Past Contributions

• TedTracker: Follow Cruz on the Campaign Trail

  By Ryan Murphy, Abby Livingston and Patrick Svitek April 8, 2015

  Use the TedTracker to check the public events — past and future — Ted Cruz has announced since making his run for president official. Full Story 

• The Tribune's Local Debt Explorer Gets an Update

  By Ryan Murphy, Aman Batheja and Annie Daniel April 3, 2015

  Use our Local Debt Explorer to find out how much tax-supported debt is held by your city, county and school district. The data is collected by the Texas Bond Review Board and reflects each entity’s debt load as of August 2014. Full Story 

• See How Local Drilling Rules Vary Across Texas

  By Jim Malewitz and Ryan Murphy March 27, 2015

  The debate over whether some Texas city drilling ordinances go too far has become a much-discussed issue during the Texas legislative session. Use our tool, with data from the Texas Municipal League, to see if your city has an ordinance. Full Story 

• Updated: Our Higher Ed Outcomes Explorer

  By Ryan Murphy March 21, 2015

  We've updated our Higher Education Outcomes app with two new years of data, showing the percentage of Texas eighth-graders — by county, ethnicity and other factors — who earned degrees or certificates within six years of graduating from high school. Full Story 

• Reintroducing the Texas Legislative Guide

  By Ryan Murphy, Annie Daniel and Becca Aaronson March 13, 2015

  We've given your go-to resource for the 84th legislative session a new look. With easier navigation, larger videos and a better mobile experience, the Texas Legislative Guide is the best place to learn more about the session. Full Story 

• Perry's Gone, but Travel Costs Still Being Tallied

  By Jay Root and Ryan Murphy March 11, 2015

  As the state tallies the tax dollars spent on former Gov. Rick Perry's security while he was running for president, a lawmaker wants future elected officials to reimburse Texas for out-of-state trips that don't involve official business. Full Story 

• State of Texas Salary Data Updated

  By Ryan Murphy and Daniel Craigmile Feb. 20, 2015

  The Tribune's Government Salaries Explorer has been updated, adding fresh data for state of Texas employees reflecting new hires as of Feb. 15. Use our explorer to search this data — and more. Full Story 

• Women in the Lege: A Historical Look

  By John Reynolds and Ryan Murphy Feb. 5, 2015

  A rundown in chart form of women in the House and Senate, going back to 1995. Full Story 

• See Vaccine Exemptions in Texas by School District

  By Morgan Smith, Annie Daniel and Ryan Murphy Feb. 5, 2015

  More than 38,000 Texas students — about 0.75 percent of the state's overall school-age population — had nonmedical exemptions to school immunization laws in the 2013-14 school year, according to state data. Search our table to see the totals for your district or private school. Full Story 

• Texas Hospitals Explorer Gets an Update

  By Annie Daniel, Becca Aaronson and Ryan Murphy Feb. 3, 2015

  We’ve revamped our Hospitals Explorer, using the most recent Medicare data analyzed by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Use our updated tool to learn more about the quality of care available at Texas hospitals that reported Medicare data. Full Story