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Matthew Watkins began serving as editor in chief of the Tribune in September 2024. Matthew is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended public schools and graduated from Texas A&M University. He’s spent nearly two decades in Texas journalism, and previously worked at The Eagle in Bryan-College Station and The Dallas Morning News. Matthew joined the Tribune in 2015 has held various roles, including higher education reporter, breaking news editor and politics editor. As a managing editor, Matthew has guided the Tribune’s award-winning journalism and other reporting of statewide significance, including coverage of elections and legislative sessions to major breaking news and ambitious storytelling about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Texas-Mexico border, the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, the impeachment of Texas attorney general and battles over public education. He lives in Austin with his wife, Susan, and their two children.
The state's colleges and universities have been largely been left out of the debate over transgender bathroom policies. Over the past decade, most have adopted policies friendlier to transgender students and staff. Full Story
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As part of what Chancellor Bill McRaven is calling an "organizational assessment," the University of Texas System has implemented a "soft" hiring freeze and is considering layoffs, according to a memo obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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An awkward TV interview posted this week by a Waco TV station shows former Baylor University president Ken Starr offering multiple answers to a question about his knowledge of a student's rape allegation. Full Story
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Supporters of Texas' new campus carry law say the shooting at UCLA exemplifies how banning guns on campus only deters law-abiding people. Opponents say it shows why guns shouldn't be allowed on campus. Full Story
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Days after he was stripped of his job as Baylor University president over a scandal over how the school handled accusations of sexual assault, Ken Starr said he will also resign as chancellor of the private Baptist school. Full Story
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Baylor University saw unprecedented success in athletics and academics during Ken Starr's tenure as president. Now that he has been removed from his top post, supporters hope it won't be lost. Full Story
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Baylor University has fired head football coach Art Briles and removed Ken Starr from his post as president in the wake of an investigation into sexual assault allegations on campus. Full Story
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Two committee chairmen from the Texas House of Representatives were defeated in Tuesday's Republican primary runoffs, dealing a small victory to anti-establishment conservatives frustrated with the leadership of the lower chamber. Full Story
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Amid reports that Baylor University President Kenneth Starr was fired this morning over the university's handling of sexual assault allegations against football players, university officials said the results of an internal inquiry are forthcoming. Full Story
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Texas’ two biggest university systems are teaming up to try to win a massive federal contract to manage the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, one of three labs in the country that maintain the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Full Story
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