U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro had surgery to remove cancerous tumors
The 48-year-old Texas Democrat had tumors removed from his gastrointestinal tract at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, speaks about a new federal report on the underrepresentation of Latinos in the media industry at the National Press Club in Washington on Oct. 05, 2022.]()
Credit: Lenin Nolly/Sipa USA via Reuters -
Gus Mutscher, Texas House speaker who resigned amid the Sharpstown stock fraud scandal, dies at 90
Mutscher served as speaker from 1969 to 1972 before leaving amid the pay-for-play scandal, though he was later cleared on appeal. Full Story
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![Former Texas House Speaker Gus Mutscher.]()
Credit: Blinn College -
Two GOP legislators in Harris County want to let the state replace local elections administrators
The proposals were filed in response to Harris County’s problems at the polls in recent elections. Full Story
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![Voting lines at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center during Super Tuesday near downtown Houston on March 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas abortion funds likely safe from prosecution, federal judge rules
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman dismissed Attorney General Ken Paxton from the lawsuit, ruling he had no authority to enforce Texas’ abortion bans beyond state lines. Full Story
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![Dr. Franz Theard, looks at a patient's sonogram at his abortion clinic, Women's Reproductive Clinic of New Mexico in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on Jan. 13, 2023. Dr. Theard's abortion clinic, less than a mile from Texas, where abortion is illegal since the landmark legal case Roe v. Wade which protected a woman's constitutional right to an abortion was overturned, provides medical abortions for women who are flying and driving hundreds of miles across Texas.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein -
How Texas activists turned drag events into fodder for outrage
The Tribune analyzed more than two dozen anti-drag protests. Opponents frequently characterized the drag events as catering to children, even when businesses advertised them as adults-only or provided warnings about the potential for explicit material. Full Story
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![Kassandra Boehmer responds to anti-drag protesters on the crosswalk with her 7-year-old son Kaufman.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott starts state task force on street takeovers
During a recent street racing incident, Austin residents faced long 911 wait times. City officials say they need to increase staffing for 911 call takers, but state license and background check requirements make it difficult to fill positions. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during the Texas Rally for Life event at the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 28, 2023. Montinique Monroe for the Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Speaker Dade Phelan endorses Medicaid expansion for new mothers, repeal of “tampon tax” in first batch of 2023 priorities
The leader of the state House also threw his support behind bills to crack down on how companies handle private data and to protect children from “addictive algorithms” by digital companies. Full Story
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![Dade Phelan begins his second term as Speaker of the House on the opening day of the 88th legislature on Jan 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas superintendent resigns after student finds his gun in school bathroom
The incident comes as lawmakers debate how to make schools safer after the Uvalde massacre and favor measures like arming more educators. Full Story
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![A M&P Shield handgun, small enough to be ideal for conceal carry, in Austin on April 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Photo Illustration by Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says most gun crimes involve illegally owned weapons. That’s not true in mass shootings.
Most of the state’s 19 mass shootings over the past six decades were carried out by men who legally possessed firearms, an investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a presser at Uvalde High School on May 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
Former Texas House Speaker Rayford Price dies at 86
The Texas Democrat served as speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 1972 to 1973. Full Story
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![Former House Speaker Rayford's official portrait for the 62nd Legislature.]()
Credit: Texas Legislative Reference Library -
What you need to know about education savings accounts, the voucher-like program championed by Gov. Greg Abbott
Texas is the latest state to pitch a version of the program, which lets parents who opt out of their local school districts use tax dollars to pay for private schooling. Full Story
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![Isabel Suarez works on homework prior to the start of the school day from her home in Pflugerville on Dec 9, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Mayors in some of Texas’ biggest cities face little opposition this May
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker face little opposition in their reelection bids. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson doesn’t have any challengers. Full Story
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![From left: Mayors Eric Johnson of Dallas, Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio, and Mattie Parker of Fort Worth. All three are running unopposed in their upcoming elections.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Asylum-seekers who cross the border illegally to be deported under new Biden administration rule
The new rule is designed to push migrants to seek asylum at official border crossings or through other legal channels rather than crossing the border illegally and then requesting asylum. Full Story
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![A group of migrants from Venezuela walk between the southern border wall and the Rio Grande river towards a temporary border patrol processing facility on October 6, 2022 in El Paso, TX. Record numbers of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, began arriving at the US/Mexico border this month.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott promises to be “heavily involved” in push for education savings accounts
In an interview with the Tribune, the governor also backed criminalizing some health care treatments for transgender kids and shrugged off the idea that he’s in a conservative policy rivalry with Ron DeSantis. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott addresses the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ shortage of mental health care professionals is getting worse
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an already short supply of therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers. Full Story
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![AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 14, 2023: Communities in Schools staff members Christy Mitchell, Dorothy Garza and Amara Nitibhon (left to right) pose for a portrait at Langford Elementary School in Austin, Texas on February 14, 2023. (Photo by Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Texas billionaire Red McCombs dies at 95
The businessman gave huge donations to the University of Texas at Austin and is credited with bringing the San Antonio Spurs basketball team to the Alamo City. Full Story
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![Investor Red McCombs of San Antonio speaks at Circuit of the Americas in Austin on Oct. 21, 2012.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Why three longtime Texas lawmakers are now eligible for an extra $140,000 a year
A few of Texas’ most veteran lawmakers may have seen their part-time legislative compensation skyrocket from $7,200 to nearly $150,000 annually, thanks to a law passed quietly at the end of the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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![From left: State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, State Reps. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, and Tom Craddick, R-Midland.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune; Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune; Bob Daemmrich -
Look up your representatives in the Tribune’s elected officials directory
Look up information about every statewide elected official, every member of the Texas Legislature and every Texan in Congress and see who represents you. Full Story
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![State Representatives and their families sit on the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas border Republican accuses GOP of using immigration crisis for politics
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that his fellow Republicans benefit politically from a sustained border crisis. The attack indirectly alluded to U.S. Rep. Chip Roy’s contentious border security bill. Full Story
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![From left: U.S. Reps. Chip Roy, R-Austin, and Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio.]()
Credit: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
TribCast: Takeaways from Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State speech
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Texas Tribune politics reporters James Barragán and Patrick Svitek about Abbott’s prime-time address. Full Story
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