The Texas Tribune: Alex Fordhttps://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/alex-ford/The latest news by Alex Ford.enThu, 25 May 2023 20:49:08 -0500Attorney General Ken Paxton was impeached. Here’s how that process works in Texas.https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/25/texas-impeachment-attorney-general-ken-paxton/Paxton is now suspended until the outcome of a trial in the Senate. Gov. Greg Abbott can now appoint someone to temporarily fill the vacancy.María Méndez and Alex FordThu, 25 May 2023 20:49:08 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/25/texas-impeachment-attorney-general-ken-paxton/Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to his supporters after being sworn in to office for a third term in Jan. 10. The state’s embattled top lawyer is facing impeachment in the Legislature.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to his supporters after being sworn into office on January 10, 2023. At left are state Sen. Angela Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott.Bob Daemmrich for the Texas TribuneDeaths from firearms keep climbing in Texas, decades after lawmakers began weakening gun regulationshttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/10/texas-gun-fatalities-laws/The rate of firearm-related deaths in Texas has reached a level not seen since the 1990s. Texas lawmakers have approved more than 100 bills that loosened gun restrictions since 2000.Erin Douglas and Alex FordWed, 10 May 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/10/texas-gun-fatalities-laws/The Uvalde gun store where a gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School last year legally purchased his weapons. The rate of gun-related deaths have been rising steadily in Texas in recent years.An interior view of Oasis Outback, the store where a gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School purchased his weapons, in Uvalde, Texas, U.S., May 25, 2022. REUTERS/Lisa KrantzREUTERS/Lisa KrantzHow could Texas spend its record $32.7 billion surplus?https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/13/texas-budget-surplus/If Texas’ budget surplus were distributed directly to Texans, it could pay for 12 years of school lunches, seven months of rent or 11,000 miles of travel. Here’s how to put the big number into perspective.Karen Brooks Harper, Yuriko Schumacher and Alex FordMon, 13 Mar 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/13/texas-budget-surplus/An illustration of people gathered.Alex Ford/The Texas TribuneWhat you need to know about Texas’ complex — but important — electricity market reform planhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/01/texas-power-market-public-utility-commission-electricity-credits/The idea, which still lacks some important details and could be changed by state lawmakers, would change how electricity is paid for in tight times. We explain it for everyday Texans.Emily Foxhall and Alex FordWed, 01 Mar 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/01/texas-power-market-public-utility-commission-electricity-credits/El Paso Electric's natural gas-powered Newman Generating Station in El Paso. The state's Public Utility Commission is proposing changes to the state's electricity market that aim to give companies a financial incentive to build more gas-fired plants or extend the lives of current plants.El Paso Electric's natural gas-powered Newman Generating Station in El Paso on Feb. 17, 2021.Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune