/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Ayden_Runnels_2025_2x3_1.jpg)
Ayden Runnels is the afternoon/evening reporter. Previously, they were a breaking news reporter for the Las Vegas Sun. A graduate of the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas, Ayden was a Dallas Press Club Foundation reporting fellow at the Tribune in 2023. They were born in the Houston suburb of Clear Lake and speak English and Arabic. They served as editor-in-chief of the North Texas Daily, UNT's student-run newspaper, and have worked on freelance projects for Newsweek and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Senate Bill 13 would require school boards or advisory councils to approve new books and review complaints. Critics worry the bill would lead to banning classic titles and create administrative logjams. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fc289a1629a24a3664ea1230ac94fd58/0723%20SEISD%20JH%20TT%2001.jpg)
Senate Bill 3070 would move the lottery game to Texas’ Department of Licensing and Regulation and includes new restrictions on how players can buy tickets. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/507401695989d51e9d2ce4c7962b74a9/0429%20Lottery%20Commission%20LW%20TT%2007.jpg)
The bill, which is poised to become law, creates up to a $250,000 fine for medical professionals who change a patients’ listed sex outside of certain exemptions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/eb5459a21fa52b35006487384b67b2fa/0219%20DEI%20MC%20TT%2003.jpg)
Matthew Johnson, who testified he did not intend to kill the elderly clerk, received the death penalty in 2013. The execution is Texas’ fourth and may be the last for 2025. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3fa6760eb389a4deeded20cc486e104b/0131%20Huntsville%20Unit%20MC%20TT%2005.jpg)
The DAs say in two lawsuits that a new rule requiring counties to hand over almost all documents the attorney general’s office requests violates state and federal law. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/99fcdffeaaf985e411e9bb126e104734/0523%20GOP%20Convention%20EH%20TT%2052.jpg)
Senate Bill 3070 would allow the Texas Lottery’s games to continue under a new department, abolish the agency and create restrictions on ticket purchases. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/42a471b3d43093b8a8cb5d67677eb5b1/0220%20Winners%20Corner%20LS%20TT%2005.jpg)
A key Senate critic threw a lifeline to the Texas Lottery when he proposed moving its oversight to a new agency instead of eliminating it entirely. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/97ba8cf96101b66de11b464a7eeda04e/0505%20Lottery%20File%20LW%20TT%2001.jpg)
The money will help pay for a permanent home for the school on UT-Austin's campus. Conservative donors and lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, helped create the school in 2023. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/17096103f8477658fa141213e02c7016/0508%20Civic%20Leadership%20LW%20TT%2011.JPG)
The bill would overturn a two-decade-old law allowing some undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/85bcd9e43952d6f3fa9b3b377adf3281/Sam%20Houston%20State%20U%20MF%20TT%2014.jpg)
Lawmakers must act on two bills in order to ensure the lottery continues past September, or find a way to make up the $2 billion for schools the game provides yearly. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ccfbfa18daee8525f91e9ccd5dd304a7/Texas%20Lottery%20Billboard%20REUTERS.jpg)