What brought down one Texas county’s entire elections department? It was something in the water.
Aggrieved anti-fluoride activists, low pay and an understaffed office eventually drove away all of Gillespie County’s election staff. Full Story
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![The Gillespie County Court House in Fredericksburg on Aug. 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Volunteer acompañantes in Mexico aid at-home abortions. Their network is expanding to Texas.
In parts of Mexico where abortion has not been legalized, women rely on volunteer networks to provide medication and emotional support for at-home abortions. As access to abortion is shut down in Texas, similar networks are being built in the U.S. Full Story
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![Sandra Cardona left, and her wife Vanessa Jiménez, pose for a photo at their home near Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico on June 27, 2022. They are part of the network “Necesito abortar,” ‘I need to have an abortion’ and they have turned an upstairs room into “La Abortería,” ‘the abortion place’ where people that are seeking to terminate their pregnancy can take the abortion inducing pills in comfort and privacy. Them along with other volunteers provide what they call accompaniment to people that have these kind of abortions by being there for emotional support, to provide information, and or assistance while the person goes through this process.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Beto O’Rourke pauses campaign events while recovering from bacterial infection
O’Rourke said he is resting at home in El Paso and will be back on the road “as soon as I am able.” Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke hugs a supporter during the Texas Democratic Convention at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas on July 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
Families of the Uvalde shooting victims denounce Gov. Greg Abbott’s inaction on gun reform
The governor has made a vocal enemy in the families of Robb Elementary shooting victims. They are demanding a special legislative session to reach a compromise on the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles. Full Story
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![Families of the victims of the Robb Elementary shooting wait to speak during a March For Our Lives protest at the state Capitol on Aug. 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s legal guidance on public access to ballots contradicts advice his office gave out just five days earlier
The Texas attorney general’s office sent multiple memos this summer instructing election officials to follow longtime precedent in securing ballots after elections. Then he changed his mind. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton looks into the crowd at his primary election results watch party in McKinney on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
As his district gets redder, Uvalde’s Republican congressman faces heat for votes on guns and gay marriage
Gonzales broke with his party to support sweeping gun safety legislation that passed after the city’s tragedy. He drew backlash from GOP activists again after he voted to protect same-sex marriage. Full Story
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![District 23 Rep. Tony Gonzales speaks with a reporter at a Starbucks in San Antonio on Aug. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune -
Beto O’Rourke intensifies campaign on abortion rights as trigger law goes into effect
Gov. Greg Abbott signed the “trigger law” last year, ensuring that Texas would automatically outlaw abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturned Roe v. Wade. That happened in June, mobilizing Democrats nationwide and giving O’Rourke’s campaign a burst of momentum. Full Story
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![Democratic candidate for governor Beto O’Rourke speaks at a rally in support of abortion rights in East Austin on Jun. 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texans who perform abortions now face up to life in prison, $100,000 fine
Texas, the largest state to restrict abortions, now has three significant bans on the books, setting up a potential legal minefield. Full Story
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![Police formed a line to prevent protesters from walking down Third Street at a rally for abortion rights in Austin on June 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton legal opinion giving public immediate access to ballots jeopardizes election security and invites lawsuits, experts say
Attorney general’s opinion invites lawsuits over long-established ballot security and sets up election officials for possible criminal charges. Full Story
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![Boxes of ballots from the 2020 GOP primary elections sit in the room where an election integrity group will recount the votes at the Tarrant County Elections Administration building in Fort Worth on July 22, 2022. Ballots become public records after 22 months, granting this group access to review the votes from this primary election, and eventually, the general.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bans local, state government entities from doing business with firms that “boycott” fossil fuels
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar singled out financial firms under a 2021 state law that prohibits most state entities from contracting with companies that have reduced or cut investments in the oil and gas industry. Full Story
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![Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Glenn Hegar at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: Pete Buttigieg will open #TribFest22
The U.S. transportation secretary will formally kick off The Texas Tribune Festival in a conversation about highways, airports, rail, charging stations, water, broadband and the road ahead for the Biden administration. Full Story
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“It’s a living hell”: Scorching heat in Texas prisons revives air-conditioning debate
Texas heat has killed prisoners and cost the state millions in wrongful death and civil rights lawsuits. Prison rights advocates hope a budget surplus next year will finally push lawmakers to invest in air conditioning. Full Story
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![Ferguson Unit incarcerated person David Segovia speaks about the unbearable heat he experienced living on the third floor of the prison outside of Huntsville, TX, on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas officials accuse Harris County of slashing constables’ budgets — but they’re actually going up
Comptroller Glenn Hegar said the state could block the approval of Harris County’s budget because it’s not allowing constables to roll $3 million in unspent funds into next year’s budget — even though the constables’ total funding will go up next year. Full Story
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![Comptroller Glenn Hegar discusses the Biennial Revenue Estimate for the 2020-21 biennium at the state Capitol on Jan. 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Abortion-rights groups sue Texas AG, prosecutors to protect ability to help pregnant Texans seek legal abortions in other states
The suit comes two days before the state’s newest abortion ban, triggered by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, goes into effect. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, speaks at a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
A North Texas school district now lets teachers reject children’s pronouns — even if parents approve of them
The Grapevine-Colleyville district, between Dallas and Fort Worth, added two conservative members to its seven-member school board in May. Full Story
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![Desks are spaced out in a classroom at Ott Elementary School in San Antonio, on Aug. 11, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Texas public schools required to display “In God We Trust” posters if they are donated
The law passed last year says schools must display the national motto in a “conspicuous place” but only if the poster is “donated” or “purchased by private donations.” Full Story
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![Students work at their desks at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Monday August, 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joins other key Republicans in supporting repealing the “tampon tax”
Advocates have previously called for repealing the sales tax on products like tampons, sanitary pads and pantyliners. Menstrual products are already tax-free in 24 states. Full Story
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![Eighteen-year-old Zoe Kass holds a handful of menstrual products in the bathroom at her high school in Houston on Thursday, April 28, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Why some Texas churches support access to reproductive health care despite the state’s abortion ban
After Roe v. Wade was overturned, some faith leaders in Texas rallied in favor of abortion access and offer supportive spiritual counsel for those who have sought abortion. Full Story
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![University Baptist Church in Austin.]()
Credit: Justin Dehn/The Texas Tribune -
A West Texas coffee shop owner is giving away Plan B for free as fight over contraception access takes hold
Last May, Lubbock became the biggest city in Texas to ban abortion within city limits. Now, with abortion outlawed throughout the Lone Star State, the fight over reproductive rights is taking a new turn. Full Story
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![Destiny Adams unpacks newly received Plan B test kits in her Tumbleweed + Sage Coffee Shop in Wolfforth, TX. Adams keeps a stock of the test kits so her customers can easily find the tests.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Republican James White resigns from Texas House early to take leadership job at Texas Funeral Services Commission
White, the only Black Republican in the Legislature, leaves office after 11 years and a failed run for agriculture commissioner. Full Story
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![State Rep. James White, R-Hillister, on the House floor on Tuesday, August 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune