The land commissioner manages public land, enforces mineral rights leases, controls the Texas Permanent School Fund, distributes natural disaster relief funding and is responsible for the Alamo.
Stories by Texas Tribune fellows
The Texas Tribune welcomes a group of student fellows into our newsroom each spring, summer and fall. Here is a sampling of their work. Learn more about the fellowship program here.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Watch: Texas A&M students accuse Brazos County of voter suppression after moving on-campus voting site
The Texas A&M on-campus early-voting location had the second-highest voter turnout in the county during the 2018 and 2020 presidential elections.
Posted inPolitics
Photos: In the wake of tragedy, Uvalde residents look to murals for healing
Murals of the victims give the community a positive outlet to process their grief and celebrate their loved ones’ lives.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
LGBTQ Texans voting with marriage, worker protections and trans rights in mind
The Texas Tribune spoke with LGBTQ voters, the parents of queer youth and advocates from across the state about what’s at stake for them this November.
Posted in
Health care
Texas could get $276 million from opioid settlement with CVS Pharmacy
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced that the state is signing on to the $5 billion proposed settlement but hasn’t yet disclosed how its share of the money would be spent if the deal is finalized.
Posted in
Higher Education
Paxton, Cornyn and Cruz prod U.S. Supreme Court to end affirmative action in college admissions
The high court heard oral arguments Monday in two cases brought by a group led by the same man who previously lost an affirmative action case against the University of Texas at Austin.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
College voters held back by Texas election law, lack of on-campus polling sites
Many Texas universities don’t have early-voting locations on campus. And state laws regarding voter ID and registration make it hard to turn out younger voters, advocates say.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Former Houston lawmaker Ron Wilson pleads guilty to federal tax evasion
Ron Wilson, a Democrat who served as state representative between 1977 and 2004, pleads guilty to one count of tax evasion after trying to hide some of his income and failing to pay taxes over two decades.
Posted inHealth care
Watch: Abortion isn’t on the ballot, but here’s how your vote could impact access in Texas
Texans are headed to the polls for the first time since the procedure was essentially banned across the state. Texas Tribune women’s health reporter Eleanor Klibanoff explains how each ballot cast influences the future of abortion policy.
Posted inState Government
Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to dismiss abortion funds’ defamation case against anti-abortion activist
Several abortion funds have sued anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson, who called them “criminal organizations,” for defamation.
