“Disasters are a human choice”: Texas counties have little power to stop building in flood-prone areas
Experts suggested that more data and education are needed as Texas and the rest of the country build in known flood plains. Full Story
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Carla Astudillo is a senior data visuals developer with a focus on elections and political data. Before joining the Tribune in 2019, she was a data and interactive visuals journalist at NJ.com and The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, where she helped build a database of police use of force in the state as part of a 16-month investigative project. She earned a master’s degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. Carla was born in Antofagasta, Chile and moved to the United States when she was 7 years old. After brief stints in Texas and New Mexico, her family settled in Lakeland, Florida, where she grew up. She is based in Austin and speaks Spanish fluently.
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![Damage from the flood around a bridge on Highway 39 in Hunt on July 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
These graphics show the scope of Texas’ Hill Country floods
These maps and charts show the scale and intensity of the Hill Country floods and highlight Camp Mystic’s proximity to high-risk flood zones. Full Story
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![A blue line chart superimposed with a background image of the aerial view of damage along the Guadalupe River near Kerrville on July 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Illustration by Carla Astudillo / Photo by Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
See how your representatives in the Texas Legislature voted on this year’s major bills
Our interactive tool allows you to search how state lawmakers voted on the most consequential proposals debated during the session, which ended June 2. Full Story
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![Six boxes with lines and rectangles representing bills and votes for the session on a gray background. There's a large address bar with a pointer in the middle.]()
Credit: Illustration by Carla Astudillo -
The 2025 Texas Legislature is over. See how far some of the most consequential bills made it.
Get up to date on the status of the session’s major bills, including some on their way to the governor’s desk. Full Story
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![Four squares with four icons: the top left icon is of the Texas capitol with a yellow question mark over it, the top right icon is of a bill with with a yellow question mark over it, the bottom left icon is of the Texas capitol with a red checkmark over it and the bottom right icon is of a bill with a green checkmark over it.]()
Credit: Illustration by Ben Hasson -
Texas megadonor Alex Fairly joined forces with the GOP’s ultraconservative wing. He didn’t like what he saw.
Fairly, an Amarillo businessman, backed many candidates aligned with conservative West Texas billionaire Tim Dunn’s political operation in 2024. Now he’s disavowing what he says are dishonest and aggressive campaign tactics while pondering his path forward. Full Story
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![Alex Fairly speaks to Amarillo residents during a Conservative Patriots 4 Texas meeting on Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Amarillo.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Can Texas clean up fracking water enough to use for farming? One company thinks so.
The Texas Legislature has also invested millions in research to clean the fracking wastewater. Critics say it’s not a viable solution to the state’s water crisis. Full Story
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![Technical Research & Development Manager Adrianne Lopez gives a tour of the Texas Pacific Water Resources’ project site greenhouse on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, outside of Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
See how Texas House members voted on school vouchers
The House approved historic legislation that would implement school vouchers in Texas. Here’s how each representative voted. Full Story
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![Texas House of Representatives Members vote on an amendment for Senate Bill 2 in the House Chamber in Austin on April 16, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
To avoid a water crisis, Texas may bet big on desalination. Here’s how it works in El Paso.
Desalination can create millions of gallons of fresh water a day. But it is expensive and there are many environmental concerns. Full Story
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![An illustration of a glass of water, superimposed over reverse osmosis filters from El Paso's Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant.]()
Credit: Carla Astudillo/The Texas Tribune -
Texas is running out of water. Here’s why and what state leaders plan to do about it.
The state’s water supply faces numerous threats. And by one estimate, the state’s municipal supply will not meet demand by 2030 if there’s a severe drought and no water solutions are implemented. Full Story
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![Water gushes from Rick Bradbury’s truck to Shannon Montague’s reservoir as the Bradbury’s make a delivery Saturday, March 16, 2024 in Terlingua.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, private firms cash in on property tax late fees, piling debt onto struggling homeowners
Texans who fall behind on their property taxes face one of the most punitive systems in the nation, where private collection companies can tack up to 20% onto their bill. Full Story
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![Sarah Rojo disscuses hardships of being delinquent property taxpayers on Febuary, 23 2025 in Gardendale, Texas.]()
Credit: Callie Cummings for The Texas Tribune