Federal environmental regulators have proposed to remove 202,000 cubic yards of toxic waste that has festered for more than half a century along the San Jacinto River.
Jim Malewitz
Jim Malewitz was a reporter at the Tribune from 2013 to 2017, covering energy and environment and then working on investigations. Previously, he covered those issues for Stateline, a nonprofit news service in Washington, D.C. The Michigan native majored in political science at Grinnell College in Iowa and holds a master’s from the University of Iowa. There, he helped launch the nonprofit Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, where he currently serves on the board of directors. Jim also coaches the Texas Tribune Runoffs, which, sources say, is the scrappiest coed newsroom softball team west of the Mississippi.
Posted in
Economy
Paxton Blasts Clean Power Plan Ahead of High-Profile Legal Arguments
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is helping to lead a 28-state effort to strike down the Clean Power Plan, President Obama’s landmark effort to to fight climate change.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Starr: Sexual Assault at Baylor Not “an Endemic Problem”
Former Baylor University President Ken Starr pushed back Saturday against the notion that the school — or its athletic department — has systemic problems with its handling of sexual assault allegations.
Posted in
Politics
Texas Appeals Voter ID Rulings to U.S. Supreme Court
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday asked the justices to hear his arguments about why the state’s photo ID requirements for voting do not discriminate against Hispanics and African-American voters.
Posted in
Politics
Miller Won’t Face Charges For “Jesus Shot” Trip, Rodeo Visit
Travis County prosecutors say “criminal intent would be difficult to prove,” so they’re not pressing charges against Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller for controversial state-paid trips to a Mississippi rodeo and to receive a “Jesus Shot” in Oklahoma.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Judge Orders Texas to Rewrite Voter ID Education Materials
Texas must issue new press releases and other materials in its voter education campaign. That comes after the federal government and other plaintiffs accused state officials of misleading voters about identification requirements.
Posted inState Government
House GOP Leader Talks Up Will Hurd’s Re-Election Chances
Also, the Houston Chronicle endorses a third-party candidate in the race for Railroad Commissioner.
Posted inState Government
Texas Found 276 New Cases of Groundwater Contamination Last Year
Texas regulators last year documented 276 new cases of groundwater contamination, a slight increase compared to 2014 but far fewer than in years past.
Posted in
Politics
Feds Accuse Texas of Misleading On Relaxed Voter ID Requirements
The federal government is accusing Texas of circulating “inaccurate or misleading information” to poll workers and would-be voters about relaxed identification requirements for the November elections.
Posted in
Energy
Toxic Aquifer Injections Trouble Railroad Commission Hopeful
Mark Miller, a Libertarian candidate for Texas railroad commissioner, is taking the commission to task for its failure to track toxic injections into underground zones that could hold drinking water.