DPS tells visiting governors that efforts to deter migrants are effective and razor wire and buoy barriers “save lives.”
Pooja Salhotra
Pooja Salhotra joined the Tribune in 2022 as its first-ever East Texas reporter based in Lufkin, where she covered a vast region that borders three states and stretches north to Texarkana and south to Beaumont. In late 2023, she relocated to Austin as a general assignment reporter to cover issues ranging from breaking news to developments in state agencies. Pooja was born and raised in the Houston area and graduated from Yale University. She also holds a master’s in fine arts from NYU’s journalism school.
Posted in
Politics
Ken Paxton could be deposed after Texas judge’s ruling in whistleblower lawsuit
The attorney general accused the judge of “recklessly disregarding legal precedent” after he attempted to end the long-running lawsuit from former staffers.
Posted in
Politics
An East Texas school district’s flagpole raises questions about America’s separation of church and state
The LaPoynor school district frequently flies a Christian flag, but may not be running afoul of the Constitution because it says students are choosing to raise it.
Posted in
Uvalde school shooting
Uvalde victims’ families get an official acknowledgement of botched shooting response — but some want criminal charges
Some relatives of the 21 people killed in Texas’ deadliest school shooting are demanding criminal charges after federal officials say delayed police response cost lives.
Posted in
Uvalde school shooting
Twenty months after deadly Uvalde school shooting, multiple investigations have yet to be released
The U.S. Department of Justice just released its investigation into law enforcement’s response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School. But at least three other investigations have not yet been released to the public.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Legal challenge to Dallas County’s cash bail system ends after U.S. Supreme Court declines to step in
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously held that federal courts can’t weigh in on the constitutionality of the county’s pre-trial processes.
Posted in
Politics
Six years after Hurricane Harvey, the city of Houston still hasn’t allocated $200 million in relief funds
Both the state and the city of Houston say they want to work together to help pay down the remaining funds.
Posted in
Politics
Former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Black Democratic trailblazer, dies at 89
Johnson, the first Black woman elected to any seat in Dallas and the first Black Dallasite to serve in Congress, was a towering figure in Texas politics.
Posted in
Demographics
Far-right activist blasts Speaker Phelan for being “pro-Muslim” in political mailer
The card insinuates that Phelan wants to wish his constituents a happy Ramadan instead of a merry Christmas. Muslim Texans say it’s Islamophobic and some Republicans say it doesn’t reflect Christian values.
Posted in
Demographics
Texas’ statewide poverty rate declines, but several rural counties see increase in poor residents
An influx of highly educated people from other states helped shift the state’s economic fortune. But in many parts of Texas, residents are struggling as jobs dry up.
