As El Paso begins to wear the new off its hard-fought medical school, another Texas border community is starting on the long road to establishing its own. University of Texas System officials are evaluating how long it will take and how much it could cost to train the next generation of doctors in the Rio Grande Valley.
Brandi Grissom
Brandi Grissom worked at the Tribune from its launch in 2009 until 2014, rising to the rank of managing editor. In addition to editing duties, Grissom led the Tribune's coverage of criminal justice issues. During her tenure at the Tribune, she was chosen as a 2012 City University of New York Center on Media, Crime and Justice/H.F. Guggenheim Journalism Fellow and was a fellow at the 2012 Journalist Law School at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Grissom, along with Tribune multimedia producer Justin Dehn, received a 2012 regional Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting for work on the case of Megan Winfrey, who was acquitted of murder in February 2013 after the Trib’s coverage brought statewide attention the case. Grissom joined the Tribune after four years at the El Paso Times, where she acted as a one-woman Capitol bureau. Grissom won the Associated Press Managing Editors First-Place Award in 2007 for using the Freedom of Information Act to report stories on a variety of government programs and entities, and the ACLU of Texas named her legislative reporter of the year in 2007 for her immigration reporting. She previously served as managing editor at The Daily Texan and has worked for the Alliance Times-Herald, the Taylor Daily Press, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and The Associated Press. A native of Alliance, Neb., she has a degree in history from the University of Texas.
Fighting for Security
Immigration advocates say the feds are deporting thousands of illegal aliens who are minor offenders and some who’ve committed no crimes at all. But federal officials and local law enforcement argue that they’re simply making Texas streets safer.
TribBlog: Perry Indicates He’ll Pardon Timothy Cole
Gov. Rick Perry appears willing to sign a posthumous pardon for the exonerated Timothy Cole after Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today issued an opinion that said the governor could grant one.
Big Border Business
For the last year and a half, Tom Barry visited immigrant detention centers in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Here’s what he found.
Tom Barry interview
The Texas Tribune talks with Tom Barry, senior policy analyst at the Center for International Policy, about immigration detention centers on the border.
TribBlog: Tejano Monument Finally Coming to the Capitol
The State Preservation Board today approved installation of a Texas Tejano Monument on the south lawn of the Capitol. The project has already taken nearly a decade.
TribBlog: Still Seeking Sustenance
The state is working to get poor Texans food stamps quicker, but it’s not fast enough for many families, and too many children are getting their only hot meal at school, according to Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid.
TribBlog: Not-so-happy New Year’s Eve for MALDEF
The Third Court of Appeals in Austin said the Texas Department of Public Safety does not have to halt its policy that prevents some legal U.S. residents from getting driver’s licenses.
TribBlog: Border Mayor Escapes Mexico Shootout
Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster might have to change his tune about his idyllic border home after this week. Foster was having lunch Tuesday with Mexican officials across the border in Piedras Negras when a gunmen started spraying the place with bullets.
TribBlog: Sun Bowl to Oklahoman: Drop Dead
The El Paso Brut Sun Bowl has sold out more quickly than ever in its 76-year history, officials said today. The sellout comes less than a week after the Oklahoma City daily The Oklahoman, ran a story about how the raging violence in Juarez was keeping many Sooner fans from buying tickets

