State agency recommends two firms to oversee construction of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Texas-Mexico border wall
The state is expected to award the contract in mid-September to begin the construction of a Texas-Mexico border wall. Full Story
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![A portion of the newly-erected border fence that is being constructed by the state on private property in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Man bites dog, tries to make amends
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation designed to protect dogs earlier this year. Now he's asking the Legislature to fix it — before next year’s elections. Full Story
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![Governor Greg Abott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen pet Pancake, the governor’s dog after their joint press conference. Jan. 9, 2019.]()
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Congressional Democrats urge U.S. attorney general to prosecute any Texas abortion “vigilantes”
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee urged the Department of Justice to take action against citizens who file suits against abortion seekers under the new law. Full Story
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![U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland listened to community leaders while visiting youth baseball games held by the Chicago Westside Sports at Columbus Park on July 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Samuel Corum/Pool via REUTERS -
An infectious disease expert answers questions on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, vaccines during pregnancy and booster shots
An expert in COVID-19 treatment says there's growing evidence the virus increases the risk of pregnancy complications, and booster shots aimed at the delta variant are on the way. Full Story
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![A pharmacist the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Houston Independent School District’s Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Jan. 9, 2021. HISD partnered with Kroger to administer the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine to educators, police officers and school nurses as part of Phase 1A and 1B of the vaccine rollout.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune -
Special Texas House election for former state Rep. Leo Pacheco’s San Antonio-area district will be Sept. 28
Gov. Greg Abbott set the special election date Tuesday. The race has already drawn several candidates from both parties, and Republicans are eager to make inroads in the San Antonio-area district. Full Story
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![Empty chairs on the House floor on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Fearful of being sued under new law, three of four San Antonio abortion facilities stop offering the procedure
The facilities had a responsibility to patients who needed other reproductive services, said Jeffrey Hons, CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Texas. Full Story
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![Pregnancy and abortion related brochures in Austin on June 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott calls special legislative session for redistricting, other conservative priorities starting Sept. 20
On top of redistricting, Abbott wants lawmakers to take up bills on restrictions for transgender student athletes and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Full Story
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks
SB 1 makes up Republicans’ third attempt to pass a far-reaching law that restricts how and when voters cast ballots. It takes particular aim at voting initiatives used in diverse, Democratic Harris County in the 2020 election. Full Story
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![People vote inside the gym at the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center in Houston on Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott wanted state lawmakers to ban mask mandates in public schools. They didn’t.
As Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to punish any school district that defied Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, Republican legislators were largely indifferent on the matter. Full Story
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![A sign outside of a South Austin store asked customers to follow COVID-19 precautions on March 3, 2021.]()
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Texas NAACP, students file federal civil rights complaint over UT-Austin’s ‘Eyes of Texas’
The complaint signals a continued desire among some UT-Austin students and alumni to push administrators to discontinue using the song as the university’s alma mater, despite the university’s insistence that it will remain. Full Story
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![The University of Texas tower on July 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Justice Department exploring ways to challenge Texas’ abortion ban, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland says
Garland provided no details of how federal officials may challenge one of the nation’s strictest bans on abortion. His statement came days after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the law, at least for now. Full Story
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![U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on June 25, 2021.]()
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Texas’ second special session of the year is over. Here are five things you need to know.
Lawmakers will return to Austin at least one more time this year to redraw the state's political maps. Only Gov. Greg Abbott knows when that will be and if there will be additional special sessions beyond that. Full Story
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![The House floor on Aug. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
At least 45 districts shut down in-person classes due to COVID-19 cases, affecting more than 40,000 students
Caseloads have left districts scrambling when many have said they have fewer tools at their disposal to combat the spread of the virus. Full Story
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![An empty classroom at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
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Texas must pay $6.8 million in legal fees to parties who challenged voter ID law, federal appeals court says
The case ricocheted through federal courts for nearly seven years and over several elections, with federal judges ruling that Texas lawmakers discriminated against Hispanic and Black voters when crafting one of the nation’s strictest voter ID laws. Full Story
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![Voting at the Flawn Academic Center on campus of The University of Texas.]()
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Before the legislation is even signed, Texas’ new voting rules are challenged in two federal lawsuits
Harris County joined a coalition of community and advocacy groups filing lawsuits over Senate Bill 1, arguing the far-reaching rewrite of Texas voting laws violates the U.S. Constitution and numerous federal laws and will suppress voters. Full Story
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![A voter leaves the early voting site at the Archer Courthouse Annex in Archer on Oct. 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Abortion ban, permitless carry, elections bill: The week that solidified Texas' hard right turn after the 2020 election
Texas’ new near-total abortion ban, one of the most restrictive in the nation, punctuated a week that brought into stunning relief just how far the state’s political pendulum has swung to the right since the 2020 election. Full Story
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Texas must do more to effectively prevent carbon monoxide disasters, experts say
Months after the deadly gas killed at least 17 Texans during a massive winter storm, lawmakers have failed to take significant action to protect most of the state’s residents. Full Story
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Texas doctors association condemns abortion ban, says it encourages “vigilante interference” in doctor-patient relationship
The Texas Medical Association called two anti-abortion bills unconstitutional and criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for not blocking the broader law from going into effect. Full Story
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![An empty examination room at the Midway Family Planning clinic in Brownwood.]()
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As Texans fill up abortion clinics in other states, low-income people get left behind
Texas’ near-total ban on abortions is sending patients out of state for the procedure. Advocates say many immigrants and women of color can’t leave, and that’s increasing the inequities their communities suffer. Full Story
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![Pregnancy and abortion related brochures from The John Paul II Life Center in Austin. June 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Bill limiting abortion-inducing pills heads to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk to be signed into law
Senate Bill 4, which was advanced by the Texas House on Monday evening, would bar access to abortion-inducing pills to patients who are more than seven weeks pregnant. Full Story
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![A women’s health clinic in Texas.]()
Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas Tribune
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