Texas is facing its worst drought since 2011. Here’s what you need to know.
The drought will likely continue into the fall and winter. Full Story
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![Cotton fields near the High Plains town of Ralls, about 30 miles east of Lubbock, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Like much of Texas, the High Plains and Panhandle are facing drought conditions and extraordinary heat.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas public schools required to display “In God We Trust” posters if they are donated
The law passed last year says schools must display the national motto in a “conspicuous place” but only if the poster is “donated” or “purchased by private donations.” Full Story
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![Students work at their desks at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Monday August, 23, 2021.]()
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Louie Gohmert leaves Congress having passed one law and spread countless falsehoods
Gohmert was a precursor to former President Donald Trump’s brand of populist, establishment-bucking conservatism that delights in offending progressives and makes no apologies for spreading misinformation. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, and Republican candidate for Attorney General of the primary elections, talks to a videographer outside of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Dallas on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
A West Texas coffee shop owner is giving away Plan B for free as fight over contraception access takes hold
Last May, Lubbock became the biggest city in Texas to ban abortion within city limits. Now, with abortion outlawed throughout the Lone Star State, the fight over reproductive rights is taking a new turn. Full Story
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![Destiny Adams unpacks newly received Plan B test kits in her Tumbleweed + Sage Coffee Shop in Wolfforth, TX. Adams keeps a stock of the test kits so her customers can easily find the tests.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Why some Texas churches support access to reproductive health care despite the state’s abortion ban
After Roe v. Wade was overturned, some faith leaders in Texas rallied in favor of abortion access and offer supportive spiritual counsel for those who have sought abortion. Full Story
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![University Baptist Church in Austin.]()
Credit: Justin Dehn/The Texas Tribune -
Texas executes Kosoul Chanthakoummane for the 2006 murder of a real estate agent
DNA evidence tied Chanthakoummane to Sarah Walker’s murder at a model home in Collin County. In last-minute appeals, his attorneys argue the evidence was not conclusive. Full Story
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![The exterior of Huntsville Unit, a prison in Huntsville, on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Republican James White resigns from Texas House early to take leadership job at Texas Funeral Services Commission
White, the only Black Republican in the Legislature, leaves office after 11 years and a failed run for agriculture commissioner. Full Story
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![State Rep. James White, R-Hillister, on the House floor on Tuesday, August 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Not 1925: Texas’ law banning abortion dates to before the Civil War
The restriction, which was revived after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, was put in place amid concerns about declining white birth rates and as the medical profession formalized. Full Story
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![Protesters marched from the federal courthouse to the state Capitol in opposition of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade in downtown Austin on June 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Nearly all unplanned chemical releases in Texas go unpunished
Thousands of “emissions events” from chemical plants each year exceed permitted limits, but only a small fraction result in penalties from the state’s environmental agency. Full Story
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![A house stands in the Manchester neighborhood while refineries are visible in the background in Houston on Sept. 8, 2018.]()
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Keller school officials order 41 books — including the Bible and an Anne Frank adaptation — off of library shelves
A new policy scraps community recommendations from last fall that some books that had been questioned should remain on shelves. Full Story
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![A Keller ISD school board meeting in Keller, TX on April 25, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Uvalde school officials to discuss firing Pete Arredondo on Aug. 24
The meeting will happen exactly three months after Arredondo was among the first law enforcement officers to arrive at Robb Elementary, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers. Full Story
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![Uvalde school police Chief Pete Arredondo stands on a dirt road on the outskirts of town on June 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
AP, Texas Tribune and other newsrooms ask court to unseal Henry Cuellar search warrant
The Tribune and a host of news organizations are seeking records related to a January raid on U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s Laredo home. Full Story
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![Henry Cuellar GOTV Rally San Antonio, TX May 4th 2022]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Millions donated after Uvalde shooting still haven’t reached victims and families
The largest fund for those affected by the May 24 massacre is still months away from distributing most of the $16 million it has raised. Some families are turning to smaller donations to get by. Full Story
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![Alfred Garza, father of Amerie Jo, sits in his home in Uvalde on Aug. 10, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Pablo Vegas, a utility executive in Ohio, named ERCOT’s new CEO
The state power grid operator has been run by an interim chief since the previous CEO was fired following the deadly 2021 winter storm that crashed much of the grid. Full Story
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![Pablo Vegas.]()
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Drought and record-breaking heat spur a South Texas water crisis
A century of enterprise brought the Rio Grande to its brink. Now authorities are “praying for a hurricane” as reservoirs dwindle and populations boom on both sides of the border. Full Story
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![Lake Falcon, one of the the two bi-national reservoirs of the Rio Grande, is just 9% full.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
More Black Americans live in Texas than any other state. Two years after George Floyd’s murder, many reconsider their future here.
In interviews, Black Texans expressed frustration over uneven progress, restrictions on teaching about racism in public schools and limitations on their political representation and voting access. Full Story
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![Clockwise from top left: Chas Moore, Karen Kossie-Chernyshev, Naomi Green, Faith Anderson, Ashton P. Woods, Milton Harris, Ryan Douglas, and X.]()
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Paul Burka, Texas political journalism titan and “soul” of Texas Monthly newsroom, dies at 80
“He understood Texas and Texas politics better than anyone ever has,” former Texas Monthly editor Bill Broyles said. “There won’t be anyone like him again because he was so even-handed and fair-thinking.” Full Story
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![Texas Monthly editor Paul Burka discussed his selections for Best and Worst Legislators at a Texas Tribune event in Austin on June 13, 2013.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas school ratings show improvement compared to 2019, but those in poorer neighborhoods still lag
This year’s TEA ratings were done differently than in previous years. Instead of the usual A-F ratings, which were last given in 2019, the agency gave only A-C ratings. Districts and schools that would have received a D or F instead received a “Not Rated” label this year. Full Story
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![Jessica Lemmer went over a fraction problem with her third grade math class Jan. 14, 2018 at Edward Titche Elementary School in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
After the Robb Elementary shooting, some Uvalde parents are choosing private or online education
Following a state report showing that almost 400 law enforcement officers showed up at the school on May 24, some Uvalde parents are doubtful over whether their kids will be safe in the district. Full Story
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![Brianna Gonzales and her two sons, Javier, 10, and Emilio, 5, stand in the front yard of their home in Uvalde on Aug. 10, 2022. Gonzales has decided to send both of her sons back to schools in the Uvalde district.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
What you can expect from our elections coverage
The Texas Tribune’s coverage of elections seeks to empower informed participation in our democracy. We hope to achieve that in five ways. Full Story
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![A sheer image of voter signs behind a large logo that reads "VOTE 2022" next to a Texas Tribune icon.]()
Credit: Emily Albracht/The Texas Tribune