Past Contributions

• Printing a place to live: In Central Texas, homes are being built with emerging 3D technology

  By Noah Alcala Bach Oct. 6, 2023

  Using robotic 3D printers that can build the concrete walls of a house, a pair of Texas startups say the technology could help alleviate two crises: the housing shortage and climate change. Full Story 

• Starting Sept. 1 in Texas, your speed limit may vary based on local highway conditions

  By Noah Alcala Bach Aug. 22, 2023

  Lawmakers who ushered through the change say the new law will make roads safer during storms or construction. Full Story 

• New forecast predicts more hurricanes because of record-warm sea surface temperatures

  By Noah Alcala Bach Aug. 10, 2023

  Texas meteorologists remind residents to make sure they have a plan in the event of a tropical storm Full Story 

• Texas state troopers are routinely stopping motorists of color in Austin, data shows

  By Noah Alcala Bach Aug. 10, 2023

  More than 8 in 10 people charged by state troopers since they began helping Austin police have been people of color. In Southeast Austin, a neighborhood president calls it “outright racial profiling.” Full Story 

• On the Texas-Mexico border, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gives an owl protected status, seeks to declare two mussel species endangered

  By Noah Alcala Bach July 25, 2023

  Wildlife groups have long lobbied for increased protection for the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl. The agency says the mussels species are threatened by reduced flow and poor water quality in the Rio Grande. Full Story 

• U.S. sues Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott declines to remove floating border barrier

  By Noah Alcala Bach Updated: July 24, 2023

  The U.S. Department of Justice made good on its warning last week that it would sue Texas unless the state agreed to remove the barrier in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass. Full Story 

• EPA will decide if the state is doing enough to reduce pollution in two East Texas counties

  By Noah Alcala Bach July 20, 2023

  The federal agency has settled a lawsuit the Sierra Club brought over pollution from a coal-burning power plant. The agreement requires the EPA to weigh in on the state’s plan to improve air quality in Rusk and Panola counties. Full Story 

• Mexico files diplomatic complaint over Gov. Greg Abbott’s floating border barriers

  By Noah Alcala Bach July 15, 2023

  The Mexican government plans to send an inspection team to see if Texas’ buoys have crossed into Mexico’s side of the border. Full Story 

• A Comal County ranch owner ponders selling his land, setting off another clash between property rights and environmental concerns

  By Noah Alcala Bach July 13, 2023

  When the owner applied for a state permit that could pave the way for a subdivision, neighbors and environmentalists rallied against it in the name of protecting the area’s rivers and the Edwards Aquifer. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott sends more state police to patrol Austin after city leaders call for end to partnership

  By Sneha Dey and Noah Alcala Bach Updated: July 13, 2023

  Austin Mayor Kirk Watson had said that troopers pulling a gun on a 10-year-old prompted the end of the agreement. A video of that encounter shows troopers with guns pointed at the ground, not the child. Full Story