19 Austin police officers accused of excessive force during 2020 protests are indicted
Austin officials also agreed to a $10 million settlement with two men who were injured by police with beanbag rounds during the protests. Full Story
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Joshua Fechter is the Dallas-based urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, covering policy — including housing affordability, housing and property taxes, evictions, policing and transportation — and politics in Texas' major metropolitan areas. Before joining the Tribune in August 2021, Joshua covered City Hall for the San Antonio Express-News. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
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![An Austin Police officer fires his weapon into a crowd of protestors from Interstate 35, near the Austin Police headquarters on May 31, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas voters will decide whether to lower some property tax bills in May election
If two propositions pass, the state will increase school funding to make up for revenues lost from a decrease in property taxes. Full Story
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![A student takes notes in Norman Gomez's third-grade class at Linder Elementary School in Austin on Jan. 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Miranda Lipton for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ power grid held up during last week’s winter weather. Experts say it wasn’t seriously tested.
Experts say it’s unclear whether changes mandated by Texas lawmakers to prevent widespread power outages like those last February made a significant difference during a weaker winter storm. Full Story
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![Power lines near a power substation in Northwest Austin during a winter storm on Feb. 3, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
The man who brought drive-thru voting to Texas wants to be Houston’s next mayor
Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins rose to prominence by pushing ways to expand voting access in Texas’ most populous county during the November 2020 election. Full Story
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![Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins at election headquarters inside the NRG Arena on Oct. 5, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas eviction filings among the nation's highest as millions of rent relief dollars go unspent
The U.S. Treasury Department seized $1.9 million in unspent rent relief from five Texas counties and one city because local officials didn’t spend the money fast enough. Full Story
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![An aerial view of the Kelly Village housing complex in Houston on Sept. 16, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
With hundreds of nurses out sick, San Antonio lawmakers of both parties ask for governor’s help staffing hospitals
Officials in the state’s major metropolitan areas are increasingly scrambling to find health care workers to deal with a wave of patients with COVID-19. Full Story
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![More than 3,400 red hearts are posted on a fence to honor San Antonio residents who have died from COVID-19 during the pandemic in San Antonio on Sept. 17, 2021. The hearts are part of a memorial called "Deep in Our Hearts".]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Austin voters could decriminalize small amounts of pot in May
“Small possession of marijuana is not the type of violation that we want to stockpile jails with,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday. Full Story
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![Mature marijuana plants at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Medical Marijuana facility in South Austin on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Home prices soared during the pandemic. Here’s what that looks like in one East Texas city.
Texas’ housing crunch has spread outside of the state’s major metropolitan areas and into more rural parts of Texas. Smaller cities and towns saw steep increases in home prices as COVID-19 spread. Full Story
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![Quannah Ludlow, 37, stands in the dinning area of his one-bedroom apartment in Longview, Texas, on Dec. 14, 2021. Quannah was living for six months at a Courtyard by Marriott hotel while trying to find an apartment to rent in Longview.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Former President Donald Trump downplays Jan. 6 insurrection, doubles down on false election claims on Texas trip
“This wasn’t an insurrection,” the former president said of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that left five dead. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump speaks during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 presidential election results by Congress, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Jim Bourg -
Watch: Austin police chief weighs in on city’s deadliest year in decades, police reform and "defunding" the department
Austin needs more police officers patrolling the streets, Police Chief Joseph Chacon told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith in an interview this week. Full Story
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