Texas GOP gubernatorial candidate says he won’t fire staffer tied to white nationalist movement
Don Huffines said he wouldn’t take any action against the campaign staffer, who once said “we’re nearing the demographic cliff." Full Story
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![Republican gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines met with constituents at the Mansfield Park Pavilion in Bandera on Dec. 16, 2021. Huffines has campaigned on hardline immigration and anti-abortion policies and said he would eliminate property taxes and implement an income tax.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Prescribed burn gone wrong likely sparked wildfire in Bastrop County, officials say
Controlled burns, used to prevent catastrophic wildfires, are typically safe and rarely get out of control. Experts warn that burns gone awry can scare residents and compromise the critical fire management tool. Full Story
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![The Rolling Pines Fire blazes through Bastrop State Park on Jan. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Ag commissioner cuts ties with aide charged in hemp scheme
Todd Smith will no longer work for Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller following Smith’s indictment on charges of felony theft and commercial bribery. Full Story
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![Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller spoke with Evan Smith.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has fought vaccine mandates, tests positive for COVID-19
Paxton’s office said the Republican “remains working diligently for the people of Texas from home.” Full Story
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Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s political consultant indicted on charges of theft, bribery in hemp license scheme
Attorneys for Smith said he has not broken any laws. Miller, who is seeking reelection and facing a competitive primary, said Tuesday evening he's "not ready to throw [Smith] under the bus" and believes the indictment was politically motivated. Full Story
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![Todd M Smith.]()
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Texas says supply chain issues have limited the number of voter registration forms it can give out
The secretary of state’s office says it has been forced to limit the amount of forms it gives out to no more than 2,000 per request, which has affected groups that help people register to vote. Full Story
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![Voter registration forms at a registration event in Austin, on Sept. 27, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. Eddie Lucio III, who announced last year he would not seek reelection, to step down early
The Brownsville Democrat said his resignation will be effective Jan. 31. That sets up a potential special election to finish his term, though whoever wins would only serve for a short time. Full Story
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![State Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, speaks with a colleague on the house floor on Sunday, May 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
How a Texas songbird and its endangered status became the center of a fight over the Hill Country
Scientists say a study that estimated far more golden-cheeked warblers in Texas than previously thought has been attacked and taken out of context as the state and federal government battle over the bird’s endangered status. Full Story
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![Golden-cheeked warbler.]()
Credit: Steve Maslowski/U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service -
Trans kids and supporters say new Texas law will keep them out of school sports
School districts have said they will abide by the law, but it’s still unclear how they will determine whether a student’s birth certificate was issued near the time of birth. Full Story
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![Protestors participate in a rally against Anti-Trans legislation at the southern steps of the state Capitol on April 28, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ primary election is March 1. Here’s what you need to know to vote.
The last day to register to vote was Jan. 31. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is Feb. 18. Early voting runs from Feb. 14-25. Full Story
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![Graphic that reads, "Primary Voter Guide" above a collection of voting stickers.]()
Credit: Illustration by Emily Albracht -
Analysis: The never-ending fight over voting in the U.S.
Some of the same voting debates underway when Martin Luther King Jr. was alive are still being debated right now in Texas and in Washington, D.C. Full Story
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![Dr. Martin Luther King in London, England on December 7, 1964.]()
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With hundreds of nurses out sick, San Antonio lawmakers of both parties ask for governor’s help staffing hospitals
Officials in the state’s major metropolitan areas are increasingly scrambling to find health care workers to deal with a wave of patients with COVID-19. Full Story
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![More than 3,400 red hearts are posted on a fence to honor San Antonio residents who have died from COVID-19 during the pandemic in San Antonio on Sept. 17, 2021. The hearts are part of a memorial called "Deep in Our Hearts".]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
For Texas children, COVID-19 hospitalizations are outpacing vaccinations
Last fall, just as younger Texans received the green light to get vaccinated, omicron came rushing in, sending more of them to the hospital. Full Story
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
John Cornyn and Ted Cruz join united Republican opposition to federal voting rights bills
Democrats’ options for passing a voting rights bill dwindle as tensions escalate in the Senate. Full Story
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![U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz at a press conference on border security at the Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission on Jan. 10, 2019. The senators accompanied President Donald Trump on his trip to the southern border earlier in the day.]()
Credit: Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times via REUTERS -
Analysis: If you can’t beat ’em, change the rules
Here’s something Democrats and Republicans have in common: When lawmakers are deadlocked, leaders turn to the rulebooks, searching for angles and rule changes that would turn things their way. Full Story
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![U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on voting rights during a speech on the grounds of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.]()
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Ken Paxton violated law and must release records related to Jan. 6 Trump rally, district attorney says
The Travis County district attorney, a Democrat, says the Republican attorney general has four days to provide communications, multiple Texas news outlets first reported. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Hundreds of mail-in ballot applications are being rejected under Texas’ new voting rules
Texas Republicans last year enacted new identification requirements for voting by mail as part of sweeping legislation that further restricted the state’s voting process and narrowed local control of elections. Full Story
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![A mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Probe of Texas National Guard border mission demanded over suicide attempts, abysmal conditions and delayed pay
The call for action from Texas Democrats comes as another service member based in the city of Pharr survived a suicide attempt on Sunday, according to an incident report obtained by Army Times and The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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![A group of migrants waits to turn themselves over to National Guard and Customs and Border Protection officials at the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas sues Planned Parenthood for $10 million in Medicaid payments
Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking to claw back Medicaid payments made during the three years that Planned Parenthood was fighting in court to remain as a qualified health care provider. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Austin-area businesses will have to post COVID-19 policies, a modest rule that might trigger a fresh clash with state
It’s unclear whether the local mandate, which requires businesses to post signs outlining their safety guidelines, is in conflict with Gov. Greg Abbott’s previous pandemic orders. Full Story
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![A sign outside of Little Brother Coffee & Kolaches asks customers to wear a mask inside the South Austin business on March 3, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune
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