BREAKING NEWS
Health care access and economic insecurity top a list of challenges for Texas children
Read full article: Health care access and economic insecurity top a list of challenges for Texas childrenA San Antonio panel discussed the results of a new survey on the well-being of Texas children Thursday and proposed solutions to the stateās ongoing challenges.
Two more state employees fired after accessing Texansā private information
Read full article: Two more state employees fired after accessing Texansā private informationSo far, nine HHSC employees have been fired for accessing without a ābusinessā purpose the private information of Texans seeking public assistance that includes Medicaid and food stamps.
After Hurricane Beryl, Texas lawmakers push for generators at senior living facilities
Read full article: After Hurricane Beryl, Texas lawmakers push for generators at senior living facilitiesAfter failed attempts in 2021 and 2023, southeast Texas lawmakers have filed bills to require generators in nursing homes and assisted living centers.
āHow do we protect our poultry flocks?ā Texas dairy, poultry producers grapple with bird flu
Read full article: āHow do we protect our poultry flocks?ā Texas dairy, poultry producers grapple with bird fluAcross the country, dairy producers have dumped milk and infected chickens have been killed, including millions of egg-laying hens, causing egg prices to skyrocket.
Abbott expected to promote vouchers and other highlights of his 2025 agenda in Sunday speech
Read full article: Abbott expected to promote vouchers and other highlights of his 2025 agenda in Sunday speechAfter successful campaigns for House allies, the governor is in a position to set an ambitious course for the legislative session.
āWrap around the familyā: Doulas, community health workers push Texas to cover more services for pregnant women
Read full article: āWrap around the familyā: Doulas, community health workers push Texas to cover more services for pregnant womenLegislators allowed doulas and community health workers to bill Medicaid last session. Theyāre hoping itās just the beginning.
Texas Republicans in Congress propose bills to codify Trump executive orders
Read full article: Texas Republicans in Congress propose bills to codify Trump executive ordersEnding birthright citizenship, increasing oil drilling, and leaving WHO are just a few bills the stateās Republicans pushed in Congress this month.
Several bills filed to weaken vaccine mandates as more Texas families opt out of immunizations
Read full article: Several bills filed to weaken vaccine mandates as more Texas families opt out of immunizationsEmboldened by Robert F. Kennedy Jrās nomination and disdain for pandemic-era mandates, skeptics are pushing for bills to make it easier to opt out of vaccines.
Feds drop charges against Texas doctor accused of leaking transgender care data
Read full article: Feds drop charges against Texas doctor accused of leaking transgender care dataDr. Eithan Haim of Dallas had faced four counts for wrongfully disclosing the individually identifiable health information of underage patients at Texas Childrenās Hospital in Houston.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Legislature should clarify Texas abortion law to protect mothers at risk
Read full article: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Legislature should clarify Texas abortion law to protect mothers at riskPatrick on Sunday said the Legislature should amend the language of the stateās near-total abortion ban to address confusion over when doctors may terminate pregnancies.
Longtime Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards dies after battle with brain cancer
Read full article: Longtime Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards dies after battle with brain cancerRichards, the eldest daughter of Gov. Ann Richards, forged her own path as a tireless advocate for women across Texas and the United States.
State employees suspected of stealing from low-income Texans' public assistance accounts
Read full article: State employees suspected of stealing from low-income Texans' public assistance accountsSeven human services employees were fired after a string of fraud and theft ā and the largest data breach in agency history.
Texas lawmakers eye sharing health care workers with other states to address provider shortages
Read full article: Texas lawmakers eye sharing health care workers with other states to address provider shortagesAdvocates say interstate compacts, which allow professionals to use their work licenses in multiple states, can solve Texasā workforce shortage. Skeptics fear Texas would send more workers than it would receive.
Texans only Democrats in Congress to vote for bill restricting trans athletes
Read full article: Texans only Democrats in Congress to vote for bill restricting trans athletesRepublicans accused Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of supporting gender transitions for children throughout the 2024 election cycle, which he said took a political toll.
āI follow the law:ā El Paso doctor responds to Ken Paxtonās lawsuit over alleged transgender care
Read full article: āI follow the law:ā El Paso doctor responds to Ken Paxtonās lawsuit over alleged transgender careHector Granados, one of two pediatric endocrinologists in El Paso, said he stopped providing gender-affirming care after it was outlawed in Texas in 2023.
Texas is silent on whether it will offer summer food assistance for students
Read full article: Texas is silent on whether it will offer summer food assistance for studentsAfter the state missed the Jan. 1 deadline, lawmakers still have time to approve administrative costs before applying for $400 million in federal summer meal assistance.
Boerne woman sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax evasion, embezzlement of health care company
Read full article: Boerne woman sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax evasion, embezzlement of health care companyA Boerne woman has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax evasion and embezzling employee health insurance premiums, said the U.S. Attorneyās Office Western District of Texas on Wednesday.
Texas Medical Board director retires after uproar over his Planned Parenthood employment
Read full article: Texas Medical Board director retires after uproar over his Planned Parenthood employmentConservative lawmakers claimed credit for Dr. Robert Bredtās retirement after it came out he also worked at a Planned Parenthood-affiliated lab.
Amid a $7 million deficit to Texasā suicide hotline, thousands of calls are abandoned monthly
Read full article: Amid a $7 million deficit to Texasā suicide hotline, thousands of calls are abandoned monthlyThe stateās 988 suicide had the nationās fifth highest rate of abandoned calls in August, the latest data available, amid a multi-million funding deficit that could worsen as federal dollars expire this year.
Mental health advocates ask Texas lawmakers to replace expiring COVID-19 relief funding
Read full article: Mental health advocates ask Texas lawmakers to replace expiring COVID-19 relief fundingTexas received $203.4 million in 2021 to help build community mental health programs at libraries and churches, among other efforts. Those funds expire Dec. 31.
Look back at some of the best Texas Tribune reads of 2024
Read full article: Look back at some of the best Texas Tribune reads of 2024Our journalists brought life to the experiences of everyday Texans, held powerful institutions accountable and surfaced stories that went beyond the daily news cycles.
Advocates say there arenāt enough of them in Texas long-term care facilities
Read full article: Advocates say there arenāt enough of them in Texas long-term care facilitiesOfficials hope state lawmakers will boost the budget of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman office, an independent state agency, which can often be an elderly Texanās only lifeline to the outside world.
U.S. House members want answers on Texasā decision to not review maternal deaths after near-total abortion ban
Read full article: U.S. House members want answers on Texasā decision to not review maternal deaths after near-total abortion banU.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas led a letter calling for a briefing on why the state wonāt review 2022 and 2023 deaths.
Texas school districts asked to return $16 million in federal funding for special education services
Read full article: Texas school districts asked to return $16 million in federal funding for special education servicesThe request comes after an audit found Texas improperly billed the federal government for reimbursements related to Medicaid-eligible students.
State agency to ask lawmakers for $300 million to fix āsignificant neglectā in Texasā Medicaid enrollment system
Read full article: State agency to ask lawmakers for $300 million to fix āsignificant neglectā in Texasā Medicaid enrollment systemThe request, which includes hiring more staff and updating the online application system, comes as applicants must wait for months to receive approval for benefits.
Federal judge blocks rule that would have given DACA recipients access to Affordable Care Act coverage
Read full article: Federal judge blocks rule that would have given DACA recipients access to Affordable Care Act coverageThe temporary injunction issued Monday would affect roughly 90,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients in Texas.
Campaign finance records donāt capture total spending on Amarillo abortion ātravel banā election
Read full article: Campaign finance records donāt capture total spending on Amarillo abortion ātravel banā electionSeveral prominent Amarillo business people donated to support the so-called travel ban. Meanwhile, statewide progressive groups helped the opposition.
After Texas banned puberty blockers and hormones for trans kids, adults lost care, too
Read full article: After Texas banned puberty blockers and hormones for trans kids, adults lost care, tooAs limitations on trans teens increase, doctors have left the state, weakening an already threadbare system for trans adults.
Texas conservatives plan to further restrict trans lives this legislative session
Read full article: Texas conservatives plan to further restrict trans lives this legislative sessionEmboldened by the recent election, some Texas lawmakers are already filing bills that would dictate bathroom use, limit gender identity markers on documents and restrict funding for surgeries.
Rural providers, advocates push Texas Legislature to "rescue" maternal health care system
Read full article: Rural providers, advocates push Texas Legislature to "rescue" maternal health care systemAlmost half of Texas counties have nowhere to get prenatal care, let alone deliver a baby. This plan offers legislative proposals to shore up whatās left.
Ken Paxton adds Dallas to list of cities he's sued over marijuana decriminalization
Read full article: Ken Paxton adds Dallas to list of cities he's sued over marijuana decriminalizationDallas is the sixth Texas city the attorney general has sued this year over marijuana decriminalization measures that he says conflicts with state law.
Los hospitales en Texas ahora deben preguntarle a sus pacientes sobre su ciudadanĆa. No tienes que responder.
Read full article: Los hospitales en Texas ahora deben preguntarle a sus pacientes sobre su ciudadanĆa. No tienes que responder.El gobernador Greg Abbott quiere saber cuĆ”nto gastan los hospitales en el cuidado de inmigrantes indocumentados. Los hospitales no deben negar atenciĆ³n en ningĆŗn caso.
Texas hospitals are now required to ask for patientsā citizenship. Hereās what you should know.
Read full article: Texas hospitals are now required to ask for patientsā citizenship. Hereās what you should know.Gov. Greg Abbott wants to know how much hospitals spend caring for undocumented immigrants. Hospitals should not deny care based on how patients respond.
Could Texas do for Alzheimerās research what it did for cancer?
Read full article: Could Texas do for Alzheimerās research what it did for cancer?Modeled after the stateās $6 billion cancer research fund, the dementia fund ā a legislative priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick ā could pump hundreds of millions of dollars into Texas researchers.
Why Democratsā abortion messaging failed to resonate in Texas, despite unpopular bans
Read full article: Why Democratsā abortion messaging failed to resonate in Texas, despite unpopular bansTexasā strict abortion bans made it āground zeroā for Democrats hoping to rile up their base, but voters prioritized economic issues.
A push to change a 2019 Texas law that bars certain felons from becoming social workers
Read full article: A push to change a 2019 Texas law that bars certain felons from becoming social workersTexas prohibits people with assault convictions, among other felonies, from becoming social workers. A new lawsuit says the ban is unconstitutional.
Texas lawmakers target property taxes, abortion and gender transition care in first bills for the 2025 session
Read full article: Texas lawmakers target property taxes, abortion and gender transition care in first bills for the 2025 sessionTuesday marked the first day lawmakers could file bills for next yearās legislative session.
Texasā 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage ā for now
Read full article: Texasā 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage ā for nowThose enrolled in the federal program shielding them from deportation can enroll through Jan. 15, but a lawsuit and Trumpās anti-immigration stance threaten to eliminate eligibility.
A growing and aging population is forcing Texas counties to seek state EMS funding
Read full article: A growing and aging population is forcing Texas counties to seek state EMS fundingAlthough Texas counties are not required to provide ambulance services, many are digging deep to pay for their own fleet or to contract out services.
How āwildly successfulā anti-trans ads fired up Texas voters for Republicans
Read full article: How āwildly successfulā anti-trans ads fired up Texas voters for RepublicansThe barrage of ads focused on trans kids playing youth sports motivated the Republican base as Democrats struggled to respond.
Amarillo voters reject abortion ātravel ban,ā a rare rebuke of anti-abortion movement in Texas
Read full article: Amarillo voters reject abortion ātravel ban,ā a rare rebuke of anti-abortion movement in TexasTuesdayās vote was a rare chance for Texans to vote directly on abortion restrictions. The state already has a near-total abortion ban.
Texas OB-GYNs urge lawmakers to change abortion laws after reports on pregnant women's deaths
Read full article: Texas OB-GYNs urge lawmakers to change abortion laws after reports on pregnant women's deathsThe group of 111 doctors cited recent ProPublica reporting on two pregnant women who died because doctors did not provide lifesaving care.
Board cancels costly psychologist licensing exam after pushback led by Texas
Read full article: Board cancels costly psychologist licensing exam after pushback led by TexasThe national licensing board announced it will consider folding the proposed skills test into an existing exam amid worries the additional hurdle would discourage applicants.
Delta-8 hemp and Texas medical marijuana industries to face off in the upcoming legislative session
Read full article: Delta-8 hemp and Texas medical marijuana industries to face off in the upcoming legislative sessionMedical marijuana providers say they must operate under strict rules while hemp products like delta-8 can proliferate.
Robots rule at University Hospital, creating solutions for staff efficiency
Read full article: Robots rule at University Hospital, creating solutions for staff efficiencyThe Texas Hospital Association reports health care staffing shortages in every sector of hospitals. In a mad dash for solutions, the key is efficiency. One of University Hospital's solutions is robots.
Ken Paxton sues Dallas pediatrician over providing hormone treatments to teens
Read full article: Ken Paxton sues Dallas pediatrician over providing hormone treatments to teensIn the first test of Senate Bill 14, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused Dr. May Lau of providing testosterone to at least 21 teens.
What is shaken baby syndrome, the controversial diagnosis for which Robert Roberson is set to die?
Read full article: What is shaken baby syndrome, the controversial diagnosis for which Robert Roberson is set to die?The American Academy of Pediatrics embraces the diagnosis, but courts have thrown out some cases, calling it ājunk science.ā
Texasā order to ask hospital patientsā citizenship status renews focus on the stateās large uninsured population
Read full article: Texasā order to ask hospital patientsā citizenship status renews focus on the stateās large uninsured populationOn Nov. 1, hospitals will begin asking patients their citizenship status. But data suggests uninsured citizens, not immigrants, cost Texas hospitals more.
Galveston man drops wrongful death claims against women who allegedly helped his ex-wife get an abortion
Read full article: Galveston man drops wrongful death claims against women who allegedly helped his ex-wife get an abortionMarcus Silva and the women agreed to drop lawsuits against each other just days before they were set to go to trial.
Can ire over abortion ban finally put a Democrat on the Texas Supreme Court?
Read full article: Can ire over abortion ban finally put a Democrat on the Texas Supreme Court?Three Republican incumbents are being targeted for their role in recent abortion rulings by a new Democratic political action committee.
Animal welfare advocates will plead with Texas lawmakers to help cities control stray pet population
Read full article: Animal welfare advocates will plead with Texas lawmakers to help cities control stray pet populationOne group estimated more than 568,000 cats and dogs entered shelters in 2023. About 82,000 cats and dogs were euthanized.
In South Texas congressional race, Monica De La Cruz and Michelle Vallejo spar over health care
Read full article: In South Texas congressional race, Monica De La Cruz and Michelle Vallejo spar over health careThe topic is playing a major role in one of Texasā only competitive congressional races this year as the competitors debate Medicare, abortion and expanding coverage.
Texas maternal mortality committee asks to review abortion-related deaths
Read full article: Texas maternal mortality committee asks to review abortion-related deathsThe panel wants to review those cases, which have been excluded from state data for years, and other reforms amid a report that shows a spike in maternal deaths.
Why a conservative Texas mayor defied his peers and put the brakes on an abortion ātravel banā
Read full article: Why a conservative Texas mayor defied his peers and put the brakes on an abortion ātravel banāAmarillo Mayor Cole Stanley calls himself āpro-life.ā But the proposal to police the streets for women traveling out of state to get an abortion is overreach, he said.
Despite warnings, Texas rushed to remove millions from Medicaid. Eligible residents lost care.
Read full article: Despite warnings, Texas rushed to remove millions from Medicaid. Eligible residents lost care.Texas officials acknowledged some errors after they stripped Medicaid coverage from more than 2 million people, most of them children. A ProPublica and Texas Tribune review of records shows that these mistakes and others were preventable.
Texas sues Biden administration over requirement to provide LGBTQ+ youth foster placements
Read full article: Texas sues Biden administration over requirement to provide LGBTQ+ youth foster placementsPlacing LGBTQ+ foster children in more accepting homes would cost Texas too much money and resources, the lawsuit says.
Even as state mental health spending rises, private psychiatric hospitals struggle to stay open
Read full article: Even as state mental health spending rises, private psychiatric hospitals struggle to stay openTexas hasnāt increased Medicaid rates for inpatient health care at private hospitals in 16 years, falling behind other states.
Democrats hope anti-voucher campaign will help win back South Texas House seat
Read full article: Democrats hope anti-voucher campaign will help win back South Texas House seatThe first-term Republican defending her seat said a private school voucher program will help her community, especially students from low-income families.
Odessaās mayor ran to help the West Texas city ārepent.ā Now he wants a second term.
Read full article: Odessaās mayor ran to help the West Texas city ārepent.ā Now he wants a second term.Under Javier Jovenās leadership, his critics say, the Odessa City Council has lost focus on municipal issues like roads and water infrastructure.
Abbott says potential power outages from Tropical Storm Francine will be restored within hours
Read full article: Abbott says potential power outages from Tropical Storm Francine will be restored within hoursTexas isnāt expected to take a direct hit when the storm makes landfall as a hurricane. But storm surge and dangerous winds are possible.
How we assisted Houston residents in monitoring air quality and reporting pollution
Read full article: How we assisted Houston residents in monitoring air quality and reporting pollutionAfter identifying flaws in the stateās air monitoring, the Tribune hosted workshops to inform Houston Ship Channel communities.
Families and advocates for disabled Texans pushing for caregiver pay raise
Read full article: Families and advocates for disabled Texans pushing for caregiver pay raiseA state Medicaid program pays caregivers of intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals living in community-based homes. Families, advocates and providers want lawmakers to increase that hourly pay.
What Texas can learn from Italyās big bet on tiny community health homes
Read full article: What Texas can learn from Italyās big bet on tiny community health homesIn Italy, as in Texas, funding hospitals over primary care leaves many feeling āmedically homeless.ā Italyās post-COVID plans show another way.
After being denied a medically necessary abortion, Amanda Zurawski will do whatever it takes to beat Donald Trump
Read full article: After being denied a medically necessary abortion, Amanda Zurawski will do whatever it takes to beat Donald TrumpTwo years after a harrowing pregnancy where she was denied an abortion, the Texan has catapulted to being one of Democratsā biggest messengers on reproductive rights.
Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driverās license
Read full article: Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driverās licenseThe Texas Department of Public Safety rule change surfaced in an internal email that also asks driver license staff to compile the names of people seeking a gender marker change.
Queer students look for alternatives after Texas A&M ends transgender health care services
Read full article: Queer students look for alternatives after Texas A&M ends transgender health care servicesThe students saw the move as part of a political environment that has become increasingly hostile against LGBTQ+ people in Texas.
When Texas jail standards push inmates to lockups in other states, oversight doesnāt follow
Read full article: When Texas jail standards push inmates to lockups in other states, oversight doesnāt followJaleen Andersonās mom is on a quest for details about her sonās death in a Louisiana prison that houses hundreds of Harris County inmates awaiting trial.
In new complaint, Texas women say delayed care due to abortion laws endangered their fertility
Read full article: In new complaint, Texas women say delayed care due to abortion laws endangered their fertilityTexas law allows doctors to terminate ectopic pregnancies, but both women say they were denied care until it was too late.
Abbott order will require Texas hospitals to collect patientsā immigration status
Read full article: Abbott order will require Texas hospitals to collect patientsā immigration statusThe executive order from the Texas governor will require hospitals to track the cost of care for undocumented migrants, in order for the state to push for federal reimbursement.
Texas schools got billions in federal pandemic relief. It is coming to an end as the school year starts.
Read full article: Texas schools got billions in federal pandemic relief. It is coming to an end as the school year starts.Educators say theyāll struggle to keep the programs they created with those funds, highlighting their precarious situation without more state help.
Appeals court to weigh reimposing fines for Texas foster care failures, removing judge on case
Read full article: Appeals court to weigh reimposing fines for Texas foster care failures, removing judge on caseTexas Health and Human Services could face $100,000-per-day fines for violating a judge's orders. The state wants the judge off the case.
How a lack of supervisors keeps new mental health workers from entering the field
Read full article: How a lack of supervisors keeps new mental health workers from entering the fieldFuture Texas therapists must complete internships to start their careers, but thereās not enough providers to mentor all of the students.
This company promised to improve health care in jails. Dozens of its patients have died.
Read full article: This company promised to improve health care in jails. Dozens of its patients have died.Health care contractor Turn Key serves nearly 70 counties across Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Colorado, Kansas and Montana.
I started reporting on the dearth of reproductive health care. Then I had my own emergency.
Read full article: I started reporting on the dearth of reproductive health care. Then I had my own emergency.Texas Tribune journalist Jayme Lozano Carver has written about health care for years. Most recently, she reported on how little access there is for women and new moms in the Texas Panhandle.
San Antonio church leaders train to serve as mental health counselors
Read full article: San Antonio church leaders train to serve as mental health counselorsUnder a Harvard Medical School pilot program, church members and leaders will work as interns before counseling on their own, referring more serious cases to medical providers.
No backup required: Texas senior care depends on luck and wits to cope with heat after power outages
Read full article: No backup required: Texas senior care depends on luck and wits to cope with heat after power outagesThereās no Texas requirement that nursing homes and assisted living facilities keep generators on hand to power air conditioning after storms.
Just as the temperature climbs, Texas towns are closing public pools to cut costs
Read full article: Just as the temperature climbs, Texas towns are closing public pools to cut costsAdvocates say public pools are necessary community infrastructure and save lives. Splash pads have become a more affordable option.
Beryl power outages crowd hospitals, delay new admissions
Read full article: Beryl power outages crowd hospitals, delay new admissionsIn Houston, discharged patients remain in an arena to avoid powerless homes. Some 70 miles north, Livingstonās hospital is one of 17 in the state relying on a generator because of Hurricane Beryl power outages.
Stateās move to bump federal judge from longtime foster care lawsuit caps years of battles
Read full article: Stateās move to bump federal judge from longtime foster care lawsuit caps years of battlesA federal judge has taken the Texasā foster care system to task for 13 years. Reforms have been made. Now armed with private legal fire power, the state wants the judge off the case.
Fight over trans medical care is at the core of leaked Houston health records case
Read full article: Fight over trans medical care is at the core of leaked Houston health records caseA doctor says the government wants to punish him for calling attention to wrongdoing. Advocates say the families of trans kids are the ones at risk.
Abortion on the ballot: Amarillo set to vote on abortion travel ban this election
Read full article: Abortion on the ballot: Amarillo set to vote on abortion travel ban this electionAfter the Amarillo City Council balked at such an ordinance last year, residents collected signatures for a ballot measure.
Cook Childrenās sues Texas over potential Medicaid contract loss
Read full article: Cook Childrenās sues Texas over potential Medicaid contract lossFor years, Cookās Children, two other childrenās hospitals have administered Medicaid health coverage plans. Canceling their contracts would put jobs and coverage at risk, they say.
Texas to begin construction this year on seven new psychiatric hospital projects
Read full article: Texas to begin construction this year on seven new psychiatric hospital projectsThe construction begins after lawmakers have allocated $2.5 billion to modernize and increase access to inpatient psychiatric care in Texas.
An East Texas town wants to revolutionize how the state cares for people living with memory loss
Read full article: An East Texas town wants to revolutionize how the state cares for people living with memory lossThe ambitious project has won a federal grant. But the Texas Legislature has not yet given its blessing, a crucial step to move the facility forward.
Texasā maternal mortality committee questions recent changes after anti-abortion doctorās appointment
Read full article: Texasā maternal mortality committee questions recent changes after anti-abortion doctorās appointmentThe committeeās chair also raised concerns about the stateās possible departure from a federal system to share data about maternal deaths.