Abbott touts school voucher deal with House leaders, but others reluctant to say if bill will pass
A deal between the governor and House would be a breakthrough after months of talks. But whether they actually have a deal is unclear. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texans may approve billions for energy, water, parks and broadband on Nov. 7
At stake in next week’s constitutional amendment election is $13 billion in infrastructure spending. Supporters say it’s an opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime investment. Full Story
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![Pipes lie in a trench inside the Regency Apartment complex in Austin on Feb. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
A public health response helped reduce fatal car wrecks in Texas. Can it do the same for gun deaths?
For the first time in a generation, Texans were more likely to die of gunshot wounds than car crashes in 2021. Experts worry a lack of research on the issue has hampered the search for solutions. Full Story
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![Austin police responds to a homicide incident in North Austin on the early hours on June 28, 2019. Police reported that officers nearby heard gunshots then found a crashed vehicle. Inside, Joseph Anthony Aguilar Campos was found dead and slumped over. Police believe there was a gun battle and later arrested and charged John Paul Rivera for homicide.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Oil and gas companies spill millions of gallons of wastewater in Texas
An exclusive Inside Climate News analysis found that companies have spilled nearly 150 million gallons of toxic, highly saline wastewater in Texas over the last decade. Full Story
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![Oil and gas lawyer Sarah Stogner visits Lake Boehmer in Pecos County where abandoned wells have brought produced water to the surface for decades. The Railroad Commission considers these water wells and therefore not under their jurisdiction.]()
Credit: Martha Pskowski/Inside Climate News -
Texas is terrifying. Hollywood has noticed.
From “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” to “Friday the 13th,” Texas is an ideal landscape to shock and delight audiences and ghost hunters. Full Story
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![Two life-size horror movie dummies sit in front of a movie prop drink vending machine at We Slaughter BBQ on Oct. 27, 2023 in Bastrop. The roadside rest stop and tourist attraction, now restored, is one of several Central Texas locations where the 1974 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre was filmed.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge orders immigration agents to stop removing Texas’ concertina wire on the border
Border Patrol agents have cut through the state’s wire to free migrants or take them into custody. Judge Alia Moses will hear arguments from Texas and the Biden administration next week to determine whether her temporary order will continue past Nov. 13. Full Story
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![Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, gather near a wire fence after crossing the Rio Bravo river with the intention of turning themselves in to the U.S. Border Patrol agents to request asylum, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., September 22, 2023.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez -
Private schools are ready to expand into smaller communities if Texas adopts voucher program
With rural Texas relatively underserved by private schools, the potential for expansion could play a role in the debate over whether to let families use taxpayer money to pay for private education. Full Story
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![A student's school supplies on the first day of in-person classes in Texas on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas judge temporarily blocks release of “unlawful” school accountability ratings
The ruling comes after dozens of school districts sued the Texas Education Agency, claiming the revised accountability system would hurt their ratings. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School students gather in the hallway outside of a classroom as they wait for a teacher between periods Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Harris County’s voter roll errors — if left unexplained — could fuel claims of voter fraud
This isn’t the first time a state audit flagged such discrepancies. Last year, the state found similar inconsistencies when reviewing Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin counties’ 2020 elections. Full Story
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![A Harris County election worker carries in ballots and voting supplies from a polling location at NRG Arena Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Houston, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Inaccessible private schools or underfunded public schools: Texas’ disabled students have few options with no change in sight
The few private schools that offer special education for disabled students have strict conditions and are clustered in metropolitan areas. Full Story
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![Two window decals are shown on Laurie Sharp's van on Sep. 9, 2023. The stickers reference Logan's wheelchair.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Proposition 5 on Texas ballot would create new endowment for ‘emerging’ research universities
If approved, the new fund would provide tens of millions of dollars to the University of Houston, Texas Tech, Texas State University and University of North Texas. Full Story
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![University of Houston students back on campus in Houston Tuesday, September 5, 2017 after the labor day holiday and Tropical Storm Harvey.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Former oil executive withdraws application to build private dam on South Llano River
The withdrawn proposal would have allowed the dam’s owner to take nearly 4 million gallons from the South Llano River, the main water source for Kimble, Mason and Llano counties. Full Story
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![A golf course borders Cedar Creek, a tributary of the South Llano River, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in Junction.]()
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Why a Texas Panhandle city hit pause on a proposed abortion “travel ban” — for now
Amarillo's city council said it will continue to study the issue. The city is one of just a few in Texas to reject the policy pushed by anti-abortion activists. Full Story
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![Downtown Amarillo on June 28, 2021.]()
Credit: Madison Walker for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House approves ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employers
Violations could bring a $50,000 fine under an amendment adopted Wednesday. The bill’s sponsor said the ban would be the strongest in the nation. Full Story
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![A man carries a sign protesting Houston Methodist Hospital's COVID-19 vaccine mandate outside Houston Methodist Hospital in Baytown on June 7, 2021. Employees who chose not to inoculate themselves by the hospital's Monday deadline faced suspension without pay and job termination, a policy criticized by the protesters as unfair and unauthorized.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott, House at impasse over school voucher bill as special session winds down
Vouchers are the governor’s top legislative priority. But he has signaled opposition to a proposed House compromise that would tie them to increased funding for public schools. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan listens to state Representatives on the House floor during Sine Die, the last day of the 88th Texas Legislative Session, at the Capitol in Austin on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas voters split on House, Senate handling of Paxton impeachment, poll finds
Republicans showed a more clear divide, giving the Senate higher marks than the House for how the attorney general’s impeachment was handled. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, center, talks with his defense attorney Tony Buzbee, left, before starting the ninth day of his impeachment trial in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Austin, Texas.]()
Credit: Sam Owens/Pool via San Antonio Express-News -
As Texas bans diversity and equity offices at public colleges, Rice University’s inclusion efforts march on
DEI efforts have become a lightning rod for debate in American higher education. At the private Houston university, officials admit impact is hard to measure — but they also see progress from their work. Full Story
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![Alexander Byrd, the vice provost for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Rice University, poses for a portrait on campus in Houston, Texas, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. In June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion offices in Texas public colleges and universities starting in 2024.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Texas sues to stop Border Patrol agents from cutting state’s razor wire at the border
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s latest lawsuit against the federal government claims Border Patrol agents cut through concertina wire purchased and deployed at the border by the state. Full Story
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![A U.S. Border Patrol agent cuts through razor wire to let in a group of asylum seekers who crossed the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S., September 28, 2023.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Brian Snyder -
Texas proposition lets voters decide whether to cut property taxes for homeowners and businesses
Proposition 4 could usher in a bevy of property tax changes. That includes using $12.7 billion from a record state budget surplus to lower school district taxes. Full Story
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![The Mueller neighborhood in East Austin on Oct. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers weigh spending $1.5 billion on more border barriers. Experts say walls alone won’t stop migrants.
The House Appropriations Committee passed House Bill 6 on Monday. If it becomes law, the bill would fund an estimated 50 miles of new barriers at the 1,200-mile Texas-Mexico border. Full Story
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![Immigrants who illegally crossed the Mexico-U.S. border are apprehended by the U.S. border patrol in the Rio Grande Valley sector, near McAllen, Texas, U.S., April 5, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Loren Elliott