KERA

The Government Says It's Not Coming For Your Guns, But It Does Want Your Bump Stocks

By Heath Druzin • Feb 25, 2019

A federal ban on bump stocks represents nearly unprecedented firearms regulation, the kind that concerns even some gun rights proponents who don't like the devices.

Sen. Paxton Files Bill That Would Let Husband, Texas Attorney General, Expand Office Power

By & • Feb 18, 2019

In what state Sen. Angela Paxton describes as an effort to safely expand Texas’ burgeoning financial tech industry, the freshman Republican from McKinney has filed a bill that would empower the office of her husband, Attorney General Ken Paxton, to exempt entrepreneurs from certain state regulations so they can market “innovative financial products or services.”

At The First Congressional Gun Violence Hearing Since 2011, Familiar Themes Emerge

By Lisa Dunn • Feb 11, 2019

At the first hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill since 2011, politicians fell into well-worn party roles, but — as they have for much of the last year — young people brought new energy to the familiar debate.

How One Tiny School District In Rural West Texas Is Making It Work

By Sally Beauvais • Feb 4, 2019

From Marfa Public Radio:

In the tiny West Texas town of Valentine, population 130, there’s no gas station, and it’s a 30-mile drive to the nearest grocery store. But there is a school, and somehow, year after year, it outperforms the state average in academics.

Will Texas Lawmakers Pass Gun Legislation This Session?

By • Feb 1, 2019

With all the talk about property tax and school finance reform in the Texas Legislature so far, one has to wonder — what about guns?

Texas Senate Bill Aims To Help Victims Of Economic Abuse

By & • Jan 16, 2019


No matter how many hours Sherry worked in the Corpus Christi retail store she and her husband owned, she never got a paycheck.

Her husband decided when she got money. He bought all her clothes, dictated which brand of lunch meat she purchased and made her prove how every dollar he did give her was spent for the benefit of the entire family.

At Least 35,000 Texans With Federal Jobs Aren’t Being Paid Because Of The Shutdown

By & & Darla Livingston / The Texas Tribune • Jan 14, 2019


The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park's website boasts a quote from the president the Central Texas park is named for: “All the world is welcome here.” But thanks to a partial federal shutdown, the park is closed to the public.

Video: What Does Race Have To Do With The Death Penalty In Texas?

By editor • Dec 24, 2018


Studies have shown that Texas prosecutors chose to pursue the death penalty more often when a defendant was black than if a defendant was white. And while black Texans might be overrepresented on death row, past investigations have shown they were often underrepresented in jury pools.

It's Hard For Kids To Tell Toy Guns From Real Guns, And That Can Have Consequences

By • Dec 20, 2018

Toy guns have been a popular item on Christmas gift wish lists for decades. Little Ralphie Parker from the 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story spends most of the movie wishing for a "Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle."

Many toy guns look more real than toy, however, which has city officials, law enforcement and safety experts across the country urging parents to use extreme caution when purchasing them for children.

Strong Winds To Whip Through North Texas, Along With A Mix Of Snow, Ice And Rain

By editor • Dec 13, 2018

A multi-faceted storm system is expected to race across North Texas starting Thursday afternoon, bringing cold rain, snow and wind — really strong wind.

UNT Conducting Trials On An Easier and Cheaper Test For Alzheimer's

By • Dec 12, 2018

UNT Health Science Center is conducting the first study of a blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease in a primary care setting.

Some Pain, Anxiety Sufferers Turn To Sound Therapy For Relief

By Adrian Jordan • Dec 11, 2018

Kris Sands struggled with fibromylagia for seven years. Doctors prescribed medication that treated the symptoms but not the problem. She looked into Pilates and yoga, but those weren’t the right fit either. Then she turned to something called sound therapy.

Stress Can Contribute To A Higher Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes In Older Women, New Study Says

By • Dec 3, 2018

Obesity, high blood pressure and a sedentary lifestyle are traditional risk factors for type 2 diabetes, but a new study suggests stress may contribute to the disease in older women.

Trump Administration Looks To Texas As It Pushes A Criminal Justice Reform Bill

By Hannah Wiley / The Texas Tribune • Dec 3, 2018


When the White House endorsed a bipartisan effort to reduce the federal prison population and improve the lives of inmates already behind bars, President Donald Trump made one thing clear: He wants “criminal justice reform, Texas style."

DNA Vaccine From UT-Southwestern Could Be A Game-Changer In Fight Against Alzheimer's

By • Nov 30, 2018

A radical new vaccine that reduces the two proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease should give the public hope, says the founding director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Advocates Say Timing Is Right For Independent Oversight Of Texas Prisons

By editor • Nov 26, 2018


After a recent slew of damning headlines regarding conditions within Texas prisons, reform advocates and lawmakers are hopeful that the timing is right to get legislation passed creating independent oversight of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

As Federal Agents Shift To Migrant Caravan, Texas Border-Crossers Await Long Holiday

By & • Nov 25, 2018

EL PASO — Keep calm and come on over.

That’s the holiday message city and business officials here are sending to their neighbors directly across the Texas-Mexico border.

Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals Rules Against Prosecutors In Ken Paxton Payment Case

By Patrick Svitek and Emma Platoff / Texas Tribune • Nov 21, 2018

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday potentially imperiled the long-delayed criminal prosecution of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, ruling that payments to special prosecutors were outside legal limits.

What You Need To Know About Flu And Pregnancy

By • Nov 21, 2018

A flu shot's important for people in general, but it's more important for people with weakened immune systems. That includes women who are pregnant.

Report: Toxic Herbicide Found In Many Texans' Drinking Water

By Carolos Anchondo / The Texas Tribune • Nov 19, 2018


More than 10 million Texans have consumed drinking water with some level of atrazine – a toxic herbicide – with 472 water utility systems statewide testing positive in at least one detection, according to a new report from an environmental group.

Anti-Vaccine Texas Families May Take Their Fight To Day Cares Next

By & • Nov 19, 2018


The next vaccine fight could be coming to a day care near you. Texans for Vaccine Choice, a group focused on anti-vaccine policy, says it has received hundreds of calls and emails from parents of children without vaccines who were rejected by private child care facilities. 

Are Texas Suburbs Slipping Away From Republicans?

By & • Nov 8, 2018

By the end of Election Day, the political maps of the state’s suburban and swing counties had a peculiar blue tint.

Gov. Greg Abbott Clinches Second Term As GOP Wins Closest Statewide Races In 20 Years

By & • Nov 8, 2018

Gov. Greg Abbott and every other statewide Republican seeking re-election emerged victorious on Tuesday. Still, the election proved to be the closest statewide contest in two decades as many of the incumbents won by notably slim margins.

Ted Cruz Leads Beto O’Rourke By 6 In Texas Senate Race, UT/TT Poll Finds

By & • Oct 29, 2018

Republican Ted Cruz leads Democrat Beto O’Rourke 51 percent to 45 percent in the Texas race for the U.S. Senate, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Libertarian Neal Dikeman was the choice of 2 percent of likely voters and another 2 percent said they would vote for someone else.

Senate Race Tops $100 Million With Latest Filings From Ted Cruz And Beto O'Rourke

By & • Oct 29, 2018

More than $100 million has now been raised for the U.S. Senate race in Texas.

At Houston Rally, Donald Trump Mocks Beto O'Rourke And Praises Ted Cruz As Key Ally

By , , & • Oct 23, 2018

HOUSTON — President Donald Trump, speaking Monday evening here at an uproarious rally, cast his 2016 battle with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz as a thing of the past and blasted Cruz’s Democratic challenger, Beto O’Rourke, as a “stone cold phony.”

Texas Sees Huge Turnout On First Day Of Early Voting

By Allyson R Waller/Texas Tribune • Oct 23, 2018

Tens of thousands of Texas voters turned out across the state to cast their ballots on Monday, the first day of early voting for the 2018 midterm elections.

Progressive Evangelicals: Why A Pastor Is Asking Texas Christians To Vote Blue

By & • Oct 19, 2018

Doug Pagitt doesn't think the words "conservative" and "evangelical" have to go hand in hand.

He's an evangelical Christian pastor from Minneapolis who heads an effort called Vote Common Good. Pagitt and his compadres are on a marathon bus tour across the country encouraging voters in battleground Congressional districts to elect Democrats on Nov. 6.

Here’s A Closer Look At Claims Made During The Ted Cruz And Beto O’Rourke Debate

By & • Sep 24, 2018

At their first debate in Texas’ 2018 U.S. Senate general election campaign, U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, and incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, traded blows Friday over a range of issues that included immigration and criminal justice. 

Texas Launches Mobile App To Help People Report Suspicious Activity

By editor • Sep 18, 2018

A new mobile app launched after a southeast Texas high school shooting last month will allow Texans to report on suspicious activity happening in their own communities and schools. 

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