Texas executes man convicted of killing 13-month-old girl in 2008
Blaine Milam, who was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. Thursday, is the fifth death row inmate executed by the state in 2025. Full Story
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![The Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, also known as the "Walls Unit,” near downtown Huntsville, on Aug. 16, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Houston businessman Andrew White launches Democratic challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott
The son of the late former Gov. Mark White vowed to run as an independent in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Full Story
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![Then-Democratic candidate for governor Andrew White is interviewed in his home in Houston on Friday, April 20, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Starbase will take partial control of beach near Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch site
The deal between the new South Texas city and Cameron County mirrors a similar agreement with South Padre Island and requires a plan to combat beach erosion. Full Story
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![The SpaceX Starship on the launchpad ahead of the tenth flight test, in Starbase, Texas, on August 24, 2025.]()
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Texas teachers, parents fear STAAR overhaul won’t take testing pressure off kids
Skeptics of the replacement, which requires three exams throughout the year, want to see less restrictions on testing day and more teacher input. Full Story
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![Austin Voices for Education and Youth, hosts a summer camp at the Dobie Middle School for students that attend the three Austin ISD schools at risk of closure. July 23, 2025.]()
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Cornyn nabs endorsements from 15 former GOP members of Congress in primary vs. Paxton
It’s a further sign of how the Washington establishment has consolidated behind the senior Texas senator, who is being backed by the Senate GOP’s campaign arm in his primary. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn takes part in a tour of a well site in Midland on March 18, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Texas’ changing congressional delegation
In this week’s episode, Texas Tribune Washington, D.C. correspondent Gabby Birenbaum explains how redistricting and retirements will reshape Texas’ representation on the Hill. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol in January 2022.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas health agency adopts emergency rule banning consumable hemp sales to anyone under 21
Two state agencies have now adopted the temporary rule while they work to adopt formal rules to limit who can buy THC products. Full Story
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![THC products sit near the cash register in Hyde Park Market in Austin on May 5, 2025.]()
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A growing East Texas city is exploring a new transportation method: light rail
The Tyler metro area is home to about 250,000 and a growing health care hub. City leaders want to get ahead of more traffic. Full Story
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![A light rail station in Phoenix, Arizona on June 7, 2025. The East Texas city of Tyler is seeking residential input on a potential light rail as part of a regional transit study.]()
Credit: Eduardo Barraza/ZUMA Press Wire via REUTERS -
While praising Charlie Kirk’s commitment to free speech, Texas leaders move to punish students celebrating his death
Gov. Greg Abbott called for a student to be expelled for celebrating Kirk’s death. Legal experts say the student’s speech is likely constitutionally protected. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference Friday, Aug. 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Abbott spoke about Texas’s response to screwworm as well as addressed California Governor Gavin Newsom's comments and actions regarding redistricting.]()
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17 statewide propositions will appear on the November ballot. Here’s what Texas voters need to know.
A majority of the proposed constitutional amendments address tax cuts for homeowners and businesses. Full Story
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![The Capitol dome is seen from the north side of the complex in Austin on March 18, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Young Texas conservatives say Charlie Kirk’s death is galvanizing their religion-forward politics
Thousands gathered for the Texas Youth Summit, where speaker after speaker memorialized Kirk and encouraged young attendees to rise in his place. Full Story
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![Houston, Texas: People say the pledge during the Texas Youth Summit on September 19, 2025 in The Woodlands, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz says conservatives “will regret” Trump’s FCC chairman going after Jimmy Kimmel
The Texas senator compared Brendan Carr’s threat to ABC to that of a mafia boss. Full Story
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![Chairman U.S. Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing with CEO of Boeing Kelly Ortberg in the Dirksen Senate office building in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025.]()
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How a secret recording of a gender identity lecture upended Texas A&M
Officials have struggled to detail the exact reasons for the A&M professor’s termination, citing a technical issue with her course description. Faculty say the move was politically motivated. Full Story
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![Room 466 inside the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Texas A&M University, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in College Station. (Antranik Tavitian for The Texas Tribune)]()
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Rep. Michael McCaul, foreign policy hawk in an increasingly isolationist GOP, recounts 20 years in Congress
The longtime Austin Republican, who is retiring at the end of his term, said he is concerned about the direction of his party and Congress as a whole. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, speaks at a press conference in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.]()
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Texas border providers brace for rate of uninsured patients to balloon as federal policy changes loom
Among the changes are a pending expiration of subsidies that help Texans buy Affordable Care Act insurance and limits to local programs that help the uninsured. Full Story
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![Chris Casso, a family medicine physician who practices in her hometown of McAllen, Texas, worries about the future of her community, where there could be fewer providers to treat uninsured people.]()
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Audrey O’Neill named commissioner of Texas’ foster care agency
O’Neill is the fifth commissioner of the beleaguered Texas Department of Family and Protective Services since 2012. Full Story
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![Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Audrey O’Neill.]()
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Texas cities, counties pinch pennies amid slowing economy
Economic uncertainty, inflation, strict state limits on property tax collections and uncertainty around future federal funds have crimped local budgets. Full Story
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![The Dallas skyline from the Top o' Texas Tower ride at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, TX on October 14, 2024.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
News organizations fight to unseal Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce records
The Texas Tribune, Texas Newsroom and ProPublica are among a group of media outlets arguing the records should be made public because the Paxtons are elected officials subject to scrutiny. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sits with his wife and state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, during the opening of the 2025 Legislative Session in Austin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.]()
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Tejano star Bobby Pulido launches South Texas congressional run
The musician and Democrat is looking to flip Texas’ 15th Congressional District, which voted for President Donald Trump by 18% in 2024. Full Story
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![Tejano singer Bobby Pulido of Edinburg, Texas holds his award backstage at the Premio lo Nuestro latin music awards show in Miami February 22, 2007.]()
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Texas GOP may be banking on low Hispanic turnout in new map
Republicans note that some of the districts they intend to flip were redrawn to become majority-Hispanic. Democrats say the GOP made sure to add Hispanic Texans who are unlikely to vote. Full Story
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![Presiding judge Dina Patel checks her watch as she waits for polls to open at Parker Elementary on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Houston.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune