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Chris Essig is the deputy data visuals editor at the Texas Tribune. He helps lead a team of developers who build charts, maintain public databases and analyze data for reporters to help them hold elected officials accountable. Chris has been a newsroom developer for 10 years and has worked in several local newsrooms. As a native of the Midwest, Chris received his journalism degree from Eastern Illinois University and spent six years in Iowa working at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids and at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Waterloo.
The state’s Hispanic population is now nearly as large as the non-Hispanic white population, with Texas gaining nearly 11 Hispanic residents for every additional white resident since 2010. Those trends set up a pitched battle for political control when state lawmakers redraw legislative districts. Full Story
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Voters in some urban, Democratic areas of Harris and Tarrant counties would see a drastic drop in polling places under the Senate version of Senate Bill 7, a Texas Tribune analysis shows. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune’s database of Texas state employees' compensation has been updated to represent salaries as of April 1. It includes detailed data for the 111 agencies in state government and positions at each of those agencies. Full Story
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This timeline tracks COVID-19’s rampage through Texas over the last year: the growing death toll, the policy decisions made in response to the pandemic that often influenced its course, and the stories of some of the Texans claimed by the virus. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune’s database of Texas state employees' compensation has been updated to represent salaries as of February 1. It includes detailed data for the 111 agencies in state government and positions at each of those agencies. Full Story
During the 2021 legislative session, The Texas Tribune is streaming the Texas House and Senate chambers, which you can watch here. The session runs from Jan. 12 to May 31. Full Story
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Despite details released from the Paycheck Protection Program this week, a full snapshot of the program remains unclear. Full Story
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The apparent record comes one day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Public health authorities have urged people to celebrate apart this year as many Texas hospitals report overwhelming volumes of COVID-19 patients. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune's database of compensation for Texas state employees has been updated to represent employee salaries as of July 1. It includes detailed data for the 113 agencies in state government and positions at each of those agencies. Full Story
The federal government released the names Monday of 51,250 companies and organizations in Texas that received the loans, which were designed to keep the economy afloat during the coronavirus. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune is excited to launch a new and revamped version of our Government Salaries Explorer. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune's database of compensation for Texas state employees has been revamped. It includes detailed data for all of the 113 agencies in state government and every position at each of those agencies. Full Story
New estimates from University of Texas at Austin researchers show what it would take to spread out hospitalizations in 22 Texas metro areas. Full Story
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There are cases in each of the state’s five largest urban areas, though the virus has now also appeared in counties spanning from East Texas to the Gulf Coast. Officials expect statewide testing capacity to increase soon. Full Story
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A couple of The Texas Tribune's political nerds highlight (their latest version of) the most interesting races up and down the 2020 primary ballot. Full Story
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Houston ISD, the state's largest school district, is among those that could have its school board taken over by the state, due to consecutive low ratings of one of its schools. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court could soon alter the political future of Texas when it decides whether the Trump administration can ask about citizenship on the upcoming census. Full Story
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A Texas Tribune study analyzed 560 cases from four Texas counties to shine a light on how the controversial practice of civil asset forfeiture is used by law enforcement. Full Story
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How would lawmakers' proposals to provide property tax relief affect tax bills? It depends on where you live and what kind of home you own. Full Story
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Proposals in the Texas House would spend $6.6 billion from the state’s savings account; the Senate would spend $4.4 billion. Full Story
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