Austin American-Statesman

AUSTIN, Texas — A unanimous Texas Senate voted Wednesday to ban police officers from using chokeholds during an arrest. Senate Bill 69 prohibits officers from applying pressure to a person's throat, neck or torso in ways that impede breathing or blood flow unless the action is needed to protect the officers or bystanders from serious injury or death. State Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, said his bill was in response to statistics showing that at least 134 people nationwide have died in police custody due to asphyxiation in the past decade, including George Floyd, a former Houston resident kille......

Aaron Richie said when his son, Landon, came out as transgender, what scared him the most was the thought of a medical transition. After seeing Landon’s daily struggles with his body and consulting psychiatrists and pediatricians, Richie decided to help his then 13-year-old son begin the process of transitioning. “I thought to myself, ‘Why am I going to make him do this five more years?’” Richie said. “So that I feel better so that my parents feel better, so that when I tell other people they are not freaked out? It just became an indefensible position that this has to wait until 18.” Now, he ......

AUSTIN, Texas — With attention focused on a Texas House hearing about competing bills — one to remove Confederate monuments from the Capitol and two to prohibit historical monuments from removal — it was Republican opposition to a relatively low-key bill that drew sparks Monday. Democratic state Sen. Borris Miles of Houston presented a resolution pressing federal officials to finally take action on a bill passed 30 years ago to rename areas of Texas containing the word "Negro" — many changed from the N-word in a futile bid to cleanse the sites of racial offense. No senators on the State Affair......

AUSTIN, Texas – Authorities have arrested 41-year-old Stephen Broderick, whom authorities have accused of fatally shooting three people in Northwest Austin on Sunday. Broderick was taken into custody after officials received two 911 calls around 7:30 a.m. about a man walking on Old Kimbro Road near U.S. 290 just outside Manor, Texas. Officials sent a car by the area to confirm Broderick's identity. Manor police officers and Travis County deputies arrested Broderick without incident. He was armed at the time, Manor police said. Broderick is the suspect in a triple homicide that started as what ......

AUSTIN, Texas — Split irrevocably along party lines, the Texas Senate on Thursday approved legislation banning transgender student athletes from competing in sports within their gender identity. All 18 Republicans voted for Senate Bill 29, which would require athletes in Texas public high schools and grade schools to compete in sports based on the "biological sex" listed on their original birth certificate. Under that definition, biological boys would be banned from competing in girls sports, although girls could compete in boys sports if a comparable female sport was not available. "This is a......