Texas needs water workers. Will high school students answer the call?
Nearly two-thirds of the state’s water and wastewater agencies say they need more workers. Full Story
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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.
Latest Contributions
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![Consolidated Water Supply Corporation employees patch a broken pipe on April 19, 2023 in Crockett.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
COVID-19 funding halted rural hospital closures across Texas, until now
La Grange residents worked for months to try to save the 65-bed hospital and asked the city to step in with a loan, but it wasn’t enough. Full Story
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![An empty dining room is seen at St. Mark’s Medical Center Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in La Grange. Wednesday was the hospital’s last day of service before its scheduled closing on October 12.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Looking for an economic rebound, an East Texas town looks to the arts — and is rebuffed by the state
A town of 34,000 people, Lufkin sits deep in the Piney Woods, a region dotted with rural towns. Local civic leaders hope a long list of efforts can revitialize the city’s downtown and reboot its economy. Full Story
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![A flag flies as cars drive downtown in Lufkin, Texas, U.S., on Friday, January 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin face budget challenges because of proposed school choice legislation, which provides taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
In the shadow of James Byrd’s murder, city leaders can’t agree how to move this East Texas town forward
Jasper’s second Black mayor wants to help residents pay their bills while a younger city council wants to invest in the city’s culture. Residents call their heated arguments at city council meetings “foolishness” and “embarrassing.” Full Story
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![Jasper, Texas: Mayor Anderson Land reviews notes before a city council meeting at City Hall on June 12, 2023 in Jasper, Texas. Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones urges Texans to get organized, learn from history
In an interview for The Texas Tribune Festival, the journalist urged Texans to organize in response to the state’s book bans and restrictions on public school lessons. Full Story
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![UT journalism professor Kathleen McElroy speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones about confronting racial injustice, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 23, 2023.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
An East Texas principal was arrested after paddling a student, renewing debate over corporal punishment
Texas is one of 17 states that still permits hitting, spanking and paddling in schools. Republican lawmakers stood by the practice earlier this year in part because they say it was permitted in the Bible. Full Story
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![A Texas school hallway in 2019.]()
Credit: Pu YIng Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas enlists out-of-state volunteers to combat wildfires
As the state’s wildfire season continues, rural fire departments and their volunteers are strained to keep up with hundreds of fires. Full Story
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![Heavy smoke from a large wildfire is seen rising from behind trees on September 2, 2023, near Huntsville in Walker County, Texas.]()
Credit: Reginald Mathalone via Reuters Connect -
Their water is undrinkable. So these West Texas residents have taken matters into their own hands.
The water in these four unincorporated communities near Lubbock has been undrinkable for years, residents say. They hope to win $3 million in state grants to improve their systems. Full Story
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![Signs advertise a future neighborhood near Wolfforth on Wednesday, April. 26, 2023, in Lubbock County.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Millie Thompson Williams, first woman elected to help lead Texas’ Alabama-Coushatta, dies
Thompson Williams is remembered as a spiritual leader and educator who “liked seeing what the possibilities were.” Full Story
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![Alabama Coushatta Second Chief Elect Millie Thompson Williams in traditional regalia inside of the Indian Village Assembly of God Church on Thursday, December 22, 2022. Thompson will be the first woman to serve in this leadership position in the history of the Native American Tribe.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court lets state law eliminating Harris County elections chief stand, for now
The ruling means the November elections in the state’s largest county will be overseen by two other county officials. Legislators targeted Harris County’s elections department after taking issue with the way the 2022 elections were run. Full Story
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![Ballots and scanning machines arrive at central counting after polls close in Houston, Tuesday Nov 8, 2022. (Michael Stravato for the Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune