The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Amid confusion over the state’s mandatory retirement law, a state official confirmed to the Democratic Party months ago that the race for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6 would appear on the 2020 ballot. It probably won't. Full Story
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Ever since Nov. 8, 2000, someone has been killed in a Texas wreck each day. The state's transportation department is spending an additional $600 million on safety — and trying to end all roadway deaths by 2050. Full Story
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Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced he would not seek reelection a week after the release of an infamous recording of a conversation between him and a political activist. It's not the first time that secret recordings caused a stir in Texas politics. Full Story
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James Dannenbaum, president and CEO of the high-powered Dannenbaum Engineering, was charged with a scheme to get employees to donate to three congressional candidates in 2017. Full Story
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Turnout in odd-numbered years has always been historically low. While this year’s turnout is higher than in 2017, it's still overwhelmingly low. Full Story
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Texas voters approved nine amendments to the state constitution, including a proposal making it harder to enact a personal income tax. One amendment was rejected. Full Story
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Vote counting continued through the night. When results were released early Wednesday morning, the incumbent was short of the total he needed to avoid a runoff. Full Story
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While voters supported most changes to the Texas Constitution, they opposed a measure that would allow elected municipal judges to work in more than one jurisdiction. Full Story
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An exasperated U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack found the state in contempt of court for failing to comply with some of her earlier orders in the wide-ranging lawsuit filed on behalf of Texas foster children. Full Story
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The Tuesday special election for the suburban Houston seat is expected to advance to a runoff between the sole Democratic candidate and one of three viable Republican candidates out of six overall. Full Story
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What would Texas be without The Texas Tribune? Politicos, fellow journalists and yes, Willie Nelson, toast The Texas Tribune on our 10th anniversary. Full Story
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In this episode of Tenth Talks, The Texas Tribune's yearlong video series on the next 10 years of Texas, CEO Evan Smith says that “nonpartisan is a business model” and that the future of sustainability in local news depends on it. Full Story
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With the money solidified, Castro’s campaign said it plans on making a push for the November and December Democratic primary debates — a lofty goal for a campaign that has been mired in low single digits in polls. Full Story
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The hardline conservative group can claim a victory for ousting Bonnen. But will that be good for its ideological interests? Full Story
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The governor's decision to force homeless people from under state overpasses drew the ire of city leaders and homelessness experts, who criticized Abbott's "fear-based approach." Full Story
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On Nov. 5, voters have the chance to change the Texas Constitution to ensure retired law enforcement animals can be adopted by their handlers, erasing a decades-old requirement that government property must be sold or destroyed when no longer in use. Full Story
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The lawsuit — filed with the Democratic campaign arms for the U.S. House and Senate — alleges that a change in state law that effectively ends the use of temporary or mobile early voting sites is unconstitutional because it discriminates against young voters. Full Story
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Sulphur Springs leaders say they want Luminant — Texas’ largest electricity generator — to leave in place a 120-foot-tall mound of excavated dirt at the site of a shuttered coal mine so they can build an amphitheater. But the soil contains potentially dangerous materials, according to state regulators. Full Story
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An investigation by The Texas Tribune and Grist shows that regulators in the Lone Star State have given a hand up to struggling coal companies as they face millions of dollars in mandated land restoration costs. Full Story
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Alcoa has put its shuttered Sandow Mine site on the market for $250 million, advertising it as a country paradise. Testing has found that groundwater under a landfill in the middle of the property is contaminated with toxic heavy metals. Full Story
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