Texas Court of Criminal Appeals grants stay of execution for Melissa Lucio
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has granted a stay of execution for Melissa Lucio, a South Texas woman believed by many to be wrongly convicted of capital murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter. Lucio was scheduled for execution on Wednesday, April 27....
Joaquin Castro, Texas AFL-CIO back bill to support seasonal workers
Reps. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Judy Chu (CA-27) held a press conference with labor leaders on Friday to rally support for the Seasonal Worker Solidarity Act of 2022. The legislation would reform the H-2B guest worker visa program to facilitate recruitment, require...
Kim Ogg and the Conservative Pushback Against Lina Hidalgo
As her 2022 re-election campaign gets into full swing, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is also currently in the midst of the most high-profile PR struggle of her career, with three current and former staffers being indicted for allegedly conspiring with the firm...
The Latest on the Fort Bend County Commissioner race
All eyes are on the Fort Bend County Commissioner Precinct 4 race after incumbent Ken DeMerchant was unseated from his position after getting 14 percent of the vote in the March primary. Only 148 votes led candidate Neeta Sane to a first-place standing in the race,...
Francine Ly on Why She’s Running for State Senate
Francine Ly never thought she would run for office. But here she is today, a candidate for state senate. The Signal caught up with Ly to discuss her run. “Running for public office was never on my radar until now,” says Ly. The first-time candidate is running in...
End Citizens United/Let America Vote endorses Jessica Cisneros for Congress
End Citizens United/Let America Vote, a major Democratic PAC focused on anti-corruption and voting rights, is endorsing Jessica Cisneros in her race for Texas' 28th Congressional District. “Jessica Cisneros is a champion when it comes to getting big money out of...
Texas teacher pay ‘virtually stagnant’ for last decade, report finds
A new report by the Texas American Federation of Teachers union and the nonprofit think tank Every Texan shows a “lost decade” in teacher pay. Between the 2009-10 school year and 2020-21 school year, average teacher wages declined by four percent, according to the new...
Four Black Women who made the path for KBJ’s confirmation
403 years after the first enslaved people stepped foot on American soil, the United States has officially nominated the first Black female justice to the Supreme Court. Now Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson represents not only a minority female breaking out of...
Beto O’Rourke is the marijuana candidate
When Beto O’Rourke launched his campaign for governor, he made it clear that one of his first priorities would be the legalization of marijuana. Greg Abbott on the other hand, is a staunch opponent of marijuana legalization, which puts him far behind many of his...
State Rep. Erin Gamez on serving Brownsville
Brownsville attorney Erin Gamez is the latest Democratic lawmaker to be sworn into the Texas House. Gamez won her seat in a special election primary after State Rep. Eddie Lucio III stepped down in January. Since no Republican filed to run, Gamez automatically...
Accelerator helps democracy-focused nonprofits find their footing (and funding)
Valerie Reiffert regretted missing the first protest in San Antonio that sprang up the weekend after the police murder of George Flloyd in 2020. She stayed home, worried that counter protestors might endanger the safety of her two-year-old child. But when...
How Greg Abbott’s Unconstitutional Trucking Inspections Hurt Texans
In an interview with Tucker Carlson last Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott laid out his strategy behind Texas’ recent controversial policy regarding trucking inspections. He acknowledged that by “implement[ing] what we call ‘enhanced safety inspections’ of every commercial...
Internal poll shows tied race for Harris County Commissioner primary runoff
A recent survey of 300 Democratic primary voters in Harris County Precinct 4 show a close race between commissioner candidates Lesley Briones and Ben Chou. That’s according to an internal poll shared with the Signal showing Briones with 34 percent of the vote,...
Op-Ed: Abbott’s plan to bus migrants to DC falls flat
Gov. Greg Abbott fulfilled his promise to bus migrants to DC this week, flooding the nation’s capital with a whopping… 70 people. Seriously, three busloads over three days and that’s all Abbott could muster. Not great for Texas’ reputation as the state where...
Catching Up With Venton Jones About The HD-100 Runoff
For Venton Jones, running for the state legislature is a continuation of the civic engagement and service that he has been a part of nearly his whole life. The Signal caught up with Jones, who is in a runoff for House District 100 in south Dallas. Jones, the Founder...