Amarillo receives a higher ratio of new refugees to the existing population than any other Texas city. Local officials are worried that the refugee population is straining the city’s resources.
Corrie MacLaggan
Corrie MacLaggan worked at The Texas Tribune from 2013 to 2021, as a demographics reporter, news editor and then managing editor. Previously, the Austin native worked as a national correspondent for Reuters, writing and editing stories about Texas and nearby states and overseeing a network of freelance writers. Before joining Reuters, she covered Texas government and politics for the Austin American-Statesman, writing about everything from gubernatorial races to food stamp application backlogs. She spent her first year at the Statesman writing for the newspaper's weekly Spanish-language publication. She has also worked in Mexico City, where she wrote for publications including the Miami Herald's Mexico edition, Latin Trade magazine and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Her first reporting job was at the El Paso Times. Corrie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism and Spanish.
Posted in
Demographics
Poll: Hispanics in Texas More Republican Than Elsewhere
Texas Hispanics lean Democratic, but they are more likely to be Republican than Hispanics elsewhere in the country, according to a new Gallup poll.
Posted in
Health care
Food-Stamp Cuts in Farm Bill Won’t Affect Texas
Legislation that President Obama is expected to sign on Friday will cut $8.6 billion in food-stamp benefits over a decade, but Texas recipients won’t be affected.
Posted inState Government
West Explosion, Online Voter Registration Among House Interim Charges
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Friday sent state representatives a list of interim charges, ordering committees to study everything from the 2013 explosion in West to online voter registration to graffiti.
Posted in
Politics
Women Underrepresented in Texas Legislature
Texas ranks 33rd for its percentage of female legislators. The number of women in the upper chamber is unlikely to increase, even as two of the seven in the Senate — Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte — pursue statewide office.
Posted in
Economy
Study: Half of Texas Households Financially Insecure
In Texas, 49.8 percent of households lack enough savings to pay for three months of basic expenses in case of a crisis such as a job loss, according to a new study.
Posted inState Government
The Fight Over Payday Lending, From the Capitol to the Campaign Trail
In Texas, where payday and auto-title lending is a $4-billion-a-year industry with some 3,500 businesses, there are no limits on fees or loan sizes. Texans take out larger loans and pay higher fees than consumers in the nation as a whole.
Posted in
Politics
House Race Draws Focus to Vietnamese Voters
A Democratic state representative who is the only Vietnamese-American ever elected to the Texas Legislature will face the winner of a Republican primary that has two Vietnamese-American hopefuls.
Posted in
Demographics
Income Gap Could Take Toll on Texas, Book Says
As Texas’ rapid growth continues to be fueled by an increase in the Hispanic population, Hispanic and black Texans are likely to keep lagging socioeconomically behind whites, leading to a poorer and less competitive state, according to a new book.
Posted inState Government
Lawmaker to Sriracha Maker: Texas is Here for You
State Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, has an idea for how to save Sriracha: Ditch California and move to Texas, he’s suggesting to the company that makes the spicy sauce.
