Texas cities debate costly infrastructure investments in age of extreme weather
Experts say local governments should prioritize extreme weather preparedness. Cost can be a deterring factor.
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As freeze subsides, Austin vows to restore more power Friday
More than 240,000 customers remained without electricity Friday morning, but rising temperatures were expected to aid the slow work of bringing power back to homes and businesses.
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State Board of Education eases stance on vouchers after previously rejecting “school choice” policies
This comes two days after Gov. Greg Abbott voiced his most explicit support yet of a new school choice policy at a Parent Empowerment Night event in Corpus Christi. Full Story
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![A student walks down the hallway at Cactus Elementary School in Cactus on Jan. 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Chainsaws and dry socks: Austinites step up for neighbors during ice storm
Friends in North Austin removed downed trees from neighbors’ roofs, while closer to the city core, volunteers rushed to meet the immediate needs of people without homes — those most severely impacted by the freezing temperatures. Full Story
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![Eric Calder and his son Thomas, 14, help move large tree limbs from a neighbors backyard after an ice storm, in northwest Austin on Feb. 2, 2023. Calder and his son were part of a neighborhood effort to clean up their neighbor's yards.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune
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For many Central Texans, latest bout of cold weather and outages reopens old wounds
Severe weather this week is confronting Texans with old problems and stirring up memories of previous crises. Experts say this can be a detriment to mental health. Full Story
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![A man attempts to scrape the ice from his truck windshield after a winter storm in north Austin on Feb. 1, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ tech capital again fumbles digital communication amid a power crisis
As tens of thousands of households and businesses face a third day in the dark, Austin leaders say they will improve emergency communications. But residents and critics have little patience for bungled warnings. Full Story
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![A fallen tree blocks most of Barton Skyway in South Austin, Texas, U.S., during a winter storm on Feb. 1, 2023.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS
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Austin doesn’t know when it’ll fully restore power as hundreds of thousands of Texans remain in the cold
Close to 325,000 electricity customers statewide lacked power Thursday evening. Austin’s main power provider said it can no longer promise full restoration by 6 p.m. Friday. Full Story
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![Crews from Pedernales Electric Company work to repair downed power lines in Buda on Feb. 1, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
In Central Texas, an urban tree canopy bends to the ice
The Hill Country loves its trees. But improper pruning and a drought earlier in the year may have contributed to the huge number of downed branches this week that frequently took power lines with them. Full Story
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![Joe Rendon, a worker with Medxcel, cuts off a broken tree limb near the Ascension Seton Medical Center after an ice storm caused power outages across Austin on Feb. 2, 2023. Rendon and his crew had spent the day cleaning out other hospitals and said that there was enough damage from fallen trees for over two weeks of work.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Cruz, Cornyn renew calls for release of Mark Swidan, Texan detained in China for 10 years
The two Texas Republicans are drumming up attention to the decade-old case as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang this week. Full Story
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![Mark Swidan.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Swidan Family Free Mark Campaign
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The Rio Grande Valley is at the epicenter of an Alzheimer’s spike among Latinos and is now the focus of new research efforts
Compared to other large states, fewer state dollars go to Alzheimer’s disease services in Texas. Now with more national attention on research here, could that change? Full Story
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![Photographs of her father, Tomas, decorate the home of Jessica Cantú. Cantú’s father received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2016.]()
Credit: Daisy Yuhas -
Texas Legislature gears up to tackle long-standing and fresh issues in public education. Here’s what you need to know.
Lawmakers are looking at ways to keep teachers in the profession, make schools safer, give parents money for private schooling and censor conversations about sex and gender. Full Story
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![Students get onto a bus following classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin face budget challenges because of proposed school choice legislation, which provides taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Critics say state tax break helps petrochemical companies and hurts public schools
In December, legislators killed a controversial tax abatement program known as Chapter 313, but its effects will last decades. Full Story
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![Corpus Christi Ship Channel on April 17, 2022.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune
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Texas executes Wesley Ruiz despite ongoing fight over state’s use of old lethal injection drugs
Ruiz was convicted in the 2007 shooting death of Dallas police Senior Cpl. Mark Nix after a high-speed chase. Full Story
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![Texas' execution chamber in Huntsville.]()
Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Environmental advocates push feds to investigate Texas’ enforcement of water quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to investigate allegations that the state is failing to enforce the Clean Water Act. Environmentalists say the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s system of issuing permits has made it too easy for industries to contaminate rivers, lakes and estuaries. Full Story
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![Downstream from Inland Environmental & Remediation, Inc., contaminated water empties from Skull creek into the Colorado River south of Columbus, Texas, on April 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Company that wants to build oilfield dump in East Texas gave $53,750 in campaign donations to regulators
McBride Operating LLC and its owner, Joseph McBride, contributed to the political campaigns of the three commissioners on the Texas Railroad Commission now considering his request. Full Story
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![Two wells of the Paxton Water Supply Corporation sit about 1,000 yards away from the proposed dumpsite on Jan. 18, 2023.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News
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Potential 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls headed to Austin for retreat with donors
Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn are helping host the event at the Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa. Full Story
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![Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and former Vice President Mike Pence.]()
Credit: Rebecca F. Miller and Jonathan Ernst via REUTERS; Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: One month in, here’s how it’s going
I’ve spent my first month as Texas Tribune CEO getting to know the Tribune and its staff while we focus on this year’s legislative session and issues that affect people across the state. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Sonal Shah attends a panel about the legislative session in Studio 919 on Jan. 30, 2022.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/Texas Tribune -
Ron DeSantis to visit Texas to help Republicans in Harris and Dallas counties raise money
The news of DeSantis’ visit comes as speculation continues to mount that he could make a 2024 presidential bid against former President Donald Trump, who is already running. Full Story
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![Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives a speech after taking the oath of office at his second term inauguration in Tallahassee, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2023.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Octavio Jones
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Ted Cruz, who’s running for a third term, again files bill to limit U.S. senators to two terms
Cruz announced in November that he is seeking a third term in the Senate in 2024. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at a press conference with organizers of the People’s Convoy near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 10, 2022.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
University of Houston asked students to wear neon vests after police drew weapon on a Black student
The university distributed vests to theater students after an officer drew a gun on a Black student rehearsing a violent scene last year. Officials walked back the requirement amid recent student criticism. Full Story
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![University of Houston students back on campus in Houston on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, after Hurricane Harvey.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
At parental rights event, Gov. Greg Abbott sheds light on how he’d implement “school choice” policy
For the first time, Abbott makes it clear which policy he supports. Bills that would allow parents to get state money to send their kids to schools outside of the state’s public education system have been floated previously, but top lawmakers believe the policies will pass this session. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a “Parent Empowerment Night” hosted by the Parent Empowerment Coalition at Annapolis Christian Academy in Corpus Christi on Jan. 31, 2023.]()
Credit: Blaine Young for The Texas Tribune - More News