Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled years ago that a newspaper couldn’t see applications from entities seeking grants from the Texas Enterprise Fund. But now an audit says five of those applications never existed.
Jay Root
Jay Root is an award-winning journalist who reported for the Tribune from 2011 to 2020. He covered the dramatic collapse of Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign and went on to write an ebook about it called “Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail.” Root also broke the story that put the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, on the path toward criminal indictment, co-wrote an exposé that brought an end to privately funded prosecutions in Travis County, and authored a series of watchdog articles that prompted a wave of firings and resignations at two major state agencies.
In 2017, Root co-directed “Beyond The Wall,” a film exploring border politics in the age of Trump, which won a national Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary. Root’s latest film, “Border Hustle,” was released in early 2019 and reveals how desperate migrants have become cash cows on both sides of the border.
Previously, for a dozen years, Root was Austin bureau chief of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he chronicled the rise of then-Gov. George W. Bush, wrote about cartel violence in Mexico and covered Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. During a three-year stint at the Associated Press, Root was twice named AP Staff Reporter of the Year for his watchdog reporting, including a story that sparked felony charges against a sitting state representative.
Posted in
Politics
Criticism Follows Reports on Incentive Programs
In Texas, reports of loose oversight over hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development funds, cancer research grants and plain old tax money are fueling pointed criticism from both the left and the right.
Posted in
Politics
Lawsuit Targets Taxpayer Expenditures for Perry Legal Fees
A lawsuit filed by an Austin lawyer is arguing that Gov. Rick Perry and Comptroller Susan Combs had no authority to spend taxpayer money on criminal defense attorneys for the governor, who is fighting an indictment.
Posted in
Demographics
Abbott Sets Sights on “The Bluest Part of a Red State”
Greg Abbott, the Republican nominee for Texas governor, is trying to break the Democrats’ near lock on deep South Texas. The Democrats are dismissive of his effort, but it underscores the importance both camps are attaching to Hispanics this year.
Posted inState Government
In Debate, Davis Takes Aim at Abbott as He Targets Obama
In their first debate, Wendy Davis on Friday slammed Republican Greg Abbott on everything from his position on abortion to his opposition to Medicaid expansion. Meanwhile, Abbott portrayed himself as a warrior against President Obama.
Posted in
Politics
Ahead of Debate, Davis Supporters “Welcome” Team Abbott to Valley
Ahead of Friday’s gubernatorial debate in Edinburg, supporters of Wendy Davis staged a fake welcome rally Friday to mark the arrival of Greg Abbott’s out-of-town volunteers to the Rio Grande Valley.
Posted inState Government
Abbott, Davis to Meet for High-Stakes Debate
The first debate of the Texas governor’s race will be held Friday night in the Rio Grande Valley. It will be a rare opportunity for Democrat Wendy Davis, trailing in the polls, to directly confront Republican Greg Abbott, who has only appeared in one formal statewide debate in his long career.
Posted inState Government
Abbott Hits Davis on Ethics in Web Ad
Republican Greg Abbott’s campaign for governor is hitting his opponent, Democrat Wendy Davis, for alleged ethical lapses in a new web ad. The ad cites a report that raised questions about Davis’ service on the Fort Worth City Council.
Posted inState Government
Workplace Deaths Decline, But Texas Still Fares the Worst
Texas saw a decline in the number of people killed on the job in 2013, but the state still leads the nation in workplace fatalities, according to preliminary government data released Thursday.
Posted in
Health care
Davis’ Abortion Draws Attention to New Rules
State Sen. Wendy Davis’ revelation that she had an abortion late in her 1997 pregnancy is shedding light on a provision in the restrictive abortion legislation she tried in vain to stop last year.
