Some Prison Labor Programs Lose Money — Even When Prisoners Work

Officials claim programs provide skills for inmates, but critics say there's little evidence.

Texas Gov. Abbott Signs ‘Critical Race Theory' Bill Limiting Teaching Of Current Events Into Law

This law, which goes into effect Sept. 1, includes a list of founding documents that Texas students must be taught.

Texas Educators Worry That New State Legislation Limiting The Teaching Of Historic Racism And Current Events Would ‘Whitewash History'

“Where was the Fourth Amendment to protect Breonna Taylor?” a student asked her, referring to a defenseless woman who was shot and killed.

'Hellcat' V. Big Oil: How A Great-Grandmother Is Fighting To Protect A Texas Fishing Bay

Plans to dredge a fragile Gulf Coast estuary and Superfund site are being ‘fast-tracked' in a rush to export Permian oil to Europe.

Six Years After Judge Said Texas Is Violating Foster Children's Constitutional Rights, Court Monitors Warn State Is Continuing.

“I mean it’s just stunning to me that these rules are even necessary,” Judge Janis Jack said.

$2 Billion In Federal Stimulus Headed To Texas Colleges. Half Of All Funds Must Go To Struggling Students and Undocumented Students

“We applaud the Department of Education’s decision to include undocumented students in federal higher education funding.”

GOP Lawmakers Look To Ban ‘Woke Philosophies' Like Critical Race Theory In Texas Schools

The Texas legislation would go further by discouraging Texas students from discussing current events or controversial public policy issues.

Texas Adds Congressional Seats After 2020 U.S. Census Revealed

Census officials found the population in Texas has increased by 15.9 percent since 2010.

‘I've Never Done Any Of This’: Meet The Texas Mom In The Middle Of A Political Battle Over Her School District’s Mask Policy

On one side of the aisle, parents carried professionally printed signs that read “Kids Need Smiles” and “My Student My Choice.”

Transgender Students In Texas Would Be Barred From School Sports Teams Matching Their Gender Identity Under Bill Advanced By State Senate

Medical professionals have largely debunked the argument that transgender athletes have an advantage in sports competitions.

$19 Billion In Federal Stimulus Money For Texas Public Education — But Schools Have Yet To See An Extra Dime

Texas has to invest over $1 billion of the state’s own budget in higher education to receive the third round of stimulus funding.

Texas Prisons Stopped In-Person Visits And Limited Mail, Drugs Got In Anyway

Guards smuggle in most contraband, people who live in or work at prisons say.

COVID-Positive Inmates Share Dining Hall With General Population: Prison Journalism Project

The dorm of “COVID positive” women also goes to the same chow hall, or dining hall, as us. It feels like they are purposely exposing us.

Texas Lawsuit Seeks to End Open Borders

Former Trump DHS chief of staff seeks to resume no exception practice of returning unaccompanied minors to their home countries

Griddy Energy Customers May Be Off The Hook For Exorbitant Energy Bills After Company Files Bankruptcy

If approved, former Griddy customers might not have to pay their outstanding bills, some of which cost more than $15,000.

Texas Tells Schools They Won’t Lose State Funding For Coronavirus Attendance Declines If They Maintain Or Increase In Person Learning Rate

“As more districts return to in-person instruction, we are ensuring that schools are not financially penalized for declines in attendance."

Several Texas College Campuses To Keep Mask Mandates After Governor’s Order

Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s order, universities are able to choose whether they will retain and enforce mask-wearing and other safety measures.

Texas Will Not Fix ERCOT's $16 Billion Power Billing Mistake

In Texas, wholesale power prices are determined by supply and demand: When demand is high, ERCOT allows prices to go up.

Texas Courts Cleared For In-Person Trials, And Local Officials Will Decide Whether To Require Face Masks

Texas courthouses no longer need a state safety review before conducting in-person hearings, including jury trials.

ERCOT Overcharged Power Companies $16 Billion For Electricity During Winter Freeze, Firm Says

Because ERCOT failed to bring prices back down on time, companies had to buy power in the market at inflated prices.

Plumber Shortage And Supply Chain Issues Are Delaying Storm Recovery Efforts In Texas

A longstanding shortage of plumbers and disruptions to the supply chain of plumbing materials are delaying pipe and water heater repairs.

Gov. Greg Abbott, In Statewide Address, Promises Answers On Winter Weather Disaster

"Tragic does not even begin to describe" the suffering Texans endured, Abbott said Wednesday evening.

Winter Storm Could Cost Texas More Money Than Any Disaster In State History

As of Monday, state agencies reported spending $41 million on the storm, and local governments had spent $49 million.

Why Some Texans Are Getting Sky-High Energy Bills

Many of those who have reported receiving large bills are customers of electricity provider Griddy.

President Biden Approves Additional Disaster Relief For Texans

In a statement released Saturday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott thanked Biden for the "partial" approval.

Already Hit Hard By Pandemic, Black And Hispanic Communities Suffer The Blows Of An Unforgiving Winter Storm

Low-income Texans of color bore some of the heaviest weight of the power outages.

President Biden Plans To Visit Texas Next Week

The president also said he would ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to speed up a disaster declaration request for the state.

'An Emergency On Top Of A Pandemic': Texas Hospital Workers Scramble As Winter Storm Hampered Operations

Hospitals across Texas struggled with water outages and food supply disruption in the wake of this week’s historic and debilitating weather.

'Obviously A Mistake': Cruz Returns From Cancun After Uproar

The senator caught major flak Thursday for going on vacation while Texans were without power due to a major winter storm.

Gov. Greg Abbott Plans To Relax Business Restrictions Soon If COVID-19 Numbers Continue To Drop From Record Highs

While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are trending downward, the numbers are higher than when Abbott initially announced restrictions.

Texas Tenants Behind On Rent Will Soon Be Able To Seek Aid From $1.3 Billion Assistance Program

The statewide program will start on Feb. 15 and will be able to help tenants with past and future rent.

Gov. Greg Abbott Has Set His Legislative Agenda. These Lawmakers Could Influence How Much Is Accomplished.

There are a total of 181 legislators in the Capitol, but the influence is not evenly distributed.

Older And Disabled Texans Are Demanding Their Home Caregivers Be Vaccinated For COVID-19. But Many Don’t Want It.

Home health workers, most of whom are women of color, could start losing their jobs if they aren't vaccinated against COVID-19.

Oil And Gas Cleanups Are On Biden’s Agenda. Will Texas Embrace It?

Some areas of Texas could benefit from Biden’s federal directive to accelerate cleanups of legacy oil and gas, mining and hazardous wast ...

Texas Temporarily Blocked From Kicking Planned Parenthood Out Of Medicaid

The state had given Planned Parenthood's Medicaid patients until Wednesday to find new doctors.

Texas Tenants Behind On Rent Will Soon Be Able To Seek Aid From $1.3 Billion Assistance Program

The program should start in two weeks and could help with up to 15 months of rent for tenants that have felt the pandemic's impact.

Republican Lawmakers Push To Make Texas’ Anti-Abortion Laws Among The Most Restrictive In The Nation

Legislators have promised to back a so-called “heartbeat bill” that would bar abortions before many women know they are pregnant.

'We Do A Lot Of Work': Texas' Low-Wage Workers Hope For More As Biden, Congress Push Minimum Wage Hike

The minimum wage in Texas pays $7.25 an hour, well below a livable wage and far lower than the minimum hourly pay in most states.

Republican Texas Lawmakers Reviving Push To End In-State Tuition For Undocumented College Students

Activists worry that if the bill becomes law, many undocumented students will lose opportunities to further their education.

Census Delays Will Force Texas Lawmakers Into A Special Session To Redraw Political Maps

Under the Census Bureau’s projected timeline, Gov. Abbott would need to call lawmakers back for a special legislative session in the summer.