The two victims of a Thursday shooting at Uvalde Memorial Park are being treated in San Antonio hospitals. Abbott’s decision to send in DPS comes as the agency faces questions over its role in the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School.
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
Health care
Gov. Greg Abbott said rape victims can take Plan B. But emergency contraception isn’t widely available for the state’s poorest people.
Abbott said that victims of rape could take Plan B to prevent a pregnancy. Due to the state’s health care landscape, accessing emergency contraception may not be feasible for low-income Texans.
Posted in
Immigration
Authorities report nine drowning victims after deadly Rio Grande crossing
On Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that nine migrants had died while trying to cross the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass.
Posted in
Politics
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office calls Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing strategy “racist”
Abbott late Wednesday announced Chicago would be a new destination for migrants bused from Texas in his strategy to draw attention to the influx of people at the southern border. Chicago leadership welcomed the migrants “with dignity and respect.”
Posted in
Politics
A conservative school district and Texas lawmaker try to outmaneuver efforts to subvert “In God We Trust” law
After protesters solicited donations to distribute posters to schools across the state in Arabic, state Sen. Bryan Hughes sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency clarifying his legislation requiring schools to display signs with the national motto.
Posted in
Uvalde school shooting
Families of the Uvalde shooting victims denounce Gov. Greg Abbott’s inaction on gun reform
The governor has made a vocal enemy in the families of Robb Elementary shooting victims. They are demanding a special legislative session to reach a compromise on the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles.
Posted in
Transportation
After a decade of hype, Dallas-Houston bullet train developer faces a leadership exodus as land acquisition slows
Texas Central has made little visible progress financing the high-speed rail project and acquiring property for the route in recent years. The company maintains that the bullet train is still being developed but declined to provide details about the path forward.
Posted in
Courts
Federal judge says Texas can’t ban 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who cited the Second Amendment in his decision, stayed the ruling pending appeal.
Posted in
Uvalde school shooting
Uvalde school district and a litany of law enforcement agencies could face $27 billion class-action lawsuit over shooting
A lawyer for shooting victims is seeking compensation for victims and families, citing the Texas House committee’s investigative report that found “systemic failures” in response to the tragedy.
Posted in
Health care
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joins other key Republicans in supporting repealing the “tampon tax”
Advocates have previously called for repealing the sales tax on products like tampons, sanitary pads and pantyliners. Menstrual products are already tax-free in 24 states.
