How does the government use eminent domain to seize land from Texans?
And should Texans expect to give up more of their property to the government as border wall and high-speed train projects move forward? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5a81ef27ea2875687685b76c095908aa/2018-09-15_HIGHSPEEDRAILTEXAS_010_TT.jpg)
-
![Randa and Charlie Calhoun raise pigs and cattle on their land in Bedias, Texas, on Sept 15, 2018. A proposed high speed rail would be built along existing power lines.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Catch up on some of The Texas Tribune's top projects from 2018
The Texas Tribune produced several deep-dive investigations in 2018 that examined various issues that affect Texans across the state. Here's a look at some of those standout projects. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5211ddaa1da7e1b82e7f9453299fbdcf/TT-2018_top-projects.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Reynaldo Leal / Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Audit questions how DPS verifies eligibility when issuing Texas driver's licenses
The audit says the Texas Department of Public Safety lacks the controls to ensure necessary documents are collected and retained. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5096cb0095f45d195560a52db05381c3/Texas_Drivers_License.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Dallas-Houston bullet train critics want to boost Texas oversight of eminent domain use
As private developer Texas Central moves ahead with plans to build what could be the country's first high-speed rail line, a handful of state lawmakers hope to try next year to give the state more authority over the project. But they admit there may not be the legislative appetite. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c7546e92a6ae06ec7ac67b0400646551/2018-09-15_HIGHSPEEDRAILTEXAS_012_TT.jpg)
![Randa and Charlie Calhoun raise pigs and cattle on their land in Bedias, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2018. A proposed high speed rail would be built along existing power lines.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas values collide in fight over Houston-Dallas high speed rail
A proposed high-speed rail line between the state's two largest urban areas represents the collision of two things Texans hold dear: private property rights and an unrestrained free market Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e439892114a356473c804204a44401c6/2018-09-15_HIGHSPEEDRAILTEXAS_007_TT.jpg)
![5-year-old Cainen Calhoun runs to catch up to his father Charlie on his family's land in Bedias, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2018. A proposed high-speed rail would be built along existing power lines.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Watch our symposium on rural Texas, and include your community in the conversation
We're livestreaming our two-day event in College Station, diving into the most pressing issues facing rural communities across Texas. Tune in and include your community in the conversation. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/950766b13a1817c3ebfb879bdb011c0d/TT-Community-RuralSymposium-LeadART.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Mayor Bill de Blasio says his "progressive vision" for New York City can be copied across the country
De Blasio, a two-term Democrat, answered questions about the subway, progressivism at the local and national levels and politics in an increasingly left-wing New York state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1bf4c323c583e936ef47e6d6dbcd87c8/_TTF18_de_Blasio_4_BD_TT.jpg)
![New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is interviewed by Brian Rosenthal of the New York Times at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 28, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Watch livestreams of the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival's featured events
Here's where you can find all the livestreams from the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/33973e7b0311adb68e9ba1a11596e4bf/TTF18_Kerry_keynote_TK_TT.jpg)
![An audience watches the opening keynote with former Secretary of State John Kerry at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 27, 2018.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
The Border Patrol is trying to stop truck drivers from smuggling migrants. But cases have increased.
After the bodies of 10 immigrants were pulled from a trailer in San Antonio, U.S. Border Patrol agents launched Operation Big Rig to combat immigrant smuggling by truck drivers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f2b88f38daa387cfc14fa8d5ebc95dea/Truckdriver_training_7_HW_TT.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Hannah Wiley/The Texas Tribune -
To pay for trauma centers, state program sinks thousands of Texas drivers into deep debt
In Texas, people with unpaid traffic tickets can lose their driver's licenses and even go to jail because of the Driver Responsibility Program. Though lawmakers acknowledge the policy disproportionately hurts the poor, they've struggled to eliminate it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b9e32f82387d943d815932fc3c91ab2e/License_Reclamation_1_RZ_TT.jpg)
![A driver license reclamation clinic held in Austin on June 22, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
Austin officials backing away from controversial rewrite of land-use regulations
Amid a fierce battle over the city's attempts to improve traffic and combat housing unaffordability, Austin leaders are looking to drop CodeNEXT and start a new process. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/05/03/ShelbyKnowles_-_Construction_-15_TT.jpg)
![Construction in downtown Austin's warehouse district on Tuesday, May 2, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas cities want millennials living downtown. So why does the state keep building highways to the suburbs?
As young, educated professionals push away old ideas about how to move around Texas cities, transportation planners’ vision for the future is still largely influenced by the past. Full Story
Credit: Cooper Neil for The Texas Tribune -
How a federal lawsuit could open the door to online voter registration in Texas
Texas is one of just a handful of states that doesn't offer online voter registration. Advocates are hoping a recent ruling from a federal judge could change that. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Driverless car service set to begin in North Texas this summer
A suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is reportedly set to get the nation's first self-driving car service. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/bf895e045bc2985520eddbe8c7fe5fba/self_driving_van.jpg)
![Self-driving vehicle.]()
Credit: drive.ai -
A flock of electric scooters suddenly descended on Austin. Now the city is scrambling to regulate them.
Two electric scooter operators — Bird Rides and LimeBike — launched in Austin before the city could roll out a permitting process. The scooters vanished from city streets after the city council cracked down on the companies. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/419b4e53b05c5b28b2405dbbb128f4e7/Scooters_1_SK_TT.jpg)
![Motorized scooter on the UT-Austin campus on April 25, 2018.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is making billions from oil and gas drilling, but counties say rural roads are being destroyed
Damage from heavy trucks has battered local roads in and around the state's oil fields, and many counties want the state to help pay for repairs and maintenance. Will lawmakers take action? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4ca5032cddad7b2441011b04e827564e/Bad_roads_1_ES_TT.jpg)
![A tanker truck travels on FM 2067 between Austin and Victoria on April 18, 2018. Texas counties are asking state leaders to help pay for road damage caused by heavy traffic from the oil and gas industry.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribune -
Problems reported with Texas' STAAR exam — again
Two years after software problems rendered results on the statewide STAAR exam unusable, students taking the test Tuesday reported more technical problems. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/06/11/STAAR_Classroom.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Sameer Vasta -
Federal judge: Texas is violating national voter registration law
A federal judge has ruled that Texas violated the federal National Voter Registration Act. The fix he orders could introduce the state's first online voter registration system. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2018/03/13/early_voting-2018.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Waylon Cunningham for the Texas Tribune -
Sumners Scholars Public Policy Seminar Recap
The Texas Tribune was pleased to be a partner in the 2018 Sumners Scholar Public Policy Seminar Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2018/02/16/TTE-HSPPSeminar_leadart-01.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Emily Albracht / The Texas Tribune -
Civic engagement or illegal electioneering? How a school voting project became a conservative target
Powerful conservatives have taken several shots over the past few months at an educational advocacy group aiming to promote voting. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/08/01/APrice-AustinISDSchoolBus-17.jpg)
![Austin ISD school buses at the terminal near John H. Reagan High School on July 26, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price / The Texas Tribune
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9edfd166b6d34f37a149cd00c0cc621d/Interstate-345-Dallas)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9af90b409b0c866915c660f3d788618a/.dontusevoting)