Low test scores on one campus can trigger a state takeover in Texas, affecting Black, Hispanic and low-income students most
Read full article: Low test scores on one campus can trigger a state takeover in Texas, affecting Black, Hispanic and low-income students mostThe demographic makeup of the “trigger” schools raises questions about whether Texas' accountability system fairly considers historic inequities tied to race and poverty.
Anti-Islam rhetoric takes center stage in Texas Republican primary
Read full article: Anti-Islam rhetoric takes center stage in Texas Republican primaryAs the GOP and its factions debate what constitutes American identity, opposition to Islam has become a key campaign pillar for some Texas Republicans in statewide races and beyond.
Texas winter storm updates: Power grid holds up through its tightest condition on Monday, Gov. Abbott says
Read full article: Texas winter storm updates: Power grid holds up through its tightest condition on Monday, Gov. Abbott saysERCOT officials expected to see power demand close in on power supply by Monday 8 a.m., but the grid held “flawlessly,” Abbott said.
After vicious 2024 cycle, Texas House GOP primaries see quieter landscape defined by tort battle
Read full article: After vicious 2024 cycle, Texas House GOP primaries see quieter landscape defined by tort battleWith Texas’ hardline conservative megadonors largely staying on the sidelines, a handful of House primaries have become battlegrounds for the state’s civil justice debate.
Texas officials say the power grid will hold through winter storm, but local outages are likely
Read full article: Texas officials say the power grid will hold through winter storm, but local outages are likelyState and local officials say they’re better prepared than they were five years ago when Winter Storm Uri blanketed the state, killing hundreds and leaving scores without power and water.
Immigrant’s death in ICE custody ruled homicide by El Paso medical examiner
Read full article: Immigrant’s death in ICE custody ruled homicide by El Paso medical examinerImmigration officials initially said the 55-year-old Cuban detainee died of “medical distress” but later changed the cause to suicide. The medical examiner ruled he was suffocated while being restrained.
An arctic storm is expected to blanket the state. Here’s what Texans can expect.
Read full article: An arctic storm is expected to blanket the state. Here’s what Texans can expect.Texas is preparing for the coldest temperatures of the season, and forecasters are warning of possible power outages and icy roads in much of the state.
Under new postal service guidance, Texans shouldn’t wait to send voter registrations or mail-in ballots
Read full article: Under new postal service guidance, Texans shouldn’t wait to send voter registrations or mail-in ballotsThe U.S. Postal Service warns it may not postmark mail the same day it takes possession of it. The deadline to register for the March 3 primary is Feb. 2.
Texas forecast to be top market for data centers in two years, increasing grid demand
Read full article: Texas forecast to be top market for data centers in two years, increasing grid demandAs artificial intelligence pushes demand for more data centers, companies are drawn to the state’s relatively inexpensive land and natural gas that can run on-site power plants.
As immigrant arrests rise, here’s what to know about ICE operations in Texas
Read full article: As immigrant arrests rise, here’s what to know about ICE operations in TexasThe Trump administration is going all in on accelerating mass deportation efforts. Here’s how ICE operations look in Texas, home to an estimated 2 million undocumented immigrants.
How teaching middle school in one of Texas’ poorest neighborhoods spurred James Talarico’s U.S. Senate bid
Read full article: How teaching middle school in one of Texas’ poorest neighborhoods spurred James Talarico’s U.S. Senate bidTalarico’s two years as a public school teacher is central to his Democratic Senate campaign after shaping his policy goals and driving his political rise through the Texas House.
In South Texas, local Republicans push for more wins as Latinos appear to sour on Trump
Read full article: In South Texas, local Republicans push for more wins as Latinos appear to sour on TrumpEven as Trump's approval ratings fall with Latinos, a constellation of grassroots Republicans are working to secure wins in the midterms.
Jasmine Crockett’s pastor, Frederick Haynes III, sees Congress as stage to pursue social justice
Read full article: Jasmine Crockett’s pastor, Frederick Haynes III, sees Congress as stage to pursue social justiceHaynes staked out several progressive policy positions at his recent campaign launch event, including support for Medicare for All and dismantling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Texts among Kerr County officials show confusion about missing campers during July 4 floods
Read full article: Texts among Kerr County officials show confusion about missing campers during July 4 floodsHundreds of newly released messages add more detail to the devastating timeline of the deadly floods.
What you need to know before voting in Texas’ March 3 primary elections
Read full article: What you need to know before voting in Texas’ March 3 primary electionsOur detailed guide shows what will be on the ballot, mail-in voting information, voter registration requirements, important dates to know and much more.
Texas hands over complete list of registered voters to Trump administration
Read full article: Texas hands over complete list of registered voters to Trump administrationThe Justice Department has asked states for their voter rolls with an eye toward purging ineligible voters. Democrats say sharing the data could violate federal election law.
Why a Panhandle businessman wants to take over the region’s electric utility
Read full article: Why a Panhandle businessman wants to take over the region’s electric utilitySalem Abraham claims Minnesota-based Xcel Energy has not lived up to its promise of protecting the region from wildfires. The company vehemently disagrees.
Trump says the U.S. will fix Venezuela’s oil industry. Texas experts say the idea faces hurdles.
Read full article: Trump says the U.S. will fix Venezuela’s oil industry. Texas experts say the idea faces hurdles.Texas-based oil companies have largely been silent on Trump’s assertion that they would help to rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.
In this East Texas county, you need a membership to drink at a bar. That may soon change.
Read full article: In this East Texas county, you need a membership to drink at a bar. That may soon change.Texas cities and counties largely control when and where liquor can be sold. Just three counties are totally dry.
U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz wants legal status for migrant workers in struggling construction industry
Read full article: U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz wants legal status for migrant workers in struggling construction industrySouth Texas builders said a growing number of ICE arrests at construction sites have made it difficult for work to continue.
North Texas’ largest public transit system may come undone in 2026
Read full article: North Texas’ largest public transit system may come undone in 2026The push by four Dallas-area suburbs to exit the multi-city partnership comes as state transportation officials have said the state needs more public transit, not less.
James Talarico reports raising nearly $7 million, continuing cash influx to U.S. Senate bid
Read full article: James Talarico reports raising nearly $7 million, continuing cash influx to U.S. Senate bidThe Democratic Senate hopeful’s campaign said virtually all the donations, 98%, were for $100 or less. Candidates must file updates by the end of the month.
Statewide battles, Latino voters and down-ballot contests: the biggest Texas political stories to watch in 2026
Read full article: Statewide battles, Latino voters and down-ballot contests: the biggest Texas political stories to watch in 2026The Texas Tribune’s politics team has compiled five of the top stories we're watching this year, when voters will have their first chance to make their opinions known on the events of 2025.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls audit of Texas Southern University financials “deeply disturbing”
Read full article: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls audit of Texas Southern University financials “deeply disturbing”Patrick previously requested a Texas Rangers investigation into any criminal wrongdoing at TSU, one of the nation’s largest historically Black colleges.
The Rio Grande Valley among Texas counties most impacted by expiring health insurance subsidies
Read full article: The Rio Grande Valley among Texas counties most impacted by expiring health insurance subsidiesIn the Rio Grande Valley, 98% of ACA enrollees received an advanced premium tax credit that lowered their monthly payments. Those subsidies will decrease Jan. 1.
Texas comptroller GOP primary attracts big money from donors with business before the agency
Read full article: Texas comptroller GOP primary attracts big money from donors with business before the agencyOne candidate received about $1 million within an eight-day span from the head of a Dallas tax firm — and 72 of his employees — that helps corporations secure tax breaks under comptroller-run programs.
Another exodus in Congress means Texas will need to start rebuilding its clout in 2027
Read full article: Another exodus in Congress means Texas will need to start rebuilding its clout in 2027At least 10 Texas incumbents will not be returning to Congress next term, a high-water mark for turnover in the delegation.
As ICE ramps up deportations, Texas prosecutors say they’re losing key witnesses in criminal cases
Read full article: As ICE ramps up deportations, Texas prosecutors say they’re losing key witnesses in criminal casesDistrict attorneys in Harris, El Paso and other counties say some cases, including murders, have been hobbled or lost because witnesses were detained, deported or too scared to come to court.
With ACA subsidies set to expire, Texas Republicans in Congress remain hazy about path forward
Read full article: With ACA subsidies set to expire, Texas Republicans in Congress remain hazy about path forwardTexas’ entire House GOP delegation voted this week for a health care package that lets the tax credits lapse. They will be forced to vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies in January.
How cutting transgender instruction at Texas medical schools undermines health groups’ recommendations
Read full article: How cutting transgender instruction at Texas medical schools undermines health groups’ recommendationsHealth providers and faculty members fear students will no longer understand the nuances of caring for transgender people, who tend to have higher rates of certain mental and physical health conditions.
Blamed for the nation’s historic measles outbreak, West Texas Mennonites have hardened their views on vaccines
Read full article: Blamed for the nation’s historic measles outbreak, West Texas Mennonites have hardened their views on vaccinesMonths after public health officials say they caused the nation’s largest measles surge in 30 years, some West Texas Mennonites have grown more skeptical of the mainstream medical system.
Immigrant families in Texas have gone into hiding after latest Trump administration policy
Read full article: Immigrant families in Texas have gone into hiding after latest Trump administration policyLast month the Trump administration made people from 19 nations ineligible to obtain legal status. “Fear won,” said one woman who came from Venezuela nearly a decade ago.
Texas universities deploy AI tools to review and rewrite how some courses discuss race and gender
Read full article: Texas universities deploy AI tools to review and rewrite how some courses discuss race and genderRecords obtained by The Texas Tribune show how universities are using the technology to reshape curriculum under political pressure, raising concerns about academic freedom.
Allegations against a legendary’s football coach’s son fracture a North Texas town
Read full article: Allegations against a legendary’s football coach’s son fracture a North Texas townThe top-ranked Celina High School football team is barrelling toward another state championship this month. Its coach is barred from the field.
Last Christmas: An East Texas Christmas tree farm closes after 40 years, despite booming sales
Read full article: Last Christmas: An East Texas Christmas tree farm closes after 40 years, despite booming salesChristmas tree sales are up in the Lone Star State, even as many tree farmers are aging out of the business with no successors.
How the political tide turned on Mark Welsh, the four-star general ousted as Texas A&M president
Read full article: How the political tide turned on Mark Welsh, the four-star general ousted as Texas A&M presidentThe A&M Board of Regents came to want a more explicitly conservative leader who would shut down controversy before it reared its head, as members grew weary from the steady drumbeat of online posts accusing the university of embracing liberal ideology.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has a sweeping plan to abolish school property taxes. Would it work?
Read full article: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has a sweeping plan to abolish school property taxes. Would it work?The governor must first win over lawmakers who have rejected similar proposals. The state may have to backfill more than $17 billion for school funding alone.
Federal lawsuits challenging immigration detention flood Texas
Read full article: Federal lawsuits challenging immigration detention flood TexasThe wave of legal challenges is in response to the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement and its new policy expanding mandatory detention for undocumented immigrants.
Kerr County was among dozens of Texas communities to turn down state flood money, saying it wasn’t enough
Read full article: Kerr County was among dozens of Texas communities to turn down state flood money, saying it wasn’t enoughTexas earmarked $1.4 billion to help fund flood prevention projects. But after learning that so many communities turned down the money, two lawmakers who approved the program acknowledged it was flawed.
In Houston, young mothers face some of the highest barriers for college and work in the U.S.
Read full article: In Houston, young mothers face some of the highest barriers for college and work in the U.S.At 13.3%, Houston has the worst rate of young adults who are neither working nor in in school of the largest metro areas in the country.
Days before Texas’ “bathroom bill” becomes law, questions remain about how it will be enforced
Read full article: Days before Texas’ “bathroom bill” becomes law, questions remain about how it will be enforcedSome trans Texans worry that the lack of specificity on how the law will be enforced will harm their safety and lives.
A slate of new Texas laws go into effect December and January. Here’s what to watch.
Read full article: A slate of new Texas laws go into effect December and January. Here’s what to watch.Laws include restricting transgender people’s access to public bathrooms, allowing lawsuits against abortion pill providers, and replacement of the STAAR test.
Texas summer camp owners brace for more mental health issues among youth
Read full article: Texas summer camp owners brace for more mental health issues among youthMental health experts expect the July 4 floods have resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder, unhealthy hypervigilance and recurring thoughts on disasters among campers.
Gov. Greg Abbott, long a defender of states’ rights, embraces Trump’s push to expand presidential power
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott, long a defender of states’ rights, embraces Trump’s push to expand presidential powerDefending Texas sovereignty has been central to Abbott’s political identity. Yet he has helped Trump erode states’ authority over elections, policing and deploying the National Guard.
Supreme Court temporarily restores Texas’ new congressional map
Read full article: Supreme Court temporarily restores Texas’ new congressional mapThe administrative ruling is a first step before the court decides whether to pause the use of the 2025 map, drawn to increase GOP seats in the U.S. House, for the rest of the legal battle.
Abbott, Republican lawmakers’ comments cited in court order overturning Texas’ congressional gerrymander
Read full article: Abbott, Republican lawmakers’ comments cited in court order overturning Texas’ congressional gerrymanderJudge Jeffrey Brown pointed to comments from the governor and GOP legislators as the basis for his ruling that the new map can’t be used in 2026.
Texas Republicans started a national redistricting arms race. They may be losing.
Read full article: Texas Republicans started a national redistricting arms race. They may be losing.With Texas’ new map blocked by a federal court, California Democrats are emerging victorious — though the Supreme Court has yet to weigh in.
Why some Texas teachers are being forced to “deadname” trans students under a new state law
Read full article: Why some Texas teachers are being forced to “deadname” trans students under a new state lawThe law requires school employees to use names and pronouns that conform to students’ sex at birth.
Former Alamo Trust President Kate Rogers sues over exit
Read full article: Former Alamo Trust President Kate Rogers sues over exitRogers resigned from her position after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick criticized a 2023 dissertation in which she asserted the importance of Indigenous people’s history at the Alamo.
Texas State Board of Education advisers signal push to the right in social studies overhaul
Read full article: Texas State Board of Education advisers signal push to the right in social studies overhaulSome advisers have criticized diversity efforts, questioned the historical contributions of people of color, and promoted debunked beliefs.
How building a new hospital cost this rural Texas town a place to deliver babies
Read full article: How building a new hospital cost this rural Texas town a place to deliver babiesOlney Hamilton Hospital joins the nearly 60% of rural Texas hospitals that do not deliver babies, leaving large swaths of the state without a nearby place to give birth.
Older Texans among those facing the largest price hikes for Affordable Care Act insurance
Read full article: Older Texans among those facing the largest price hikes for Affordable Care Act insuranceAbout 1 million Texans with ACA health plans are over the age of 45, and many of them will pay monthly premiums that are more than $1,000.
Car-dominant Texas needs more public transit to meet mobility demands, TxDOT report says
Read full article: Car-dominant Texas needs more public transit to meet mobility demands, TxDOT report saysAs the state’s population grows, more travel options are needed in rural and smaller urban areas and between major cities, according to a draft of the first-of-its-kind plan.
Gov. Greg Abbott launches reelection campaign for fourth term
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott launches reelection campaign for fourth termAbbott framed his campaign as a means to keep Texas as a conservative bastion, touting efforts to lower property taxes, bolster education and strengthen public safety.
“You woke us up”: California Gov. Gavin Newsom, energized by Prop 50 redistricting win, thanks Texas
Read full article: “You woke us up”: California Gov. Gavin Newsom, energized by Prop 50 redistricting win, thanks TexasThe Democrat took a victory lap on rival Gov. Greg Abbott’s home turf Saturday and called on other blue states to push back on a GOP effort to retain control of the U.S. House.
Rep. Al Green switches congressional districts in bid for reelection
Read full article: Rep. Al Green switches congressional districts in bid for reelectionThe veteran lawmaker whose current district was redrawn to benefit Republicans would face the winner of the 18th Congressional District special election runoff.
Will Texas actually run out of water? Your questions about the state’s water supply answered.
Read full article: Will Texas actually run out of water? Your questions about the state’s water supply answered.You asked our AI chatbot about Texas’ water supply. We answered some of the questions that it couldn’t.
Texas voters said no to property tax hikes this week, as Republican leaders signal more cuts ahead
Read full article: Texas voters said no to property tax hikes this week, as Republican leaders signal more cuts aheadEven voters in Austin, one of the state’s most liberal cities, shot down a measure to raise property taxes.
New data shows 1 in 4 ICE arrests happened in Texas under Trump’s immigration crackdown
Read full article: New data shows 1 in 4 ICE arrests happened in Texas under Trump’s immigration crackdownICE agents are arresting more immigrants on the streets and at routine check-ins than under President Biden. But most of them don’t have criminal convictions despite pledges to pursue “the worst of the worst.”
Texas DACA recipients ponder leaving the state amid push to revoke their work permits
Read full article: Texas DACA recipients ponder leaving the state amid push to revoke their work permitsA Trump administration proposal would strip Texas’ more than 86,000 DACA recipients of their work permits — including two nurses who say they’ll move to other states if that happens.
Fort Worth ISD takeover was largely based on STAAR test, despite plans to replace it
Read full article: Fort Worth ISD takeover was largely based on STAAR test, despite plans to replace itBoth Republicans and Democrats have said STAAR sets students up for failure, raising questions about basing a state takeover on the test’s results.
The federal shutdown will halt November SNAP benefits. Here’s what you need to know.
Read full article: The federal shutdown will halt November SNAP benefits. Here’s what you need to know.In Texas, 3.5 million Texans — including 1.7 million children — rely on SNAP, also referred to as food stamps, each month.
How John Cornyn’s historic gun safety bill has become a reelection liability
Read full article: How John Cornyn’s historic gun safety bill has become a reelection liabilityCritics accuse Cornyn of capitulating to Democrats’ gun control demands — even though the bill largely did not restrict gun owner’s existing rights.
Texas’ congressional delegation wants Trump to punish Mexico for missing key water deadline
Read full article: Texas’ congressional delegation wants Trump to punish Mexico for missing key water deadlineThe state’s citrus industry is at risk, farmers say, after Mexico failed to deliver water it owes Texas as part of a 1944 treaty.
Indigenous Peoples Day post revives debate over how the Alamo’s history should be told
Read full article: Indigenous Peoples Day post revives debate over how the Alamo’s history should be toldThe post from the official Alamo account was condemned by Republican Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, who said “woke has no place at the Alamo.”
Texas Education Agency takes over Fort Worth ISD, replacing its elected school board
Read full article: Texas Education Agency takes over Fort Worth ISD, replacing its elected school boardThe North Texas district is the 11th since 2000 to be taken over by the state and the second largest after Houston ISD.
Feds slash the budget for program that helped 65,000 Texans enroll for health insurance
Read full article: Feds slash the budget for program that helped 65,000 Texans enroll for health insuranceWith the Affordable Care Act navigator budget cut by 90%, nonprofits are seeking ways to fund their efforts to bring more of the state’s uninsured into regular health care.