Beto O’Rourke wants to end the STAAR tests. Here’s why he can’t.
The Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate has said several times he will end the annual standardized tests. State and federal law make it impossible. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks at a rally in Austin on Sept. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
How the debunked conspiracy film “2000 Mules” became Texas Republican orthodoxy
Watchdog groups fear the film will fuel chaos in the upcoming midterm elections and could be a pretext for more restrictive voting laws in the future. Full Story
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![From left: Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Operation Lone Star troops could owe feds tax money thanks to state’s payroll error
On Thursday, officials with the Texas Military Department acknowledged that the payroll system they used for the mission has withheld too little in federal taxes from service members’ paychecks. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas National guard sit in the shade with people who were apprehended by state troopers after crossing the border were brought to the International Bridge in Eagle Pass on Thursday, May 28, 2022. Those who were caught were handed over to Border Patrol custody.]()
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Uvalde schools hire — and then fire — former DPS trooper under investigation for shooting response
Gov. Greg Abbott said the school district knew the ex-trooper “had actions inconsistent with training and department requirements.” Full Story
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![Former Department of Public Safety officer Crimson Elizondo was fired by the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD)Police Department on Oct. 6, 2022.]()
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Uvalde protesters hold vigil, demand that school district suspend officers
Brett Cross launched the protest Sept. 27, joined by other Uvalde families who say the school district hasn’t held five of its officers accountable for their part in law enforcement’s delayed action during the May 24 shooting. Full Story
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![Brett Cross leans on a new gate next to the Uvalde CISD Administration building on Oct. 4, 2022. Cross has been staying on the property in protest of UCISD's failure to suspend the school officers who were present at the school shooting at Robb Elementary.]()
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Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered to testify in abortion lawsuit after evading subpoena
A federal judge who previously quashed the subpoena ruled that the attorney general must take the witness stand in a lawsuit from abortion funds. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court. (Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune).]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledges New York City mayor’s office reached out about migrant busing efforts
Abbott previously said Eric Adams’ office had not reached out to him about coordinating migrant arrivals in New York City and faced criticism that he was rebuffing efforts from the mayor to communicate. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott delivers the Star of Texas awards on Sept. 9, 2022, in Austin, which recognize service members who have died or sustained serious injury in the line of duty.]()
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Another National Guard soldier working Operation Lone Star dies by suspected suicide
The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021. Full Story
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![A row of shipping containers and razor wire placed on the banks of the Rio Grande River by Gov. Greg Abbott to form a makeshift border wall in Eagle Pass on Nov. 19, 2021.]()
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Conspiracy theorists and 16-hour days: Inside the stress elections officials face ahead of the midterms
Running elections in Texas has never been easy. But since 2020, the scrutiny elections administrators face has grown — even in small Republican-controlled counties that former President Donald Trump carried. Full Story
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![Todd Stallings poses for a portrait at the elections office in Nacogdoches on Oct. 3, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott appoints first school safety chief four months after Uvalde shooting
John P. Scott, a former U.S. Secret Service agent, is tasked with ensuring Texas schools implement statewide safety policies and safeguard against school shootings. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a press conference at Uvalde High School on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.]()
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Rochelle Garza is the Democrats’ best chance of winning statewide office in Texas, but she still faces an uphill battle
Garza remains the underdog, battling her own low name recognition and a fundraising disadvantage in an expensive statewide race that is already demanding considerable resources for travel and TV ads. Full Story
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![Democratic nominee for Texas attorney general Rochelle Garza campaigns at a meet and greet held at the Sokol Athletic Center in Dallas on Sept. 15, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke accused each other of misinforming Texans during their debate. Here are the facts.
O’Rourke and Abbott accused each other of bending the truth during the only planned gubernatorial debate on Friday. Many of their claims needed context and clarification. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O'Rourke, left, and Gov. Greg Abbott during a debate in Edinburg on Sept. 30, 2022.]()
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35 family members of Uvalde shooting victims throw their support behind Beto O’Rourke ahead of debate
In a news conference ahead of the only gubernatorial debate, 35 family members of Uvalde school shooting victims said they would support O’Rourke because of Gov. Greg Abbott’s inaction on gun control measures. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke hosts a press conference in Edinburg, on Sept. 30, 2022, with parents and families of the 19 children killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde.]()
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TribCast: Trouble in Ken Paxton’s office
In this week’s episode, Matthew Watkins speaks with Jake Bleiberg of the Associated Press and Steve Vladeck from the University of Texas School of Law about the turmoil in the Texas attorney general’s office and its litigation success. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, walks into a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
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Trump allies probe for election system weaknesses in Texas and other key states
Operation Eagles Wings, led by former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, is interviewing local election officials and compiling data that could be used to challenge or disrupt elections. Full Story
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![Former General Michael Flynn speaks at a campaign event in Ohio on April 21, 2022.]()
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Immigration, abortion and economy expected to take center stage when Abbott, O’Rourke debate Friday
The debate, the candidates’ first and likely only one before the November election, begins at 7 p.m. Central time in Edinburg. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O'Rourke, left, and Gov. Greg Abbott.]()
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Abbott, O’Rourke spar over immigration, abortion and Uvalde shooting in debate
The one-hour debate took place in Edinburg. It was the only scheduled debate between the two candidates before the November election. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, left, and Gov. Greg Abbott during a debate in Edinburg on Sept. 30, 2022.]()
Credit: Courtesy of News Nation -
Texas awards $307 million in contracts for 14 miles of new border wall
The two companies awarded contracts on Thursday will erect border barriers in Del Rio and the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
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![Border wall construction resumes near the Eli Jackson Cemetery in Pharr on March 21, 2022. In 2020, Congress exempted the cemetery from border wall construction, but it has started once again and is near completion.]()
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In West Texas, Fort Stockton’s solution to a teacher shortage is a motel
The rural Fort Stockton school district is paying big money for teachers and sweetening the deal with low-cost housing. Full Story
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State agencies push for better worker pay as critical staffing crunch hits Texas government
Texas agencies say they are being hammered by a historic staffing crisis, particularly when it comes to those in the trenches serving the state’s most vulnerable populations. Full Story
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![Exterior of the Texas State Capitol on Nov. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune