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In the state's most competitive congressional race, Democratic CD-23 challenger Pete Gallego pushed back Thursday on claims that he became a lobbyist after losing the seat to U.S. Rep. Will Hurd.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is jumping into the fray over a controversial Austin ordinance that regulates short-term home rentals made popular by websites like Airbnb and HomeAway. He is asking a Travis County district judge for permission to intervene in the suit homeowners already filed against the city.

After vowing six months ago to reach a consensus on a plan to protect the Houston Ship Channel's oil refineries and chemical plants from a direct-hit hurricane, the region's scientists said Wednesday they aren't there yet — and won't be until next year at the earliest.

A Texas senator on Wednesday called Texas Ethics Commission members “arrogant” and “haughty,” during a hearing that comes came amid a battle between the commission and conservative groups, particularly those that are set up under a part of the tax code that does not require them to disclose their donors.

The Texas Department of Public Safety and Austin Police Department will begin including information about how drivers can file complaints against officers on the citations they issue, one quick result from ongoing legislative efforts to improve relations between police and communities.

On any given day in the past six months, nearly a thousand of Texas' "highest-priority" children — considered by the state to be at immediate risk of physical or sexual abuse — were not checked on even once by Child Protective Services investigators. The numbers, publicly released on Tuesday, paint a disturbing picture of the Texas child welfare system as it buckles under a funding crisis.

Disclosure: HomeAway has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.