Texas Tribune

10/20/2026

Texas counties are reporting record-breaking early voting participation. But that information alone isn’t necessarily useful in interpreting who will win.

Counties are reporting record-breaking early voting participation. But that information alone isn’t necessarily useful in interpreting who will win.

10/20/2026

Hundreds of thousands of potentially eligible Texas homeowners aren’t claiming a homestead exemption, which shaves off thousands of dollars from the taxable value of a home. Here’s how to apply.

10/20/2026

Texas homeowners aren’t claiming a homestead exemption because they do not know about it or find the process too complicated, experts say.

Homeowners aren’t claiming a homestead exemption because they do not know about it or find the process too complicated, experts say.

10/20/2026

A new report by the Houston Advanced Research Center warns that Texas' air quality progress could be reversed by the end of the decade, especially if facilities use natural gas power.

A new report warns that the state’s air quality progress could be reversed by the end of the decade, especially if facilities use natural gas power.

10/20/2026

Gov. Greg Abbott says sale of state park to SpaceX won’t happen anytime soon. https://bit.ly/3TRfcoi

At a news conference, Gov. Greg Abbott said he remains dedicated to preserving parkland in Texas.

10/20/2026

The 56-year-old Mexican man who died Saturday while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody was a lawful permanent resident in the country, the agency said in a statement. ICE added he was detained because officers believed he obtained his legal status in the U.S. fraudulently.

ICE said Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias obtained his legal status fraudulently because he failed to disclose a 2004 arrest for theft. His daughter disputed that.

10/19/2026

Outgoing Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller posted an essay discouraging people from voting for Republican candidate Nate Sheets. He stopped short from endorsing Sheets' Democratic opponent Clayton Tucker, but elevated Tucker's work on the campaign so far. https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/19/sid-miller-nate-sheets-clayton-tucker-election-2026-agriculture-commissioner/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1792450040&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

10/19/2026

If a Texas voter’s eligibility is uncertain, they can still cast what’s called a provisional ballot.

Here’s how they qualify — and how officials ultimately decide whether they’re counted.

If a voter’s eligibility is uncertain, they can still cast what’s called a provisional ballot. Here’s how they qualify — and how officials ultimately decide whether they’re counted.Complete sentence summary goes here.

10/19/2026

Austin ISD faces the possibility of a state takeover, raising urgent questions about the future of the district, local control and the families whose children attend its schools. What happens when the state intervenes in a school district? Can a takeover improve student outcomes? And how much say do parents and communities have in the decisions that follow?

In two candid conversations with former school district leaders, education policy experts and Austin parent advocates, we'll examine lessons from districts that have experienced state intervention, the decisions facing Austin ISD and what's at stake.

Speakers include:
• Erin Baumgartner, director, Houston Education Research Consortium at Rice University
• Toni Templeton, research scientist, University of Houston Education Center
• Alejandro Delgado, former Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Texas Education Agency
• Dani Hernandez, Houston ISD elected trustee
• Noelita Lugo, Austin ISD parent and former Austin ISD elected trustee

Texas Tribune education reporter Megan Menchaca and Austin Current education reporter Acacia Coronado will moderate.

Doors open at the Tribune's Studio 919 at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, and the first of two hourlong conversations begins at 5 p.m. Coffee will be provided.

Note: The event is in-person only and will not be livestreamed. If you register to ”watch it online,” the recording will be emailed to you by Oct. 22.

This event is co-hosted by Austin Current, our local newsroom committed to helping Austinites understand and shape a fast-changing city through independent, community-rooted journalism.

RSVP: https://trib.it/Hrh1rN

10/19/2026

Hakeem Jeffries to campaign in Texas on behalf of Bexar County congressional candidate Johnny Garcia

Garcia, a former sheriff’s deputy, is running in one of the five districts Republicans redrew last year with the intention of flipping.