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San Antonio Schools Face Budget Crisis Amid State Funding Failures
San Antonio school districts, like those across Texas, are bearing the burden of the state legislature’s failure to pass a comprehensive education funding bill in the last session. As a result, they are being forced to cut programs and reduce positions to maintain operating costs and offer small raises to a limited pool of staff.
GOP Skepticism Grows Over Abbott’s $20 Billion Border Wall
Gov. Greg Abbott’s border wall could take more than 30 years and cost more than $20 billion, and some Republicans are beginning to express concerns that the plan is simply not feasible. The plan began three years ago, and only 34 miles of steel bollards have been erected, costing...
Even Conservative Supreme Court Thinks Fifth Circuit Often Wrong
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is one of the most famously conservative courts in the country. Here are some recent complaints from the U.S. Supreme Court about their rulings. “We decline to start the Federal Judiciary down that uncharted path. That path would seemingly not end until virtually...
After Gateway Church Scandal, Texas Lawmakers Gear Up For Tougher Sex Crime Laws
Texas lawmakers are pushing to expand statutes of limitation on sexual abuse cases and increase penalties for sex crimes involving children, just after the former senior pastor of the Gateway Church resigned amid sexual abuse allegations. Two weeks ago, Robert Morris, the senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, resigned...
Paxton’s Crusade Against Catholic Migrant Shelter Backfires
An El Paso judge has rejected Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to shut down a Catholic migrant shelter, calling his accusation “harassment and overreaching.”. Paxton attempted to shut down the Annunciation House, a migrant shelter network, claiming it was facilitating illegal border crossings and that it was running a “stash house.”
Texas’ Lloyd Doggett Is The First Democrat To Call For Biden’s Withdrawal
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett from Austin has become the first Democrat in Congress to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step down as the party’s nominee for the presidential race after his performance at the debate against former President Donald Trump. “Too much is at stake to risk...
Supreme Court Could Lift Texas’ Restrictions On Porn Sites Next Term
The U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear a challenge from the adult entertainment industry against a Texas law mandating age verification for users of pornographic websites. The case, brought by the Free Speech Coalition, an association of adult entertainment industries, will be reviewed during the court’s next term starting...
Abbott And Patrick Double Down On Natural Gas: $10 Billion Expansion Announced
Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced they would double the funding for a taxpayer-backed program that provides low-interest loans to build natural gas power plants in the state. Abbott and Patrick wrote they would seek to expand the program funding from $5 billion to $10 billion to...
Texas Democrats Admit: Biden’s Debate Performance Falls Short
After the presidential debate, Texas Democrats seem to acknowledge that President Joe Biden didn’t give his best performance against former President Donald Trump. There have been numerous concerns about Biden’s age and ability to serve a second term, and many people echoed those concerns in the presidential debate, where the president seemed to lose his train of thought on several occasions.
Texas Cities Can Keep Fining Homeless People, Amid Rising Crisis
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that cities can enforce their own bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places, meaning that Texas cities like Austin can keep their homeless bans in place. In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that outdoor sleeping bans don’t violate the Eighth Amendment...
Supreme Court Blocks Texas And Florida’s Efforts To Control Social Media Content
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily halted efforts in Texas and Florida to control how social media giants like Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube manage user content, according to the Associated Press (AP). The cases have been returned to lower courts following challenges from trade associations representing these companies. The...
America’s Biggest Education Experiment Is Happening In Houston. Could It Change U.S. Schools?
Todo cambió. Everything changed. That’s how Arturo Monsiváis described life this year for his fifth-grade son, who attends Houston ISD’s Raul Martinez Elementary School. Teachers raced through rapid-fire lessons. Students plugged away at daily quizzes. Administrators banned children from chatting in the hallways. Sitting in the...
Why Are The Texas Rangers The ONLY MLB Team Without A Pride Night?
This season, 29 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams are hosting Pride Nights to celebrate and support LGBTQ+ culture and rights, most during Pride Month. The Texas Rangers are the only team not participating in these events. Historically, the Rangers have never hosted a Pride Night, but according to...
Tesla Recalls Over 11,000 Cybertrucks Over Safety Concerns
Tesla announced it would be recalling almost every Cybertruck due to a problem with their oversized windshield wiper, which could increase the risk of crashes. According to Mahsable, the recall affects over 11,000 vehicles, covering all 2024 Cybertrucks, manufactured from November 13, 2023, to June 6, 2024, which are essentially all vehicles delivered since Tesla launched the Cybertruck in November 2023.
Tarrant County Rescues Puppies Abandoned In 100-Degree Heat
Eight puppies were rescued from a perilous situation in the scorching Texas heat just in time. On Monday the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about puppies abandoned in a carrier without water in a field, with temperatures soaring to 100 degrees. According to a County Sheriff’s...
Texas Public Schools Will Get More Money If They Use Biblical Curriculum
Texas public schools could soon get a $60 per student bonus if the use a curriculum pushed by state Republicans that includes overt Biblical content. On Thursday, members of the public addressed the Texas State Board of Education with concerns that the new curriculum, if adopted, was discriminatory because of its obvious bias toward Christianity. Robert Norris, the founder of Grandfathers for Public Schools, pointed out that incorporating almost exclusively Christian texts was essentially subtle indoctrination.
Paxton Under Fire: Federal Probe Confirmed?
A federal appeals court has confirmed that Attorney General Ken Paxton and his office are still under investigation by federal authorities, as reported by The Dallas Morning News. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order rejecting an unnamed state agency’s attempt to stop a grand jury investigation...
Uvalde Officers Face Indictments For Response To Robb Elementary Shooting
Former Uvalde school district police chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo and former officer Adrian Gonzales have been indicted on child endangerment charges for their roles in the flawed police response during the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting,. as reported by the San Antonio Express-News. A Uvalde County grand jury...
Jennifer Becker Discusses Supreme Court Gun Ban and Domestic Violence
Reform Austin Journalist Jovanka Palacios interviews Jennifer Becker, Director of the National Center on Gun Violence and Relationships at the Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP). In an insightful interview, Jennifer Becker, Director of the National Center on Gun Violence and Relationships at the Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP), discusses...
Biden Falters Amid Trump’s Deceptive Onslaught
Former President Donald J. Trump persistently launched fierce and often misleading attacks on a faltering President Biden during a 90-minute debate Thursday night, providing millions of viewers with a sharp contrast in this high-stakes rematch. Mr. Biden’s performance was repeatedly unclear and disjointed. Biden took the stage with a...
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Reform Austin (RA) was created to inform Texans about politics and politicians. We produce high-quality investigative reporting and news analysis from a network of local correspondents to engage readers about what goes on behind the doors of our state Capitol through our daily news site, Reform Austin News. Reform Austin is dedicated to increasing public awareness regarding the use of tax dollars and the policies that shape everyday life in Texas. We provide independent reporting for a better Texas and are focused on long-form, investigative and enterprise stories. We believe that a story doesn’t always have to be written to be effective. We embrace a multi-platform, digital-first, engagement-driven approach to journalism for all audiences. From social matters to politics, we’re breaking down the issues that are important to you, and delivering investigative stories straight to your social feeds. We make it easier to be part of a smarter Texas.
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