The Brief: Dec. 12, 2014
The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed Thursday below $60, "a level of great psychological significance," according to the Washington Post, and a price not seen in five years. Full Story
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![Pipes used for fracking are shown in front of a Fasken OIl and Ranch drilling rig outside of Midland on Oct. 8, 2013.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster -
The Brief: Dec. 11, 2014
A couple of popular government programs for children — one helping with early education and the other providing health care — are facing funding questions. Full Story
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![A pre-kindergarten student learned syllables and word identification during a summer bilingual academy at Wilson Elementary School in San Antonio on June 26, 2012.]()
Credit: Lisa Krantz for The Texas Tribune -
New Study Sheds Light on Emissions From Gas Wells
Environmentalists have long argued that the methane that escapes into the atmosphere during the fracking process negates the benefits of the gas. A new study suggests that tighter regulation of drilling wells may help reduce those emissions. Full Story
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![Gas flare in La Porte, Tx, March 15th, 2012]()
Credit: Roy Luck -
The Brief: Dec. 5, 2014
Voters in Senate District 18 go to the polls on Saturday to choose who will serve out the remainder of the term of Glenn Hegar, the state's next comptroller. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Asbestos Allegations Stir Controversy in Kilgore
Tensions at the nearly 80-year-old Kilgore College have reached new — and possibly violent — heights amid allegations that the school was in the habit of improperly removing and disposing of asbestos from its buildings. Full Story
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![A pipe at Kilgore College, where allegations of improper asbestos removal and disposal have sparked controversy.]()
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New in Trib+Water: Planning for a Changing Climate
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: climate change poses new challenges in Texas, water markets offer new way to deal with shortage and an interview with Walt Sears of the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District. Full Story
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Habitat Restoration Effort Aims to Help Threatened Quail
With the help of more than $6 million from the state of Texas, prairies west of Houston are being restored with native grasses to increase the population of bobwhite quail, whose numbers have been on the decline in recent years. Full Story
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![Bobwhite quail pair at Powderhorn Ranch.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster -
The Brief: Dec. 3, 2014
An execution planned for Wednesday evening is focusing attention on the use of the death penalty on those with serious mental illness. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Lower Speed Limits Coming in Drilling Areas
A rule change will allow the Texas Department of Transportation to move more quickly in lowering speed limits on particularly dangerous roads in the state's drilling regions in West and South Texas. Full Story
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Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
The Brief: Dec. 2, 2014
A Ted Cruz for president Super PAC is up and running, while others doubt his ability to win over his party's big donors. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on the Republican stage election night Nov. 4, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Fracking a "Nuisance," Denton Tells Court
The first city in Texas to ban hydraulic fracturing tells a court it has every right to do so, calling the oil and gas extraction technique a “public nuisance” with "offensive results." Full Story
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![Fracking in Fort Worth, Sept. 27, 2013]()
Credit: Mark Graham -
Years After Fire, New Culprit Threatens Rebirth of Bastrop State Park
As shrubs and seedlings take hold in the scorched Bastrop State Park, park officials face a new quandary: An abundance of whitetail deer is threatening the new growth. Full Story
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![The Lost Pines Forest in Bastrop State Park, which was devastated by a fire in 2011.]()
Credit: Martin do Nascimento -
The Brief: Dec. 1, 2014
A story published over the weekend gave details on Gov. Rick Perry's prep work this week and month for a possible second run for the White House in 2016. Full Story
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![Governor Rick Perry gives a rousing exit speech on election night Nov. 4, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
DuPont Says Plant Leaked 23,000 Pounds of Toxic Gas
About 23,000 pounds of a flammable, foul-smelling toxic gas leaked from the DuPont chemical plant in La Porte where four workers died earlier this month, the company said Saturday. Full Story
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Politics of Climate Change in Texas Have Shifted
Texas leaders weren't always so skeptical about climate change. But the state's rightward shift, coupled with a booming oil and gas economy, have changed the tenor of the debate. This story was produced in collaboration with The World. Full Story
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![A view of the Houston Ship Channel from the back of the Sam Houston tour boat in Feb. 2014.]()
Credit: Illustration by Alana Rocha -
Revisit The Shale Life
The challenges the oil and gas boom present for communities across South and West Texas are immense. Revisit our 15-part multimedia series to see how surging energy production is changing lives and fortunes across Texas. Full Story
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EPA Proposes Ozone Crackdown, Rankling Texas Officials
Over the objections of Texas officials, the Obama administration on Wednesday proposed a long-delayed rule to slash levels of ozone – a smog-forming pollutant known to worsen asthma, lung disease and heart conditions. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Industry Blames College Students for Denton Fracking Ban
College students foiled the will of permanent residents in Denton's vote to ban hydraulic fracking, the losing side maintains. The Tribune crunched the numbers. Full Story
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![A gas well is shown in 2014 sitting less than 400 feet from a home in Denton.]()
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The Brief: Nov. 26, 2014
Rapidly falling oil prices might have drivers grateful at the gas pump, but indicators continue to grow that this lower price per barrel will soon have a significant impact on oil production. Full Story
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Credit: Jerod Foster -
The Brief: Nov. 25, 2014
Gov.-elect Greg Abbott indicated on Monday that Texas could soon file suit over the Obama administration's executive order intended to protect up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from the threat of immediate deportation. Full Story
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![Attorney General Greg Abbott indicates his willingness to sue President Obama on immigration during a press conference Nov. 24, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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