Soon after Birdwell announced his retirement, state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, said he was running for the seat.

Twenty-five men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S. Six other people are scheduled to be put to death in five states during the remainder of 2025.

Lawmakers sought to close gaps in education and support funding for agriculture, disaster preparedness and health care this year.

Texas is poised to lead the country in an initiative to inform denizens of what’s in their food. Food industry experts say it’s going too far.

The schools were closed last week after years of declining enrollment. The school communities said increased choices were to blame.

The Texas House is considering a bill to abolish May elections, which have the lowest turnout of any election.

If approved, the legislation would expand one of the state's most popular loan programs with even lower interest rates.

Democrats and other critics say Texas legislation threatens to keep citizens who can’t easily access the right documents from voting.

Residents in Trinity County will now have to travel 30 miles to access the closest hospital.

Texas Republican lawmakers in regions known for support of public schools defended voting for vouchers, saying they gained leverage to seek concessions.

After a deal to pipe water from Lake O’ the Pines to North Texas came to light, residents voiced opposition everywhere they could to block it.

Dozens of federal offices were expected to close in Texas, but the reality continues to shift.

Lawmakers are pursuing legislative changes that would keep more people locked up in overcrowded county jails while awaiting resolution to their cases.

Animal health care experts raised concern that telehealth would lead to misdiagnosis and erode what little care already exists in rural Texas.

Senate Bill 31 supporters say it would clarify when doctors should intervene to save a pregnant woman’s life, but critics say its vagueness and a measure to resurrect pre-Roe laws hamper it.

More than a year after Texas’ House Bill 8 took effect, some schools have offered free tuition, grown dual credit programs or helped students’ credits transfer when they move on to four-year schools.

Two-thirds of the state’s roughly 100 jails and prisons in Texas are not fully air conditioned in inmate housing areas.

An East Texas lawmaker filed a bill to name Interstate 35 in Travis County to “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”

Adding more funding to scholarships is just one way experts say state lawmakers could address Texas’ child care crisis.

For many cowboy culture fans and Texans, names like Bill Pickett and Johanna July may not resonate. An exhibit at the Witte Museum called "Black Cowboys: An American Story" highlights theirs and others’ contributions.

The Lufkin school district says it must do a better job of promoting itself amid growing competition from charter schools and homeschooling.

Texas is getting more than $3 billion from the federal government to help expand internet access.

Reported domestic violence incidents have risen 26% since 2019.

From teacher pay and preparation to special education and DEI, here are issues Texas lawmakers are prioritizing this legislative session.

A federal judge blocked a new National Institutes of Health policy from going into effect in 22 states that sued the agency, but Texas wasn’t part of the suit.

Local officials, school advocates and tax policy experts said such a proposal could have dire impacts on basic services.

Some residents see the charging stations as an economic boom to the town, while others find it an assault on the oil and gas industry in Texas.

Richards, the eldest daughter of Gov. Ann Richards, forged her own path as a tireless advocate for women across Texas and the United States.

Advocates say interstate compacts, which allow professionals to use their work licenses in multiple states, can solve Texas’ workforce shortage. Skeptics fear Texas would send more workers than it would receive.

The Tribune’s data journalists helped visualize everything from voter participation and extreme weather to gaps in the state’s border wall. Here are some of the highlights.

A look at some of the best photos from the stories we published over the last year.

Officials hope state lawmakers will boost the budget of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman office, an independent state agency, which can often be an elderly Texan’s only lifeline to the outside world.

The legislation includes financial aid and money for recent natural disasters, but farmers still will be relying on outdated provisions from the 2018 bill.

A Votebeat analysis shows how such requirements risk disenfranchising key voter groups, including Native Americans and college students.

Some voucher opponents are ready to compromise; others are hoping supporters will fumble over the program's size, eligibility and accountability.

In his new role, Rosser will be responsible for helping Texas meet its goal to increase the number of Texans ages 25 to 34 with a postsecondary credential to 60%by 2030.

Despite the efforts of local governments and others, the move to provide internet access to millions of Texans has been slow and faces new challenges.

More than 250 Texas prisoners are on the waitlist to join the Lee College reentry class. Programs like these prepare students to find jobs and help lower recidivism.

Wynn Rosser will be in charge of guiding the state’s postsecondary education policies. He currently leads a foundation focused on rural East Texas and previously worked at Texas A&M.

Three new faces will join the bench, but the political balance of power will remain the same on the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Tuesday’s vote was a rare chance for Texans to vote directly on abortion restrictions. The state already has a near-total abortion ban.

School officials says the state decision to cut federal money likely will hurt their ability to recruit and retain critical staff for students with disabilities.

High school students that are getting a jump on college through dual credit now make up the majority of students at one East Texas community college.

A Texas man whose execution was halted because of a last-ditch subpoena won't testify in person before lawmakers.

It’s rare for governors to step in to halt executions. In the case of Robert Roberson, it ended up being state lawmakers who took extraordinary steps.

Three of the five judges who allowed Robert Roberson’s execution to proceed will be leaving the court after Paxton-backed primary challenges.

Robert Roberson, who had been set to be the first person in the U.S. to be put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, had his execution delayed after a dramatic few hours of legal wrangling among three different Texas courts.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied a request for clemency for a man who this week could be the first person in the U.S. executed for a murder conviction tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.

CPS Energy’s J.K. Spruce coal power plant released "seven million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, making it the 42nd-worst climate polluter in the country," according to a study published by the Frontier Group.

Lawmakers cite new scientific evidence that they say proves Robert Roberson, who is set for execution on Oct. 17, did not kill his daughter.

Texas isn’t expected to take a direct hit when the storm makes landfall as a hurricane. But storm surge and dangerous winds are possible.

When disaster strikes, Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy takes command of her county’s emergency communication channels, including a text service and Facebook page.

The number of fines for breaking state campaign ethics laws has exploded in recent years as Ken Paxton’s office rarely pursues stricter enforcement.

Donors are increasingly asking conservation groups to produce data on the value of their environmental work. A group’s new method helps them show their impact.

Advocates say public pools are necessary community infrastructure and save lives. Splash pads have become a more affordable option.

More than 1 million Texans still don’t have electricity. For those hardest hit by Beryl, the wait will stretch into next week.

At least two counties, Nueces and Refugio, have issued mandatory evacuation orders.

The ambitious project has won a federal grant. But the Texas Legislature has not yet given its blessing, a crucial step to move the facility forward.

TxDOT says it can’t guarantee that upgrades to one of Houston’s main hurricane evacuation routes will prevent future flooding of U.S. 59.

These graphics show how widespread flooding was in East Texas in late April and early May.

Abbott confirmed three deaths from the storms, none were recorded from flooded areas.

Forecasters expect storms to begin tapering off but some roads remain closed due to flooding.

East Texans tried to reach their homes by boat and kayaks Saturday. Others remained pessimistic that the water would recede soon.

High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing more than 400 people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.

Parts of Harris County, including The Woodlands, were under flood warnings Thursday.

East Texas has been hit by several severe rainstorms this spring, and several counties have declared disasters.

A Texas appeals court recently overturned Mason’s five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while on supervised release for federal tax evasion.

Richie DeVillier, who owns land east of Houston, said the state owes him damages for constant flooding after Texas made changes to Interstate 10 near his property.

Since Randall Mays was sentenced to death in 2008 for the murder of two sheriff’s deputies, his lawyers have argued his intellectual disability exempts him from execution.

The nine hours that Texas was allowed to arrest and deport migrants who illegally enter the U.S. provided a glimpse at what sort of obstacles law enforcement agencies in the state face.

Many who voted Tuesday said they weren’t excited about their choices. “Morale feels low,” said one Houston voter.

The Huntington City Council has flip flopped twice on a mobile home ordinance since 2020.

Martin Water is building an oil and gas waste recycling facility next to the Circle 6 Baptist Camp in the Permian Basin despite concerns about water and air pollution.

A lawsuit claims UT Tyler Health Science Center is trying to pull the veil of governmental immunity over doctors who do all of their work for a for-profit, private equity-backed health care system.

Texas police killed 141 people last year, according to a database. At least 22, including Aaliyah Anders, were Black.

Georgia DeVries, an East Texas 17-year-old, shared her experience living in a car for one month last year on TikTok.

The LaPoynor school district frequently flies a Christian flag, but may not be running afoul of the Constitution because it says students are choosing to raise it.

Gov. Greg Abbott stressed the reliability of the Texas power grid as an arctic front takes aim at Texas, and asked people to take precautions now as some parts of the state will be below freezing for more than 72 hours.

Diboll’s growing Hispanic population has inspired a new economy of party planners and DJs to produce quinceañeras. City leaders are taking notice.

Across the state, people are looking for ways to make Texas a better place to live as they tackle hunger, rural “brain drain,” health care obstacles and other impediments.

The card insinuates that Phelan wants to wish his constituents a happy Ramadan instead of a merry Christmas. Muslim Texans say it’s Islamophobic and some Republicans say it doesn't reflect Christian values.

A Texas Tribune analysis of hate crime data found that 82% of Texas law enforcement agencies that report to the FBI tracked no hate crimes last year. However, one suburban North Texas police agency is creating a new model of collecting hate crime data.

Tax policy is messy. Here are a few tips to help you understand what the recent voter-approved tax cuts mean for your mortgage.

Kate Cox, 31, at 20 weeks pregnant, has learned her fetus has a lethal abnormality that is almost always fatal at birth.

A judge reversed a 2022 decision by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that involved its controversial “one-mile rule” to deny hearing requests.

Rudolph the Red-Nose Pumping Unit has long been a holiday tradition in Lufkin. The machinery, now used worldwide to extract oil from the ground, was invented by a local businessman.

Once a tool of journalists and concerned citizens to hold government accountable, open records requests have been increasingly used by political opponents and conspiracy theorists to slow down the pace of government.

Livingston and Jasper residents hope a lawsuit will force their municipality-operated utility company to offer lower rates and create more transparency in setting rates. They’re among the 5 million Texans living outside the state’s deregulated market and cannot choose their energy provider.

Indigenous ranchers in Texas are receiving help from nonprofits to rebuild bison herds in the state. One family in Sulphur Springs that received five bison last month invited Texas tribal members to see the herd in person.

The Martinsville Independent School District used a federal grant to replace four buses, which started transporting students last month. The principal believes he will save enough money on gas to hire a new teacher.

The legislation behind the historic investment directs state agencies to send money to the state’s smaller, cash-strapped towns that have difficulty paying for upgrades. Federal money is also expected to flow to regions that need broadband.

At stake in next week’s constitutional amendment election is $13 billion in infrastructure spending. Supporters say it’s an opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime investment.

From “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” to “Friday the 13th,” Texas is an ideal landscape to shock and delight audiences and ghost hunters.

The East Texas town is one of 218 local governments asking voters to approve new debt for repairs and upgrades to city infrastructure. Local leaders say inflation isn’t helping them keep up with capital needs.

The East Texas school leader was following school district policy — and state law — which allows for corporal punishment. Texas is one of 17 states that allows it, despite one Democrats efforts to ban the practice.

The Dallas-based trucking company, Stevens Transport, said they do not discriminate against women and the complaint is based on a “misunderstanding.”

Conroe is one of the fastest growing school districts in the state. It and other districts say they need voters to OK bonds to keep up with the influx of students.

Globally, mass timber construction projects are expected to reach more than 24,000 by 2034. So far, at least 134 mass timber projects are in progress or completed in Texas. The first such project was a six-story office building in downtown San Antonio.

A town of 34,000 people, Lufkin sits deep in the Piney Woods, a region dotted with rural towns. Local civic leaders hope a long list of efforts can revitialize the city’s downtown and reboot its economy.

A booming Texas residential development is pushing back after being put into an unwelcome national spotlight over immigration.