Travis County rejects all criminal trespass charges against 57 people arrested at UT-Austin protest
University officials banned all students arrested from campus, except for “academic reasons.” Full Story
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Pooja Salhotra
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Pooja Salhotra joined the Tribune in 2022 as its first-ever East Texas reporter based in Lufkin, where she covered a vast region that borders three states and stretches north to Texarkana and south to Beaumont. In late 2023, she relocated to Austin as a general assignment reporter to cover issues ranging from breaking news to developments in state agencies. Pooja was born and raised in the Houston area and graduated from Yale University. She also holds a master’s in fine arts from NYU’s journalism school.
Past Contributions
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![A protester is pulled from the crowd to be arrested at the University of Texas at Austin during a protest for Palestine on April 24, 2024.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh for The Texas Tribune -
Texas inmates are being ‘cooked to death’ in extreme heat, complaint alleges
With the threat of another hot summer ahead, advocates asked a federal judge to declare 100-degree-plus conditions in uncooled Texas facilities unconstitutional. Full Story
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![Telford prison on Tuesday, March 21, 2017, in New Boston.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
South Texas groups trying to stop state’s land swap with SpaceX
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is negotiating a land trade involving part of Boca Chica State Park. Full Story
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![SpaceX rockets at the launch pad at the Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. On Oct. 22, Elon Musk said via Twitter the Starship rocket would be ready for an orbital launch by next month.]()
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Most 18-year-old Texans aren’t signed up to vote despite a law requiring voter registration in high schools
Voting is habit-forming and high schools are critical for starting that pattern. Full Story
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![On the left, Mihir Relan, 18, and Bianca Juarez, 18, registers to vote with the help of Jolt Initiative, a non-profit organization that increases the civic participation of Latinos in Texas, on Friday, April 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune -
About 40% of Texas election administrators leave their job each presidential election cycle, report finds
Texas’ turnover rate has held steady at 40% since 2014. That’s slightly above the new national average. Full Story
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![Texans cast their votes at the start of early voting at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center near downtown Houston on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
PHOTOS: Clouds break just in time for many in Texas to view eclipse
In some parts of the state, the skies cleared enough for people to see the total solar eclipse. Full Story
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![The Baressi family looks up at the sun Grenwelge Park, minutes before the total solar eclipse’s totality in Llano on April 8, 2024. The family traveled from across the United States to view the eclipse. The eclipse is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the area.]()
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Two Denton school district principals indicted on charges of illegal electioneering
A grand jury indicted the principals for allegedly using their school emails to encourage staff to vote for certain candidates in the March primary. Full Story
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![A woman holds a sign reading "No Vouchers" outside Denton Calvary Academy on March 27, 2023.]()
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1.7 million Texas households are set to lose monthly internet subsidy
The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a $30 monthly subsidy to help low-income households pay for internet service. The program is slated to run out of money at the end of the month. Full Story
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![A colonia, unincorporated neighborhoods that lack basic services such as street lights, proper drainage, paved roads or waste management, is seen near Edinburg on March 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Legal experts say it’s rare to pursue jail time in securities fraud cases like Paxton’s
In 2015, Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted on three securities fraud felony charges. Experts in securities fraud say those charges are rarely pursued. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton talks with his team in the 185th Criminal District court at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center before his pretrial hearing March 26, 2024, in Houston.]()
Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune -
5th Circuit upholds Texas law requiring minors to obtain parental consent for contraception
A three-judge panel in New Orleans ruled that a Texas law requiring minors to obtain parental consent to obtain birth control does not conflict with the goals of the federally-funded Title X program, which has given teens birth control confidentially. Full Story
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