Texas executes Ramiro Gonzales for 2001 murder
Gonzales, who was on death row for the rape and murder of Bridget Townsend in Medina County, is the second person to be executed in Texas this year. Full Story
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![Interior of Death Chamber in Texas.]()
Credit: Jenevieve Robbins/Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Police ask Texas prosecutors to treat attempted drowning of Palestinian 3-year-old child as a hate crime
A Texas woman allegedly tried to drown a 3-year-old at an apartment complex pool in suburban Dallas after making racist remarks toward the child’s mother. Full Story
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![Elizabeth Wolf allegedly tried to drown a 3-year-old at an apartment complex pool in Euless in May 2024.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court allows gun restrictions for domestic violence suspects
Justices ruled that the federal government did not violate a Texas man’s Second Amendment rights when barring him from possessing firearms. Full Story
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![The United States Supreme Court is seen on Saturday, May 18, 2024 in Washington, D.C..]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas court finds Kerry Max Cook innocent of 1977 murder, ending decades-long quest for exoneration
The Texas Criminal Court of Appeals cited stunning allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that led to Cook spending 20 years on death row. Full Story
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![From left: Former death row inmates Kerry Max Cook, an American, and Sakae Menda, of Japan, attend a press conference during the First World Congress Against the Death Penalty on June 21, 2001 in Strasbourg, France.]()
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Supreme Court overturns federal bump stock ban, siding with Austin gun dealer
Michael Cargill, owner of Central Texas Gun Works, sued over the ban. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with him in a 6-3 decision Friday. Full Story
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![A bump fire stock that attaches to a semi-automatic rifle at Good Guys Gun Shop in Orem, Utah, on Oct. 4, 2017.]()
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Judge upholds Austin ordinance decriminalizing pot
The Texas attorney general accused Austin of violating state law after voters in 2022 approved an ordinance decriminalizing marijuana possession. Full Story
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![An Austin police officer on patrol in downtown Austin on Aug. 2, 2019.]()
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Uvalde shooting survivors’ families sue UPS, FedEx for shipping weapon used by gunman in school massacre
The lawsuit claims the companies shipped an enhanced trigger system that allowed the gunman to convert a firearm into a fully automatic or semi-automatic weapon. Full Story
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![The truck and a ditched weapon of Salvador Ramos in a ditch near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where he entered and killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Pete Luna/Uvalde Leader-News -
Dallas voters could get the chance to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana
Other cities have passed similar measures, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued to block them from going into effect. Full Story
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![A view of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge from The Tower Club on the 48th floor of the Santander Tower in downtown Dallas, on Nov. 07, 2023. Texas metros have a glut of vacant offices space driven by the rise of remote work, overbuilding and other factors during the pandemic. One option companies are doing to combat the changes, is to convert office space into residential housing.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Travis County DA wants to overturn Abbott’s pardon of convicted murderer
Daniel Perry was pardoned more than a year after a jury convicted him of murdering police brutality demonstrator Garrett Foster in 2020. Full Story
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![Daniel Perry at his trial for the murder of Garrett Foster at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin on April 5, 2023.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Texas AG Ken Paxton launches new team to prosecute online privacy and security cases
The new initiative will target companies that illegally collect and sell users’ data, Paxton’s office said. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
National Republicans target Henry Cuellar’s South Texas seat after indictment
The move is a shift in strategy for Republicans who previously focused on other South Texas races even after federal authorities filed criminal charges against the Democrat. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, at a Get Out the Vote rally in San Antonio on May 4, 2022.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
“A sham”: Texas Republicans defend Trump after guilty verdict
Republicans across the party’s political spectrum denounced Trump’s guilty verdict on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records. Full Story
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![Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits at the defense table as the jury in his criminal trial is scheduled to continue deliberations at New York State Supreme Court in New York, New York on May 30, 2024. Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.]()
Credit: Justin Lane/Pool via REUTERS -
Texas election chiefs face pressure to get details right after judge orders new election in close race
Some of the problems that prompted a judge to order a new election in a 2022 Harris County race occur often, especially in high-turnout elections, election officials said. Full Story
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![180th District Court Judge DaSean Jones, right, with his attorney at the Harris County Civil Courthouse on April 1, 2024.]()
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Families of Uvalde shooting victims sue Texas DPS officers for waiting to confront gunman
In a separate settlement, the city of Uvalde will pay $2 million to the families, create a permanent memorial to the victims and provide enhanced training for police officers. Full Story
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![Authorities gather outside of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde after a gunman entered and killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022.]()
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Texas Republicans were at Trump’s side as his defense rested in hush money trial
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. Reps. Troy Nehls and Ronny Jackson flew to New York to attend final testimony. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton visited earlier in the trial. Full Story
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![Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, center, accompanies former U.S. President Donald Trump as he speaks to his attorney Todd Blanch at the Manhattan Criminal Court where he is on trial for hush money payments in New York City on May 21, 2024.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott pardons Daniel Perry, veteran who killed police brutality protester in 2020
A Travis County jury sentenced Perry to 25 years in prison last year, prompting Abbott to ask the state parole board to review his case. Full Story
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![Daniel Perry leaves the courtroom after he was sentenced to 25 years for the murder of Garrett Foster, at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.]()
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Amarillo City Council must vote on abortion travel ban following successful voter petition
The council has been reluctant to approve the ban since it first debated the issue last fall. Full Story
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![Motorists travel west on I-40 in Amarillo, a route traveled by many to seek abortion health care while headed out of Texas. Members of both sides of the abortion controversy attended an Amarillo City Council meeting in the Amarillo Civic Center, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.]()
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New $305 million Austin State Hospital unveiled as Texas revamps psychiatric system
The facility has 240 single-person rooms, a basketball gym and outdoor courtyards. It’s part of a $2.5 billion overhaul of the state’s mental health hospital system. Full Story
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![Patient rooms include a bed, desk and private bathroom in the Austin State Hospital on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in Austin. The hospital has 240 beds for adult inpatients.]()
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After U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s indictment, why aren’t Republicans trying to flip his district?
Instead, Republicans are trying to tie Cuellar’s allegations of bribery and corruption to Democrats in other competitive races in South Texas. Full Story
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![Sandi Villarreal, deputy editor for digital at Texas Monthly, moderates a panel with US Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and former speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 24, 2022 in Austin, TX.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas leaders zero in on exploding hemp market
Thousands of hemp dispensaries have sprung up in Texas in the years since consumable hemp became legal. Full Story
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![Owner Shayda Torabi, poses for a photo inside of Restart CBD on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Austin. Torabi, along with her two sisters, become curious about the properties of the plant after Torabi had an accident and started using CBD as a solution to manage her pain.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune