Hey, Texplainer: What social media information is subject to state open records laws?
You can request anything under the state’s Public Information Act. Whether that information is up for grabs, however, is a different story. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Chancellor announces modest spending cuts to UT System
Amid significant pressure to rein in spending at the University of Texas System, UT Chancellor Bill McRaven announced on Thursday that the system — which oversees UT-Austin and 13 other campuses across the state — is about to get a little bit smaller. Full Story
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![UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven chats with Board of Regents Chairman Paul Foster during a July meeting.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
UT-Austin sued for removing Confederate statues from campus grounds
The Sons of Confederate Veterans has sued the University of Texas at Austin for removing several Confederate statues from its campus earlier this week. Full Story
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![A crew takes down Confederate statues on the UT-Austin campus just after midnight on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Revisit our series on the state's preparedness for emergency evacuations
The evacuation ahead of Hurricane Rita in 2005 was marked by crowded roads and frustrated residents. But state officials say they're better prepared now. Read our seven-part "Road From Rita" series from 2015, done in collaboration with the Beaumont Enterprise. Full Story
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![Fleeing before Hurricane Rita hit land on Sept. 24, 2005, evacuees faced a separate disaster on roads like Interstate 10. The chaotic evacuation contributed to more deaths than the storm itself. Officials say they are better prepared for the next evacuation.]()
Credit: The Beaumont Enterprise -
Want Gov. Greg Abbott’s ear? Try a Twitter message — if you can make his list
Gov. Greg Abbott's personal Twitter inbox is a direct line for a group of about 3,000 users to reach Texas' top politician, which some have used to ask for jobs and other favors. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Jacob Villanueva/The Texas Tribune -
Tell us about your first voting experience
The Texas Tribune is enlisting Texans to tell us about their voting experiences. We want your help. Full Story
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![People voting in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Employees Retirement System of Texas lowers expectations, worrying workers
Trustees for the Employees Retirement System of Texas voted Wednesday to decrease earnings assumptions for its $26 billion trust fund, a rare move that could have major implications for the state budget and the retirement system’s beneficiaries. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Puzzling shapes: Travel across this gerrymandered Texas district
As part of our Lock The Vote series, we examine a key piece of Republicans’ 2011 redistricting strategy, which courts said discriminated against minorities: U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s curiously-shaped 35th Congressional District. Full Story
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Texas state workers fear fallout from changing math on pensions
The Employees Retirement System of Texas is considering lowering its earnings assumption for the $26 billion trust fund. Labor advocates fear the move would push lawmakers to cut benefits or require current workers to chip in more. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller criticizes Six Flags' removal of Confederate flag
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is furious with the Six Flags amusement park chain over its decision to take down the Confederate flag and four others that had flown over the park. Full Story
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![Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in his office in Austin, Sept. 14, 2016.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
Hey, Texplainer: Which recent election cycles have been the closest?
Texas is a Republican stronghold, and that likely won't change anytime soon. Heading into 2018, however, several Democrats are pushing to unseat incumbents in several statewide races. Full Story
![People voting in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Who’s to blame for your rising property taxes? Here’s what Texans think
As lawmakers debated property tax reform, we asked Texans to give us their take on the state-vs.-local fight about regulating rising property tax bills. Here’s a look at the legislative debate and how some Texans feel about the proposed measures. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
Abbott: Removing Confederate monuments "won't erase our nation's past"
Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday weighed in on the renewed debate over Confederate monuments in Texas, saying that removing them "won't erase our nation's past, and it doesn't advance our nation's future." Full Story
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![Gov. Abbott announces he's running for governor in San Antonio on July 14, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ congressional delegation weighs in on Trump’s response to Charlottesville protests
The Texas Tribune surveyed all 38 Texans in Congress Wednesday, asking if they believed Trump's response to Charlottesville has encouraged the white nationalist movement. Full Story
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![Then a candidate for president, Donald Trump rallied a crowd of veterans at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 28, 2016 — just ahead of that state's presidential caucuses.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Here’s what happened to Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda during the special session
Gov. Greg Abbott gave Texas lawmakers a 20-item agenda to tackle in a summer special session. Over the course of 29-days, the Legislature sent him bills addressing about half of those issues. Here's what got addressed and what died. Full Story
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![From left: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Joe Straus.]()
Credit: Patrick: Laura Buckman & Abbott/Straus: Bob Daemmrich -
Legislature ends special session without passing property tax measure
The Texas Legislature closed out the special session Tuesday night amid a stalemate on property tax reform, leaving unfinished Gov. Greg Abbott's top priority. Full Story
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![The Texas House abruptly gaveled out Sine Die – the formal designation meaning the end of a session – on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Texplainer: Can Texas A&M officials cancel a white nationalist rally?
If Texas A&M gets sued over canceling a "White Lives Matter" rally, it might be able to defend itself in court by proving the event posed a public safety risk and would have disrupted normal campus activities. Full Story
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![White nationalist Richard Spencer speaks at Texas A&M University in College Station while Preston Wiginton, who privately arranged the event, listens, on December 6, 2016.]()
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Special session coming down to school finance, property taxes
House and Senate negotiators will have the next two days remaining in the current special legislative session to hammer out their differences on legislation tackling property taxes, school finance and other items still in play. Full Story
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![After a one-hour evening recess, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick gavels in the Senate to consider the committee substitute to House BIll 21, the school finance bill on Aug. 14, 2017. Patrick and Sen. Larry Taylor had earlier met with Gov. Greg Abbott during the pause in proceedings.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Texas House votes to extend life of maternal mortality task force
Legislation that would extend the life of a state task force studying Texas’ high maternal morbidity rates is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. Full Story
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Credit: Bas Silderhuis -
Legislature advances annexation bill to Gov. Abbott
The Texas Senate advanced a municipal annexation bill to Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday, the fifth bill sent to the governor’s desk during the special legislative session set to end in no more than three days. Full Story
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![State Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, answers questions from Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, about Senate Bill 6, the municipal annexation bill that would require citizen elections for cities to annex adjacent property, on Aug. 13, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune