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Dan Patrick Unveils Texas Senate Priorities

Dan Patrick Unveils Texas Senate Priorities

Outside of school choice, other priorities for Patrick include several rightwing culture war goals like “placing the ten commandments in school” and “stopping drag time story hour.”

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Chaos, Confusion In Texas Over Trump Federal Funding Freeze

Chaos, Confusion In Texas Over Trump Federal Funding Freeze

Several Democratic lawmakers in Texas have been sounding the alarm over a devastating directive from the White House Office of Management of Budget that was ordered Monday evening. They are warning that a federal funding freeze ordered by Trump’s OMB could wreak havoc on many programs Texans depend on

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Remembering Cecile Richards

Remembering Cecile Richards

On Monday, the family of Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, announced that she had died. Richards is now being remembered by many as an advocate for women’s and worker’s rights. Richards was born in Waco to David and Ann Richards, the former governor of Texas.

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
When An Autopsy Doesn't Tell The Whole Story

When An Autopsy Doesn't Tell The Whole Story

Jessica Witzel’s autopsy report raises an important question: How many other heat-related deaths among unhoused residents are being erased by the failure to collect and report accurate data on climate-related mortality?

By Marisol Cortez
A Dangerous New Immigration Bill

A Dangerous New Immigration Bill

Earlier this week, the U.S. Congress passed its first bill of the new session, which is known as the Laken Riley Act. The sweeping immigration bill would demand the detention of any undocumented immigrant that is charged with a nonviolent crime like theft or burglary. The bill is named

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
A Timeline Of Texas Republicans And January 6th

A Timeline Of Texas Republicans And January 6th

This article originally appeared on Texas Signal three years ago, before we transitioned to a nonprofit newsroom. Four years after the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob intent on stopping the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral win, we are re-publishing. Even before he officially

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
The Abortion Wars Enter A New Front

The Abortion Wars Enter A New Front

As many were celebrating the holidays, Attorney General Ken Paxton was amping up another round of abortion-related lawsuits in the state. Last month his office announced a lawsuit against a doctor in New York for providing “abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents in direct violation of state law.”  Paxton’s lawsuit

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
How Krampus Conquered Christmas in Texas

How Krampus Conquered Christmas in Texas

A generation ago, most Americans would not have been able to tell you who Krampus was. Now, the horned figure has become almost as much a part of Christmas as Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman. It’s hardly surprising that Krampus would see a major resurgence here in Texas.

By Jef Rouner
San Antonio Artist Vincent Valdez Takes Over CAMH

San Antonio Artist Vincent Valdez Takes Over CAMH

Visiting the new Vincent Valdez career retrospective, Just a Dream, at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is like admiring a sunrise, only for the sunrise to admire you back. It’s gargantuan, liminal, and positively radioactive in its impact.  Born in San Antonio in 1977, Valdez has long been one

By Jef Rouner
The Company Making It Easier For Texans To Access Birth Control

The Company Making It Easier For Texans To Access Birth Control

For many women in Texas, obtaining birth control is surprisingly difficult. It often involves a doctor’s visit, a prescription, and monthly refills. But there’s a company that’s trying to make that easier. Pandia Health was founded in 2016 and is now one of the largest online health

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
The Potential New Laws Of Texas

The Potential New Laws Of Texas

The Texas Legislature is set to reconvene on January 14. And when that new session arrives, Texans can expect even more rightward shifts on several issues including immigration, abortion, and education. Perhaps no issue is going to dominate the session as much as vouchers that would allow parents to send

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Houston Airports Take Art Very Seriously

Houston Airports Take Art Very Seriously

Saba Razvi likes to write in airports, which is good because she flies out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) or William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) once a month. A poet, writer and critic who teaches at the University of Houston Victoria, she finds airports to be spaces full of

By Jef Rouner
‘Not Everyone Can Leave’: Survival Advice from Trans Teens in Texas

‘Not Everyone Can Leave’: Survival Advice from Trans Teens in Texas

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Deceleration and was coproduced with Truthout, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to providing independent reporting and commentary on social justice issues. “The hostility has always been there,” Paul told me. “But I feel like it truly began to ramp up like 2020.

By Marisol Cortez
A Very Red Texas

A Very Red Texas

Yesterday’s election was a bitter disappointment for Texas Democrats. While there was some optimism that the state could potentially elect a statewide Democratic candidate for the first time in nearly thirty years, Texas lurched farther to the right.  Ted Cruz easily won his re-election by over ten points. Former

By Jessica Montoya Coggins