The Latest Breaking News from The Texas Tribune

Professors want to leave Texas because of tense political climate, survey says

Professors’ concerns included the state’s DEI ban and new limits to faculty influence at colleges and universities.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 5, 2025

Texas Legislature’s long summer ends with Democrats marginalized, Republicans triumphant and unified

Democrats in the Texas House began the year by elevating a new speaker and left Austin relegated to the sidelines in the one chamber that had granted them at least scraps from the table.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 5, 2025

Powerful GOP fundraising group calls Rep. Wesley Hunt’s speculative Senate bid a wasteful “vanity project”

In a memo, the National Republican Senate Committee asked Hunt’s donors to tell him to stop wasting resources and endorse Sen. John Cornyn’s reelection.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 5, 2025

Texas launches downloadable form to exempt kids from school-required vaccines

Previously, parents had to wait for the state to mail them the exemption form. They still have to get the form notarized before submitting it to the school for enrollment purposes.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 4, 2025

This West Texas town's proof is in the banana pudding

More than 10,000 people met over Labor Day weekend in Slaton to sample the banana pudding — a major boost to the rural town’s economy.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 4, 2025

Texans are voting in new congressional districts. See how yours looks for the March 2026 primaries.

Last year, Texas Republicans drew new districts aimed at picking up five more U.S. House seats. This tool compares previous and new districts.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 4, 2025

Bill overhauling disaster emergency response misses final approval in Texas Senate

Both legislative chambers adjourned without agreeing on changes to Senate Bill 2, which aimed to create new training and licensing requirements for local officials.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 4, 2025

Texas Legislature ends second special session marked by new political maps, slew of conservative wins

Between cracking down on abortion pills and restricting transgender restroom use, lawmakers also tackled flood safety and the STAAR test. Left untouched: Texas’ hemp industry.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 4, 2025

Texas kids’ camps must remove cabins from floodplains, operate warning systems under new laws

The parents of children who died at Camp Mystic advocated for the new legislation, which now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 4, 2025

Texas is poised to replace STAAR. Here is what schools’ new standardized tests would look like.

A bill scrapping the state’s standardized test heads over to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. It would replace STAAR with three shorter tests at the beginning, middle and end of the year.

The Texas Tribune · Sep 4, 2025