Despite broad bipartisan support, lawmakers have been unsuccessful this year in their efforts to pass a bill issuing tuition revenue bonds to fund campus construction. Another special session may provide them with an opportunity to try again. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Perry calls third special session; debate over Capitol confiscations continues; Abbott calls White House's voting rights push a scheme to turn Texas blue. Full Story
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The number of claims filed for medical and family planning services in the new state-run Texas Women's Health Program has dropped since the state ousted Planned Parenthood from it, according to state figures. Full Story
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UPDATED: Just over an hour after lawmakers ended their second 30-day special session of the year, Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday called lawmakers back for a third one, with transportation funding the only issue on the agenda. Full Story
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Debate continues over whether visitors to the Capitol on July 12 attempted to sneak in containers of human feces. The Department of Public Safety is seeking to withhold information about the alleged incident. Full Story
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Today, we relaunch one of our most popular news applications: our database of all Texas state prison inmates, which we had pulled down to address inconsistencies in the state's record-keeping. Full Story
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Bars and restaurants are going to be paying half of the taxes they pay now on cocktails. But Texas consumers aren't likely to see that savings. Instead, your margaritas and bloody marys could get a little pricier next year. Full Story
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A new study of water quality in the Barnett Shale region has found high levels of arsenic in wells that are closer to natural gas extraction sites. It's sure to fuel an already fierce debate over the impacts of hydraulic fracturing. Full Story
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With fracking proliferating nationwide, drillers across the country have cited a Texas Supreme Court case to support their right to drain oil and gas from under residents' property. But even in Texas, residents haven't stopped fighting for the rights to that oil. Full Story
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A major blow to a transportation plan has left the Legislature teetering on the edge of a third special session. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Transportation bill fails in House; Cruz says Republicans "scared" of defunding Affordable Care Act; Martinez Fischer attends White House meeting on voting rights. Full Story
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A compromise transportation funding plan failed 84-40 in the House on Monday afternoon amid bipartisan opposition. Gov. Rick Perry quickly criticized those who voted against the measure but did not say if he would call a third special session. Full Story
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A recent study of states that implemented court-ordered prison reforms indicates that the cost of updating the lock-ups may cause lasting welfare program cuts. Full Story
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Ray Martinez, a familiar face in Texas higher-education circles, has been named the new chancellor of WGU Texas, the state's online university that was launched in 2011. Full Story
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It has been just a year since Ted Cruz vanquished Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a primary runoff, but the current darling of Texas Republicans is already getting a serious look from conservative voters in early presidential primary states. Full Story
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Twenty women at the Harris County Jail are working to ensure that they won't fall back into prostitution when they finish their sentences. A specialized program is helping them gain the tools to do just that. Full Story
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A deal struck over the weekend may have saved the Legislature from yet another special session. Full Story
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Amid talk of expanded technical education in the state, Texas State Technical College West Texas has been shrinking. But administrators tie the decline to a pending transition to a new funding model based on students' earnings. Full Story
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The co-chairs of the select committee considering the impeachment of UT System Regent Wallace Hall have formally asked that all relevant documents be preserved and all potential witnesses be free from "adverse employee action." Full Story
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With Gov. Rick Perry threatening to call lawmakers back for a third special session if they don't pass a transportation bill by the end of July, we kick off this week's news-inspired playlist with "Three is the Magic Number," by De La Soul. Full Story
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