Nobody told Yaneli Ortiz’s family that the factory they lived near emitted ethylene oxide. Not when the EPA found it causes cancer. Not when she was diagnosed with leukemia. And not when Texas moved to allow polluters to emit more of the chemical.
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit uncovers big stories that matter to Texans and the nation, taking aim at corruption, injustice and malfeasance across the state. Read on for the latest stories, and be sure to sign up to get the latest on the people and policies shaping the future of Texas with the Tribune’s weekday newsletter.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Generators can cause deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. But the industry resists rules to make them safer.
Portable generators are among the deadliest consumer products. Two decades after the government identified the danger, and as climate change leads to more power outages, people are left vulnerable by a system that lets the industry regulate itself.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Trump won Hood County in a landslide. His supporters still hounded the elections administrator until she resigned.
Michele Carew, an elections administrator with 14 years of experience, has resigned after a monthslong campaign by Trump loyalists to oust her. “I’m leaving on my own accord,” she said.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
“God’s will is being thwarted.” Even in solid Republican counties, hard-liners seek more partisan control of elections.
The political battle in one Texas county where Trump got 81% of the vote offers a rare view into the virulent distrust and unyielding pressure facing elections administrators.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Texas must do more to effectively prevent carbon monoxide disasters, experts say
Months after the deadly gas killed at least 17 Texans during a massive winter storm, lawmakers have failed to take significant action to protect most of the state’s residents.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Inside an agonizing three-hour wait for 911 response to carbon monoxide poisoning in Texas
Following a 911 call about a family that had fainted, first responders arrived at the house and knocked on the door. No one answered, so they left. Inside, an entire family was being poisoned by carbon monoxide.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Texas enabled the worst carbon monoxide poisoning catastrophe in recent U.S. history
They used their car to stay warm when a winter storm brought down the Texas power grid. In a state that doesn’t require carbon monoxide alarms in homes, they had no warning they were poisoning themselves.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas’ unemployment system is confusing and frustrating. Here’s how to navigate it.
People across Texas are struggling to navigate a maze-like system to get unemployment benefits. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas was opting out of some federal assistance programs, which ended June 26. Here are the answers to the most common questions about getting benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Here are the acronyms and terms you need to know to get unemployment benefits in Texas
The state’s unemployment system is confusing and frustrating. Getting familiar with the Texas Workforce Commission’s jargon may help you access assistance.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
How inconsistent policies and enforcement have created false hope for migrants at the border
The Biden administration and the Mexican government have made the situation at the border so confusing that even seasoned experts can’t always determine who is allowed in and who isn’t. That may be contributing to the high number of border crossings.