Revisit our Paid to Prosecute project, a six-month Texas Tribune/Austin American-Statesman investigation that revealed a chummy and unusual financial arrangement between Texas Mutual Insurance and the Travis County DA’s office.
Jolie McCullough
Jolie McCullough was a reporter at The Texas Tribune from 2015 to 2023. She began as a data visualization journalist and then reported on criminal justice policy, ranging from policing and courts to prisons and the death penalty. She joined the Tribune from the Albuquerque Journal, her hometown newspaper. She previously worked at the Arizona Republic and is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Posted inState Government
Updated: Faces of Death Row in Texas
Ten inmates have been executed in Texas this year; 253 others are living with a death sentence. Revisit our database of these men and women, filterable by age, race, sex and the length of their stay on death row.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, State Government
Decades After Reforms, Exclusive Deal Lingers
An exclusive funding deal between Texas Mutual and the Travis County DA was forged amid crisis, one that has long-since passed. While the company used to be subject to government audits and transparency laws, lobbyists have worked to lift such rules.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, State Government
Chief Fraud Lawyer Has an Independent Streak — and a Public Personality
From almost the very beginning, the controversial relationship between a giant Texas insurance company and the Travis County DA’s office has been overseen by a fiery prosecutor with a tendency to share her liberal politics and social views on social media.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, State Government
Private Insurer Pays Government Lawyers to Pursue Fraud Charges
A six-month Texas Tribune/Austin American-Statesman investigation into a chummy and unusual financial arrangement between Texas Mutual Insurance and the Travis County DA’s office reveals a series of troubling issues.
Posted in
Demographics
Long Way Home: Census Details Texas Commutes
At least a third of Texas workers living in suburban counties surrounding the state’s five largest cities — Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth — commuted from their home counties into the city for work in 2013, according to new census data.
Posted in
31 Days, 31 Ways (2015)
Millions Slated to Hire More Border Troopers
The Texas Department of Public Safety will receive hundreds of millions of dollars to bolster its ranks along the Rio Grande, adding 250 new troopers and support staff. Local law enforcement agencies fear higher state salaries will lure away their employees.
Posted in
31 Days, 31 Ways (2015)
State College Aid Becoming Less Accessible for Middle Class
Lawmakers have pumped millions into financial aid for low-income residents and are phasing out programs with less strict income requirements. Is the middle class is being left out? This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series.
Posted inState Government
Updated Salaries for UT Medical Branch, UT Health Northeast
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and UT Health Northeast — previously The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler — are the latest updates to The Texas Tribune’s Government Salaries Explorer.
Posted in
Politics
State Won’t Track Gay Marriage Numbers
On the first day of legal same-sex marriage, more than 465 same-sex couples were issued marriage licenses in 10 of the state’s largest counties. But keeping track of how many licenses are issued over time may prove difficult.
