The Brief: Jan. 6, 2015
Another day and another threshold is crossed in oil's steady downward march in value. This time it was the price of U.S. oil dipping below $50 during the day on Monday. Full Story
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![Trucks carry cement that will be mixed to fill the space between multiple layers of casing in preparation for the hydraulic fracturing process at a Chesapeake Energy drill site in Dimmit, Texas in the Eagle Ford Shale.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
The Brief: Jan. 5, 2015
Three special elections are on tap for Tuesday, including two contests to find replacements for a pair of San Antonio Democrats who have opted to run for mayor. Full Story
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![Campaign signs outside a polling place at Zilker Elementary School in Austin on March 4, 2014.]()
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Texas Perspective: Water
Last year, The Texas Tribune partnered with public media stations across Texas to produce Texas Perspective: Water, a magazine news program that examined water issues in various parts of the state. Watch the program here, courtesy of KLRU-TV. Full Story
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The Playlist: The Best is Yet to Come
For this week's playlist of the news, we’re using our reporters' own predictions for 2015. Kicking things off: “The Best Is Yet To Come,” by Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, backed up by the Count Basie Orchestra. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by John Jordan -
With New Land Commissioner, a New Era for Bush Family
Big names in state and national politics gathered in the Texas Senate chamber Friday to welcome George P. Bush, the state's new land commissioner, into the family business. Full Story
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![George P. Bush is sworn in Jan. 2, 2015 as Texas land commissioner as dad Jeb Bush and wife Amanda look on.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Sitton Leaving Consulting Firm to Avoid Conflicts
Ryan Sitton, the incoming Texas railroad commissioner, says he is following through on a campaign promise to step away from his oil and gas consulting firm and place its assets in a blind trust. Full Story
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![Ryan Sitton, the incoming Texas Railroad Commissioner, speaks at a Texas Tribune event on Oct. 30, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Now Hands-Down Leader in Wind Power
When Gov. Rick Perry first took office, Texas’ wind energy sector hardly existed. But the state has since become the nation’s leader in wind energy generation, Jim Malewitz writes, and Perry — more commonly associated with oil and gas — helped steer that boom. Full Story
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Texas Air is Cleaner, but Who Deserves the Credit?
According to recent data, average levels of ozone — more commonly known as smog — decreased by nearly 25 percent in Texas between 2000 and 2013. But does the credit for cleaning up Texas air belong to Gov. Rick Perry? Neena Satija writes that opinions vary. Full Story
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Roundup: Same-Sex Marriage Ban and Texas' Oil Futures
This week in the Roundup: The fate of Texas’ same-sex marriage ban is in question, as is the state’s budget as oil prices continue to tumble. Meanwhile, South Texas counties plan to lobby lawmakers to allow them to negotiate mineral rights leases. Full Story
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Disappearing Rio Grande: A Look Back at 10 Stories
On June 19, Colin McDonald began exploring the incredibly important Rio Grande from its source in Colorado. Here are 10 posts that give a good representation, both in words and photos, of the journey. You can follow along here for the rest of his trip. Full Story
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![The Rio Grande has been the lifeblood of the valleys and civilizations it flowed through for more than 3,000 years. As cities and farms suck it dry and a warming climate makes it evaporate faster, the river's future has never been more uncertain.]()
Credit: Erich Schlegel -
Old Ruling Keeps Counties From Tapping Oil Money to Fix Roads
A 54-year-old state attorney general’s opinion keeps counties from making money on mineral leases under their roads. But officials say they need the money to fix the damage caused by oil field traffic. Full Story
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As Oil Prices Plunge, Texas Eyes Are on Hegar
Incoming Comptroller Glenn Hegar is on the hot seat as a nosedive in crude oil prices – and the increasingly gloomy forecasts that have followed – cast a pall over the next legislative session. Full Story
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![Glenn Hegar (far right) stands with chief revenue estimators past and future. From left: Dale Craymer, Billy Hamilton and Tom Currah, the incoming estimator.]()
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The Brief: Dec. 19, 2014
Is Texas in danger of recession next year because of the current swoon in oil prices? An economist with J.P. Morgan Chase is raising an early warning flag about that possibility. Full Story
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Credit: Jerod Foster -
As Cities Get Testy, Regulators Mull Oversight of Urban Drilling
The Railroad Commission wants to beef up oversight of oil and gas wells in cities, and ease tension between the industry and the growing number of urban Texans living next to well pads, compressor stations and disposal wells. Full Story
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![A well pad is flanked by Fort Worth's skyline on Sept. 27, 2013.]()
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The Brief: Dec. 18, 2014
The awarding of a no-bid Medicaid fraud detection contract to the 21CT company continues to draw scrutiny with three separate news reports published Wednesday evening. Full Story
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![Jack Stick, the top lawyer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.]()
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New in Trib+Water: Water Woes Around El Paso
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: water woes afflict El Paso, rural landowners are key to water conservation and an interview with James Griffin of Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service. Full Story
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Plans for Indoor Ski Center in North Texas Raise Questions
Within four years, North Texas could become home to the world’s most advanced indoor snow center. Inevitably, the megaproject, which would include seven ski slopes, has raised questions over its impact on the environment and the economy. Full Story
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Regulators Pan Study on Methane Gas in Wells
No one disputes that high levels of methane have shown up in several Parker County water wells. But the source of the gas has stirred a heated debate involving homeowners, academics, the Railroad Commission and the EPA. Full Story
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![Steve Lipsky shows the methane contamination of his well by igniting the gas with a lighter outside his family's home in Parker County near Weatherford on June 17.]()
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The Brief: Dec. 16, 2014
The Tribune's Jim Malewitz tries to get at, in a piece also published in Politico Magazine, the root causes that spurred the town of Denton to approve a ban on fracking last month. Full Story
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Dissecting Denton: How One City Banned Fracking
State lawmakers, the oil and gas industry and national environmental groups are asking deep questions about Denton, home to two universities, 277 gas wells and, now, thanks to a group of local activists, Texas’ first ban on fracking. Full Story
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![A grassroots effort to ban fracking in Denton succeeded last fall, but has now been trumped by state lawmakers.]()
Credit: Brandi Korte / Frack Free Denton