Matt Zdun

2 weeks ago | victoriaadvocate.com | Dylan McGuinness |Neena Satija |Matt Zdun

Note: The Houston Chronicle is part of an initiative with ProPublica and The Texas Tribune to report on how power is wielded in Texas. Leaders for Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the biggest donor in Texas politics, say they have a simple strategy when trying to persuade state lawmakers: “We never make enemies,” President Lee Parsley said in late April.

2 weeks ago | texastribune.org | Dylan McGuinness |Neena Satija |Matt Zdun

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. The Houston Chronicle is part of an initiative with ProPublica and The Texas Tribune to report on how power is wielded in Texas. Leaders for Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the biggest donor in Texas politics, say they have a simple strategy when trying to persuade state lawmakers: “We never make enemies,” President Lee Parsley said in late April.

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Matt Zdun |Megan Kimble

Will you receive any money when you file a home insurance claim in Texas? Flip a coin. Out of about 2.6 million claims received and closed by home insurers operating in Texas last year, nearly half, or about 47%, were closed with the homeowner receiving no money, according to federal data analysed by Weiss Ratings, an independent rating agency, and shared exclusively with Hearst Newspapers. Texas has a higher rate than the U.S. as a whole.

3 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Marissa Luck |Matt Zdun

The bright lights of Bahama Mama’s flagship store along Lower Westheimer turned on a year ago, welcoming passersby into a hemp shop unlike anything else in Houston. A red carpet rolled into a mirrored showroom stocked with nearly every type of legal hemp product and accessory imaginable. A Las Vegas-like mix of color, chrome and cannabis culture gave the 5,000-square-foot boutique an Instagram-ready vibe. The bold design reflected Bahama Mama’s even bolder real estate strategy.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Megan Kimble |Matt Zdun

Putting the TAA’s contributions into contextNearly 300 state lawmakers or those seeking those offices received about $2.7 million from TAA and its affiliates over the past decade. To put that number in perspective, Hearst identified what other state political committees have given sizable sums to these same lawmakers and office seekers. TAA and its affiliates have not given the most.