What you need to know about the Venezuelan gang that Texas is targeting
Gov. Greg Abbott has declared the Venezuelan gang a foreign terrorist organization and asked the Department of Public Safety to create a strike team targeting them. Full Story
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![Members of the Chilean Armed Forces participate in a security operation against suspects with links to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, on May 29, 2024.]()
Credit: Patricio Cortés B./Ulan/POOL via REUTERS -
Travis County sues top Texas officials, accusing them of violating National Voter Registration Act
Attorney General Ken Paxton and Secretary of State Jane Nelson are targeted in the new suit, escalating a pre-election war over voter registration efforts. Full Story
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![Travis County Judge Andy Brown speaks during a press conference and reviews the details related to accidental drug overdoses, in Austin, on June 27, 2023.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Democrats hope campaign against school vouchers will help retake South Texas House seat
The first-term Republican defending her seat said a private school voucher program will help her community, especially students from low-income families. Full Story
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![From left: Democrat Jonathan Gracia is challenging Republican incumbent Janie Lopez in state House District 37, which covers part of the Rio Grande Valley, which includes Harlingen and part of Brownsville.]()
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Judge tosses Ken Paxton’s lawsuit targeting Bexar County’s voter registration effort
The county told a state district court judge that the applications were already mailed out and any ruling would be moot. Full Story
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![People wait outside the Bexar County Elections Department in San Antonio to drop off their mail-in ballots, their voter registration applications or to be trained as poll workers on Oct. 5, 2020.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott announces crackdown on Venezuelan gang
Abbott signed a proclamation declaring Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization and directed Texas DPS to create strike teams targeting the gang. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott arrives at a press conference with several other states leadership at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Feb. 04, 2024.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers question agency's ability to oversee $5 billion energy loan program after initial glitch
Lawmakers tasked the Public Utility Commission with overseeing the Texas Energy Fund, though the agency has no experience running a loan program. Full Story
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![Public Utilities Commission Chairman Thomas Gleeson speaks during a meeting on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Leaders of various energy companies spoke to the committee about the status of their companies in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas officials say they’ve scrubbed the voter rolls. Here’s how to check if you’re still on them.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 7. The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and Votebeat want to hear from people removed from voter rolls. Full Story
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![Lily Trieu, interim executive director of Asian Texans for Justice (ATJ), who produced a report researching Asian voters, holds a voter registration card in her home in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Asian communities are growing rapidly in Texas, but still feel left out of the political process.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune -
Amarillo Republican John Smithee joins Texas House speaker race
After Attorney General Ken Paxton’s failed impeachment trial, his allies touted Smithee, one of the House’s most senior members, as a speaker candidate. Full Story
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![State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, speaks on the House floor in 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton agrees to pause its investigation into Texas civic group’s voter registration efforts
Jolt, which advocates for more Latino voting participation, says the attorney general’s probe spurred threatening comments online. Full Story
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![Voter registration tables were set up at the ‘For the People’ voting rights rally at the Texas Capitol on Sunday, June 20, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
At this West Texas church, “the Lord’s work” is helping the poor, not rewriting law
Led by co-pastors Joe and Dawn Weaks, Connection Christian Church, a 118-year-old congregation in Odessa, has transformed while keeping true to its legacy of helping the community. Full Story
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![Pastor Dawn Weaks leads her congregation in prayer during a blessing of the backpacks ceremony for the start of the new school year at Connection Christian Church Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ battle against deer disease threatens breeding industry
Texas has seen a record number of chronic wasting disease cases this year. The state is looking for new ways to contain the spread without driving deer breeders out of business. Full Story
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![Does at John True's breeding facility in Terrell, Texas on Sept. 9, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Federal border agency report on Uvalde massacre recommends policy changes
The review of CBP agents’ response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting found that active shooting training was insufficient. Full Story
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![A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent speaks to a reporter near the scene Robb Elementary School, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.]()
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Power plant expansion tied to Bitcoin mining faces backlash in rural Hood County
Granbury residents say a noisy Bitcoin mine keeps them up at night. Now a plan to expand the power plant that fuels the mine is drawing opposition over pollution concerns. Full Story
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![A view of the Wolf Hollow II power plant, owned by Constellation Energy, in Granbury, Texas.]()
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Texas leads push for faster certification of mental health professionals
Other states look to Texas as the state psychology board pushes against the new national licensing requirements. Full Story
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![Chair John Bielamowicz speaks during a a Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists meeting Thursday, April 11, 2024 in Austin. During the meeting, the state board met with the Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards to discuss the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ prison guard shortfall makes it harder for inmates to get reprieve from extreme indoor heat, critics say
About 25% of Texas’ correctional officer positions are unfilled. Inmates say the shortages make it harder for them to get respite during hot summer months. Full Story
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![Mountain View prison in Gatesville on September 19, 2019.]()
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Texas school districts say upgrades to the state’s student data reporting system could hurt their funding
The Texas Education Agency says there’s time to fix problems before officially reported data is used to determine how much money districts get. Full Story
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![A school bus drives past the Texas Capitol Complex as State Board of Education members hold a meeting in the William B. Travis building on Nov. 17, 2023, in Austin.]()
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Texas proposes first new rules for oilfield waste in 40 years
While environmentalists say the new rules don’t do enough to protect groundwater, oil and gas operators are contesting stricter requirements for waste pits near wells. Full Story
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![Produced water ponds, constructed by Martin Water, and Circle 6 Baptist Camp, top, in Lenorah on Feb. 24, 2024. The Railroad Commission approved the construction of the ponds, used to treat and recycle produced water from fracking, next to the Circle 6 Baptist Camp in the Permian Basin.]()
Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune/Inside Climate News -
Texas parents gain new tools to control their teen’s social media use
A new law gives parents more power over a child’s actions on social media, but only if the parent knows about the account. Full Story
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![Men take selfies in front of a Meta sign, the new name for the company formerly known as Facebook, at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California on Oct. 28, 2021.]()
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Announcing a bold vision for local news in Texas
The Texas Tribune is launching a network of community newsrooms to engage more Texans with reliable local information. Full Story
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Families and advocates for disabled Texans pushing for caregiver pay raise
A state Medicaid program pays caregivers of intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals living in community-based homes. Families, advocates and providers want lawmakers to increase that hourly pay. Full Story
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![Marisa Luparello, at right, gives her son Blaine his medicine before they leave for his group home, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Manvel. (Antranik Tavitian / Houston Landing)]()
Credit: Antranik Tavitian/Houston Landing