Mark Welsh III’s two-year tenure as president of Texas A&M University was marked with political controversies.
Politics
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2026 Texas Elections
Gov. Greg Abbott wants a tighter lid on home values. Tax policy experts warn that’s a bad idea.
Conservative and liberal tax policy experts said Abbott’s proposal would lead to higher housing costs and tax benefits flowing disproportionately to wealthy homeowners.
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2026 Texas Elections
National Democrats put Texas House on list of legislative targets for 2026
Rep. Christina Morales, the new chair of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, said she wants to initially target five GOP-controlled districts, with a broader list to come later.
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2026 Texas Elections
Why Gov. Greg Abbott wants to let taxpayers decide whether cities can raise — or cut — taxes
Texas cities and counties already face limits on how much revenue they can generate. Local leaders have warned that further restrictions would mean fewer services like parks and libraries.
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Higher Education
How the political tide turned on Mark Welsh, the four-star general ousted as Texas A&M president
The A&M Board of Regents came to want a more explicitly conservative leader who would shut down controversy before it reared its head, as members grew weary from the steady drumbeat of online posts accusing the university of embracing liberal ideology.
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LGBTQ+ Texans
Arlington upholds suspension of protections for LGBTQ+ people
City Council voted 5-4 to continue the temporary removal of language in its ordinance, which was initiated in September in an effort to avoid losing federal funding.
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2026 Texas Elections
Is Jasmine Crockett’s Senate campaign an asset or a liability for Democrats? It depends on who you ask.
Some Democrats dismissed the Dallas congresswoman as too polarizing to capture the swing voters needed to win. Others said her turnout-over-persuasion approach is the recipe to break through.
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State Government
Glenn Hamer resigns as CEO of Texas Association of Business weeks after sexual assault allegations
An unidentified woman sued Hamer two weeks ago, accusing him of sexually assaulting and harassing her before retaliating against her using his position at the powerful business group.
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Politics
Rod Paige, former U.S. education secretary also known for the “Houston Miracle,” dies at 92
The former Houston ISD superintendent was the first Black person to lead the Department of Education and helped launch the No Child Left Behind Act.
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Politics
Texas AG probe of nearly 1,000 cities’ finances to seek violations of new property tax law
While Ken Paxton did not allege any wrongdoing, his move is intended to enforce a new law that prevents cities from raising property taxes if they fail to follow transparency requirements.