A jury on Thursday found Aaron Dean guilty of manslaughter for shooting Jefferson while she babysat her nephew in her mother’s home in 2019.
William Melhado
William Melhado was an Austin-based general assignment reporter until 2024. He originally joined the Tribune in 2022 as a Poynter-Koch fellow. Before his time at the Tribune, William worked as a staff writer at the Santa Fe Reporter, an alt-weekly newspaper in New Mexico, and he also worked as an educator for five years at a public high school in the Bronx, New York and at international schools in Tanzania and Nepal. A native of Boulder, Colorado, William graduated from Middlebury College with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and earned a master’s in secondary science education at CUNY Lehman College.
Posted in
Courts
Companies say they’re being denied Texas tax breaks as a state agency is overwhelmed with applications
Hundreds of businesses have sought tax savings from the state before the Chapter 313 program expires. Two companies say they are missing out despite being eligible.
Posted in
Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott bans TikTok on state phones and computers, citing cybersecurity risks
Following the lead of several other GOP governors, Abbott said banning the social media platform, which is run by the Chinese company ByteDance, would protect state information from the Chinese Communist Party.
Posted in
Demographics
Gov. Greg Abbott embraces “invasion” language about border, evoking memories of El Paso massacre
In the days since Abbott was reelected for a third term, he has embraced the word like never before, using it in a letter to President Joe Biden, echoing the intensifying language many Republicans have adopted in recent years.
Posted in
Politics
Donald Trump said he won all of Texas’ border counties. He didn’t.
In announcing his third run for president, Donald Trump said Gov. Greg Abbott called to congratulate him for winning “every single area along the border.” Democrats won many of those counties in 2016 and 2020.
Posted in
Politics
Federal judge in Texas rules that disarming those under protective orders violates their Second Amendment rights
U.S. District Judge David Counts signed another opinion Thursday that cited a lack of historical record on laws relating to domestic violence to justify disarming abusers. Advocates fear the ruling will put more victims in harm’s way.
Posted in
Higher Education
In latest challenge to student loan forgiveness program, a Texas judge blocks Biden’s policy
A federal judge in North Texas has struck down the loan forgiveness program President Joe Biden unveiled in August, citing a failure to provide borrowers with an opportunity for public comment.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Dan Patrick secures third term as lieutenant governor, beating Mike Collier
Patrick will get another four years leading the Texas Senate, one of the state’s most powerful positions.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
In wake of the Uvalde shooting, hoax active-shooter calls keep parents and police on edge
An increase in fake active-shooter reports since the beginning of the school year has intensified parents’ anxieties and required an additional law enforcement response.
Posted in
Health care
Pediatric hospitals short on beds as respiratory illnesses surge among children
After two years of mild flu seasons, Texas hospitals are seeing high rates of respiratory illnesses among children. A shortage of pediatric beds has forced some families to seek treatment out of state.
