans, one election is no longer enough
Add a word to the Republican vocabulary in Texas: November. After two decades of GOP dominance, the party's candidates are still winning, but they can't safely assume that they've got an election in the bag after they win the GOP's March primaries. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen hold a joint press conference on the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion on Jan. 9, 2019.]()
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suggests improving voluntary background checks for person-to-person gun sales
Abbott stopped short of saying the Legislature should make the background checks mandatory. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, hold the first meeting of the Texas Safety Commission at the state capitol Aug. 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas has the most people without health insurance in the nation — again
For the second year in a row, the number of Texans without health insurance increased, and fewer people enrolled in Medicaid. Full Story
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![A medical clinic in Austin.]()
Credit: Martin do Nascimento for The Texas Tribune -
Two years after Trump announced an end to DACA, "Dreamers" look ahead with hope and anxiety
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the case in November. Its decision will affect hundreds of thousands who received protections under the Obama administration. Full Story
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Analysis: The delicate balance of protecting Texans in a state that worships guns
Shootings in Odessa and El Paso added pressure on Republican state leaders to do more to protect Texans. But in a state that prides itself on lenient firearms laws, the politics are treacherous. Full Story
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![Governor Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference after a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso. Aug. 3, 2019.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott issues eight executive orders aimed at stopping potential mass shooters
The orders focus largely on improving reporting channels when members of the public or law enforcement agencies worry that a person might become violent. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott meets with El Paso lawmakers on Wednesday, August 6, 2019. Abbott, along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, visited the city in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting that left 22 dead at a local WalMart.]()
Credit: Jesus Rosales for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Democrats ask Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session after two mass shootings
Members of the House minority say they want to consider legislation “closing the background check loopholes” and “banning the sale of high-capacity magazines.” Full Story
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![A person attending a vigil for Leilah Hernandez, one of the victims of the Texas shootings in Odessa and Midland, lights a candle on Sept. 2, 2019.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott urged action after Texas shootings, but the gun debate has placed him “in a tight spot”
More so than ever, the second-term Republican governor finds himself wedged between his party's hard line on gun rights and calls for action on the left. Full Story
![Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, hold the first meeting of the Texas Safety Commission at the state capitol Aug. 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Odessa shooter failed gun background check, Gov. Greg Abbott says
Abbott's tweet doesn't reveal the reason the Odessa man failed the background check or how he obtained the gun used in the mass shooting. Police say the gunman and his company both called 911 shortly before the rampage. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, hold the first meeting of the Texas Safety Commission at the Texas Capitol August 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says “mistakes were made” in his fundraising letter before the El Paso shooting
The governor’s comments come after reports emerged of a two-page fundraising mailer that warned of a liberal plan to "to transform Texas — and our entire country — through illegal immigration." Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott meets with El Paso area state legislators on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019, four days after a mass murderer killed 22 people at a WalMart in El Paso.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott selects former appeals court judge Jane Bland for Texas Supreme Court
Bland lost her Houston appeals court seat in the November 2018 election. Full Story
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![Justice Jane Bland.]()
Credit: Image via The University of Texas at Austin School of Law -
Analysis: After botching one shot at peace, the Texas GOP establishment tries again
After a month of silence, a state representative tangled in a political misadventure in the Texas Capitol emerged to say he'll seek reelection with the endorsement of the governor. But the harmony is tentative, and the scandal is still under investigation by the Texas Rangers. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, on the House floor on May 25, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Safety Commission discusses guns, terrorism and social media at post-El Paso roundtable
The new panel met Thursday at the state Capitol in Austin and is scheduled to convene again next week in El Paso. Full Story
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![From left: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen at a meeting of the Texas Safety Commission, at the Texas Capitol on Aug. 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune