Texans get their first crack at electing the people overseeing the state’s complicated property appraisal process
In the state’s larger counties, voters can now elect people to the agencies that appraise property values. Full Story
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![Some Texans will soon have a say in who sits on their tax appraisal boards.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Legalized marijuana supporters hope voters in this Texas city will send a message to state lawmakers
There is no process in Texas for a voter-driven statewide referendum. So, supporters are going city by city to build statewide momentum. Full Story
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![A shirt promotes the legalization of marijuana in Lubbock at the South Plains Fair in Lubbock on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
With lawsuits and recount petitions rising, some Texas elections seem to go on forever
Courts are still working through election challenges brought as far back as 2021. Experts say the protracted fights threaten voter confidence. Full Story
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![Harris County Elections Staff members carry in and sort ballot bags at the Elections Technology Center in northwest Houston on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Decayed power pole sparked the largest wildfire in state history, Texas House committee confirms
A lack of air support and ineffective coordination hurt efforts to contain this year's Panhandle fires, the committee said. Full Story
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![A building destroyed by fire sits in ashes in the Texas R.V. Park in Fritch, TX. Snow and rainfall on Thursday offered temporary relief to firefighters battling the blaze but weather conditions this weekend may cause the fire to spread again.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Search the newly updated Government Salaries Explorer
The Texas Tribune’s database of Texas state employees’ compensation is updated to represent salaries as of April 1. Full Story
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Credit: Photo Illustration by Ben Hasson / Texas Tribune -
Companies aim to release more treated oilfield wastewater into rivers and streams
Texas regulators are issuing permits to discharge large volumes of treated “produced water” into some waterways. Questions remain about the toxic pollutants found in the wastewater. Full Story
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![An oil well adjacent to the Red Bluff Reservoir in Reeves County, Texas on February 24, 2020. NGL Water Solutions Permian has proposed to discharge treated produced water into the reservoir.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for Inside Climate News -
Misdemeanor charges filed against photojournalist arrested at UT-Austin protest
The FOX 7 employee is accused of hitting a trooper with his camera, but the arrested man told reporters he was pushed and didn’t hit any officer. Full Story
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![Carlos, a FOX 7 Austin photojournalist, on the ground as he is arrested while covering a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas at Austin on April 24, 2024.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh for The Texas Tribune -
State’s premature release of bid proposal info touches off new battle over $116 billion in Medicaid contracts
The early release of documents meant a single competitor got an early look at the other bidders’ playbooks before final winners were announced. Full Story
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![Sonia Wood, a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, treats a patient at Carousel Pediatrics in Austin, Texas on Nov. 8th, 2012.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge for the Texas Tribune -
Campuses across Texas had pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Why did only UT-Austin crack down?
Dozens of people were arrested in Austin, while sit ins and demonstrations elsewhere happened mostly unobstructed. School officials say it’s because campus rules were broken. Full Story
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![Pro-Palestinian protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza march through the outdoor corridors of UTSA on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.]()
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Watch: Trans man who aged out of Texas foster care says politicians are vilifying LGBTQ+ kids
As Kayden Asher tumbled through several foster placements, Texas leaders intensified their efforts to regulate the lives of LGBTQ+ people. Full Story
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![Kayden Asher poses for a potrait on Nov. 19, 2023. Asher was placed under the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at 15, after coming out as a trans man. He says he was discriminated against during his time in DFPS. Before his 18th birthday, he asked to be moved to Austin, where he found an affirming placement and was able to start hormone therapy.]()
Credit: Greta Díaz González Vázquez/The Texas Tribune -
Meet our new Rio Grande Valley reporter, East Texas reporter and audience producer
Berenice Garcia in McAllen, Jess Huff in Lufkin and Laura Duclos in Houston are our newsroom’s latest hires. Full Story
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![From left: Berenice Garcia, Jess Huff and Laura Duclos.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune|Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle -
How have DEI policies at Texas universities impacted you? Share your experiences with us.
We want to hear the experiences of students, faculty and families affected by pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion and free speech efforts at Texas universities. Full Story
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![Demonstrators participate in a sit-in for the protection of academic freedom and DEI at the Capitol on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Supporters of DEI practices are protesting House Bill 1- Rider No.186 and Senate Bill 16.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune -
New reporting requirements for life-saving abortions worry some doctors
The proposed guidance from the Texas Medical Board would require doctors to document whether there was time to transfer a patient “by any means available” to avoid performing an abortion. Full Story
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![Members of the public and media listen during the Texas Medical Board Full Board Meeting in the George H.W. Bush Building in Austin, Texas on Mar. 22, 2024. All the seats in the room were filled as everyone listened while they talked about agenda item number 28, ‘Consideration and possible action on rules regarding exceptions to the ban on abortions.’]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
This East Texas town hasn’t held a city council election in at least 18 years
In Kennard, City Council members have been appointed after previous members retired or died. Full Story
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![Donald Lamb Sr., a member of Kennard’s city council, poses for a portrait outside of City Hall following a city council meeting in Kennard on April 8, 2024. The city of Kennard recently canceled its city council elections for at least the 18th time.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Texas school districts violated a law intended to add transparency to local elections
The Texas Tribune and ProPublica analyzed 35 Texas school districts that held trustee elections last fall and found none that posted all of the required campaign finance records. Full Story
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![A photo illustration shows a web search box with “BOARD ELECTION Campaign Finance Report” and “Page Not Found” over a photo of a Texas school building.]()
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T-Squared: Texas Tribune and partners share Collier Prize for State Government Accountability
We were recognized, with ProPublica and FRONTLINE, for our investigation into law enforcement’s handling of the 2022 elementary school shooting in Uvalde. Full Story
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Texas politics leave transgender foster youth isolated — during and after life in state care
Support once afforded LGBTQ+ foster kids has vanished and a culture of silence has blanketed the agency tasked with raising children growing up in the system. Full Story
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![Isabella Morningstar asks Marcus Anthony, a case manager at Thrive Youth Center if they have received any updates on her new birth certificate. She looks over his shoulder as he navigates the shelter’s email for any information about Morningstar. She has had a difficult time updating her paperwork to her current legal name, since she left the foster care system.]()
Credit: Greta Díaz González Vázquez/The Texas Tribune -
In one Texas county, elections officials shoulder new burdens to appease skeptics
Brazos County election officials are responding to demands from skeptical residents by expanding hand counts and ordering special paper. Full Story
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![Texas voters cast their ballots during Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.]()
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Migrant apprehensions are down at the Texas border. Have state policies had an impact?
Abbott has credited his Operation Lone Star for a recent drop in migrant encounters on the Texas-Mexico border. Full Story
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![Texas DPS special agents apprehend a group of five undocumented migrants from Honduras that were caught in private property as part of Operation Lone Star in Kinney County near Brackettville on Nov. 8, 2021. The owner of the property did not sign an affidavit for arrests of undocumented migrants to be taking place at their property so the group of Hondurans will be processed by Border Patrol instead.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: Tribune wins 5 awards from Texas Managing Editors
Our newsroom earned recognition for top reporter, investigative report, infographic, video and Freedom of Information work. Full Story
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![Impact, Recognition and Awards]()