Jayla Allen was her family’s third generation to attend Prairie View A&M University. She inherited a battle for voting rights in Waller County extending before her grandfather’s time at the Southeast Texas college.
Politics
Stay informed with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth political coverage, including Texas elections, state government, policy debates, and the leaders shaping the future of the state.
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Winter Storm 2021
Gov. Greg Abbott, in statewide address, promises answers on winter weather disaster
“Tragic does not even begin to describe” the suffering Texans endured, Abbott said Wednesday evening.
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TribCast
TribCast: What’s next for Texas after last week’s winter storm?
On this week’s TribCast, Matthew talks with Ross, Alana and Erin about the political fallout from the winter storm and what the state might do to prevent future widespread power outages.
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Winter Storm 2021
Analysis: Winter storm response should focus on public safety, not dollars
For lack of heat and water, people died last week — in the great state of Texas and in their own homes — who would be alive right now, had the state taken heed of recommendations made after past winter storms and blackouts.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Republican David Spiller wins rural Texas House seat, replacing Drew Springer
David Spiller, a Jacksboro attorney and school board member, faced fellow Republican Craig Carter for the seat previously held by Springer, who is now in the state Senate.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Dan Patrick announces 2021 priorities focused on pandemic, power grid and socially conservative issues
In addition to bills responding to COVID-19 and the recent winter storm, Patrick is calling for legislation related to abortion, gun rights and the national anthem at sporting events.
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Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott sets May 1 special election to fill seat of late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright
Candidates have until March 3 to file, and early voting begins April 19.
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Winter Storm 2021
President Joe Biden to visit Houston on Friday after winter storm
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden would “meet with local leaders to discuss the winter storm, relief efforts, progress toward recovery and the incredible resilience shown by the people of Houston and Texas.”
Posted in
Point of Order
Point of Order: The outage and the outrage
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber about the state’s failure to prepare for a brutal winter storm, the fragile electric grid we depend on, and whether the future of energy is bright or bleak.
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Winter Storm 2021
Texans blindsided by massive electric bills await details of Gov. Greg Abbott’s promised relief
Electric bills are likely to rise for everyone, experts and consumer advocates say, but some Texans on variable rate contracts have been hit with immediate, massive price spikes. Lawmakers and the governor have promised to help, but haven’t said how.