The stories Texans are living — gathered, checked, and told straight. Our newsroom covers the politics, money, power, and people shaping the state, from the Capitol to campus to the county line.
Culture
A Dallas Cowboys’ cornerback confronted a scrum of reporters on Sunday after a WFAA journalist, during the game against the 49ers, tweeted: “What is Trevon Diggs doing on this play?” Critical — though innocuous — as that was, Diggs’ saw it after the team's 30-24 loss and went to
Crime & Justice
(Editor’s note: After this story was published, Guillén’s family appeared with former President Trump on Friday at an event in Austin.) Leave Vanessa Guillén’s sister alone. Guillén, a 20-year-old Houston native and daughter of Mexican immigrants, was last seen in April of 2020 on a
Arts & Entertainment
What goes around comes around, and management for the Dallas Black Dance Theatre is learning the hard way. This past May, its dancers voted to unionize with the American Guild of Musical Artists for the usual reasons — because they wanted better working conditions. Terrell Rogers, one of the fired dancers,
Culture
The Texas Longhorns lost their number one spot as the best college football team in the country this weekend. But fans aren’t blaming the Georgia Bulldogs — they’re blaming Sen. Ted Cruz (who never attended UT) and podcaster Joe Rogan. The Longhorns had a huge matchup Saturday against the
Crime & Justice
As Texas officials reached an impasse, Robert Roberson did not appear before the Texas House on Monday. But he will testify, lawmakers said. Even if they have to drive to death row to make it happen. Roberson, whose execution was delayed last week, was scheduled to testify before the Texas
Crime & Justice
EXCLUSIVE At Austin’s Pride Parade in August, while rainbow-painted police horses stood guard and brightly decorated floats passed by, officers tackled two men, using kicks and pressure points to pin their bodies to the ground. They were taken to jail on charges of ignoring law enforcement commands and
Culture
When Texans go to the hospital for emergency care, starting on Nov. 1, they can expect to answer questions about their citizenship status. On Aug. 8, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order to collect immigration statuses for anyone who uses public hospitals in Texas. The governor claimed undocumented people
Crime & Justice
UPDATE, Nov. 15, 12:30 p.m.: Five days after his birthday on Nov. 10, the Texas Supreme Court lifted Robert Roberson's stay of execution, allowing the state of Texas to move forward with the execution. UPDATE, Oct. 18, 6:33 a.m.: In a shocking late night
News
Texas Rep. Shawn Thierry, a former Democrat who is currently looking for attention, has endorsed Donald Trump in next month’s presidential election. This is no surprise if you’ve followed Thierry’s sad arc over the last few months. But it’s still a reminder that some people, politicians
News
Tuesday night’s debate was not great for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. His opponent, Colin Allred, ripped him a new one, calling him an “architect” of the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, who was “hiding in a supply closet” when the mob finally entered the Capitol. “You’re
Crime & Justice
Turns out, allegedly “staging” an arrest for a reality TV show wasn’t the smartest idea. Williamson County officials are learning that lesson the hard way, after they agreed to shell out $2.5 million to a Cedar Park resident whose arrest was apparently made more dramatic for the reality
Crime & Justice
Editor’s note: This story mentions threats of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community. Before dawn on a Sunday morning in April, the bars in Austin had just closed. Joshua Ybarra started walking to his Uber. Then he heard an anti-gay slur hurled at him from behind. Three men leapt