Equality
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Dallas and Fort Worth end their diversity efforts to keep federal funding
City councils have cut funding for programs and policies that consider religion, race, gender, and other identity markers.
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Texans who rely on safety net programs encouraged to prepare for cuts
Nonprofit organizations across Texas serving disadvantaged and low-income groups are restructuring after the Trump administration’s budget reconciliation bill was signed into law.
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Federal DEI funding cuts threaten the work of the few remaining Black farmers in East Texas
It has embroiled the federal government in disputes with colleges and universities. Big cities are reevaluating programs to ensure they don’t lose grants. And Fortune 500 companies seeking favor from the new administration have ended their DEI practices. And it has frozen cash flow for Black farmers, many of whom live in East Texas.
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Most Texas prisoners don’t have AC access and it’s unclear when they will get it
Two thirds of people incarcerated in Texas’ prisons face another summer without air conditioning after lawmakers again declined to pass legislation that would mandate a timeline for installing climate control in state facilities.
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As DEI faces pushback, Houston partners with Kroger to launch jobs initiative
As DEI programs face pushback nationally, Houston is leaning in. Roderick Batson, with support from the city of Houston and Kroger, has launched Helping Heroes Staffing to create real job opportunities for people with special needs.
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Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions, but fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear
A divided Supreme Court on Friday ruled that individual judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear the fate of President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship.
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Texas lawmakers allocate $10M to support National Juneteenth Museum development
The National Juneteenth Museum received $10 million from Texas lawmakers for its development in Fort Worth’s Historic Southside, museum CEO Jarred Howard confirmed to the Report June 9. The Texas House and Senate approved the allocation through the state budget, but it still awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature. Howard said the state’s new financial support…
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Op-Ed: Those black squares meant nothing: George Floyd’s death sparked allyship, but much of it performative
George Floyd’s televised murder was fuel, but real change requires real protest.
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Juneteenth in Houston: From 1865 to 2025
This Juneteenth marks 160 years since the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas. Learn how the holiday has evolved and what Houston events to attend.
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2025 Pride: 8 ways to celebrate in Houston
From fashion shows to parades and business luncheons, these 2025 Pride events are happening right in Houston’s backyard.
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Rainbow rundown: 9 Pride 2025 events in Dallas-Fort Worth
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is celebrating Pride 2025 in big ways. Check out these nine events from May to October that will show you that you belong.
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Texas House signals expanding state’s medical marijuana program
House Bill 46 would increase the number of health conditions eligible and would offer smokeable products under the state’s medical marijuana program.
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Average Texas mortgage debt increased to $239,783 in 2024
Nationally, median home prices over the past five years have increased by nearly 50%, 30-year mortgage rates have nearly doubled, and the number of homes available for purchase have fallen by a third.
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Texas House votes to strictly define man and woman, excluding trans people from state records
If it becomes law, the bill would define sex based on reproductive organs and require state documents and policies to comply with that framework.
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At UT, a Day of Drag and Defiance
Students gathered for a joyful protest of the university system’s drag show ban.
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She’s not faking it: How this Texas bill would excuse period pain absences in school
A Texas bill would excuse school absences for menstrual disorders—advocates say it’s a crucial step toward reproductive health and dignity in schools.
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The financial cost of autism management: Navigating expenses and resources
While all 50 U.S. states have laws requiring private insurers to cover some level of autism-related care, coverage details vary, and out-of-pocket costs can still be significant, Rula explains.
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6 candidates compete to represent east Fort Worth, Stop Six neighborhoods in May 2025 election
For the first time since 2013, a new face at City Hall will represent the majority of Fort Worth’s easternmost neighborhoods, including the historic Stop Six area.
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Trump officials cut planning grant for Texas high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston
President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday terminated a federal grant to help fund a long-sought high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston — saying that if the embattled project moves forward, it will have to do so without federal help at this stage.
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Meet the tent company making a fortune off Trump’s deportation plans
Deployed Resources, a privately held tent company, is set to operate a new ICE tent camp to hold people awaiting deportation in El Paso, Texas.
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Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department. That could hurt students with disabilities in Texas.
In a state with a checkered history with federal special education law, advocates say Texas students will see an erosion of their disability rights protections. As the Trump administration pushes to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, advocates for students with disabilities worry that, without federal oversight, Texas will fail to provide adequate special education…
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Texas Senate approves ban on DEI, LGBTQ+ clubs in public schools
The Senate approved SB 12 in a 20-11 party-line vote on March 19. It’s now headed to the Texas House for consideration. The bill bans the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation, creates an avenue for parents to file complaints about violations, and requires districts to create policies for disciplining employees who engage in…
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Texas State Veterans Home named for Tuskegee Airmen opens in Fort Worth
A project long championed by the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce to honor the area’s Tuskegee Airmen came to fruition March 22, as Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham hosted the grand opening of the Texas State Veterans Home in Fort Worth that bears their name.
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Congressman denounces ICE response about prosecutor operating racist X account
Last month, Congressman Marc Veasey, a North Texas Democrat, sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Deputy Director Kenneth Genalo demanding a swift investigation into James “Jim” Joseph Rodden, an ICE assistant chief counsel who acts as a prosecutor for ICE in immigration court in Dallas.
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‘Striking close to home’: Zoning bills tackling Texas affordable housing crisis evoke emotion
As part of a potential slate of solutions to Texas’ housing affordability crisis, state senators recently examined a bill authorizing the use of small auxiliary residences behind a larger main house.
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Federal investigators were preparing two Texas housing discrimination cases — until Trump took over
The government spent years probing allegations that a Dallas HOA created rules to kick poor Black people out and that Texas discriminated against minority residents in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, only to suddenly reverse course under Trump.
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Texas A&M can’t ban “Draggieland” drag show, federal judge rules
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Texas A&M University System from enforcing a ban on drag shows being held at its special event venues. Judge Lee H. Rosenthal said the student group that organizes Draggieland, the Queer Empowerment Council, was likely to succeed in showing the ban violates the First Amendment.
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These librarians won’t let America’s fever hit Fahrenheit 451
A new documentary shows us our local guardians of intellectual freedom in battle.
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Women’s clothing is often more expensive — and it’s partly due to tariffs
Two Democratic members of the House are pushing for a study of ‘pink tariffs.’
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What Ever Happened to Ethics Reform?
The House speaker battle wasn’t really about cleaning house.
