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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/27f0f699efb34e7c006d9e5914855f90/Marijuana%20iStock%20TT.jpg)
-
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/skodonnell -
With increased state funding, Lamar State colleges will cut tuition by a quarter
The Legislature gave a $17.3 million funding boost to the two-year colleges, which are part of the Texas State University System. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b4ffc092d32afe57b56c9a5f4408cb1f/Lamar%20Institute%20of%20Technology%20TT.jpg)
![The technology center at the Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont.]()
Credit: Lamar Institute of Technology -
Can the “masters of the flood” help Texas protect its coast from hurricanes?
After centuries of fighting back water in a low-lying nation, the Dutch have become the world leaders in flood control. And their expertise is helping Texas design what would become the nation’s most ambitious — and expensive — coastal barrier. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ffbb7699ced70115f68ecc287fa2825a/01%20Maeslantkering%20TT.jpg)
![The Maeslantkering, the fifth and last storm surge barrier to be built in the Netherlands, guards the Port of Rotterdam, the busiest port in Europe. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Texas General Land Office are looking to the Maeslant for inspiration as they fine-tune a hurricane protection plan for the Houston-Galveston region.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Rijkswaterstaat -
State leaders again want to review how Texas elects judges. Will they end partisan judicial elections?
After an election that swept scores of Republican judges out of office, Gov. Greg Abbott is eyeing judicial selection reform. Advocates hope that the perennial issue may finally draw some attention. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/de6af144e80855b4ee55d24698810617/04_Supreme_Court_EW_TT.jpg)
![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 23, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver / The Texas Tribune -
"The federal government has really dropped the ball": Texas lawmakers express concern about conditions for migrants in U.S. custody
Two Texas House committees met for hours to discuss the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. And some Democratic lawmakers said the state has a responsibility to provide humanitarian assistance. But what options they have remained unclear. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c0be0db3733dab16a3399c22c53d51bf/Nevarez%20and%20Anchia%20Border%20hearing%20CR%20TT.jpg)
![State Reps. Poncho Nevárez, D-Eagle Pass, and Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, listen to testimony at a joint hearing held by the House International Relations and Economic Development, and Homeland Security and Public Safety committees, on July 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Judge dismisses part of Texas' "sanctuary city" lawsuit against San Antonio
In its first enforcement action under a controversial new law, Texas sued San Antonio last year, alleging that the city had broken the law in December 2017. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/07/31/SanAntonio-Skyline.jpg)
![San Antonio is the second-largest city in Texas.]()
Credit: Lotus Carroll -
As Texas seeks to overturn Obamacare, attention focuses on a potential swing judge
Jennifer Walker Elrod, a federal appeals court judge appointed by George W. Bush, asked the majority of the questions in a two-hour session Tuesday on Texas' lawsuit. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/10/03/5th_Circuit_2_JM_TT.jpg)
![The John Minor Wisdom United States Fifth Court of Appeals building in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Oct. 3, 2017.]()
Credit: Jolie McCullough / The Texas Tribune -
UT-Austin will provide free tuition to undergrad students with family incomes below $65,000 starting in 2020
The UT System allocated $160 million of its oil money for the project. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f89058639bfaee0ba621a6af614385a2/UT_campus_02_LS_TT.jpg)
![The UT tower and main building on The University of Texas campus on December 19, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is going to court to end Obamacare. It hasn't produced a plan to replace it.
During a legislative session focused on schools and taxes, Texas lawmakers did little to prepare for the possibility that Obamacare will be struck down in its entirety — even as the state leads the charge to have the law declared unconstitutional. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8d2cf86b54536f97472ac8182eadb68c/ACA_lawsuit_protestor_LBS_TT.jpg)
![A protester dressed as Death holds a sign during a rally before a hearing in a lawsuit against the Affordable Health Care Act in Fort Worth on Sept. 5, 2018. Democratic nominee for Texas attorney general Justin Nelson (not pictured) was one of the speakers.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for 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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1d0418ea0f13f98f643600f4984b73ee/02_Marijuana_Plants_Texas_MKC_TT.jpg)
![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 -
After debate skirmish, Castro, O’Rourke host dueling events in Austin
The two Democratic presidential candidates rallied supporters at events minutes apart Friday evening, with Castro seeking to lay claim to favorite-son status. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3288d211d257bcf2ea69c7de6af5a521/Castro%20Cheer%20Up%20Charlie%20June%2028%20CR%20TT.jpg)
![Presidential candidate and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro speaks to supporters at a rally in Austin on June 28, 2019. Fellow Texan and former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, also a candidate for president, held a rally an hour earlier and less than a mile away.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmaker files bill to allow donations of diapers, other goods to migrant kids in Border Patrol facilities
A bill filed Friday by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, would allow Border Patrol to accept donations from those wanting to give to children at stations in Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/503f8f2ef4501159f7bcd59561e0e907/05%20Diapers%20Toys%20Donations%20Detention%20Center%20Clint%20AM%20TT.jpg)
![From left: Meagan O'Toole-Pitts, Mark Cortez, holding his son Oliver, Ashley Cortez and Austin Savage attempt to deliver diaper and toys to an immigrant detention center in Clint on June 24, 2019. The facility is currently housing an estimated 250 children.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Armando Martinez Photography -
Campaign workers of color see harassment, discrimination on the job
Many campaign workers of color in the state can recount harrowing experiences of block walking in predominantly white neighborhoods — a situation that could become increasingly common as some of those communities draw more competition in 2020. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6fb730345ede94e7427d1f76570b11fa/01%20Campaign%20racism%20LBS%20TT.jpg)
![Arash Farasat facilitated a meeting at Half Price Books on June 16, 2019 for United Professional Organizers, a group pushing to organize Texas campaign workers into a union. He and his fellow campaigners of color have experienced barriers on the job like harassment while canvassing, some even fearing for their safety and having the police called on them.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Rejection of LGBTQ student group leads to a fight at "unambiguously Christian" Baylor
The Baptist university has denied a charter to Gamma Alpha Upsilon for eight years, members say. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e1bad4e5996258d0a48038f71d065897/01%20Anna%20Conner%20Baylor%20LBGT%20JF.jpg)
![Baylor senior Anna Conner in Cypress on June 12, 2019. Conner's campus LGBT organization, called Gamma Alpha Upsilon, or GAY, has been denied to be charted by the university nine times since 2011. Although Baylor removed a policy banning "homosexual acts" in its sexual conduct policy in 2015, LGBT students are still waiting for recognition to arrive.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa for The Texas Tribune -
People want to donate diapers and toys to children at Border Patrol facilities in Texas. They’re being turned away.
A Border Patrol official told a state lawmaker that the agency doesn't accept donations for facilities where children are reportedly being held in substandard conditions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7435b20d47418eacd80b886493f29b6a/01%20Diapers%20Toys%20Donations%20Detention%20Center%20Clint%20AM%20TT.jpg)
![From left: Meagan O'Toole-Pitts, Ashley Cortez, Oliver Cortez and his father Mark Cortez attempt to drop-off diapers and toys for detained children at the immigration detention center in Clint on June 24, 2019.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Armando Martinez Photography -
Children can still be charged with prostitution in Texas after Greg Abbott veto
Lawmakers praised a bill for protecting victims of human trafficking, but the governor said it it would have "unintended consequences" and could provide an incentive for human traffickers to use underage prostitutes. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/12c37d9816c3a087b1defbf4ea256e54/01%20Juvenile%20Detention%20JW%20TT.jpg)
![A detainee prays before eating lunch in the cafeteria at the Travis County Juvenile Detention Center in Austin, Texas, Monday, June 24, 2013]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
New Texas law protects rent-to-own customers against criminal prosecution
Texas made it easy for rent-to-own companies to press criminal charges against people who fell behind on their payments for household goods. A new law, passed after a Texas Tribune and NerdWallet investigation, gives broad new protections to their customers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/459cbaf037012bd74aeedb90d4c461f0/Rent%20A%20Center%20JR%20TT.jpg)
![SEPTEMBER 22, 2017: A Rent-A-Center in Newport News, Virginia. (Julia Rendleman for NerdWallet)]()
Credit: Julia Rendleman for the Guardian -
Stealing packages could result in jail time in Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill
Starting Sept. 1, Texans who take items from mailboxes and porches face tougher penalties for their crimes. But some say punishments are too extreme since they're not based on the value of what's taken. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/faccd2cbc9a42f299b8104a1340fae9c/Amazon%20Boxes%20Shipping%20Online%20Shopping%20IS%20TT.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Getty Images -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted 5 years ago. He still hasn't gone to trial.
Read our timeline covering delays and side battles in the long-running securities fraud case against Paxton. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/21727e695c2fc32f1f4ad3e06c833737/06%20AG%20Ken%20Paxton%20MG%20TT.jpg)
![Ken Paxton at the inauguration ceremony of Judge Michelle Slaughter at the state capitol. Jan. 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains threatened after court upholds prosecutor pay decision
Texas' highest criminal court reiterated that a six-figure payment to the prosecutors fell outside legal limits. The prosecutors have indicated they may withdraw if they cannot be paid. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6bc3f417bb061f62dc9e894d03bf53a0/Ken_Paxton.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a press conference on Jan. 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune