The state Legislature heads back to work in less than a year. And as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the state’s improving economy won't likely save legislators from the protracted budget battle that awaits them. Full Story
Abortion providers say the new sonogram law has been a bureaucratic nightmare. But supporters of the measure argue requiring the procedure at least 24 hours ahead of an abortion is due diligence, not a roadblock. Full Story
Tan and Dehn talk to some of Gov. Rick Perry's allies about his return to Texas, Aaronson maps (interactively!) the insured and the uninsured among us, E. Smith's TribLive interview with state Rep. David Simpson on Perry's race and TSA pat-downs, M. Smith on a Texas school so broke it's shutting down sports, Whitney on a split in the legal community over divorce forms, KUT's Philpott on abuse in state hospitals, Ramshaw reports on the governor's decision not to repay taxpayers for protection during his presidential campaign and Aguilar on the state's attempts to put its voter ID law in force: The best of our best content from January 23-27, 2012. Full Story
The federal government has rejected Texas' request to delay implementation of a health reform rule that could force some insurers to give premium refunds to customers. Full Story
The insiders think Ron Paul's biggest obstacle is Ron Paul, are pessimistic about Texas Democrats, and predict Democratic primaries focused on education and Republican primaries focused on spending and taxes. Full Story
Emily Ramshaw explains how family planning clinics are complying with the state's new abortion sonogram law. Morgan Smith shows us a school district that is canceling its sports program. Full Story
There were 5.7 million Texans — nearly a quarter of the population — who lacked health insurance in 2010, according to the latest American Community Survey data. This visualization shows you who the uninsured are in Texas. It's not always who you'd expect. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry is no longer in the running, but the race continues for the four remaining Republican presidential contenders. We've updated our interactive to compare the candidates still vying for the GOP nomination. Full Story
The dean of the University of Texas at Arlington's College of Nursing on the college's growth, its online studies program, state budget cuts and the critical shortage of nurses that Texas is facing. Full Story
Root on the end of Rick Perry's presidential campaign, Murphy on what happens to his campaign cash, Ramsey on his next act, Ramshaw, Aaronson, Murphy, Chang and Seger interactively chart the rise and fall of his run, Aguilar talks Juárez violence with a documentary filmmaker, Galbraith on the tug-of-war over surface water, Grissom and Murphy on three decades of capital punishment in Texas, Hamilton and Aaronson on our workforce needs in 2018 and Tan on the state's much-reduced list of women's health clinics: The best of our best content from January 16-20, 2012. Full Story
More than 16,000 children are in foster care in Texas. And when those children become adults, they’re often left to fend for themselves. But as Nathan Bernier of KUT News reports, the amount of help available to foster children in Travis County is on the rise. Full Story
Rick Perry may be out of the presidential race, but Texas Congressman Ron Paul is still fighting for the nomination. During Thursday night's CNN debate, he showed he’s still got plenty of fire in the belly heading into Saturday’s South Carolina primary. Full Story
In the state's largest-ever Medicaid fraud recovery, Johnson & Johnson agreed Thursday to pay Texas $158 million to settle a lawsuit over its efforts to get the schizophrenia drug Risperdal on an approved list for the state's poorest patients. Full Story
Disability rights advocates gathered at Gov. Rick Perry's campaign headquarters today to demand a meeting with the governor to discuss improving care and living conditions for disabled Texans. Full Story
Texas lawmakers and hospital administrators took a hard look Tuesday at the state Medicaid waiver recently OK'd by the Obama administration. Full Story
The conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation today wrapped up its annual legislative primer, which has become a must-attend for state Republican leaders. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on how the group is already working to influence next year's legislative session. Full Story
Texas abortion providers were hoping they'd have a few more weeks to start abiding by a state law requiring them to play the heartbeat of the fetus and describe its image on a sonogram before performing the procedure. They're not going to get it. Full Story
Texas has already joined the two-dozen other states challenging the constitutionality of federal health care reform before the U.S. Supreme Court. Now, 27 Democratic state lawmakers have signed on to try to defend it. Full Story
A panel of federal appellate judges has authorized Texas officials to enforce a controversial abortion sonogram law while its constitutionality is being challenged in court. Full Story
The bellwether conservative group is running ads attacking the lieutenant governor, who hopes to succeed Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate. Full Story