Texas lawmakers advancing bill to ban kids from social media
The Texas House passed onto the Senate a proposed ban Tuesday, alongside another bill that would require a social media warning label for minors. Full Story
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Stephen Simpson is the mental health reporter, based in Austin, where he covers behavioral health in schools, treatment in the judicial system, substance abuse and the state mental health system, among other topics. He previously worked in his home state of Arkansas as a politics reporter, where he covered the state's Supreme Court, House of Representatives and correctional system for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Stephen's earliest career experiences include reporting and copy editing at The Jonesboro Sun and The Pine Bluff Commercial. He earned a degree in online and print journalism with a minor in filmmaking from the University of Central Arkansas.
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![Bonham Middle School students walk between classes Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
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Experts cast doubt on state’s report that undocumented immigrants cost Texas hospitals $122M in a month
Policy experts say undocumented immigrants' cost to hospitals is a small fraction of the total cost from uninsured Texans. Full Story
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![Medical equipment lines the walls of a Central Texas hospital room on Mar. 13, 2024.]()
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Texas measles cases grow to 683. Track the spread here.
Three more counties – Upshur, Eastland and Hardeman – report their first cases of measles in the ongoing historic outbreak. Full Story
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![An editorial art for the West Texas measles outbreak tracker.]()
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Texas hemp farmers fear full THC ban would nip industry in the bud
As lawmakers work to close loopholes that allow minors access to cannabis consumables, hemp farmers warn a total THC ban would strangle a once-hailed crop. Full Story
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![bin of proccessed hemp at Bingham Family Venards outside Meadow, TX.]()
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House panel passes bill requiring air conditioning in Texas prisons by 2032
Weeks after a federal judge declared hot conditions in Texas prisons unconstitutional, a bill requiring air conditioning in those facilities by 2032 has gained traction in the House. Full Story
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![Mountain View prison in Gatesville on September 19, 2019.]()
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Maternal health care experts say the needs in the rural parts of Texas are vast, but can be addressed with help
Experts talk to The Texas Tribune about the challenges of providing maternal health care in rural parts of the state and how they can be addressed. Full Story
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Texas AG investigating insurance company accused of spying on lawmakers, journalists, other Texans
Superior HealthPlan’s CEO, whom lawmakers grilled about the company’s alleged hiring of private investigators, was reportedly fired after the inquiry was announced. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.]()
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Texas is poised to make measles a nationwide epidemic, public health experts say
Public health experts say Texas needs better messaging on vaccinations and quarantining and more people conducting contact tracing to contain the spread. Full Story
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![A sign donning measles information is posted outside of the office of Dr. Rumbidzai Mutikani, a pediatrician at the Hobbs Medical Clinic, as she works at her desk Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Hobbs, N.M.]()
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Abbott praises Trump’s efforts to eliminate Education Department at White House
Gov. Greg Abbott dismissed concerns that federal funding and civil rights could be jeopardized by the reduction of the department. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott applauds as he attends the signing of an executive order to shut down the Department of Education by President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 20, 2025.]()
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After COVID, Texas is less prepared for the next pandemic
Five years after Texas’ first COVID death, the state spends less on public health, vaccination rates have dropped and a distrust of authority has taken hold. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Diana Branzan for The Texas Tribune