Sutherland Springs pastor announces run for Texas Senate
The pastor, Frank Pomeroy, said Sunday he will run as a Republican for District 21, currently held by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo. Full Story
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![Sutherland Springs Pastor Frank Pomeroy speaks at a panel studying school safety and student mental health issues held by Gov. Greg Abbott at the Capitol in Austin on May 24, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott endorses state Rep. Dustin Burrows for reelection amid scandal
Abbott's endorsement comes days after Burrows resigned as the leader of the House GOP caucus. Burrows and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen have been accused of asking a conservative activist to target GOP lawmakers in 2020. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, on the House floor on May 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Behind the new Texas laws that take effect Sept. 1
On this week’s TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Alexa, Alex and Neena about the biggest new state laws taking effect Sept. 1, a crisis facing indigent defense in Texas, the new Texas secretary of state and the latest from the presidential campaign trail. Full Story
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!["Red" Godwin pours a beer behind the bar at Zilker Brewery in Austin on June 26, 2019. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the "Beer To Go Bill" which will allow consumers to bring home beer they buy at breweries. The bill is set to go in effect in September.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Lines to get driver's licenses are long. Texans are skeptical more money will help.
In hopes to provide quicker service, over 90 of DPS' 229 offices — including every mega center and "severely crowded" office — will become fully staffed, while another 100 will receive smaller personnel boosts. Full Story
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![DPS Mega Center. Pflugervile, TX.]()
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Houston Democrat Jessica Farrar to retire from Texas House
Farrar, an attorney first elected to the lower chamber in 1994, represents House District 148, which covers parts of northern and western Houston. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, in the House Chamber on March 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
Five takeaways from the $80 million raised by Texas campaigns the first half of this year
Gov. Greg Abbott is a fundraising juggernaut, and Republicans still dominate campaign finance in the state. Full Story
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![State Capitol in the late afternoon on June 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price for The Texas Tribune -
San Antonio City Council asks Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to address gun violence
The council joins more than 15 Democratic state representatives who have requested a special session after the shooting in an El Paso Walmart that left 22 shoppers dead earlier this month. Full Story
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![As newly sworn-in city council members look on, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg speaks to the crowd at his Wednesday swearing in at the Arneson River Theater on the San Antonio Riverwalk on June 21, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Greg Abbott invoked mental illness after the El Paso shooting. There's been no indication that was a factor.
A white gunman killed 22 Hispanic shoppers at an El Paso Walmart Saturday and injured more than two dozen more. Abbott and President Donald Trump were quick to highlight mental health issues. Full Story
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![A woman holds a sign after a silent march to Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center for the victims of the Walmart shootings in El Paso August 4, 2019. Twenty people were killed and more than two dozen were injured in a mass shooting at Walmart on Saturday.]()
Credit: Michael Chow/The Republic via REUTERS -
President Trump is talking about red-flag laws. Texas lawmakers have blocked those bills in the past.
In the wake of shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, the president and Congress are discussing laws blocking access to firearms for people considered an imminent threat. But here in Texas, bills that would do that have made little traction. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Leah Millis: Trump | Miguel Gutierrez Jr. : Patrick -
Texas tried to incentivize school districts to work with charters. Districts are turning to local nonprofits instead.
Not many school districts are partnering with charter schools, in some cases because they know it wouldn't be politically palatable in their communities. Full Story
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![Erin Pickens, a 4th grade teacher for Buffalo ISD, helps a student in her classroom in Buffalo on March 28, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas DPS officers told not to arrest in low-level marijuana cases after new hemp law
A memo obtained by The Texas Tribune instructs DPS officers to cite and release suspects in misdemeanor marijuana cases "as appropriate." Officials said the goal is to continue enforcement even though some prosecutors aren't taking new pot cases. Full Story
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![State Troopers stop civilian on Congress Ave. in Austin, TX on Feb. 12, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. John Zerwas to step down in September
The Richmond Republican was first elected in 2006 and resigns as chairman of the powerful budget-writing House Appropriations Committee. He will serve until Sept. 30. Full Story
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![State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, looks on as Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, takes questions about the SB 1 — the budget bill — on May 27, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas was warned its hemp law would complicate marijuana prosecutions. Lawmakers didn't listen.
Crime labs repeatedly told lawmakers and budget officials that they couldn't distinguish between hemp and marijuana without new testing resources. The issue got almost no attention. Full Story
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![Robert Russin a manager at Compassionate Cultivation, a home-grown medical cannabis company serving patients throughout Texas]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
How can Texas fix its marijuana problem after legalizing hemp? Forensic experts have a plan.
Prosecutors and crime lab scientists were scrambling to find a solution after a change in the state's definition of marijuana imperiled criminal cases. Full Story
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Texas leaders: Hemp law did not decriminalize marijuana
A law legalizing hemp changed the definition of marijuana, causing district attorneys across the state to drop low-level possession cases and stop accepting new ones. Full Story
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After defeats in 2019, a group of Texas lawmakers is teaming up to push criminal justice reform
The new Criminal Justice Reform Caucus in the Texas House will set its sights on changes in 2021. Full Story
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![State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, testifies on his bill that would let those serving a life sentence for crimes committed under the age of 18 become eligible for parole after 20 years rather than 40. Advocates have called this the "second look" bill, but numerous families of victims of the Santa Fe shooting testified against the bill. March 13, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
Hemp law has most big-city prosecutors in Texas stepping back from marijuana charges. But not in El Paso.
Many prosecutors say the way Gov. Greg Abbott and lawmakers redefined marijuana requires new lab testing to prove it’s different from recently legalized hemp. The situation has created a patchwork of consequences for people caught with pot. Full Story
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After the Texas legislative session ended, Gov. Greg Abbott raised $12.1 million in two weeks
It's the most the Republican governor has raked in during the post-session fundraising sprint. Full Story
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![From left, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen at a press conference on Senste Bill 2. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law at Wallyâs Burger Express in Austin on June 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
This year, Texas passed a law legalizing hemp. It also has prosecutors dropping hundreds of marijuana cases.
The new law changed the definition of marijuana, and prosecutors and crime labs say they don't have the resources to test if a substance is legal hemp or marijuana. Full Story
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![Plants of marijuana names after Sen. Kevin Eltife who authored a bil in 2015l which would legalize oils containing cannabidiol found in marijuana known to treat epilepsy and other chronic medical conditions at Compassionate Cultivation, a home-grown medical cannabis company in Austin, Texas that serves patients throughout Texas on January 19, 2017]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is trying to limit public money from going to abortion providers. Some fear other health services could get cut.
Starting in September, government agencies will no longer be able to provide anything of value to abortion providers or their affiliates. Opponents of the law fear it could mean the end of some public health and education programs across the state. Full Story
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![Planned Parenthood advocates rally outside of the Capitol on April 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune