Rural Texas is the state’s foundation. And it’s in jeopardy.
Downtowns are deserted, hospitals are closing, teachers are leaving. Every part of life in rural Texas is harder — but it’s worth saving. Full Story
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![Vehicles pass through Dublin in Central Texas on March 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Caught between feuding politicians, nonprofits shoulder burden of Texas’ migrant busing program
Texas has transported about 13,000 migrants to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. But in the absence of communication between the state and those cities, nonprofits are having to pick up the pieces for this mass movement of migrants. Full Story
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![Migrants transported from Texas arrive at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York City, New York on Aug. 25, 2022.]()
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National political leaders stump through Texas ahead of midterm elections
First lady Jill Biden and U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy were in Texas Sunday to help members of their respective parties energize voters before Election Day. Full Story
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![From left: Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee; Monica De La Cruz, Republican candidate for U.S. House District 15; U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy; U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Los Indios; GOP candidate for U.S. House District 28 Cassy Garcia; and former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich at a press conference before a get-out-the-vote event in McAllen on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. John Lujan hopes to beat Frank Ramirez and finally represent Bexar County in a legislative session
Lujan has twice won special elections to the Texas House — but he has never served while the Legislature met. Full Story
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![John Lujan speaks to people at his watch party on Nov. 2, 2021. Lujan won the election for State representative of district 118.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Panic buttons, automatic locks and bulletproof windows top the proposed safety rules after Uvalde shooting
These proposed requirements could take effect this school year after the Texas Education Agency takes public comment into consideration. Full Story
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![Two DPS officers test classroom doors and patrol the campus at Dalton Elementary School on the first day of school in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
How Texas counts ballots and keeps elections secure
From election equipment to ballot counting and storage, Texas elections officials follow a long list of laws and procedures to ensure free and fair elections. Full Story
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![Harris County Elections Staff members sort ballot bags at the Elections Technology Center in northwest Houston on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Port Arthur pollution fight shows how Texas blocks citizen protests
A local activist went before a judge, arguing for lower pollution limits on two new liquified natural gas facilities. The judge sided with him, but the state environmental agency sided with the companies. Full Story
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![John Beard, an environmental advocate who grew up in Port Arthur and worked in local refineries, on July 2, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
LGBTQ Texans voting with marriage, worker protections and trans rights in mind
The Texas Tribune spoke with LGBTQ voters, the parents of queer youth and advocates from across the state about what’s at stake for them this November. Full Story
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![Thomas Smith, right, and his partner Kevin McCardle outside of the Polk County Courthouse building in Livingston on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Smith has voted for mostly Republican candidates his entire life but will now be voting for Democrats this election as issues like women’s rights and same sex marriage are being scrutinized.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
As abortion access evaporates, many Texans aren’t able to find care, new studies show
Several new studies show that not everyone denied access to abortions in Texas can travel out of state, but more people than ever before are seeking ways to self-manage abortions with medication at home. Full Story
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![A sign duct-taped to the front of Houston Women’s Clinic says the clinic is no longer providing abortions after the Supreme Court’s decision on June 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
O’Rourke outraises Abbott in final month of Texas governor’s race
In the homestretch of the state’s governor race, Beto O’Rourke outraises incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott though he still trails in the polls. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks to attendees during a Get Out the Vote Rally hosted by the Asian American Democrats of Texas in Asiatown on October 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
“I’m so scared”: 911 recordings reveal fear and urgency of those trapped in Uvalde elementary school
Audio obtained by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica shows just how long police and dispatchers likely knew that children and teachers were in danger before taking action at Robb Elementary School. Full Story
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![At 12:33 p.m. May 24, exactly an hour after the gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a group of unidentified police officers began advancing toward the classrooms where he had trapped more than 30 students and teachers. But after one officer said “no, no, no,” they stopped. That moment exemplified the overall failed law enforcement response.]()
Credit: State trooper body camera footage obtained by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Texas lawmakers, advocates push for more data on pregnancy and childbirth complications
A state report detailing how many Texans die from pregnancy or childbirth is now more than two months delayed and may not be available before the 2023 legislative session. Full Story
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![Catalina Leano, a licensed vocational nurse at Houston Women's Reproductive Services, performs an ultrasound with the clinic doctor present, to determine whether the woman is less than six weeks pregnant and eligible to have an abortion in Texas on Oct. 1, 2021.]()
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Texas Secretary of State John Scott says our elections are secure, but he sometimes muddles that message
Heading into the midterm elections, Scott has repeatedly insisted that Joe Biden is the rightful president and that Texas’ elections are free, fair and secure. But his delivery has been at times ambiguous and given oxygen to election misinformation. Full Story
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![Texas Secretary of State John Scott at a press conference held by Gov. Greg Abbott on April 14, 2022.]()
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Paxton, Cornyn and Cruz prod U.S. Supreme Court to end affirmative action in college admissions
The high court heard oral arguments Monday in two cases brought by a group led by the same man who previously lost an affirmative action case against the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
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![Barriers surrounded the Supreme Court ahead of planned demonstrations regarding abortion in Texas in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Two leaders of True the Vote jailed by federal judge for contempt of court
Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips were escorted away by marshals after refusing to disclose the name of a mystery man who supposedly helped them investigate election software company Konnech, which is suing them for defamation. Full Story
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![Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote, listens to a speaker during a news conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 12, 2022.]()
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Just over a third of Texas’ registered voters turned out early this year, falling short of 2018 numbers
The high turnout seen in 2018 may have been an anomaly rather than the start of a long-term trend. Full Story
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![Graphic that reads, "Turnout Tracker" above a collection of voting stickers.]()
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No, Texas voting machines aren’t switching your votes
Sensitive touch screens aren’t always user friendly and make it easy for voters to accidentally select the wrong candidate. Voters should carefully review their ballots before submitting them. Full Story
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![Voters cast their ballots at the Lochwood Branch Library in Dallas on Feb. 25, 2022, the last day of early voting in the Texas primary. Dallas County voting centers’ hours were extended till 10 P.M. on the last day of early voting to make up for early closures due to icy weather.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
College voters held back by Texas election law, lack of on-campus polling sites
Many Texas universities don’t have early-voting locations on campus. And state laws regarding voter ID and registration make it hard to turn out younger voters, advocates say. Full Story
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![Students walk past early voting signs at the University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022.]()
Credit: Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune -
Texas diverts $359.6 million from prisons to keep Greg Abbott’s border mission operating
The latest infusion was among $874.6 million in “emergency” budget transfers requested by the Texas Legislative Budget Board, which is composed of GOP state leaders and budget writers. Full Story
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![Gov. Abbott gives keynote address at Asian American Alliance luncheon at NuStar Energy LP in San Antonio, TX, October 13, 2022]()
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Tony Gonzales becomes first major Republican to call for DPS Director Steve McCraw to resign
The representative called for McCraw’s resignation after the Department of Public Safety director said in a meeting that the agency had not failed the city of Uvalde. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, speaks with a reporter at a Starbucks in San Antonio on Aug. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune