Texas leads the country in keeping its native-born residents home
A report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas researchers say that economic growth, low taxes and big cities all can keep residents in their home states. Full Story
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![People sit in Zilker Park on the second night of Austin City Limits Radio’s Blues on the Green concert on July 28, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas can now apply to import lower-priced Canadian medications
Texas joins a handful of states turn to the north for cheaper drugs. But feds have been slow to approve requests, three years after giving initial OK. Full Story
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![Prescription drugs on shelves at ScriptCo on Apr. 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Texas drivers vexed by toll road payment problems got little relief from state lawmakers
Double billing, rejected automatic payments and expensive late fees are the most frequent complaints about a toll system with different operators and rules across the state. Full Story
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![Tolls in Austin.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/The Texas Tribune -
High Plains farmers are experimenting with novel techniques to protect Texas’ future soil
A minority of farmers in the Texas High Plains region are looking to organic and regenerative techniques to keep their soil healthy year round, despite a dry climate. Full Story
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![A field of corn in the Panhandle near Dumas in June, 2013.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for the Texas Tribune -
How federal dollars might help El Paso stem its affordable housing crisis
Housing costs have soared in the Texas city in recent years, while the state cuts back on funding. Full Story
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![Downtown in El Paso, on Oct. 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: The wait is over. Our full program for TribFest23 is here!
We’re bringing people together for talks that will examine education, Texas’ energy future, the 2024 races for U.S. Senate and president, and the state of democracy. Full Story
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![Image promoting The Texas Tribune Festival with a solid yellow background and an illustration of the Texas State Capitol dome opened up with Texas iconography spilling out. Images include western boots and hat, a star, and the Texas flag. With text that reads, "The wait is over. Full program announced!"]()
Credit: Reagan Mcgregor Hicks/Texas Tribune -
Texans in Congress take bipartisan path to boost semiconductors, a crucial industry to the state
Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrats like Rep. Colin Allred — opponents in the 2024 election — propose streamlining environmental reviews to promote investment and expansion by chipmakers. Full Story
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![Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to Peter McCormack about bitcoin and freedom at the Texas Blockchain Summit in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Some child care providers expect to shutter after Texas lawmakers leave $2.3 billion proposal off final budget
Federal pandemic relief to hard-hit day care operators is drying up, forcing some providers to close. Full Story
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![A child plays with Play-Doh at Kid's Castle Family Daycare and Preschool in Pflugerville, on Feb. 28, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
How an internship program hopes to end “brain drain” in Texas’ Permian Basin and other rural regions
This is the third year businesses in the Permian Basin — known for high school football and oil fields — have participated in the University of Texas at Austin program. Students this year say they are seeing their hometowns in a new way. Full Story
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![University of Texas at Austin sophomore Katelan Crowder, 19, poses for a photo in an exhibition by artist Tim Gonchoroff titled Garment/View on Thursday July 27, 2023, at Ellen Noël Art Museum's temporary exhibit hall in the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library in Odessa. Crowder is an Odessa native, studying design at UT-Austin and interning with the Ellen Noël Art Museum through UT-Austin's Home to Texas program.]()
Credit: Jacob Ford for The Texas Tribune -
“Someone’s going to end up dead”: New evidence emerges in Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy
A new Houston police report details how the rapper perceived what was happening and what he told investigators. It also contains police interviews with concert promoters, security personnel and other key witnesses. Full Story
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![Travis Scott performs at his third annual Astroworld Festival in Houston, on Nov. 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Jennifer Lake/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Billions in property tax cuts need Texas voters’ approval before taking effect. Here’s what you need to know.
Legislation passed this month would raise the state’s homestead exemption to $100,000, lower schools’ tax rates and put an appraisal cap on residential and commercial properties, among other measures. But voters must approve a constitutional amendment first. Full Story
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![A house in East Austin in the Windsor Park neighborhood on Nov. 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Rural Texas may lose out on billions in broadband infrastructure funding due to federal regulations
Grant applicants are required to have a line of credit from a major bank and put up 25% of the project cost ahead of time. That will likely disqualify many small internet service providers in rural areas. Full Story
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![An aerial view of a utility truck parked on a gravel road March 20, 2023, in Nogalus Prairie, Texas.]()
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U.S. Rep. Greg Casar stages “thirst strike” to advocate for federally mandated water breaks in extreme heat
There are no federal or state requirements that people who work outside receive paid water breaks. Casar, an Austin Democrat, wants to change that. Full Story
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![Freshman U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, walks down the House steps on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2022, in Washington, D.C.]()
Credit: Julia Nikhinson for The Texas Tribune -
As Texas swelters, crops and cattle are increasingly at risk
One year after a devastating drought, Texas agriculture watchers are wary that the positive effects of a wet spring could be zapped up with extreme heat. Full Story
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![Cotton fields near the High Plains town of Ralls, about 30 miles east of Lubbock, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Like much of Texas, the High Plains and Panhandle are facing drought conditions and extraordinary heat.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Nearly 64,000 Texas borrowers will have their federal loans forgiven
A U.S. Department of Education review identified 804,000 borrowers across the country with loans taken more than two decades ago and whose debts should have been canceled but were not because of “administrative failures.” Full Story
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![Students walk through halls on the University of North Texas campus in Denton on Feb. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Long-awaited $18 billion property tax-cut deal heads to Gov. Greg Abbott
House Democrats attempted to insert benefits for renters and more money for public education into the tax-cuts package in a series of floor amendments but were unsuccessful. Full Story
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![An Aerial image of a suburban neighborhood in San Marcos on October 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Limited regulations make Texas workers responsible for preventing on-the-job heat injuries
In triple-digit temperatures, drinking water frequently and resting in the shade are minimum safety measures for avoiding injuries and deaths. But they are not applied to every job site. Full Story
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![Martin Capallera, 50, a construction employee, throws on his neon vest and slips on his neck gaiter after taking a break in his car while working in the late morning heat in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood on July 6, 2023. Capallera specializes in rewiring buildings and currently works on the 24th floor of a new building on W. 21st Street and San Antonio. “We try to keep our people safe,” Capallera said. “We’re all the time under the sun.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
The River Walk transformed San Antonio. Could Panther Island do the same for Fort Worth?
An infusion of federal funding puts Fort Worth on a path to pull off its long-awaited waterfront project. History gives clues to what happens next. Full Story
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![Flood control projects have become economic drivers for many American cities. With this in mind, proponents of Fort Worth’s Panther Island look toward San Antonio’s success while creating their own path forward.]()
Credit: Rodger Mallison/Fort Worth Report -
Help us report on how the return of student loan repayments will affect Texans
Student loan repayments are set to resume in October. If you’re a Texas student loan borrower, tell us how this will affect you. Full Story
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![Students walk down Speedway Mall at the University of Texas at Austin on Aug. 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House and Senate reach a deal on how to cut property taxes
The deal would channel $12 billion to reduce the school property tax rate for homeowners and business properties, increase the homestead exemption, and create a pilot program to reduce taxes on certain residential and commercial properties. The legislation is expected to pass later this week. Full Story
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![A roofing crew begins to shingle a home under construction in the new Pavilion Park housing development on March 14, 2022 in north Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune