Texas cities, counties pinch pennies amid slowing economy
Economic uncertainty, inflation, strict state limits on property tax collections and uncertainty around future federal funds have crimped local budgets. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fa440c6a4983e904ddeb47d35958df09/1014%20State%20Fair%20of%20Texas%20ST%2023.jpg)
-
![The Dallas skyline from the Top o' Texas Tower ride at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, TX on October 14, 2024.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
News organizations fight to unseal Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce records
The Texas Tribune, Texas Newsroom and ProPublica are among a group of media outlets arguing the records should be made public because the Paxtons are elected officials subject to scrutiny. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/61a6b3082cc7cadf39e3fc2d2b2b945f/011425%20Senate%20Opening%20EH%2006.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sits with his wife and state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, during the opening of the 2025 Legislative Session in Austin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Tejano star Bobby Pulido launches South Texas congressional run
The musician and Democrat is looking to flip Texas’ 15th Congressional District, which voted for President Donald Trump by 18% in 2024. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fdb6568348de11d5a87bbda15f28f342/Bobby%20Pulido%20REUTERS.jpg)
![Tejano singer Bobby Pulido of Edinburg, Texas holds his award backstage at the Premio lo Nuestro latin music awards show in Miami February 22, 2007.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Molly Skipper -
Texas GOP may be banking on low Hispanic turnout in new map
Republicans note that some of the districts they intend to flip were redrawn to become majority-Hispanic. Democrats say the GOP made sure to add Hispanic Texans who are unlikely to vote. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e2ca86156ac05818046e4b424beed975/1105%20Election%20Day%20Houston%20AM%2002.jpg)
![Presiding judge Dina Patel checks her watch as she waits for polls to open at Parker Elementary on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Houston.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s legal crusade against Beto O’Rourke is faltering before an all-Republican appeals court
The court, appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, recently allowed O’Rourke to continue raising and dispersing donations, and cast doubt on Paxton’s main arguments. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/439296dd3247d7081df560e6edede006/Beto%20and%20Paxton.jpg)
![From left: Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Tarrant County’s Democratic commissioners skip meeting to prevent vote on tax rate cut
Republican county commissioners retaliated and voted to slash the Democrats’ office budget and eliminate road and bridge crew jobs. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9a24b3fe2637c9328702b66d61ffe212/0418%20Tarrrant%20Co%20CommCo%20ST%2014.JPG)
![Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare listens to comments over the electronic pollbook system in place during a Commissioners Court meeting in Fort Worth on April 18, 2023.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Texas A&M firing reignites campus free speech battles
After a firing at Texas A&M and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, free speech on-campus is back in the spotlight. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/661cff5f879fdc0dec821a9f2d42f6c9/TribCast%20Sept%2016.jpg)
![Charlie Kirk speaks at a rally for gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix on May 31, 2025.]()
Credit: Gage Skidmore/ZUMA Press Wire via REUTERS -
Lina Hidalgo, Harris County chief executive, won’t seek reelection
The progressive Democrat’s upset win at the age of 27 established her as a rising star. But her ascent was stunted in recent years amid clashes with fellow Democrats and unwavering GOP scrutiny. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/054827be7c0920b97d87e25271b108c5/0607%20TDP%20Convention%20JH%20TT%2069.jpg)
![Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks at the first general session at the Texas Democratic Convention in El Paso on June 7, 2024.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
James Talarico’s progressive take on Christianity made him an online sensation. Will it translate to his Texas Senate bid?
The Austin lawmaker says his faith fuels his vision of a Democratic Party that “fights back” against billionaires. Republican critics say his stances are at odds with Scripture. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a33e4569641c858da91a5c7b6686e5cc/0827%20Talarico%20Portrait%20MS%2009.jpg)
![State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, sits for a portrait in his office on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.]()
Credit: Manoo Sirivelu/The Texas Tribune -
Roughly 280 complaints filed against Texas teachers for alleged comments on killing of Charlie Kirk
Several school districts have already taken disciplinary action against staff for comments made about the Christian conservative activist’s death. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9d4a4e076a2299e10467dc6bee85f447/20250909%20Alpha%20School%20McMahon%20KG%2012.jpg)
![Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath participates in a roundtable at the Alpha School campus in Austin on Sept. 9, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Faculty, advocacy groups fear Texas A&M firing threatens academic freedom
The firing happened over two years after Texas A&M stressed its support for academic freedom and amid a changing higher education landscape. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/001d7d7ed83e4759b31cd617906bbcc2/20250909%20TAMU%20Childrens%20Literature%20AE%2002.jpg)
![The College of Liberal Arts and Humanities building at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas on Tuesday, Sep. 9, 2025.]()
Credit: Adriano Espinosa for The Texas Tribune -
Federal loopholes may have opened the door for sports betting alternatives that skirt Texas’ gambling ban
While the state's strict ban on gambling hasn’t changed, fast-growing daily fantasy sports and prediction market apps are giving Texans new ways to wager without leaving home. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b45b00f7b11a729965b9a9c44fc6fd97/Fantasy%20Sports%20JJ%20TT%2001.jpg)
![While a legislative session filled with scrutiny for lottery couriers' unclear legality ended with a ban on the services, daily fantasy sports apps went unnoticed despite operating in a similarly gray legal area.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Longtime GOP Rep. Michael McCaul says he will not seek reelection to Congress
The Austin lawmaker, first elected in 2004, chaired the influential House Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees. He is the second Texas Republican this week to bow out of Congress. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c7843632b21189b7f551588cdbeb6260/0906%20Michael%20McCaul%20EH%20TT%2005.jpg)
![U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 6, 2024.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas legislative committees will study freedom of speech on college campuses in wake of Charlie Kirk killing
The committees were made to honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and come as university faculty have come under online scrutiny. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/01fe5d1da9968d62bb5647d2173a65d9/UNT%20Free%20Speech%20Protest%20EL%20TT%2021.jpg)
![A student walks through the Library Mall at the University of North Texas in Denton on March 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Democratic voters favor undeclared candidates O’Rourke and Crockett in hypothetical Senate primary, poll finds
The survey found many Texas voters are either undecided or would support candidates who haven’t actually entered the race. It also showed GOP Sen. John Cornyn leading Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/151e41f0b92ada87f5a4d9b253eb1ddf/Paxton-Cornyn%20Split%2002.jpg)
![Left: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday, January 6, 2025. Right: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn speaks with press after taking a tour of Camp East Montana, a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility that will be housing migrants, at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas on Monday, August 11, 2025.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
New Texas law restricting abortion pills beefs up an existing legal tool
HB 7, which was signed by the governor Wednesday, allows private citizens to sue abortion pill providers and manufacturers, mirroring a 2021 law on abortion bans Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dc0e0adf47478cba19557a7908aa37e0/Mifepristone%20REUTERS%2002.JPG)
![Misoprostol on the shelf at Parker Road Drug Store in Greenville, S.C., on June 13, 2024.]()
Credit: McKenzie Lange/The Greenville News via REUTERS -
Texas drops lawsuit against doctor accused of illegally providing care to transgender youth
Dr. Hector Granados of El Paso said he wished AG Ken Paxton’s office had let him show he stopped providing gender-affirming care for youths before the law took effect. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b811baddbe75a3bfd82422c316af33f8/20250121%20Hector%20Granados%20AP%2001.jpg)
![Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Hector Granados speaks during an interview at his private practice in El Paso on Jan. 21, 2025.]()
Credit: AP Photo/Andres Leighton -
Republican U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell will not seek third term in Congress
The Houston-area Republican’s departure continues the drain of tenure from Texas’ GOP delegation, which was already poised to add several freshmen in the midterms. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b0e408433a1638deb40f5cd75dad059c/0924%20Morgan%20Luttrell%20AS%2008.jpg)
![Retiring U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Magnolia, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Running Out: Texas’ water crisis — and the path forward
A growing population, leaking pipes and changing climate threaten the state’s water supply. Texas lawmakers hope a $20 billion investment will help. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/72178110b5bc28d50d813cc95b41be16/0305%20El%20Paso%20Water%20JH%2092.jpg)
![Jay Ornelas, El Paso County Water Improvement District Manager (left) and Ramon Tirres (right) in Clint, Texas on march 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Waco’s public radio station faces uncertainty after 25 years on the air
The radio station launched a last-ditch fundraising campaign to save the station, after cuts from both Baylor University and Congress. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6290f1093844ec798e5f3bb0b3cfef9a/250909%20KWBU%20WB%20JH%2001.jpg)
![KWBU reporter Molly-Jo Tilton interviews Risher Smith-Gilbert (left) and Andrea La Valleur-Purvis (right) on Thursday at Art Center Waco for an upcoming show on KWBU.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel/The Waco Bridge/CatchLight Local/Report for America