A South Texas lawmaker's 15-year fight for a Rio Grande Valley law school
Advocates say a law school in one of the state's poorest regions would exponentially help communities with legal aid. Full Story
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![Armando Martinez speaks during the Inside the Interim with RGV Lawmakers Event in Edinburg on Aug. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott signals support for David Cook over Dustin Burrows in GOP fight for House speaker
Days after the Texas House GOP caucus backed Cook, Abbott made clear that he expects Republican representatives to do the same. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to DPS Troopers and National Guard troops at a Thanksgiving dinner event in Edinburg on Nov. 26, 2024.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Attorney General Ken Paxton sues companies over “forever chemicals”
Paxton’s office has accused 3M and DuPont of misrepresenting or concealing the health risks of PFAS, which have been sold for decades for use in consumer products. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the 2024 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 23, 2024.]()
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State agency to ask lawmakers for $300 million to fix “significant neglect” in Texas’ Medicaid enrollment system
The request, which includes hiring more staff and updating the online application system, comes as applicants must wait for months to receive approval for benefits. Full Story
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![A Texas Health and Human Services client application on April 24, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Recycled oilfield water could aid drought-stricken West Texas
Oilfield wastewater injected underground is causing earthquakes and blowouts. Now, pilot projects are exploring whether this water could be treated and used to grow crops. Full Story
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![Eric Selinger walks on his property near the Pecos River outside Imperial on Oct. 8. He previously farmed shrimp but now hopes that treated produced water could bring the land back to life.]()
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Bill aimed at increasing transparency could sow chaos for election officials, experts say
Under state Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s bill, some individuals could submit requests for explanations of ‘election irregularities’ and potentially bring them to the Texas Secretary of State. Full Story
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![State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, on the Senate floor on Sept. 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Dustin Burrows says he has votes to be Texas House speaker after David Cook wins GOP caucus vote
Burrows claims the support of a coalition of Republicans and Democrats, while Cook has the endorsement of the GOP caucus. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, holds a press conference in the Speaker's Committee Room, on Dec. 7, 2024, saying he has the votes to become Speaker of the House in the upcoming legislative session.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ maternal mortality committee faces backlash for not reviewing deaths from first two years post-Dobbs
Committee members said it was necessary to skip the two years after Texas passed its restrictive abortion laws to offer more timely recommendations. Full Story
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![The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee meets in Austin on Sept. 27, 2024.]()
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What does the Texas House speaker do and why are Republicans fighting?
Texas Republicans are poised to pick the statehouse lower chamber’s next leader this weekend. Full Story
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![Speaker of the House Dade Phelan presides over the opening day of the special session at the Texas Capitol on July 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
A 2006 study found undocumented immigrants contribute more than they cost Texas. The state hasn’t updated it since.
A comptroller’s report found that deporting the estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants living in Texas in 2005 would have cost the state about $17.7 billion in gross domestic product. Full Story
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![Leticia Quintanilla is undocumented and resides in Houston. Quintanilla states that she's been more cautious about traveling since the recent threat of immigration raids in Houston. June 23, 2019.]()
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Texas weighs social media bans for minors as schools and police face challenges
A Texas lawmaker has introduced a bill prohibiting minors from using social media accounts as school districts become a “hunting ground” for online dangers. Full Story
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![In this photo illustration, the Social Media icons and Facebook, Messenger and Instagram logos seen displayed on a smartphone.]()
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At this Fort Worth charter school, Texas adults are getting a second chance at a diploma
The Texas Legislature has prioritized getting high school dropouts the skills they need to enter the workforce. Full Story
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![Tiphainne Wright makes an expression while reading “The Handmaid's Tale” in class on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. Wright is one of 5 students in Schnique Dory’s period four English class at New Heights High School.]()
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Texas Senate to pursue ban on THC products next year, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says
Patrick contends retailers have exploited a law passed in 2019 to sell unregulated and potentially harmful consumable tetrahydrocannabinol products. Full Story
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![Lt. Governor Dan Patrick speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
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Texas conservatives plan to further restrict trans lives this legislative session
Emboldened by the recent election, some Texas lawmakers are already filing bills that would dictate bathroom use, limit gender identity markers on documents and restrict funding for surgeries. Full Story
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![People hold signs in front of the Texas Capitol during a protest for transgender kids' rights on Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2022.]()
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Texas’ push to meet soaring power demand with nuclear energy could spark uranium mining revival
State leaders want nuclear reactors to provide consistent, low-carbon power to large industrial facilities. But in South Texas, locals worry what a uranium mining boom could mean for their groundwater. Full Story
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![Misty Ortega lives adjacent to Uranium Energy Corporation's site for deep injection disposal of radioactive waste and has campaigned against the project in Goliad County.]()
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After Texas banned puberty blockers and hormones for trans kids, adults lost care, too
As limitations on trans teens increase, doctors have left the state, weakening an already threadbare system for trans adults. Full Story
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![Colin Zicko on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas on November 20, 2024.]()
Credit: Jack Myer for The Texas Tribune -
Grid operator says Texas is better prepared for extreme cold this winter
ERCOT says conditions this winter could spark extreme cold, but additional power supply and continued weatherization efforts will lower the risk of power outages. Full Story
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![The ERCOT Board of Directors convene for a meeting at the organization's headquarters in Austin on Dec. 3, 2024.]()
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Maternity care in rural Texas needs a rescue, groups say
Almost half of Texas counties have nowhere to get prenatal care, let alone deliver a baby. This plan offers legislative proposals to shore up what’s left. Full Story
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![CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Jasper Memorial hospital in Jasper on Jan. 3, 2023.]()
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Texas has billions pledged to expand broadband. Spending it is taking a while.
Despite the efforts of local governments and others, the move to provide internet access to millions of Texans has been slow and faces new challenges. Full Story
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![A sign welcoming visitors to Big Lake. Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.]()
Credit: Mitch Borden for The Texas Tribune -
Texas farmers say fertilizer made from sewage poisoned land
The fertilizer was promoted as an environmental win-win for years. An untold number of farmers and ranchers across Texas have spread it on their land. Full Story
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![Tony and Karen Coleman stand over a plot of land where they buried a deceased calf and bull on their property in Grandview, Texas on Aug. 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune