Analysis: Texas politicians can change their minds. But it helps if the public goes first.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s openness to marijuana decriminalization shows that the state, while conservative, isn’t immune to larger trends. Full Story
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![A recently harvested marijuana flower hangs up to dry at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Medical Marijuana facility in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Austin voters could decriminalize small amounts of pot in May
“Small possession of marijuana is not the type of violation that we want to stockpile jails with,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday. Full Story
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![Mature marijuana plants at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Medical Marijuana facility in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas sheriff under investigation for routinely seizing cash from undocumented immigrants
Search warrants show that Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson is under scrutiny by state investigators, accused of illegally confiscating cash and a pickup truck from immigrants stopped by his deputies. Full Story
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![Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson.]()
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Ted Cruz called the Jan. 6 riot a “terrorist attack.” Now he says he misspoke.
After conservative backlash, Cruz took to a FOX News show — whose host also lambasted him — to backpedal from comments he made during a congressional hearing. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks as FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the January 6th insurrection, in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 2, 2021.]()
Credit: Mandel Ngan/Pool via REUTERS -
At least 63 Texans — including a state House candidate — are accused of taking part in the Capitol insurrection
Texas has among the highest number of residents charged in the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. At least five Texans have already been convicted. Full Story
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2021 in photos: Texans navigated COVID-19, weathered power outages and witnessed an increase in border crossings
As 2021 comes to a close, here’s a look back at just some of our favorite images captured by Texas Tribune photographers all over the state — and across the nation — to tell the stories of Texans in a challenging year. Full Story
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![People line up in cars to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at a federally-run mass vaccination site at NRG Stadium in Houston on Feb. 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
New law named for Vanessa Guillén will revamp military investigations into sexual assault, harassment
On Monday, President Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, enacting provisions of the “I Am Vanessa Guillén Act.” The new law takes effect Jan. 1. Full Story
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![People gathered at a mural and memorial honoring Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén at Taqueria del Sol on Sunday, July 5, 2020.]()
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Texas board rescinds recommendation for posthumous pardon of George Floyd
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles cited a procedural error for the decision but seemed to leave open the possibility that it would reconsider the issue in the near future. Full Story
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![A person stands at the "Say Their Names" cemetery on the day of the guilty verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 20, 2021.]()
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Travis County’s district attorney vowed to hold law enforcement accountable. Now he’s in a showdown with Austin police.
José Garza’s efforts have fueled one of the most heated showdowns playing out nationwide between police and prosecutors who have vowed to overhaul the criminal justice system. Full Story
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![Austin police officers stand guard outside of their headquarters during a protest over the death of George Floyd. Floyd died during an attempted arrest by Minneapolis police.]()
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More than 100 civil rights groups ask feds to slash Texas funding over migrant trespassing arrests
In a 50-page complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice, immigrant and civil rights groups argued Gov. Greg Abbott’s initiative to arrest migrants on trespassing charges is discriminatory. Full Story
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![The migrant processing facility adjacent to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office in Del Rio on Oct. 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Austin police chief weighs in on city’s deadliest year in decades, police reform and "defunding" the department
Austin needs more police officers patrolling the streets, Police Chief Joseph Chacon told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith in an interview this week. Full Story
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Hundreds of migrants accused of trespassing languish in Texas prisons. A county judge’s new approach might prolong their detention.
Despite a surge of arrests under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security initiative, a Kinney County judge removed three judges who have been helping him hear the cases. The judges had been letting some of the migrants out after months in prison, and defense attorneys say the action is retaliatory. Full Story
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![The migrant processing facility adjacent to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office in Del Rio on Oct. 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus shuts down legal proceedings in latest misstep for Texas border crackdown
Migrants arrested under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security push have been imprisoned for weeks or months waiting to appear before a judge. About 90 were finally to receive hearings this week, but court proceedings were canceled. Full Story
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![The migrant processing facility adjacent to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office in Del Rio on Oct. 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott remains silent on posthumous pardon for George Floyd
The state's parole board recommended in October that Floyd, murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, be pardoned for a minor 2004 drug conviction in Houston. The governor hasn't acted, and isn't answering questions about what he will do. Full Story
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![An image of George Floyd, along with others of black women and men who lost their lives in police shootings, sit at the foot of a statue in Freedman's Memorial Cemetery in Dallas during a vigil on May 31, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Watch Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon discuss public safety, police reform and funding
Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon joins Tribune CEO Evan Smith at Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches to discuss public safety in Austin. Full Story
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Republican state Rep. Matt Krause drops out of attorney general’s race to run for Tarrant County district attorney
Krause had been among the primary challengers to Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal problems have made him a target for both parties next year. Full Story
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![State Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, on the House floor on Aug. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Spared execution once, Texas prisoner Kenneth Foster could face death penalty again after cellmate's death
Foster had been the getaway driver, not the triggerman, in a killing that first put him on death row. Former Gov. Rick Perry commuted his death sentence to life in prison in 2007. Full Story
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![The exterior of Huntsville Unit, a prison in Huntsville, on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
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Tribcast: Parsing through Texas GOP officials’ hunt for “pornographic books” in public schools
In this week’s episode, James talks with Jolie and Patrick about Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for an investigation into books at public schools and the ramping up of the 2022 election season as candidate filing season begins. Full Story
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![The library at Blanco Vista Elementary in San Marcos on Nov. 4, 2021.]()
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Texas said delta-8 is illegal. But state troopers haven’t made a single arrest.
Texas health officials insist delta-8 is an illegal substance and has been for 40 years. Full Story
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![Products containing Delta-8 at Oasis A CBD Wellness Shop in Brownsville on Nov. 8, 2021.]()
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In wake of Astroworld tragedy, Texas creates new task force on concert safety
The state appears to have minimal oversight over events like the Astroworld concert. And some cities are more stringent than others. Full Story
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![A makeshift memorial for the concertgoers who died in a stampede during a Travis Scott performance at the 2021 Astroworld Festival, in Houston, on Nov. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare
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