Past Contributions

• T-Squared: A fresh look for The Texas Tribune

  by Becca Aaronson Dec. 12, 2017

  Today we launched the first major redesign of The Texas Tribune homepage in four years. Tell us: What do you think of our new look? Full Story 

• Salaries Explorer Updates UT-Arlington, UTEP

  by Annie Daniel, Becca Aaronson, Jolie McCullough and Ryan Murphy July 15, 2016

  We've updated the Tribune's Government Salaries Explorer with fresh data for the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at El Paso and Tarrant County. We've also added Bexar County to the Salaries Explorer. Full Story 

• MD Anderson, Katy ISD Updated in Government Salaries Explorer

  by Annie Daniel, Becca Aaronson, Jolie McCullough and Ryan Murphy June 7, 2016

  We've updated the Tribune's Government Salaries Explorer with new data for The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Katy ISD and Midwestern State University. College Station ISD and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center are new additions. Full Story 

• Take In a View of the New Texas Space Race

  by Annie Daniel, Becca Aaronson, Ben Hasson and Julián Aguilar, The Texas Tribune, and Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal April 14, 2016

  SpaceX recently achieved a milestone when it successfully landed an unmanned rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean. Revisit our interactive project on the plans for commercial space flight in Texas, including SpaceX’s controversial facility in the southernmost part of the state. Full Story 

• Salaries Explorer Has Updated Data for Several State Agencies

  by Ryan Murphy, Annie Daniel, Becca Aaronson and Jolie McCullough April 1, 2016

  We've updated our Government Salaries Explorer with fresh data for employees on the state of Texas payroll and employees at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. The Dallas County Community College District is a new addition to the explorer. Full Story 

• See How Many Students Texas Public High Schools Send to UT-Austin

  by Becca Aaronson April 1, 2016

  Use this interactive to look up Texas public high schools and find out how many of its students enrolled at UT-Austin in 2015. This is part of the Tribune's "The Price of Admission" series. Full Story 

• Boosting Diversity at Texas Colleges Could Kill Affirmative Action

  by Matthew Watkins, The Texas Tribune, Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal, and Becca Aaronson, The Texas Tribune March 30, 2016

  The controversy over Texas' Top 10 Percent Rule for college admissions shows how fraught the debate over race and higher education has become. This story is part of our "Price of Admission" series. Full Story 

• Just Miles Apart But a World of Difference in College Paths

  by Matthew Watkins, The Texas Tribune, Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal, and Becca Aaronson, The Texas Tribune March 30, 2016

  The Top 10 Percent Rule aims to give all Texas public high school students an equal shot at getting into the state's top public universities. But that doesn't guarantee that students will seize that opportunity. This story is part of the Tribune's "Price of Admission" series. Full Story 

• At Schools Just Miles Apart, a World of Contrast in Paths to College

  by Matthew Watkins, The Texas Tribune, Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal, and Becca Aaronson, The Texas Tribune March 30, 2016

  The Top 10 Percent Rule aims to give all Texas public high school students an equal shot at getting into the state's top public universities. But that doesn't guarantee that qualifying students will seize that opportunity. This story is part of the Tribune's "Price of Admission" series. Full Story 

• Attempt to Boost Diversity at Texas Colleges Could Kill Affirmative Action

  by Matthew Watkins, The Texas Tribune, Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal, and Becca Aaronson, The Texas Tribune March 29, 2016

  The controversy over Texas' Top 10 Percent Rule for college admissions shows how fraught the debate over race and higher education has become. This story is part of our "Price of Admission" series. Full Story 

• How Much Texas Politicians Spent per Vote in 2016 Primaries

  by Becca Aaronson March 3, 2016

  House Speaker Joe Straus spent $307 for every vote he got in Tuesday's primary election, leading the pack of state candidates. Here's a table detailing how much money selected state candidates spent for each vote they got. Full Story 

• Who Are the Biggest Spenders in Texas Races?

  by Becca Aaronson March 1, 2016

  Political organizations have contributed more than $26 million to state races in Texas since Jan. 1, 2015. Take a look at the biggest-spending political groups and which types of candidates they support most. Full Story 

• Revisit Texas' Space Race with Starstruck, our Multimedia Project

  by Becca Aaronson and Julián Aguilar, The Texas Tribune, and Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal Dec. 31, 2015

  Take a look back at Starstruck, our interactive project on the big — and sometimes secretive — plans for commercial space flight from South and West Texas. Full Story 

• Revisit Undrinkable, Our Project on Poor Border Water Quality

  by Alexa Ura and Becca Aaronson, The Texas Tribune, and Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal Dec. 29, 2015

  Take a look back at The Texas Tribune's five-part Undrinkable series, which revealed how border communities lack reliable, clean water despite a multibillion-dollar effort that has spanned decades. Full Story 

• 2015 Interactive Features Included Death Row App, Look at Space Race

  by Becca Aaronson Dec. 27, 2015

  Whether it was an immersive look at the space industry in Texas, a project on death row inmates or a redesign of one of our most popular databases, The Texas Tribune's news apps team tackled some our most ambitious projects to date in 2015. Full Story 

• Interactive: How Many Texans Resemble You?

  by Becca Aaronson Nov. 27, 2015

  There are more than 25 million people living in Texas — but how many of them are just like you? Use our interactive to see the Texans who share your demographic characteristics. Full Story 

• More than 400,000 Employees Now in Salaries Explorer

  by Ryan Murphy, Annie Daniel, Becca Aaronson, Jolie McCullough and Miles Hutson Nov. 13, 2015

  With a focus on the Houston area, our latest updates have pushed the number of state and municipal employees in our database to more than 400,000. Among the agencies we've added: the University of Houston and its campuses, the city of Houston and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. Full Story 

• Revisit Starstruck, a Project on Texas' Newest Space Race

  by Annie Daniel, Becca Aaronson, Ben Hasson and Julián Aguilar, The Texas Tribune, Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal, and Spencer Selvidge and Bobby Blanchard, The Texas Tribune Oct. 23, 2015

  SpaceX and Blue Origin have big — and sometimes secretive — plans for commercial space flight from South and West Texas. While some of the companies’ new neighbors are hopeful, others fear the effects on wildlife and small-town life. Full Story 

• Starstruck: The Fights and Flights Behind Texas' Commercial Space Race

  by Annie Daniel, Becca Aaronson, Ben Hasson and Julián Aguilar, The Texas Tribune, Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal, and Spencer Selvidge and Bobby Blanchard, The Texas Tribune Oct. 22, 2015

  A half-century after NASA began pursuing spaceflight from Houston, Texas has again become the center of an emerging space industry. SpaceX and Blue Origin plan to launch commercial rockets from Texas sites. But they haven't won over their neighbors. Full Story 

• God & Governing: Education

  by Alana Rocha, Becca Aaronson, David Pasztor, Emily Albracht, Justin Dehn and Todd Wiseman Oct. 11, 2015

  Tune in to "God & Education" — the final part of our "God & Governing" documentary-style series — to see how lawmakers' personal religious beliefs played into abstinence education and school voucher debates in 2015 Texas legislative session. Full Story