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Cards Against Humanity says in new lawsuit that SpaceX has destroyed some of its South Texas property
The card game company crowd-funded money to buy the land in an attempt to block a portion of Donald Trump’s border wall.
Democrats hope anti-voucher campaign will help win back 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.
Texas GOP investing in South Texas races as some Republicans worry about party's performance in November
Several local party officials have signed an open letter warning that “grave and deteriorating” fundraising and voter outreach efforts could leave some candidates vulnerable.
Ken Paxton’s vote harvesting investigation in South Texas renews questions over politiqueras
Since the 2020 election, Texas Republicans have dramatically rewritten the state’s voting laws, which have made some long-standing practices illegal.
Texas Latino leaders label voter fraud investigation “nonsense,” call for federal, state reviews
At a news conference, Texas House candidate Cecilia Castellano did not address any of the allegations Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office laid out in search warrant affidavits.
Triple-digit temperatures scorch Texas as millions across Southwest under excessive heat warnings
The National Weather Service says a heat dome that has led to nearly 90 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures in Phoenix has moved into Texas.
It’s not just South Texas. Republicans are making gains with Latino voters in big cities, too.
Republican gains among Latino voters in urban areas could spell big trouble for Democrats’ hopes of turning Texas blue.
A South Texas school district received a request to remove 676 books from its libraries
The request came from a local pastor who is part of a group that trains people to “defend their freedom and liberty.” Other faith leaders have pushed back.
Not all officer video from Texas school shooting was released, Uvalde police say
Police say that not all officer video from the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in 2022 was given to news organizations following a court order.
The timeline of how the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, unfolded, according to a federal report
A scathing Justice Department report into law enforcement failures during the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, included a minute-by-minute account of missteps by police at the scene.
‘I don’t want to die,’ Uvalde student told 911 dispatcher during mass shooting
As a gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, terrified pupils and staff members made frantic calls to 911.
Federal court orders regulators to fix process, reconsider gas export projects in South Texas
This week’s ruling was the latest twist since cities and groups in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley sued to block the projects.
The Rio Grande Valley’s pet population is out of control. Will a proposed limit in one city help?
Local leaders began debating a household limit on the number of pets after two residents were arrested for having 93 dogs and a cat in their home.
Mayra Flores gets boost in training, resources as Republicans seek to flip South Texas district
Republicans view Flores’ race against Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez as potentially competitive race.
As the Rio Grande runs dry, South Texas cities look to alternatives for water
Many of the solutions are costly, putting them out of reach for small towns. But the region's most populous cities are getting innovative.
Delay of Texas death row inmate's execution has not been the norm for Supreme Court, experts say
Texas death row inmate Ruben Gutierrez was only 20 minutes away from being executed when the U.S. Supreme Court granted his request to stay his lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville.
What’s the value of planting trees? Conservation groups say a new formula can tell them.
Donors are increasingly asking conservation groups to produce data on the value of their environmental work. A group’s new method helps them show their impact.
CenterPoint exudes chaos, but also appears to be restoring power faster than it previously has
According to state filings, the utility is restoring power at a relatively quicker pace than after prior storms. Texans are still fed up.
1 killed during house fire Monday morning, Houston fire chief says unclear if it was due to Hurricane Beryl
During an interview with Chief Sam Peña with the Houston Fire Department, he told KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel that they have responded to at least one death overnight from a housefire.
LIVE UPDATES: Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Matagorda County as Category 1 Hurricane
Tropical Storm Beryl is forecast to re-intensify to hurricane status before making a final landfall along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett calls on Biden to withdraw from presidential race
Doggett, 77, is the first Democratic member of Congress to call for Biden to withdraw from the ticket since his debate.
How charges against 2 Uvalde school police officers are still leaving some families frustrated
Two indictments against former Uvalde, Texas, schools police officers were the first charges brought against law enforcement for the botched response that saw hundreds of officers wait more than an hour to confront an 18-year-old gun who killed 21 at an elementary school.
Cook Children’s sues Texas over potential Medicaid contract loss
For years, Cook’s Children, two other children’s hospitals have administered Medicaid health coverage plans. Canceling their contracts would put jobs and coverage at risk, they say.
Carlos Cascos, former Texas secretary of state and political leader in Rio Grande Valley, dies at 71
Cascos began his political career as a Democrat but later flipped to the Republican Party.
South Texas needs rain. Tropical Storm Alberto didn’t deliver enough.
The two major reservoirs in South Texas remain near or at record lows, which poses a threat to the region’s agricultural industry and residential users alike.
U.S. Supreme Court blocks the state’s Rio Grande water deal with New Mexico
Water law experts say the Supreme Court's recent decision will set a precedent for the federal government to intervene in water conflicts between states moving forward.
Round 2? New tropical system could form this weekend in same area Alberto did
With one system gone, our eyes now turn to potentially another system that could develop in the same area Alberto did this week.
Tropical Storm Alberto dissipates over central Mexico after heavy rains killed 4
Tropical Storm Alberto, the season’s first named storm, has weakened as it moves inland over northeast Mexico — but not before bringing heavy rains to the parched region and leaving at least three dead.
Democrats think they can flip Texas House seats by going after GOP’s education funding and school voucher policies
Much of the House battlefield is centered in districts with struggling schools, where Democrats hope public education will resonate at the ballot box.
In Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, a push for more direct democracy
Ground Game Texas, a group that has pushed for progressive policies in cities across the state, is working to make it easier for McAllen residents to change local laws.
National Republicans target Henry Cuellar’s South Texas seat after indictment
The move is a shift in strategy for Republicans who previously focused on other South Texas races even after federal authorities filed criminal charges against the Democrat.
How a chance meeting helped Texas become the nation’s top beekeeping state
Twelve years after a state law gave tax breaks for keeping bees on at least five acres, people are still getting into the trade — or throwing in the towel and hiring professionals to do it for them.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales prevails in primary runoff over gun influencer Brandon Herrera
The race became a referendum on the San Antonio Republican’s vote to support a bipartisan gun control package after the Uvalde school shooting.
US Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas fights off challenge from gun-rights activist in GOP runoff
Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas has won his primary over a gun-rights activist who forced the border congressman into a runoff and threatened to unseat a House incumbent.
Proposed Texas GOP platform calls for the Bible in schools, electoral changes that would lock Democrats out of statewide office
The platform was voted on Saturday, with tallies expected next week. Other planks call abortion homicide and gender-transition care “child abuse.”
At least 5 dead in Texas after severe weather sweeps across Texas and Oklahoma, authorities say
A Texas sheriff says at least five people are dead after powerful storms tore through a rural community, obliterating homes and leaving thousands of people without power Sunday.
Families of Uvalde school shooting victims agree to $2 million settlement with city
The families of 19 of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas have filed a $500 million federal lawsuit against 92 state police officers who were part of the botched law enforcement response.
Meatless in South Texas: Thousands flock to vegan festival in Rio Grande Valley
From brisket to carne asada, Texas is known for meat, making this annual gathering in a small Rio Grande Valley town stand out.
After U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s indictment, why aren’t Republicans trying to flip his district?
Instead, Republicans are trying to tie Cuellar’s allegations of bribery and corruption to Democrats in other competitive races in South Texas.
Houston woman is third guilty plea in Henry Cuellar bribery case
Irada Akhoundova pleaded guilty to facilitating a $60,000 payment to Imelda Cuellar, the congressman’s wife, that she believed would benefit Azerbaijan and its state-run oil company.
Texas delegation urges Congress to withhold aid to Mexico over water treaty dispute
A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers are demanding appropriators withhold funds for the country until Mexico lives up to its end of a 1944 water treaty that requires it to send 1.75 million acre-feet to the U.S. every five years.
Former aide and consultant close to U.S. Rep. Cuellar plead guilty and agree to aid investigation
A top former aide to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and a political and business consultant have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to help the Democratic congressman from Texas launder more than $200,000 in bribes and to assist prosecutors in a federal criminal investigation.
Texans in Congress stay silent on Cuellar indictment, unlike with Santos and Menendez before him
Some Texans called on Sen. Bob Menendez and former Rep. George Santos to resign amid their own scandals, but have been silent about the Laredo Democrat.
With indictment, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s deep South Texas ties will again be tested
Cuellar was expected to cruise to reelection. Now he’ll need to rely on support from local and national Democratic leaders to help him overcome scandal.
Democratic US Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife are indicted over ties to Azerbaijan
Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife have been indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges in connection with a federal probe into their ties with the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
State’s premature release of bid proposal info touches off new battle over $116 billion in Medicaid contracts
The early release of documents meant a single competitor got an early look at the other bidders’ playbooks before final winners were announced.
Texas politics leave transgender foster youth isolated — during and after life in state care
Support once afforded LGBTQ+ foster kids has vanished and a culture of silence has blanketed the agency tasked with raising children growing up in the system.
Mayra Flores raises twice as much as U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in bid to unseat him this November
National Republicans are investing heavily in Flores’ bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in South Texas.
South Texas farmers are in peril as the Rio Grande Valley runs dry — again
With the hottest days still ahead, local leaders have declared emergencies. And farmers are lobbying for the U.S. government to pressure Mexico to release water.
Proposed changes to state Medicaid plans could shake up health coverage for 1.8 million low-income Texans
The move, which has not been finalized, would drop three large health plans run for two decades by nonprofit children’s hospitals.
Some South Texas school employees could be barred from holding elected office after fraud investigation
A state-appointed board of managers overseeing the La Joya Independent School District is set to consider the policy this week.
1.7 million Texas households are set to lose monthly internet subsidy
The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a $30 monthly subsidy to help low-income households pay for internet service. The program is slated to run out of money at the end of the month.
Vicente Gonzalez compares Latino Trump supporters to “Jews for Hitler”
The South Texas Democrat said Latinos who support former President Donald Trump are voting against their self interest, but Republicans recoiled at the comparison.
Migrants lacking passports must now submit to facial recognition to board flights in US
The U.S. government has started requiring migrants without passports to submit to facial recognition technology to take domestic flights under a change that prompted confusion this week among immigrants and advocacy groups in Texas.
Texas greenlights negotiations with SpaceX for Boca Chica State Park land exchange
Monday’s vote lets Texas Parks and Wildlife staff begin negotiations to swap 43 acres in the park for 477 acres next to a federal wildlife refuge.
As Biden and Trump visit the border, many Texas residents feel ignored
When the two presidents used the Texas-Mexico boundary as a backdrop for the national immigration fight, residents felt they were left out of the conversation.
“Nobody really knows what you’re supposed to do”: Leaking, exploding abandoned wells wreak havoc in West Texas
The Texas Railroad Commission is tasked with plugging wells. But the state regulators say their scope is limited.
Texas could swap land in Boca Chica State Park with SpaceX
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to vote in March on a deal that environmental advocates, the Esto'k Gna Tribal Nation of Texas and local officials oppose.
Texas prosecutor convenes grand jury to investigate Uvalde shooting, multiple media report
A Texas prosecutor has convened a grand jury to investigate the Uvalde school shooting that killed 21 people, multiple media have reported.
Justice Department report details the how the shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, unfolded
A scathing Justice Department report into law enforcement failures during the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, includes a minute-by-minute accounting of missteps by police at the scene.
Biden administration escalates its border dispute with Texas after mother, 2 children drown
The drowning deaths of three migrants have brought new urgency to an extraordinary showdown between the Biden administration and Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
New George Soros-backed, Democratic PAC aims to turn Texas blue
The group is “helping to build party infrastructure at the regional level, because the various regions of our state are distinct and therefore require different strategies,” a PAC official said.
Former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores accused of cribbing others’ pictures of Mexican food as her own cooking
Flores, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez for her old seat, is being accused of routinely stealing stylish photos of Mexican campfire cooking and passing them off as her own idyllic life on a ranch.
An early hurricane heads-up for Houston and Texas
For 20 years now, engineer Dale Link has issued a broad hurricane forecast for the United States (and all over the world) indicating not “how many” hurricanes we’ll have in a given season, but where those storms have a 50-50 chance of making landfall.
Looking back at some of the best Texas Tribune reads of 2023
Our journalists brought life to the experiences of everyday Texans, held powerful institutions accountable and surfaced stories that went beyond the daily news cycles.
A Texas high school is piloting the state’s first-ever Asian American studies course. Could politics stand in its way?
The course highlights Asian Americans’ contributions in U.S. history. It also seeks to offer an honest look at the mistreatment, like the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
8 dead in crash after police chased a suspected human smuggler, Texas officials say
Eight people died in a South Texas car crash Wednesday while police chased a driver suspected of smuggling migrants.
Texas judge temporarily blocks release of “unlawful” school accountability ratings
The ruling comes after dozens of school districts sued the Texas Education Agency, claiming the revised accountability system would hurt their ratings.
Republican challenging U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar seeks to have assault arrest expunged
Sanz was accused of throwing a chair at his sister. The case was dismissed after Sanz completed 36 sessions of batterer intervention and 12 hours of community service at a church.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s former staffer running against him as a Republican
Jose Sanz worked for the Democrat for two years, as his press secretary and then his district director. Sanz said he realized his values didn’t align with the incumbent’s.
Endangered Mexican parrot thriving in urban areas of South Texas, researchers find
A Texas A&M-led research team determined that a population of endangered red-crowned parrots is thriving in urban areas of South Texas.
Two Texas Democrats detail how they hope to topple U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who will meet in the 2024 Democratic primary, talked about gun laws, abortion and bipartisanship in separate Texas Tribune Festival panels.
Where to watch the 2024 solar eclipse in Texas
If you want to witness the eclipse in all its glory surrounded by other equally-enthused spectators, consider heading to one of numerous eclipse-watching events scheduled throughout the state.
After a lull, asylum-seekers adapt to US immigration changes and again overwhelm border agents
After a dip in illegal crossings that followed policy changes in May, the Biden administration is again on its heels as more asylum-seekers cross the U.S. border from Mexico.
What prompted Wednesday’s energy emergency? Here’s what ERCOT is saying
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) instituted an Energy Emergency Alert on Wednesday but avoided calling for controlled outages to keep the grid in balance.
EXPLAINER: Challenges from intense summer heat raise questions about Texas power grid’s reliability
This summer’s sweltering heat has put tremendous stress on Texas’ power grid, with the state setting 10 new records for electricity demand.
Tropical Storm Harold makes landfall in South Texas, causing power outages in Corpus Christi
Thousands of homes and businesses in the small South Texas city of Corpus Christi are without power after the state’s first tropical storm of the hurricane season made landfall, bringing strong winds and welcome rain following months of dry weather.