The Texas Tribune

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson discusses his priorities for the city’s future in a conversation happening in Austin and online Wednesday, Jan. 29. In November, Kirk Watson narrowly avoided a runoff race to win re-election as Austin Mayor. He previously held the office from 1997–2001 and served a two-year term starting in 2022. Texas Tribune CEO Sonal Shah will sit down with Watson for a conversation about his return to the mayor’s office, the challenges and successes facing the city and his vision for the future. They’ll discuss housing affordability and homelessness, workforce development, and the expansion of I-35, as well as how the city will interact with state leaders known to relish a fight with local elected officials. RSVP: https://trib.it/GK4vhF

For 10 years, Glenn Hegar has served as the state’s comptroller, a role that includes being treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator. In January, Hegar will announce the state’s biennial revenue estimate, which will tell state lawmakers how much they’ll have to spend when they write a new two-year budget in 2025. What will be the key takeaways and recommendations from that estimate? Join us Monday, Jan. 13, at 4 p.m. in downtown Austin or online when Tribune Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins sits down with the comptroller to discuss the biennial revenue estimate, how Texas is enjoying a surplus for the second straight legislative cycle and where the state should consider allocating its extra money. RSVP: https://trib.it/ncMw4U

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson discusses his priorities for the city’s future in a conversation happening in Austin and online Wednesday, Jan. 29. In November, Kirk Watson narrowly avoided a runoff race to win re-election as Austin mayor. He previously held the office from 1997–2001 and served a two-year term starting in 2022. Texas Tribune CEO Sonal Shah will sit down with Watson for a conversation about his return to the mayor’s office, the challenges and successes facing the city and his vision for the future. They’ll discuss housing affordability and homelessness, workforce development, and the expansion of I-35, as well as how the city will interact with state leaders known to relish a fight with local elected officials. RSVP: https://trib.it/GK4vhF

Today we published our investigation on the Texas border wall, which found that a third of a landowners the state has approached so far have refused to host the wall. As a result, construction appears to be driven by where the state can most easily acquire land, instead of where wall would be most effective at deterring illegal crossings. The 50 miles built to date are mostly on ranches in rural areas, while border security experts said the priority should be urban centers. Three years and $3 billion into the project, the state is 6% toward its 805-mile goal. And it's not clear it will ever be able to get there. https://lnkd.in/gdWxXeeK

I'm hiring! Join my team at The Texas Tribune as an Audience and Collaboration Strategist to boost audience engagement, build partnerships with newsrooms in Texas, and amplify our impactful journalism.

Thank you to Sojourners for this in-depth interview with our Democracy Reporter, Robert Downen Why Does Religion Journalism Matter to Democracy? Ask a Texas Reporter Robert Downen knows the connections between the Texas GOP, David Barton, and the SBC crisis. And he hopes you’ll pay attention. https://lnkd.in/g5EmjC-t #religionjournalism #democracy

For 10 years, Glenn Hegar has served as the state’s comptroller, a role that includes being treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator. In January, Hegar will announce the state’s biennial revenue estimate, which will tell state lawmakers how much they’ll have to spend when they write a new two-year budget in 2025. What will be the key takeaways and recommendations from that estimate? Join us Monday, Jan. 13, at 4 p.m. in downtown Austin or online when Tribune Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins sits down with the comptroller to discuss the biennial revenue estimate, how Texas is enjoying a surplus for the second straight legislative cycle and where the state should consider allocating its extra money. RSVP: https://trib.it/ncMw4U

At a daylong Texas Tribune event in Austin on Dec. 4, lawmakers, political insiders, policy analysts and others discussed public education, gun laws and health care policy, along with other priorities for the 2025 Legislative Session. Watch the panel conversations ad read recaps from the event: https://trib.it/2Jx1Yy

For 10 years, Glenn Hegar has served as the state’s comptroller, a role that includes being treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator. In January, Hegar will announce the state’s biennial revenue estimate, which will tell state lawmakers how much they’ll have to spend when they write a new two-year budget in 2025. What will be the key takeaways and recommendations from that estimate? Join us Monday, Jan. 13, at 4 p.m. in downtown Austin or online when Tribune Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins sits down with the comptroller to discuss the biennial revenue estimate, how Texas is enjoying a surplus for the second straight legislative cycle and where the state should consider allocating its extra money. RSVP: https://trib.it/TNAI0p

The Texas Tribune, the state’s go-to source for Texas political news, is seeking a full-time Politics Editor to directly manage the newsroom’s politics desk, assigning, approving and editing stories. https://lnkd.in/gtCgxMTm #journalismjobs #newsroomjobs #politicseditor