Beto O’Rourke wants to end the STAAR tests. Here’s why he can’t.
The Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate has said several times he will end the annual standardized tests. State and federal law make it impossible. Full Story
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Pooja Salhotra joined the Tribune in 2022 as its first-ever East Texas reporter based in Lufkin, where she covered a vast region that borders three states and stretches north to Texarkana and south to Beaumont. In late 2023, she relocated to Austin as a general assignment reporter to cover issues ranging from breaking news to developments in state agencies. Pooja was born and raised in the Houston area and graduated from Yale University. She also holds a master’s in fine arts from NYU’s journalism school.
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks at a rally in Austin on Sept. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Conspiracy theorists and 16-hour days: Inside the stress elections officials face ahead of the midterms
Running elections in Texas has never been easy. But since 2020, the scrutiny elections administrators face has grown — even in small Republican-controlled counties that former President Donald Trump carried. Full Story
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![Todd Stallings poses for a portrait at the elections office in Nacogdoches on Oct. 3, 2022.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Leading anti-abortion group drops support of Texas lawmaker after he pledges to support exceptions for rape
Other anti-abortion groups and Republicans said they will continue to support state Sen. Robert Nichols after his comments at The Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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![State Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, speaks at a panel moderated by Tribune political reporter James Barragán at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 23, 2022.]()
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As inflation skyrockets, local Texas governments ponder tax rate increases as they balance budgets
Local governments in Texas have spent the summer preparing their budgets for next year, wrestling with inflation and a law that prohibits them from raising property tax revenues beyond 3.5% without voter approval. Full Story
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![New home construction in north Longview's Hidden Hills subdivision on Dec. 17, 2021.]()
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New abortion restrictions are impractical and resource-draining, Texas prosecutors say
District attorneys for Harris, Kaufman, Fort Bend counties voiced concerns over state’s new abortion law at the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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![From left: Michael Hall, executive editor at Texas Monthly, moderates a panel with district attorneys Erleigh Norville Wiley (Kaufman Co.), Kim Ogg (Harris Co.) and Brian Middleton (Fort Bend Co.) at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Republican Texas senator says he will support new rape exceptions for abortion
One of the longest-serving Republican state senators, Robert Nichols is among the first to say publicly he’d support revising the state’s abortion prohibition. He spoke Friday at The Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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![Senate Republicans Peter Flores, Kevin Sparks, Robert Nichols and Phil King speak on a panel moderated by Tribune political reporter James Barragán at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2022 in Austin, TX.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Does a fetus count in the carpool lane? Texas’ abortion law creates new questions about legal personhood
A pregnant Texas woman said her fetus should count as a person in an HOV lane. That legal question is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the thorny question of “personhood.” Full Story
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![Interstate 45 Gulf Freeway's HOV and Toll lanes exit into Metro's Eastowood Transit Center in Houston Friday, October 19, 2012.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program costs Texas $12 million
Abbott’s office said Chicago will now also become a regular drop-off location in addition to New York City and Washington, D.C. Full Story
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![Two buses transporting migrants from Texas arrive at Union Station on April 21, 2022. Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan in response to the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era emergency health order which allowed immigration authorities at the border to deny entry.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune
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