Skip to main content
Topics

State agencies

The latest state agencies news from The Texas Tribune.

  • Reform Follows Function

    By Brian Thevenot

    The federal push for accountability at "persistently low-achieving" schools across Texas is running smack into the hard, slow work of improvement at the local level. Full Story 

    Use our data app to find "persistently lowest performing" schools in Texas.
    Credit: Matt Stiles

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Thevenot on the abysmally low community college graduation rate and higher ed's coming budgetary winter. Ramshaw on Terri Hodge's guilty plea and hasty exit. Grissom on the Department of Public Safety's use of dreaded federal stimulus funds to plug a hole in the state's border security budget. Hu on the first of the intraparty face-offs in our Primary Color series. Ramsey and Stiles on the congressional candidates with the most money on hand. Ramsey on whether Farouk Shami's accent and name are an obstacle to his election. Aguilar on the fever-tick epidemic overwhelming South Texas. Rapoport on TxDOT's hard road and the State Board of Education's lack of finance expertise. Philpott on how Barack Obama's budget will impact Texas. M. Smith on whether lawyers giving to judges is a good thing. Hamilton on the latest transportation innovations on the drawing board. The best of our best from February 1 to 5, 2010. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • Department of Public Stimulus

    By Brandi Grissom

    The Department of Public Safety, which is struggling financially, is planning to use $16 million of the federal stimulus dollars that Gov. Rick Perry begrudgingly accepted to plug a hole in the border security budget. The decision follows a mandate by Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Joe Straus that state agencies cut 5 percent out of their budgets to meet an anticipated shortfall. Full Story 

    Security camera towers loom over the Rio Grande River.
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • 2010: Short on Seed Corn

    By Ross Ramsey

    The Democratic primary for agriculture commissioner is going to have to run on star power and free media — neither of the candidates has the money to make a statewide TV campaign out of this thing. Full Story 

    Hank Gilbert in Austin
    Credit: Ben Philpott

  • No Experience Necessary

    By Abby Rapoport

    Few members of the State Board of Education have finance expertise. Should we be concerned that they manage the investments of the $23 billion Permanent School Fund? Full Story 

    Article thumbnail
    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • Ticked

    By Julián Aguilar

    The worst outbreak of fever-tick infestations in South Texas in four decades has ranchers and animal-health officials scrambling to prevent not just a loss of billions to the state cattle's industry but an outright ban on our cattle. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    The death penalty and DNA testing in a 16-year-old triple murder in the Texas Panhandle. The second debate between the three Republican candidates for governor. Charter schools are having a hard time hanging on to the employees that matter the most: Teachers. The possibilities and perils of a switch to electronic medical records. A rundown of top races. Who's giving to candidates, and how much? Social networks and politicians. Ballots: The slow reveal. And a new and highly requested feature makes its debut. The best of our best from January 23 to 29, 2010. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • File Not Found

    By Ross Ramsey

    In the Information Age, it still takes the major political parties in Texas three weeks to figure out who should be listed on their state ballots. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • Case Open: The Investigation

    By Brandi Grissom

    It took a crew of eight Northwestern University students to bring national attention to questions about Hank Skinner's death sentence. But his legal pleas for more DNA testing of crime scene evidence — and his lawsuit against the Gray County district attorney — have gone nowhere. Unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes, he'll be executed on Feburary 24. Full Story 

  • Case Open

    By Brandi Grissom

    Hank Skinner is set to be executed for a 1993 murder he's always maintained he didn't commit. He wants the state to test whether his DNA matches evidence found at the scene, but prosecutors say the time to contest his conviction has come and gone. He has less than a month to change their minds. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail
    Credit: Caleb Bryant MIller

  • Charter Churn

    By Brian Thevenot

    Teachers quit Texas charter schools at nearly three times the rate of traditional public school districts, according to state data. Dozens of individual schools lost well over half their teachers in the latest year. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail