Approval of Texas' Bible-infused curriculum will likely depend on Abbott appointee
Tiffany Clark, who was elected to fill a vacant State Board of Education seat in January, said she would have voted against the curriculum. Full Story
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![SBOE District 13 elect Tiffany Clark]()
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UT System will expand free tuition and fees to all undergraduates whose families make $100,000 or less
The Board of Regents is lifting the income threshold to expand eligibility across all nine of its UT System campuses. Full Story
Credit: Jack Myer for The Texas Tribune -
Freeman Martin selected to lead the Texas Department of Public Safety
Martin, a senior official, takes the helm of the agency on Dec. 1, replacing retiring director Steve McCraw. Full Story
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![Freeman F. Martin.]()
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Texas offers Starr County ranch to Trump for mass deportation plans
Gov. Greg Abbott also announced that the state is adding more floating barriers to the Rio Grande. Full Story
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![The Rio Grande seen through dense brush nearby the Starr-Camargo bridge in Starr County, which connects Rio Grande City with Camargo, Tamaulipas.]()
Credit: Meghan Dhaliwal for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Tech wants permission to pay college athletes as a part of its recruitment efforts
State law prohibits schools from making direct name, image and likeness deals with athletes. Texas Tech says it puts them at a disadvantage as the university recruits athletes for fall 2025. Full Story
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![Fans watch Texas Tech's home coming game against West Virginia at Texas Tech University on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech Athletics has reduced attendance to 25% of the general seating capacity of Jones AT&T Stadium.]()
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Trump’s first Texas visit after historic Rio Grande Valley win spurs mix of excitement, trepidation
The president-elect was in South Texas to witness a test flight at SpaceX, whose founder, Elon Musk, is co-leading Trump’s government efficiency commission. Full Story
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![U.S. President-elect Donald Trump looks on during a viewing of a SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, on Nov. 19, 2024.]()
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Feds approve Texas’ plan for $3 billion to expand broadband access
The federal investment follows the $1 billion approved by Texas taxpayers to help connect the state. Full Story
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![A splice can that contains 432 fiber cables in Louisville, Kentucky on April 19, 2021.]()
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Donald Trump boosted mental health efforts in Texas in his first term. Will he do it again?
The president-elect previously supported community mental health programs in Texas, the 988 hotline and addressed the opioid crisis, but his plan to address homelessness threatens that legacy. Full Story
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![Former US president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting on February 24, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland.]()
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Watch a conversation with San Antonio’s state Sen. José Menéndez
The Democrat said the number of state senators should grow to better represent Texas population, but admitted that idea will likely gain little traction. Full Story
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State Board of Education signals support for Bible-infused curriculum
Critics say the curriculum overemphasizes Christianity. The board is expected to officially vote on whether to approve the materials later this week. Full Story
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![State Board of Education chambers during the SBOE hearing on the controversial Mexican-American studies textbooks in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 13. Scholars who have reviewed Mexican American Heritage have pointed out that the textbook is riddled with factual errors, promotes offensive ethnic stereotypes and disparages Mexican Americans and their contributions to this country.]()
Credit: Martin do Nascimento for The Texas Tribune -
As Trump administration takes shape, Texas takes a back seat
So far Trump has looked elsewhere for his earliest cabinet and high-level staff appointments, in some cases passing over Texans who were in the mix. Full Story
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![Former President Trump speaks during a tour of an unfinished section of border wall in Pharr, Texas, on June 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
UNT faculty slam university for removing references to race and equity in course names
Professors and instructors say the university is preemptively censoring itself after administrators removed references to race and equity in dozens of College of Education course titles and descriptions. Full Story
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![A student walks through the Library Mall at the University of North Texas in Denton on March 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott issues executive order targeting Chinese government operatives in Texas
The order is in response to “Operation Fox Hunt,” a Chinese government initiative intended to root out corruption but in practice has been used to intimidate Chinese citizens living abroad. Full Story
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![Chinese President Xi Jinping listens as U.S. President Joe Biden, not pictured, delivers remarks during an event launching the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty at the G20 Summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.]()
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Tony Gonzales, Chip Roy clash over mass deportation plans
Gonzales’ warning that mass removals of undocumented immigrants are unfeasible got pushback from Roy, who said everyone in the country illegally must be deported. Full Story
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![From left: U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, and Chip Roy, R-Austin.]()
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Rural Texas officials and civic leaders discuss economic development, health care and water supply in smaller communities
The Tribune’s rural symposium highlighted the challenges the state’s far-flung regions face — and the opportunities they offer. Full Story
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How some Texas parents and historians say a new state curriculum glosses over slavery and racism
Education officials say the materials were designed to be age appropriate but critics argue they repeatedly omit key context and oversimplify history. Full Story
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![A U.S. History classroom at Akins High School in Austin, on October 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
A West Texas lawmaker wants to redirect millions of tax dollars to plug abandoned wells, curb emissions
The proposal comes after the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency said it needs more money to plug wells that are in some instances erupting. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, listens to Jazmin Cazares as she testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety at the state capitol in Austin on June 23, 2022.]()
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Federal appeals court affirms ruling that Caldwell County must hold public bail hearings
The Texas Tribune, the Caldwell/Hays Examiner and Mano Amiga challenged the county’s policy of barring the press and public from bail hearings, saying it violated the First Amendment. Full Story
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Texas can schedule Robert Roberson’s execution — but lawmakers still expect his testimony first
Roberson was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter in a “shaken baby” case that many say led to an innocent man’s death sentence. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson seeks a new trial for the 2003 conviction of the murder of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in Palestine, Texas on August 14, 2018.]()
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Texas names new higher education chief
Wynn Rosser will be in charge of guiding the state’s postsecondary education policies. He currently leads a foundation focused on rural East Texas and previously worked at Texas A&M. Full Story
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![Wynn Rosser, then CEO of the Greater Texas Foundation, during a symposium on higher education at Baylor University in 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune
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