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Madlin Mekelburg was a reporting fellow for the Tribune in 2015 and 2016. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied journalism and French. Madlin previously worked at the Houston Chronicle as both a metro intern in Houston and as an intern in their Austin bureau covering the Texas Legislature.
After decades leading the nation’s creation and adoption of common core standards, Massachusetts’ board of education has decided to forgo use of a shared, multi-state assessment to measure students’ mastery of those standards. Full Story
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Just as the Brown family of Kansas agreed to join a suit against the Board of Education in the 1950s to desegregate public schools, the McCleary family of Washington agreed to take on their state’s inability to fully fund public education. Full Story
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Two-thirds of the Preferred Provider Organizations on the HealthCare.Gov site have been removed or scaled back this year, in a cost-saving move that leaves many consumers unable to continue care with their existing providers. Full Story
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Scientists have discovered how human bodies respond during an emergency when they need more blood cells. During such times, a second, emergency blood formation system is activated in the spleen, according to a new study. Full Story
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In this week's Bookshelf, our content partner Kirkus Reviews highlights The Mysterious World of the Human Genome. Full Story
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Two financially troubled hospitals in Dallas and Fort Worth are heading to foreclosure auctions after, according to a California lender, they defaulted on loans. Full Story
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Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has courted controversy again via social media, this time appearing to compare Syrian refugees to a pile of rattlesnakes on a post to his campaign's Facebook page. Full Story
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The lead author of legislation this year allowing licensed handgun owners to carry their weapons on campus has asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to weigh in on how much universities can regulate where handguns can be carried. Full Story
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The criminal case against Rick Perry hits a potentially definitive turning point today as a challenge to the remaining felony charge against him is heard this morning by the state's highest criminal appeals court. Full Story
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In this week's Bookshelf, our content partner Kirkus Reviews highlights Fracking the Neighborhood. Full Story
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