Is There Anyone Who Can Respond to My FOIA Requests? Anyone?

Asking the federal government for public records didn’t always feel like a shell game. But bounced emails and broken portals seem like the new normal.

propublica.org

Baby at center of surrogacy rights case is born in Dallas

The biological parents won a temporary restraining order against the surrogate, who tried to claim parental rights, and are with their baby, their attorneys say.

texastribune.org

Alaskan surrogate asks Texas courts to let her treat baby

An Alaskan surrogate has traveled to Texas for legal protection after a California couple has refused treatment for a severe heart condition.

texastribune.org

Texas detention center holding kids beyond court-ordered limit

The nation’s only detention center for families is routinely holding children beyond the 20-day limit, including an Iranian-born “average American kid” who’s been locked up for 123 days and counting.

texastribune.org

Texas fights ruling on quicker access to state psychiatric beds

A federal judge recently ruled that Texas must give defendants who are mentally incompetent to stand trial a state hospital bed within 21 days.

texastribune.org

Texas vaccine requirements unchanged this school year

Public health officials said some parents are confused about what vaccines are required to attend Texas schools amid efforts to change recommendations.

texastribune.org

Sid Miller says Texas GOP will lose because of data centers

The Texas agriculture commissioner has openly criticized Gov. Greg Abbott for not taking a stronger stand against data center development. The governor has ignored him.

texastribune.org

Court rejects Texas AG effort to overturn state fair gun ban

The fair banned firearms in 2024 after a shooting at Fair Park. Paxton’s lawsuit has faced multiple setbacks, the latest from a court appointed entirely by Gov. Greg Abbott.

texastribune.org

Houston firm gets $150M contract for child migrant legal services

A Burke Law Group founder was a former Trump appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior.

texastribune.org

Waco families brace as charter network takes over schools

The Waco school district is the latest to partner with Third Future charter network as a last-ditch effort to stave off state intervention.

texastribune.org

Talarico voter registration in question amid scrutiny of Paxton - The Texas Tribune

After hitting his GOP foe for voting under an address where he no longer lived, the Tribune and ProPublica found the Democratic Senate candidate also appears to have done so.

texastribune.org

More than 85,000 students using school vouchers in Texas' first year

The number of Texas students using taxpayer money for private school or home-school could increase as more families accept invites.

texastribune.org

Texas A&M sued over teaching limits on race, gender

This is the second Texas university system sued over teaching restrictions in recent weeks.

texastribune.org

Senate poll

In the survey released Tuesday, just 7% of Black Texans who voted in recent elections said they are less likely to vote in November due to Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s Democratic primary loss.

texastribune.org

Texas commissioner orders feds to stop clearing border tract

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said a contractor hired by U.S. Customs and Border Protection trespassed and significantly altered land in Presidio County.

texastribune.org

Texas finds some registered voters wrongly flagged as noncitizens

The secretary of state told counties to immediately reinstate any Texans who were removed from the voter roll despite showing DPS proof of citizenship.

bit.ly

What is still legal under Texas’ latest THC ban

Although several synthetically derived cannabis products will be banned on July 31, delta-9 THC products will still remain legal.

texastribune.org

Black-owned anime, gaming convention grows in popularity

Dream Con, one of the country’s largest Black-owned pop culture conventions, is at risk of looking elsewhere to find financial support and resources.

texastribune.org

Texas energy agencies want more authority over data centers

The request comes after Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Electric Reliability Council of Texas to further regulate data centers’ use of the power grid.

texastribune.org

Religion motivates data center opposition in Texas

Some see the AI facilities as a sign of the apocalypse, others see an opportunity to advocate for environmental stewardship.

texastribune.org

Colleges brace for cuts as Texas refines performance-based funding

Hiring and spending will be impacted, college administrators say. The performance-based model is proving unpredictable in its early years.

texastribune.org

Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him

Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

nytimes.com

Floodwater starts arriving in Corpus Christi lakes

Choke Canyon has almost doubled its supply of water this week, although the reservoir is still at 15% capacity.

texastribune.org

James Talarico accuses Ken Paxton of committing voter fraud - The Texas Tribune

James Talarico’s comments come after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found that the attorney general may have broken state law by voting using an address where he no longer appears to live.

texastribune.org

Texas remakes foster care system to champion parental rights

Recent court rulings and new laws make it tougher for the state to remove children from their homes.

texastribune.org

Texas nun detained by ICE faces uncertain future in U.S.

After being detained by ICE last month, Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja, a 56-year-old nun from Nigeria, could be detained again or subjected to constant monitoring.

texastribune.org

Texas reports biggest drop in crime rate in five years

Despite ICE crackdowns, experts say immigrants are less likely to commit crimes. Deportation fears might also make them less likely to report them.

texastribune.org

Texas foster care agency cancels troubled provider’s contract

The Department of Family and Protective Service’s action comes four months after it placed EMPOWER into receivership in the wake of the deaths of two children under its care and staffing problems.

texastribune.org

Millionaires could dominate Texas' next congressional delegation

A Texas Tribune analysis found Texas' incoming U.S. House delegation stands to get wealthier, with a $3.34 million median net worth among the crop of potential new members.

texastribune.org

Cancer research could stall amid Texas’ limits on foreign workers

MD Anderson is a global leader in cancer research, tapping hundreds of foreign-born scientists. Now Gov. Greg Abbott’s restrictions on H-1B visas may limit the talent pool.

texastribune.org