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TEXAS NEWS
Texas Supreme Court dismisses State Bar lawsuit against assistant attorney general
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court dismisses State Bar lawsuit against assistant attorney generalThe state bar sought to take away the law license of Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster over a Texas lawsuit challenging 2020 presidential election results.
‘Move Over or Slow Down’: This holiday season: Texas Governor and TxDOT urge drivers in new PSA
Read full article: ‘Move Over or Slow Down’: This holiday season: Texas Governor and TxDOT urge drivers in new PSAGov. Abbott and TxDOT's new PSA urges drivers to follow the “Move Over or Slow Down” law, protecting roadside workers and law enforcement. With holiday traffic increasing, Texans are reminded: slow down, move over—it’s the law.
Texas public safety department announces systemwide outage, closes driver license offices
Read full article: Texas public safety department announces systemwide outage, closes driver license officesThe outage appeared only to affect the public safety department. Websites for other state agencies were operational Monday evening.
Changes coming to Texas law in 2025; here’s how they could affect you
Read full article: Changes coming to Texas law in 2025; here’s how they could affect youStarting January 1, 2025, Texas will implement several legislative changes, including the elimination of annual safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles under House Bill 3297, though emissions testing may still be required in certain counties.
Got hail damage? Here are the red flags to look for before hiring someone for repairs
Read full article: Got hail damage? Here are the red flags to look for before hiring someone for repairsRoofers and repair people who knock on your door may be up to no good. Investigator Amy Davis has what you should know about hiring contractors and filing insurance claims.
Texas 2024: The stories that most resonated with our readers
Read full article: Texas 2024: The stories that most resonated with our readersVoter guides, election results and a new law that does away with vehicle inspections were among the journalism that Texas Tribune readers engaged with the most.
Multiple detainees injured after ICE bus involved in crash near Victoria
Read full article: Multiple detainees injured after ICE bus involved in crash near VictoriaThe Victoria County Sheriff’s Office says they received a call about the crash at 7:30 a.m. Friday. The crash happened in the 4400 block of US 77.
Here are the biggest stories from our data visuals team in 2024
Read full article: Here are the biggest stories from our data visuals team in 2024The Tribune’s data journalists helped visualize everything from voter participation and extreme weather to gaps in the state’s border wall. Here are some of the highlights.
Look back at some of the best Texas Tribune reads of 2024
Read full article: Look back at some of the best Texas Tribune reads of 2024Our journalists brought life to the experiences of everyday Texans, held powerful institutions accountable and surfaced stories that went beyond the daily news cycles.
Missing in Houston: 37 years after his car was found in Houston, Thurlow Buchanan is still missing
Read full article: Missing in Houston: 37 years after his car was found in Houston, Thurlow Buchanan is still missingIn 1987, 21-year-old Thurlow Buchanan disappeared after leaving a friend's apartment in Fort Worth, Texas.
As Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht prepares to retire, he reflects on the Supreme Court he helped change
Read full article: As Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht prepares to retire, he reflects on the Supreme Court he helped changeOver 35 years, Hecht modernized the court, increased access to justice for the poor and saw his conservative views come to dominate the bench.
Advocates say there aren’t enough of them in Texas long-term care facilities
Read full article: Advocates say there aren’t enough of them in Texas long-term care facilitiesOfficials hope state lawmakers will boost the budget of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman office, an independent state agency, which can often be an elderly Texan’s only lifeline to the outside world.
Ken Paxton sues NCAA over transgender athletes’ participation in women’s college sports
Read full article: Ken Paxton sues NCAA over transgender athletes’ participation in women’s college sportsThe attorney general is accusing the organization of misleading fans by allowing transgender college athletes in women’s sports.
Farm Bill gets extension as Congress passes spending package and averts shutdown
Read full article: Farm Bill gets extension as Congress passes spending package and averts shutdownThe legislation includes financial aid and money for recent natural disasters, but farmers still will be relying on outdated provisions from the 2018 bill.
South Texas coal-fired power plant to switch to clean energy after receiving more than $1 billion in federal money
Read full article: South Texas coal-fired power plant to switch to clean energy after receiving more than $1 billion in federal moneySan Miguel Electric Cooperative's plan to turn into a solar and battery plant will leave only 14 coal-fired power plants in the state.
Texas lawmaker files bill to reduce “forever chemicals” in sewage-based fertilizer
Read full article: Texas lawmaker files bill to reduce “forever chemicals” in sewage-based fertilizerThe bill would require companies to test fertilizer made from sewage sludge for PFAS and meet limits before selling them to Texas farmers and ranchers.
Why were border wall materials put up for auction? Here's what you should know.
Read full article: Why were border wall materials put up for auction? Here's what you should know.Some Texas lawmakers including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick slammed the Biden administration over the auction of wall materials. But the sale was directed by Congress — and Texas has already bought some of it.
‘If you cross into Texas illegally, you will regret it forever’: Gov. Abbott targets migrants with new border billboards
Read full article: ‘If you cross into Texas illegally, you will regret it forever’: Gov. Abbott targets migrants with new border billboardsGovernor Greg Abbott has launched a bold new campaign aimed at deterring illegal immigration by highlighting the harsh realities faced by migrants.
Cartels turn to social media to lure Americans into human smuggling as Texas enforces stricter laws
Read full article: Cartels turn to social media to lure Americans into human smuggling as Texas enforces stricter lawsThousands of people have been arrested under Texas’ human smuggling law. Now they face at least a decade in prison under sentencing guidelines that took effect this year.
Texas House panel may never hear Robert Roberson’s testimony after new legal move
Read full article: Texas House panel may never hear Robert Roberson’s testimony after new legal moveAttorney General Ken Paxton sought to delay legal proceedings until Jan. 13 — the day before the committee disbands — even as lawmakers vowed to continue fighting to hear from Roberson.
Attorney General Ken Paxton files motion to block death row inmate Robert Roberson from testifying
Read full article: Attorney General Ken Paxton files motion to block death row inmate Robert Roberson from testifyingThe motion escalates a tense standoff between Paxton and a bipartisan Texas House committee, which had subpoenaed Roberson to testify at the Capitol on Friday.
Texas’ latest effort to deter migrants is a billboard campaign in Mexico, Central America
Read full article: Texas’ latest effort to deter migrants is a billboard campaign in Mexico, Central AmericaGov. Greg Abbott announced the new strategy, which will cost an estimated $100,000, during a press conference in Eagle Pass.
Texas regulators shelve an electricity market reform proposal they say does too little to shore up grid
Read full article: Texas regulators shelve an electricity market reform proposal they say does too little to shore up gridThe Public Utility Commission found that the performance credit mechanism, a financial tool the Legislature capped at $1 billion, would only marginally improve reliability of the state power grid.
Texas’ citrus industry — once an agricultural powerhouse — is on the brink of disaster
Read full article: Texas’ citrus industry — once an agricultural powerhouse — is on the brink of disasterA hurricane and winter freeze devastated the South Texas industry. A lack of water is preventing a full recovery.