Man Who Killed Texas Game Warden Executed
James Garrett Freeman shot and killed Justin Hurst, a game warden, following a high-speed chase in 2007. He was executed Wednesday evening, the second execution in Texas this year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/26/James_Freeman_DeathRow.jpg)
-
![James Garrett Freeman shot and killed Justin Hurst, a game warden, in 2007, according to court documents.]()
Credit: Illustration by Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Lawmakers Compare Unpopular Driver Surcharge Program to Debtors' Prison
State senators expressed bipartisan disapproval Wednesday of an unpopular program that levies large surcharges on drivers for traffic offenses, with several calling for broad changes or scrapping it entirely. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/17/CallieRichmondPhoto-0123.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for the Texas Tribune -
Court Clears Way for New Trial in Toddler's Death
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday stuck to an earlier decision granting relief to a Montgomery County man convicted of murder. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/03/2015-11-024.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles -
Texas Prison Inmates Database Gets an Update
The Texas Tribune's Prison Inmates database is now updated with the latest data available from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It is current as of December 2015. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/05/TT-data-TexasPrisons-art1024x680.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Indictment Sheds Light on Planned Parenthood Sting
As more details come to light about the criminal charges against the videographers that infiltrated a Planned Parenthood facility in Houston, it appears anti-abortion activist David Daleiden was indicted for the very crime he accused Planned Parenthood of committing. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/01/06/TxTrib-PlannedParenthoodAustin_Tamir.Kalifa-4808.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
Police Group Upset After DPS Director Says Cops Should "Just Take" Being Spit At
When asked about escalations with law enforcement, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said last week that officers need to respond professionally and added, "Anybody that’s been spit at ... you just take it." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/19/6F6A0102.jpg)
![Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, is interviewed by Texas Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith on Jan. 19, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ Texas Tribune -
Facing Felony Charges, Anti-Abortion Group Cites Free Speech Protections
As more details about the charges against anti-abortion activists who secretly-recorded Planned Parenthood staff come to light, the videographers are vowing to fight back — setting up a possible legal battle over First Amendment protections. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/26/CLINCS3590.jpg)
![The waiting room at Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast's ambulatory surgical center in Houston Friday, August 2, 2013.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
Texas Lawmakers: Don't Single Out College Students Who Carry Guns
State senators on Tuesday urged Texas' six university system chancellors not to single out students who carry guns on campus when the state's new campus carry goes into effect this August. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/GunsInsSchools-1.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
As Pope's Trip to Border Nears, Catholics Wonder What His Message Will Be
With Pope Francis scheduled to visit Ciudad Juárez next month, the area's Catholics are speculating whether the famously outspoken pontiff will bring up hot-button social issues such as immigration, poverty and corruption. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/20/20160116_134136.jpg)
![A cardboard cutout of His Holiness Pope Francis greets residents of Ciudad Juárez on January 16, 2016. Pope Francis will visit the border city in February as part of a six-day tour of Mexico.]()
Credit: Julián Aguilar -
Lawmakers to Review Open Carry and Campus Carry Laws Tuesday
Supporters and opponents of two controversial new gun laws passed last year — open carry and campus carry — will update Texas lawmakers Tuesday on how the measures are working so far. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/HandGuns.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Nobel Laureate Professor: I'm Banning Guns in My UT Classroom
A Nobel Prize-winning physicist at the University of Texas at Austin declared Monday that he will try to ban guns from his classroom this fall, even if university rules and state law say he can't. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/08/Protest.jpg)
![Stephanie Odam of Austin marches in a campus carry protest in Austin, Jan 8, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
In Nine Trips to Supreme Court, Ted Cruz Saw Mixed Results
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz belongs to an elite club of lawyers who have repeatedly argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. A closer look at the nine times the Texan argued before the justices shows wins and losses as he challenged legal limits. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/22/Cruz-SupremeCourt.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Chris Maddaloni / The Texas Tribune -
Texas Wesleyan Opts Out of Campus Carry
Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth announced Friday that it will opt out of the state's new campus carry law, making it the 21st private college to decide to continue to ban guns. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/11/CampusCarry-PencilBullets.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Roundup: Abbott Goes to Israel, Paxton's Opinion on Fantasy Sports Sites
In the Roundup: The U.S. Supreme Court will consider President Obama’s controversial immigration program, Gov. Greg Abbott travels to Israel and the state’s attorney general says participation on fantasy sports sites can involve illegal gambling. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/012216_Still.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
State Trooper Rotations to Border Will Continue
Despite an $800 million appropriation that includes money to permanently station more troopers near the Rio Grande, DPS will continue borrowing officers from around the state for border security. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/21/UP9A0170.jpg)
![Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw gives testimony during a joint committee hearing on border security on Jan 21, 2016]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Activists Sue 10 Federal Agencies Over Secrecy in Deportations
A coalition of attorneys and immigrant rights groups is suing 10 federal agencies over withholding documents related to how the Obama administration is dealing with deporting criminal immigrants. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/14/ICE-building.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Immigration and Customs Enforcement -
Texas Conducts First Execution of the Year
Richard Masterson, who was convicted and sentenced to death for a 2001 strangulation and murder in Harris County, was executed Wednesday night. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/19/tt-rmasterson1024x683.jpg)
![Richard Masterson]()
Credit: TDCJ -
Ex-Texas Agriculture Commission Worker Alleges Discrimination
Shelia Latting, who is black, filed a lawsuit in state district court in Travis County Tuesday, claiming she lost her job a year ago as deputy chief financial officer due to racial discrimination at the agency. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/12/08/7C2A7507.jpg)
![Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller during a Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs hearing on Dec. 8, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Video: McCraw on Border Security
At our 1/19 conversation, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, explained why the border isn't secure, who's responsible, and what can be done about it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/6F6A0102.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Video: McCraw on Race and Policing
At our 1/19 conversation, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, explained why racial profiling is only a "perception" problem in Texas and how the agency is handling traffic stops these days. Full Story