Being Sid Miller is Getting Increasingly Complicated
During his first year and half in office, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller's conduct has ranged from the cartoonish to the potentially criminal. Full Story
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Morgan Smith
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Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Past Contributions
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![Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in his office on Feb. 25, 2016.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
New Gas Pump Stickers Highlight Sid Miller, Ding Lawmakers
A new sticker for the state's gas pumps comes with a few additional flourishes: Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller's name emblazoned across the top and a disclaimer blaming gas taxes on Congress and the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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![A new fuel pump sticker issued by the Texas Department of Agriculture puts tax blame on Congress and the Legislature while placing Commissioner Sid Miller's name in greater prominence.]()
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Texas Rangers Investigating Ag Chief's State-Paid Trips
The Texas Rangers have launched a criminal investigation into Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller's use of taxpayer funds to bankroll two out-of-state trips, the Department of Public Safety confirmed Wednesday. Full Story
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![Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller speaks to Evan Smith at TTEvents on March 10, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Sid Miller: Complaints Over Rodeo, "Jesus Shot" Trips are Harassment
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller on Wednesday called complaints filed against him over questions surrounding two taxpayer-funded out-of-state trips "harassment." Full Story
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![Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller looks on during a lunchtime "Faith at Work" session at the Stephen F. Austin state office building. Such weekly meetings are organized by Michael Tummillo, who Miller named the official volunteer chaplain at the Department of Agriculture.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
SEC Charges Ken Paxton With Securities Fraud
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been charged in federal court with allegedly misleading investors in a technology company. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is shown at a news conference in Austin on Jan. 13, 2016, to announce a new unit of the attorney general’s office dedicated to combating human trafficking.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ Texas Tribune -
Committee Mobilizes to Defend Vaccine Exemptions in Texas
A new political action committee has made its mission to guard parents’ rights to opt out of immunization requirements — whether that means targeting legislators who seek to close non-medical exemptions or pushing for policies that otherwise protect parents who choose not to vaccinate. Full Story
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![Nicholas Nunez, 4, sits with his mother, Elizabeth Trejo, while he receives his shots at the Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County in Fort Worth on August 30, 2013.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill / The Texas Tribune -
Grand Jury Halts Paxton Land Sale Investigation
A Collin County grand jury looking into a 2004 land sale tied to a business group involving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has decided to drop its investigation, a lawyer for the McKinney Republican said Wednesday. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton, speaks at The Texas Response: Pastors, Marriage & Religious Freedom event at the First Baptist Church in Pflugerville, Texas on September 29, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Judge Throws Out Attempt To Cap Paxton Prosecutors' Fees
A Collin County court tossed out an attempt to stop payments to the special prosecutors appointed to pursue the financial fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Thursday. Full Story
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is shown at a news conference in Austin on Jan. 13, 2016, to announce a new unit of the attorney general’s office dedicated to combating human trafficking.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ Texas Tribune -
Religious Liberty Champion Joins Paxton's Team
Jeff Mateer, tapped by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Wednesday to be the state's first assistant attorney amid a staffing shakeup, has built his career as a tenacious champion of religious expression in the public square. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton's first assistant attorney general, Jeff Mateer.]()
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In Texas Congressional Races, Incumbents Stay Safe
Despite some handwringing over primary challengers — and the unpredictability wrought by a presidential primary election’s high voter turnout — members of the Texas congressional delegation managed to hold on to their seats Tuesday. Full Story
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