How the flooding in Southeast Texas got so dire
Since Sunday, multiple rounds of rainfall have soaked the region, causing rivers and creeks to swell and rise out of their banks. Full Story
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Alejandra Martinez is a Fort Worth-based environmental reporter. She’s covered the impacts of petrochemical facilities on Black and brown communities, including investigating a chemical fire at an industrial complex and how the state's air monitoring system has failed Latino communities. Her work on climate change includes exploring the health effects of extreme heat and how extended droughts affect water resources. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, Alejandra was an accountability reporter at KERA, where she began as a Report for America Corps Member and then covered Dallas City Hall. She also has worked as an associate producer at WLRN in South Florida. A Houston native, Alejandra studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and speaks fluent Spanish.
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![The Lake Livingston Dam is seen releasing water on May 3, 2024, in Livingston. The Southeast Texas reservoir reached capacity during several days of intense rainstorms this week.]()
Credit: Drone Bros LLC -
Rain eases in Southeast Texas but flooding will take time to recede
Thousands of residents have either evacuated or are now under shelter orders. Full Story
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![Emergency personnel respond to flooding on FM 1988 on May 2, 2024, in Livingston.]()
Credit: Drone Bros LLC -
17 pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested at UT-Dallas as police break up encampment
UT-Dallas is the second campus in Texas where Department of Public Safety troopers have made arrests while breaking up protests. Full Story
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![Protesters chant as DPS officers look on at the University of Texas at Dallas on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment on the campus before dawn. At about 4 p.m., DPS and other police officers showed up and tore down the encampment and arrested several people.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
What you need to know about toxic “forever chemicals” the EPA is restricting
The EPA recently set new limits on the toxic chemicals used to make everything from nonstick pans to firefighting foam. Here’s how to protect yourself and your family. Full Story
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![3M’s Cordova chemical plant in Illinois on the Mississippi River upstream from the Quad Cities on Dec. 7, 2022. The company said it will stop making PFAS chemicals in 2025.]()
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks state to halt new cement plant permits until 2025
Citing community concerns about a planned cement plant in Grayson County, Patrick’s letter asks TCEQ to reject the permit and halt permit approvals statewide. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during a keynote lunch at the Texas Public Policy Foundation Texas Policy Summit 2024 at the AT&T Hotel & Conference Center in Austin, TX on Mar. 21, 2024. Lt. Gov. Patrick spoke on policies regarding energy, border control, school choice and taxes.]()
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Dozens of Texas water systems exceed new federal limits on “forever chemicals”
The EPA set its first-ever drinking water limits for five types of PFAS chemicals, and nearly 50 Texas public water systems have reported exceeding the new limits for at least one. Full Story
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![A cascade aerator on the site of the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant outside of San Antonio, where the San Antonio Water System maintains an underground storage reservoir.]()
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EPA rule to slash toxic pollution will affect 80 Texas plants
The new federal limits target six cancer-causing chemicals and aim to reduce the cancer risk of cancer for nearby communities. Full Story
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![Flint Hills Resources, a manufacturer of fuels and chemicals, site in Corpus on Nov. 11, 2021.]()
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PHOTOS: Clouds break just in time for many in Texas to view eclipse
In some parts of the state, the skies cleared enough for people to see the total solar eclipse. Full Story
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![The Baressi family looks up at the sun Grenwelge Park, minutes before the total solar eclipse’s totality in Llano on April 8, 2024. The family traveled from across the United States to view the eclipse. The eclipse is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the area.]()
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Eclipse fever hits Texas towns as residents and officials prepare for a crush of visitors
Llano residents are told to stock up on groceries. A Sulphur Springs church is renting its parking spots. And everyone’s watching the weather forecast ahead of Monday’s eclipse. Full Story
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![Hundreds flock to Mission San José in South San Antonio on Oct. 14, 2023, to witness the annular solar eclipse as the moon’s shadow swept across Central Texas.]()
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President Joe Biden visits Dallas and Houston for fundraisers
Biden landed in Dallas late Wednesday afternoon. He had no public events on his schedule. Full Story
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![President Joe Biden speaks about U.S.-Mexico border security and enforcement during remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington on Jan. 5, 2023.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque