Trooper Who Arrested Sandra Bland Formally Fired
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw has issued a termination letter for Brian Encinia, the trooper who arrested Sandra Bland. Full Story
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![The January 2016 booking photo (left) of Brian Encinia, the DPS trooper who pulled over and arrested Sandra Bland.]()
Credit: Waller County Sheriff Dept. -
Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Texas Abortion Restrictions
During oral arguments Wednesday in a case challenging the constitutionality of Texas’ abortion restrictions, U.S. Supreme Court justices focused on what role the rules played in closing dozens of clinics. Full Story
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![Protesters hold signs in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. as Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt is argued inside.]()
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Incumbents Holding Supreme Court Seats, Criminal Court Runoffs Likely
Lawyers arguing in front of the Texas Supreme Court next year likely won’t need to memorize any new faces. All three Republican incumbents running for reelection are winning their primary races. Full Story
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UH Task Force: Ban Guns in All But One Residence Hall
A task force at the University of Houston has recommended in a draft campus carry policy that guns be banned in all residence halls on campus, except one. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
U.S. Citizen Jailed in Immigration Status Mistake
Unconvinced he was a U.S. citizen, the Dallas County Jail held Ricardo Garza for more than a month until he could prove his status to federal immigration authorities. Full Story
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DPS Investigating State Rep. Dawnna Dukes' "Concerns"
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes has asked the Texas Department of Public Safety for an investigation, the agency confirmed late Friday. Exactly what it will focus on is not clear. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin.]()
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El Paso DA Race Highlights 23-Year-Old Double Murder Case
The freedom of an El Paso man accused of two 1993 murders could hinge on the outcome of the Democratic primary in the race for El Paso County district attorney. Full Story
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![Daniel Villegas' 22-year-old murder case has become an issue in the Democratic primary for district attorney in El Paso County.]()
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Change to Mexican Voting Laws Could Help Some Texans Get Birth Certificates
An effort by the Mexican government to bolster voter turnout abroad might help some undocumented immigrants in Texas obtain birth certificates for their U.S.-citizen children. Full Story
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![A view of the Texas-Mexico border from El Paso.]()
Credit: Robert Thomson -
Undocumented Killer Had Extensive Teen Record
Before two murders landed him in Texas prison, Obed Josafhat Rodriguez racked up a criminal history stretching back to his first arrest for stealing a car at age 12, but his immigration status failed to trigger any action while he was a juvenile. Full Story
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![Obed Josafhat Rodriguez is pictured waving a gun on surveillance video taken from the Monroe Game Room in Houston on Aug. 30, 2013. He and an accomplice were convicted in shooting death of Yolanda Lara, a game room employee.]()
Credit: Houston Police Department -
Roundup: Perry Indictment Dropped, Cruz Campaigns
In the Roundup: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry gets cleared of the last charge related to a 2013 veto threat. Also, this week, Ted Cruz is back in Texas, hoping to lay the groundwork for a return to the winner’s circle on Super Tuesday. Full Story
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UT/TT Poll: Texans Favor Background Checks on All Gun Sales
Texas voters overwhelmingly support mental and criminal background checks on all gun purchases in the U.S. — including gun shows and private sales, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Former Lawmakers Vie to Return to Texas House
Whether they were edged out in 2014 by thin margins or bowed out years ago and had a recent change of heart, several former House members want back under the dome next year. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Border Communities Have Lower Crime Rates
Texas counties along the Rio Grande are relatively safe, state and federal crime statistics show, and they seem to be getting even safer as more law enforcement resources pour into the area. Full Story
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![There are many busy retailers near the international bridge where pedestrians may cross in and out of the United States, in historic downtown Laredo, Tx.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
Analysis: Could Surname Be Key in Republican Supreme Court Race?
Do Republican voters in Texas have an aversion to Hispanic names? Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman is hoping that bit of election folklore is untrue. Full Story
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![Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman (left) is being challenged by Joe Pool Jr. in a Republican matchup for Place 9.]()
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Twelve Texas Death Row Inmates Were Undocumented
Of the 251 men and women on Texas death row, 12 committed their crimes while in the country illegally, according to an analysis of data obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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![The Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville — often referred to as the Walls Unit — houses the state's execution chamber.]()
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Less Than 5 Percent of Texas Prison Inmates are Undocumented
About 4.6 percent of Texas prison inmates are undocumented immigrants with standing requests that they be turned over to federal authorities when their sentences are served. Full Story
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![Texas Department of Criminal Justice William G. McConnell Unit at Chase Field in Beeville in 2013.]()
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18 Texas Correctional Officers Disciplined in Inmate Death
Texas prison officials have recommended the firing of a supervisor at the Clements Unit and disciplinary actions against 17 others for allowing a severely beaten inmate to remain undiscovered in his cell for an unknown amount of time. Full Story
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![Alton Rodgers (l) was found unresponsive inside his Clements Unit cell on Jan. 18 and died the following day. Cellmate Joe Greggs is accused of beating Rodgers to death. TDCJ has recommended a major be fired and 17 other correctional officers be disciplined for not checking on their cell.]()
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Judge Orders County, State to Show Sandra Bland Footage to Family's Attorneys
A federal judge Thursday ordered Waller County and the state of Texas to show the legal team representing Sandra Bland's family the original videos from her time in jail. Full Story
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![Sandra Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, before a hearing in federal court on Feb. 8, 2016, regarding her wrongful death lawsuit in Houston]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
Accused Laredo Killer Crossed Border Easily
Martha and Kimberly Martinez would like to know how a man with Juan Francisco De Luna Vasquez's lengthy criminal history could be living illegally in the United States when he killed their sister. Full Story
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![Angie Martinez, a 27-year-old mother of three, was killed in Laredo in 2015. Her estranged husband, an undocumented immigrant, is charged with her murder.]()
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Pope Francis' Border Mass Awes El Paso Catholics
During a whirlwind, one-day visit to Ciudad Juárez on Wednesday Pope Francis delivered poignant remarks on immigration and corruption, keeping intact his reputation as a polite but no-holds-barred pontiff. Full Story
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![Pope Francis hugs two girls during a meeting with youths at José María Morelos y Pavón stadium in Morelia, Mexico on Feb. 16. 2016.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins