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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“Unthinkable”: Camp Mystic parents condemn reopening plans after devastating floods
Despite a plea by the family of a camper who is still missing to halt all discussions of reopening and memorials to those who died, Mystic officials say they’ll proceed with their plans. Full Story
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![Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt on July 5, 2025.]()
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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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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.]()
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Major statewide propositions will be on the Nov. 4 ballot. Here are your voting rights in Texas.
Learn more about all the ways you can register to vote, cast your ballot and protect your rights at the polls. Full Story
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![Voter registration forms at a registration event in Austin, on Sept. 27, 2020.]()
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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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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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Texas A&M regents name Christian Hardigree president of newly acquired Victoria campus
System Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the Board of Regents chair have stood by the new president amid criticism from some conservatives about her previous work around diversity and equity. Full Story
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![The Texas A&M Water Tower on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station on Aug. 18, 2023.]()
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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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Student who mocked Charlie Kirk’s death “no longer” at Texas State University as clampdowns continue
The university's announcement came hours after Gov. Greg Abbott called for the student's expulsion. Full Story
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![Students walk through an area known as “The Quad” on the first day of the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos on August 24, 2020.]()
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“Our girls are still dead”: Camp Mystic parents pushed for laws to protect kids at camp. But their pain remains.
Two dads helped lead Camp Mystic parents to advocate for new camp rules in the Texas Legislature. What they wanted most was to have their daughters back. Full Story
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![Families of the Camp Mystic flood victims known as the “Heaven’s 27,” stand behind Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as he speaks about the Fourth of July floods and the new bills at the Governor’s Mansion on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. The bills, passed during the second special session of the 89th Texas Legislature, aim to enhance camp safety and protect Texans.]()
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Roughly 350 complaints filed against Texas teachers for alleged comments on killing of Charlie Kirk
Several school districts have already taken disciplinary action against staff for comments made about the Christian conservative activist’s death. Full Story
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![Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath participates in a roundtable at the Alpha School campus in Austin on Sept. 9, 2025.]()
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Faculty, advocacy groups fear Texas A&M firing threatens academic freedom
The firing happened over two years after Texas A&M stressed its support for academic freedom and amid a changing higher education landscape. Full Story
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![The College of Liberal Arts and Humanities building at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas on Tuesday, Sep. 9, 2025.]()
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Federal loopholes may have opened the door for sports betting alternatives that skirt Texas’ gambling ban
While the state's strict ban on gambling hasn’t changed, fast-growing daily fantasy sports and prediction market apps are giving Texans new ways to wager without leaving home. Full Story
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![While a legislative session filled with scrutiny for lottery couriers' unclear legality ended with a ban on the services, daily fantasy sports apps went unnoticed despite operating in a similarly gray legal area.]()
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Texas legislative committees will study freedom of speech on college campuses in wake of Charlie Kirk killing
The committees were made to honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and come as university faculty have come under online scrutiny. Full Story
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![A student walks through the Library Mall at the University of North Texas in Denton on March 22, 2022.]()
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New Texas law restricting abortion pills beefs up an existing legal tool
HB 7, which was signed by the governor Wednesday, allows private citizens to sue abortion pill providers and manufacturers, mirroring a 2021 law on abortion bans Full Story
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![Misoprostol on the shelf at Parker Road Drug Store in Greenville, S.C., on June 13, 2024.]()
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Texas drops lawsuit against doctor accused of illegally providing care to transgender youth
Dr. Hector Granados of El Paso said he wished AG Ken Paxton’s office had let him show he stopped providing gender-affirming care for youths before the law took effect. Full Story
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![Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Hector Granados speaks during an interview at his private practice in El Paso on Jan. 21, 2025.]()
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Texas State fires professor accused of trying to incite political violence in video
Thomas Alter’s lawyer said the professor would seek legal action for being fired after allegedly violating university policy in a video posted on social media. Full Story
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![Empty seats in the Alkek Teaching theatre on the first day of the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos on Aug. 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune