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Joshua Fechter is the urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, covering policy — including housing affordability, 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.
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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“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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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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“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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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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Cities have made some preparations in case of another severe winter storm. But keeping the lights and water on is far from guaranteed. Full Story
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Evictions in major Texas cities have reached levels not seen since the pandemic began. But tenant protections and financial assistance for struggling renters are beginning to fade. Full Story
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“I think housing affordability and housing supply is the now existential issue,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith, who interviewed Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown. Full Story
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The state appears to have minimal oversight over events like the Astroworld concert. And some cities are more stringent than others. Full Story
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Housing advocates worry some Texans won’t get the help they need as the state enters the cold winter months. Full Story
![[Neighborhood scenes - Justice Court Pct. 5 Place 1 under Honorable Russ Ridgway] Clarewood Gardens Apartments of the Chimney Rock neighborhood in southwest Houston. Aug. 21, 2020.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/cqlcz8vc9Ox_TpFvfCFmEvEKTK0=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0e5bdc9b3997bbcc3ea29d12b1bf43b3/Houston%20Evictions%20PYH%20TT%2010.jpg)