“This wasn’t an insurrection,” the former president said of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that left five dead.
Joshua Fechter
Joshua Fechter is the Dallas-based urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, covering policy — including housing affordability, housing and property taxes, evictions, policing and transportation — and politics in Texas' major metropolitan areas. Before joining the Tribune in August 2021, Joshua covered City Hall for the San Antonio Express-News. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
Posted in
Winter Storm 2021
Texas cities weren’t ready for a massive winter storm in 2021. Has that changed?
Cities have made some preparations in case of another severe winter storm. But keeping the lights and water on is far from guaranteed.
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Economy
Evictions in some Texas cities are almost back to normal levels as tenant help dries up
Evictions in major Texas cities have reached levels not seen since the pandemic began. But tenant protections and financial assistance for struggling renters are beginning to fade.
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Health care
Watch: Austin and Travis County leaders weigh in on tangling with Gov. Greg Abbott, COVID-19 response and police reform
“I think housing affordability and housing supply is the now existential issue,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith, who interviewed Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown.
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Criminal Justice
In wake of Astroworld tragedy, Texas creates new task force on concert safety
The state appears to have minimal oversight over events like the Astroworld concert. And some cities are more stringent than others.
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Economy
Citing overwhelming demand, Texas Rent Relief Program will stop taking new applications after Friday
Housing advocates worry some Texans won’t get the help they need as the state enters the cold winter months.
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Criminal Justice
Austin voters reject ballot proposition to hire more police officers
Supporters of Proposition A argued that boosting the ranks of the police force was necessary to combat the city’s growing homicide rate, a trend seen in cities nationwide. Opponents and city leaders warned it would lead to fewer firefighters, medics and librarians.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas voters will decide whether to lower their property tax payments after Legislature completes last-minute Hail Mary
If voters approve the measure next year, it will raise the state’s homestead exemption from $25,000 to $40,000 for school district property taxes, netting the average homeowner about $176 in savings.
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Criminal Justice
Austin voters could put hundreds more police officers on the streets after last year’s budget cuts
A November vote on whether Austin should hire hundreds of new police officers is shaping up as a test of Austinites’ appetite for police reform.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House wants to use federal COVID relief funds to send out $525 checks — but only to homeowners
Republican lawmakers have faced pressure to provide some form of property tax relief this year. Critics of a new proposal say it’s politically timed.