So far there has been an average of six boil-water notices a day across Texas in 2023.
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
Republican Texas House candidate’s election complaint tossed after he fails to pay fee
Mike May was one of more than 20 losing candidates in Harris County who filed election contests, citing reports of Election Day issues.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
GOP Harris County judge candidate contesting her loss after Election Day problems at polling sites
Democratic County Judge Lina Hidalgo beat Republican Alexandra del Moral Mealer by more than 18,000 votes. An assessment of Election Day problems at polling sites “has not yet revealed” whether any voters were turned away.
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Politics
Odessa City Council will meet to reconsider firing two top employees after lawsuit
A local attorney is threatening more lawsuits as a new City Council, backed by the local Republican Party, gets to business.
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Rural reproductive health in Texas
For teens in Deep East Texas, accessing sex education and contraception is next to impossible
In conservative Sabine County, it’s hard for teens to access contraception or sex education beyond lessons on abstinence. The Deep East Texas region has one of the highest teen birth rates in the state.
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Politics
“It takes time to get stuff done”: New Texas congressman promises results, not rhetoric
Nathaniel Moran, the former Smith County judge, has promised to be a staunch conservative who will pass legislation. That worries some of his constituents.
Posted in
Energy
Texas shelters prepare for twin emergencies: arctic cold and an increase in migrants
Cities and nonprofits are using a variety of strategies to keep unhoused people warm. But some organizations warn they’re already at capacity as El Paso sends migrants across the state.
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Health care
Texans are dying on state highways every day — especially in rural “dead zones”
Fatal crashes in rural areas accounted for 51% of Texas’ 4,489 traffic fatalities in 2021, even though only about 10% of the state’s population lives in a rural area, according to data from the state’s department of transportation.
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Politics
Texas elections secure despite COVID-related “irregularities” in 2020, audit finds
Four Texas counties were evaluated in a 359-page audit released by Secretary of State John Scott on Monday, two weeks before he steps down as chief election official.
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Politics
Did party politics cost a Texas city manager and attorney their jobs?
City councils are typically nonpartisan. Odessa residents are wondering if that’s still the case after the local Republican Party helped elect new council members.