Texas lawmakers have gotten used to state budget surpluses, which they've used to fund big-ticket items like property tax cuts. That era may be ending as federal pandemic aid ends and sales tax revenue cools, Paul Cobler reports texastribune.org/2025/06/30/tex… Texas Tribune #txlege

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Breaking News: California rolled back a landmark environmental law that was seen as a major factor in the state’s severe housing shortage. nyti.ms/46kZJAn

It’s official: Colin Allred launches 2026 U.S. Senate campaign texastribune.org/2025/07/01/col… via Kayla Guo

NEW: TX lets out-of-state students buy homes to get in-state tuition. The law has led to an industry of families paying in cash for condos, owning them for 2 years, and selling them to the next out-of-state family. Often, the students never live there: kut.org/education/2025…

Love to stumble upon readers in the wild!

CRUZ and CORNYN voted to pass the reconciliation bill. See the key provisions they included + the Texas members who are not on board with the bill: Texas Tribune texastribune.org/2025/07/01/sen…

new via Jaden Edison: Texas' $8.5 billion funding boost to public education brings some relief but erodes districts’ independence, according to school leaders across the state (which has ~5.5 million schoolchildren). texastribune.org/2025/07/03/tex…

Breaking: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s aides have signaled their boss’s willingness to counter Texas redistricting with a similar move to redraw the maps in California, in an attempt to offset potential GOP gains, according to four Democratic members of Congress. bit.ly/4nyjmv7

Why did this seem to take Texas by such surprise? "Everybody got the NWS forecast," Nim Kidd says. "It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw." Says state emergency ops center began briefing yesterday on the possibility of floods and was in contact with local officials.

Camp Mystic isn't like any summer camp. Families have proudly sent generations of girls there to learn about their faith, along with how to fish and canoe. The city of Hunt has a population of around 1,300. That multiplies over the summer bc of campers. texastribune.org/2025/07/05/cam…

New: Mayor Jones has made few hires since taking office. Her 1st chief of staff, former campaign manager Jordan Abelson, resigned in under a month sanantonioreport.org/slow-to-hire-j…

The scale of the disaster in Texas Hill County — and the fact that major flooding is common in this part of the state — has raised questions over whether more could have been done to warn people in the path of the flood waters. bit.ly/4eACQLp

If you're looking to help those impacted by the Hill County flooding, we've written up a guide on how to help and get help. Texas Tribune texastribune.org/2025/07/05/tex…

UPDATE: The official death toll jumped to 43 following the catastrophic floods that hit the Texas Hill Country as of Saturday evening, local officials announced during a news conference. bit.ly/402Hax6

NEW: As of 9am CT, the death toll in Kerr County is 59 due to the flooding in Texas’ Hill Country. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said that includes 38 adults and 21 children. 11 Camp Mystic campers are unaccounted for. 8 people have died in nearby counties due to floods.

New: Hill Country flooding death toll rises to 59 as search continues for missing girls, other survivors bit.ly/40yUJV5

If you have limited internet access, you can use this link to see updates throughout the day on the catastrophic floods that swept the Texas Hill Country. texastribune.org/text/tZbGfYnp/

At least 59 people were killed by the flooding in Kerr County. Eleven deaths were confirmed in surrounding counties, pushing the overall toll to at least 70. That surpasses the estimated 68 deaths directly caused by Hurricane Harvey in SE Texas in 2017. bit.ly/4knsEqQ

Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill that could have helped fund alarm systems for flood warnings in local areas earlier this year. Rep. Wes Virdell, who represents Texas Hill Country, says he would have voted differently (He voted no). The bill died. texastribune.org/2025/07/06/tex…