Under new state law, Texas will bill electric vehicle drivers an extra $200 a year
The new registration fee is meant to make up for the state’s lost revenue from gasoline taxes that are used to pay for road construction and maintenance. Full Story
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![While waiting for the battery in his Tesla EV to charge, a traveler cleans the windshield on his vehicle at a service station in Childress on Aug. 23, 2022.]()
Credit: Photo by Steven Clevenger/Sipa USA -
Former judge declines to serve as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s adviser for Ken Paxton impeachment trial
A day after Patrick announced the appointment, Marc Brown declined it, citing a campaign contribution he made to Paxton’s GOP primary opponent in 2021. Full Story
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![Judge Marc Brown listens to attorney Mike DeGeurin during Jessica Tata's pretrial hearings in the 180th state district court Monday Oct. 15,2012.]()
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Ken Paxton’s team said there was no evidence to support impeachment. The House published nearly 4,000 pages.
The Senate, which is conducting the trial, published the exhibits Thursday night. House impeachment managers say Paxton abused his office to help friend and political donor Nate Paul. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at a news conference at the William P. Clements State Office Building on a pilot program to dispose of medications, especially opioids on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2022 in Austin, TX. Paxton was joined by a group of former athletes and coaches to make the announcement. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)of former athletes and coaches to make the announcement.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
For deaf children in Texas foster care, limited accessibility compounds trauma
Advocates say better accounting of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the state’s care and better access to translators are needed. Full Story
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![A sign for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services building in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas drivers vexed by toll road payment problems got little relief from state lawmakers
Double billing, rejected automatic payments and expensive late fees are the most frequent complaints about a toll system with different operators and rules across the state. Full Story
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![Tolls in Austin.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/The Texas Tribune -
Smaller Texas counties could face a poll worker shortage due to new state requirements
A law that will give voters more time to vote across the state means election offices have to find more workers. That isn’t an easy task in rural Texas. Full Story
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![Voters walk up to the New Berlin City Hall voting center to cast their vote on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in New Berlin, Texas.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
New allegations against Ken Paxton raise stakes for early votes in impeachment trial
Before 30 senators take on their role as impeachment trial jurors, they face a series of momentous decisions on whether to dismiss the charges as requested by the attorney general. Full Story
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![Rep. Andrew Murr delivers the Articles of Impeachment to Secretary of the Senate Patsy Spaw on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
University of Houston students brace for LGBTQ Resource Center closure in response to Texas’ DEI ban
The announcement confronted students with the impact of a new law that will require all state-funded colleges and universities to close their diversity, equity and inclusion offices. Full Story
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![The LGBTQ Resource Center at University of Houston, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian/Houston Landing)]()
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Texas’ environmental agency enables companies to increase oilfield wastewater disposal in rivers
Researchers are still studying the chemical makeup of “produced water” from Permian Basin oil fields. But regulators say they’re ready to issue permits to discharge the water into rivers and creeks. Full Story
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![Fracking's water demand requires the construction of ponds like these, which store millions of gallons of fresh water. Aug. 21, 2013.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Texas counties don’t have the power to ban solar farms, attorney general finds
The opinion comes as communities across the country fight solar and wind development, which play an important role in slowing climate change but use a lot of land. Full Story
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![Jerry Cooper, County Commissioner District 1 of Franklin County, drives past solar panels near Cunningham on April 10, 2023. "I don't like the term 'solar farm', it feels disingenuous to me," said Cooper, "I realize things are changing, but this feels like an awful fast change."]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
New accusations: Ken Paxton used burner phone, secret email account, fake Uber name to hide ties to Nate Paul
After Paxton’s lawyers sought to dismiss articles of impeachment as unsubstantiated, House managers responded by accusing the suspended attorney general of going to great lengths to cover up his relationship to the real estate investor. Full Story
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![House General Investigating Committee impeachment managers led by Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, answer questions at a press conference on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas names new head of child abuse investigations after high turnover and heavy criticism
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services’ investigations division has seen record-high staff turnover, with 4 in 10 investigators leaving their jobs in 2022. Full Story
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![The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Council met and listened to testimony in Austin on March 10, 2023.]()
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Texas parents see their own health spiral when kids’ mental illnesses worsen
The stress of locating and maintaining regular care for a mentally ill child can take a toll on their caretakers’ well-being. Full Story
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![Brandon Masters at his home in San Antonio. Masters spent about $22,000 last year caring for his teenage son Braylon, who has bipolar disorder. When Masters developed a rash on the back of his arms and neck last year, his doctor told him it was connected to stress.]()
Credit: Lisa Krantz for KFF Health News -
Legal fight over Texas law banning transgender health care for youth centers on whether treatments help or hurt
Texas families and health care providers sued the state over Senate Bill 14, which restricts transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care. The groups are requesting an injunction from a state district court judge before the law goes into effect on Sept. 1. Full Story
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![Laura’s son holds his Pride flag at Discovery Green in downtown Houston on Sunday, June 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Harris County’s election chief remains in legal limbo after judge rules that lawmakers can’t dissolve the position
Republican lawmakers targeted the Harris County elections department during this year’s regular session after numerous issues arose out of the 2022 election. 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 -
For Texans, fighting state-regulated oilfield waste dumps can be a costly, do-it-yourself effort
Some Texans who challenge oil and gas waste sites must spend significant sums and time on investigating what they say the Texas Railroad Commission should examine. Will new regulations for handling waste increase oversight or just maintain the status quo? Full Story
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![Tara Jones, who lives half a mile from the Blackhorn Environmental oil and gas waste facility near Orange Grove, says she spent almost a year learning the state’s regulatory rules and investigating the commercial dumping operation.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott declares wildfire disaster for three-fourths of Texas
At least 8,500 acres of Texas land have burned since Aug. 1. The governor’s disaster declaration allows included counties to access state resources to fight wildfires. Full Story
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![The Rolling Pines Fire blazes through Bastrop State Park on Jan. 18, 2022.]()
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State Rep. Matt Schaefer will not seek reelection
The deeply conservative leader said he is looking forward to spending time with his family, church and business — but added that a return to politics is possible if a Texas Senate seat opens up. Full Story
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![State Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, with his family on the House floor on opening day of the 88th Texas Legislature at the Texas Capitol on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas sues Shell over Houston-area chemical fire in May
The lawsuit seeks $1 million in damages, claiming the three-day blaze at Shell’s Deer Park facility caused air and water pollution that violated state law. Full Story
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![Deer Park, Texas: An overhead view of an explosion at a Shell USA Inc. facility on May 5, 2023 in Deer Park, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Gen Z influencers, quietly recruited by a company with deep GOP ties, rally to impeached Ken Paxton’s aid
After a June gathering in Fort Worth sponsored by a new company, Influenceable, social media leaders began backing the suspended Texas attorney general and a controversial human trafficking film. Those who favor transparency in political advocacy are concerned. Full Story
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![Trump supporters greeted campaign surrogates — former campaign manager Brad Parscale, senior adviser Katrina Pierson and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — during a bus tour stop on Sept. 3, 2020 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Christopher Lee for The Texas Tribune