The contract comes just a week after Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said the agency would not build a wall in Big Bend National Park.

Some smoke shops say the flurry of court actions since March 31 has already forced them to scale back hours, cut staff and prepare to shut down.

Edward Busby was executed by lethal injection Thursday, reinforcing Texas’ position as the nation's leader in capital punishment.

The incumbent senator and his allies have massively outspent the pro-Paxton side, though polling points to a tight finish in the May 26 election.

José Contreras Díaz was one of hundreds of DACA recipients the Trump administration targeted for deportation. He’s one of a few the federal government has allowed to return.

A North Texas city has become the epicenter of a collision between the GOP’s efforts to win over Indian American voters and some conservatives’ nativist agenda.

Texas was among the first states to heed Trump administration directives to revoke commercial driver’s licenses from some immigrants as a safety measure.

Ten water projects received initial approval to split $1.28 billion in state money this year, but 13 others didn’t make the cut — including one that may supply drought-stricken Corpus Christi.

Data center construction is unpopular among locals, and a majority of the facilities are being proposed in red, rural counties. That puts Texas Republicans in a tough spot, as the White House has encouraged states to let the centers flourish.

Dozens of bills were rejected over nearly 60 years, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found. Some measures would have prohibited youth camps and new construction in high-risk flood areas.

The University of Houston survey results were within the margin of error less than a month out from the May 26 election. State Sen. Mayes Middleton had a wider lead in the attorney general primary.

Josh Orta was the sole witness of Ruben Martinez’s death to dispute the government’s account. Months later, he died in a crash after learning an ICE agent killed his friend. Their mothers blame the government for their loss.

Unlike criminal warrants, ICE administrative warrants don’t require approval from an independent judge. ICE defends the practice, but legal experts say they can have errors and risk wrongful detention.

“I think about the night of the flood every moment of every day,” Edward Eastland said at a committee hearing Tuesday. “We tried our hardest that night and it wasn’t enough to save your daughters.”

The Austin Democrat, who won his party’s nomination in March, led Cornyn and Paxton by margins of 3 and 5 percentage points, respectively. Both results were within the survey’s margin of error.

The summer camp hadn’t prepared counselors and staff with adequate emergency training, an evacuation plan or flood preparedness supplies, the investigator concluded.

A plane carrying the family to Michigan was reportedly on its way back to Colorado after a Texas federal judge ordered a halt to their deportation following his ruling that they be released.

In 2025, one in three children placed in foster care was sent to a different region, sometimes hundreds of miles away, a Texas Tribune analysis of state data shows.

Immigrants with DACA were protected from deportation, but since Trump’s return, the government has arrested nearly 300 DACA recipients, including 75 in Texas.

Admissions to Texas computer science programs are down roughly 20%, professors said, but they still see a future for their students.

So far this year, cryptocurrency PACs have spent more than $2.5 million on Texas congressional candidates, up from $1 million in 2024.

Like their larger neighbor, small South Texas cities are drilling new water wells amid a stubborn drought. But experts say that could deplete local aquifers.

The governor’s letters to Austin, Dallas and Houston say the state will pull back state grants because of local policies that deter police from fully cooperating with immigration officials.

Diana Padilla has spent a decade teaching Rio Grande Valley residents how to farm and was set to expand across the rest of the state, first in Kaufman County.

Like thousands of other migrants, the family entered under the Biden administration’s rules in 2024. With Trump in office, they were locked up in Texas before deciding to abandon asylum.

For much of President Donald Trump’s second term, Texas city leaders have avoided opposing his immigration crackdown, but that’s changing — and sparking tensions with the state.

Emboldened by overturning Roe v. Wade, conservative legal groups hope Ken Paxton’s successor will help them overturn gay marriage and public school access for undocumented students.

At least three Texas counties were contacted this week by the Department of Homeland Security for detailed records about individual voters.

Some Texans on SNAP say the ban on using food stamps to buy sugary drinks and candy prevents quick fixes to low blood sugar conditions.

Production in West Texas has helped the U.S. stabilize its demand for foreign oil amid the Iran war, despite drilling fewer oil wells.

The tax break is one of the state’s costliest incentive programs and soon to be the most expensive of its kind in the nation.

The president could still weigh in over the next seven weeks. But his inaction before last month’s dropout deadline has only hardened the rivalry.

One Black Texan sees education savings accounts as an escape from a burning house. Another fears they threaten a robust public school system.

While the federal government hasn’t made a public statement about its plans, official maps show a “virtual wall” going through the region rather than a physical barrier.

Tyler has spent the last decade remaking its parks and sidewalks to allure families. At the same time, a constellation of groups are helping parents take care of their families.

The Houston federal judge said Paxton’s office can pull out of the case as soon as acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock finds new lawyers. The unusual request comes amid a bubbling feud between the two Republicans.

The sweeping rule changes, all enacted outside the typical legislative process, have upended life for noncitizens, including those who are here legally.

Of the almost 275,000 students who applied for vouchers, 45% are white and 75% attended a private school or home-school in 2024-25, final numbers show.

Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks made their fortune in the oil business. They’ve deployed millions of dollars to pull the Texas GOP and Legislature toward their hardline stances.

Since Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas hospitals to start asking patients for their citizenship status in November 2024, reported visits by undocumented immigrants have dropped.

Wait times at George Bush Intercontinental Airport are expected to worsen over the weekend as agents miss a second paycheck and increasingly call in sick.

Most of the state’s measles cases reported so far this year are inside the West Texas Detention Facility in Hudspeth County, where four infected El Paso residents worked.

Gov. Greg Abbott had opened two such sites as he surged thousands of DPS troopers and Guard members to the Texas-Mexico border.

New rules from state health officials ban smokeable intoxicating hemp products, including pre-rolled joints and hemp flower.

The city produces 5% of the nation’s refined products like gas and jet fuel, and experts say a serious water shortage could force production down and push fuel prices up even further.

The state does not track the prevalence or provide guidance on the issue, leaving inmates to languish in jail and eventually sue counties for damages.

Two out of the five projections city leaders presented Tuesday showed water shortages beginning in May. The city has yet to detail plans for how to reduce water use for residents and businesses.

The City Council will discuss the looming crisis Tuesday. One model predicted a water emergency in November. Other scenarios show that happening in May.

The Republican in Congress helped a migrant teenager she previously knew get released from federal custody. Scores of migrants are in similar situations with no clear exit.

Democratic enthusiasm in the Valley’s four counties could foreshadow a November reversal of Trump’s historic 2024 sweep there — and signal that Latino voters have become swing voters.

Oil and gas companies have said the region needs more power. Environmentalists and a conservative think tank worry the state is moving too fast — and ratepayers will see the costs in their bills.

Confusion over the program’s special education requirements is making it difficult for families to meet a looming deadline — and creating more work for Texas school districts.

The family, including the mother and her five children, detail in letters what they describe as neglectful medical care, inedible food and a disregard for their religious accommodations. They’ve been imprisoned at the nation’s only family detention center for more than nine months and are believed to be the longest held there.

The Texas state representative is part of a band of conservatives known for antagonizing Republican leadership and working to push the state further right.

This Tuesday, Tribune reporters are watching two blockbuster Senate primaries, an open attorney general seat, and more high-stakes, competitive races up and down the Texas ballot.

The three people killed by the suspected gunman were identified Monday. Thirteen people were injured in the Sunday shooting that the FBI called a “potential act of terrorism.”

Some advocates for the region worry freshmen lawmakers will start deal-making at a deficit, while other voters see a chance for new blood.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt are competing to be the Republican nominee come November, with stakes that will be felt across Texas and in Washington.

President Donald Trump recently endorsed Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz for the seat Texas Republicans drew at his request. Democrats also see a chance to win in November.

The moderate Republican’s votes on gun control and marriage equality upset the region’s most conservative voters, but local officials said they’re grateful for the work he did on public safety and health.

Before she was a firebrand congresswoman, Jasmine Crockett was a public defender — and local Democratic party chair — in Texarkana.

Mayra Flores argues her “battle scars” make her the best bet to beat Democrat Vicente Gonzalez. Eric Flores says his opponent is a proven “loser” after back-to-back defeats.

Turnout during the first week of early voting for the Texas midterm election exceeded the same period for the previous two presidential elections, years that typically see higher voter engagement.

High-cost housing in Texas’ third-largest city reflects challenges across the state, which has faced an affordability crisis amid extraordinary growth.

The involvement of federal immigration agents in the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez on South Padre Island in March had not been disclosed in initial reports.

Last year was the deadliest year in ICE detention in two decades. Nearly a quarter of those deaths occurred in Texas.

All four candidates are vying to prove they are the heir apparent to Paxton, who has solidified the office as a juggernaut in the conservative legal movement.

Early voting in person runs from Feb. 17-27. This guide explains your rights at Texas polls.

Texans from Waco to Harlingen are raising concerns over how much energy and water data centers are poised to use. Local officials, some enticed by a tax boon, say they have little power to stop the rush.

Ten Republicans, including Trump-endorsed attorney Chris Gober, are competing for the red-leaning 10th Congressional District in Central Texas.

Both John Cornyn and Ken Paxton argue they’re best equipped to carry the torch for Republicans and fight off Democratic headwinds in local races.

The 3-2 vote from Hood County commissioners Tuesday came after they received a letter from a state senator saying they did not have the power to issue a moratorium.

The former Texas Rangers first baseman has poured $2.5 million of his own money into the race and recently scooped up the key endorsement of President Donald Trump.

The survey findings released Monday come just eight days before the start of early voting.

Lack of a state floodplain policy enabled oil companies to build in parts of Texas hit by an epic inundation less than 30 years ago.

The three-term incumbent is effectively the underdog in the primary race for his own seat, lagging in fundraising and under attack by members of his own party.

In Pineland, a fresh batch of local elected officials and an expansion of the town’s biggest employer have created the conditions for an economic renaissance. A dearth of housing could slow growth.

Cain, a state lawmaker, and Mealer, a former Harris County judge candidate, have consolidated much of the fundraising and endorsements in the 9th Congressional District’s Republican primary.

Families filed applications for more than 100,000 students by mid-February. The application period will close March 17.

ICE bypassed the county medical examiner in favor of a military facility for the autopsy of a Nicaraguan man and won’t release a ruling to the public.

As a part of a yearlong study, Texas county jails are collecting data about pregnant inmates’ prenatal care, mental health indicators, pregnancy outcomes and more.

Republicans dismissed the result as a one-off explained by the unpredictability of special elections. Others cited Rehmet’s working-class appeal and Latino and suburban backlash to GOP policies.

Lawmakers and industry leaders gathered in Austin this week to discuss the future of the market. “We almost have to take it on,” a Republican state House member said.

Immigration experts weigh in on who is affected by Gov. Greg Abbott’s order, what the impact will be on employers and how certain sectors might be affected.

Some students walked out of schools Friday afternoon to join demonstrations throughout the country condemning the actions of immigration enforcement officials.

University leaders also said six courses were canceled and 48 exceptions were granted under new rules on race and gender.

After coming under fire for some earlier comments about Latinos, Crockett is working to narrow Democratic rival James Talarico’s lead among the key voting bloc.

Five years after Winter Storm Uri caused catastrophic blackouts that killed hundreds, the electric grid has changed significantly, but increasing demand means it will have to adapt even more.

Suzanne Bellsnyder used to work for Republicans in Austin. Now she’s challenging them to do better for rural Texas, where she lives and operates two newspapers and a growing Substack newsletter.

Elon Musk’s company got a boost in its application by the Starbase city commissioners. Two commissioners are SpaceX employees.

State troopers deployed pepper spray at protesters at the family detention center near Dilley where a 5-year-old Ecuadorian’s detention has drawn nationwide attention.

Texas’ population grew at a slower pace in 2025 than in previous years, according to new federal data. Nearly 32 million people now live in the state.

The demographic makeup of the “trigger” schools raises questions about whether Texas' accountability system fairly considers historic inequities tied to race and poverty.

As the GOP and its factions debate what constitutes American identity, opposition to Islam has become a key campaign pillar for some Texas Republicans in statewide races and beyond.

ERCOT officials expected to see power demand close in on power supply by Monday 8 a.m., but the grid held “flawlessly,” Abbott said.

With Texas’ hardline conservative megadonors largely staying on the sidelines, a handful of House primaries have become battlegrounds for the state’s civil justice debate.

State and local officials say they’re better prepared than they were five years ago when Winter Storm Uri blanketed the state, killing hundreds and leaving scores without power and water.

Immigration officials initially said the 55-year-old Cuban detainee died of “medical distress” but later changed the cause to suicide. The medical examiner ruled he was suffocated while being restrained.

Texas is preparing for the coldest temperatures of the season, and forecasters are warning of possible power outages and icy roads in much of the state.

Freezing rain, sleet and snow are expected to hit a large portion of Texas beginning Friday.