T-Squared: Three reporters are joining us to cover law, democracy and environment
Roxanna Asgarian will cover law and courts, Robert Downen will cover challenges to democracy and Alejandra Martinez will cover the environment. Full Story
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![Roxanna Asgarian, Robert Downen and Alejandra Martinez.]()
Credit: Texas Tribune -
TribCast: The enduring mental health toll of Texas natural disasters
On this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Erin about how climate change is affecting Texans’ mental health and Kate about a proposal to overhaul how the state funds community colleges. Full Story
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![Dana Jones, who has been a victim of many floods, looks out from her porch in Houston on Aug. 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
How to care for your mental health in the age of climate change and worsening natural disasters
Call or text 800-985-5990 to reach the national Disaster Distress Helpline, or dial 211 to find local mental health resources in Texas. Full Story
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![Barbara Edmonds, right, practices applying pressure on a wound on Deborah Berry during a CERT training at Felix Cook, Jr. Elementary School in Houston on August 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
“It’s destroying me”: Storm after storm, climate change increases strain on Texans’ mental health
Tens of thousands of coastal Texas residents have survived repeated extreme weather events including Hurricane Harvey. For many, it has taken an emotional toll, and researchers warn that climate change could be “catastrophic” for our mental health. Full Story
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![Dana Jones, who has been a victim of many floods, holds her head in her hand as she recounts her experiences at her home in Houston on August 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
Hemp was supposed to save Texas farmers during a drought. It hasn’t yet.
Hemp advocates promised the Texas Legislature the crop was drought resistant. The 2022 drought has proven otherwise. And farmers are abandoning the nascent market. Full Story
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![Kyle Bingham in his hemp crop at Bingham Family Vineyards on Aug. 29, 2022, in Terry County.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Texas regulators proposed cracking down on harmful plastic “nurdles” — and then changed their minds
The Texas coast is a hot spot for “nurdle” pollution, tiny plastic pellets created in the process of producing everyday products. But a plan to require proactive prevention of their release has been scrapped. Full Story
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![Ronnie Hamrick points out the plastic pellets he collected with a swift scoop of his small net at Point Comfort on March 20, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ heat index could reach 125 degrees over the next 30 years, study finds
“If it’s gonna rise by that much, I don’t think we’re prepared,” one South Texas mayor said of temperature increases. Full Story
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ cotton industry is facing its worst harvest in years — costing the state more than $2 billion
Cotton is Texas’ largest crop, and industry experts say they expect just half the normal annual yield — which will drive up costs for consumers. Full Story
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![Cotton plants grow in a field while a dust storm blows ahead of a late summer thunderstorm on Aug. 29, 2022, in Terry County, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Laredo approves air pollution monitoring following ProPublica and Texas Tribune investigation
Two air monitoring initiatives are moving forward in Laredo after an analysis by the news outlets showed that a plant emitting ethylene oxide elevated the estimated lifetime cancer risk for nearly 130,000 people, including over 37,000 children. Full Story
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![A woman directs traffic as students are dropped off at Muller Elementary, which could be at extreme risk due to ethylene oxide emissions from the Midwest plant in Laredo, Texas. Juan Jose “JJ” Nevares attended the school a year before he was diagnosed with cancer.]()
Credit: Kathleen Flynn for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Texas will plug 800 abandoned oil and gas wells, funded by $25 million federal infrastructure grant
The initial grant will allow Texas to plug a fraction of the state’s approximately 7,400 documented abandoned oil and gas wells. Full Story
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![Brackish water flows from an unplugged abandoned well outside Imperial in Pecos County — one of several in the area likely drilled for oil but later tapped for water.]()
Credit: Rafael Aguilera for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott declares Dallas-Fort Worth deluge a disaster, freeing up state resources to help in recovery
The declaration covers 23 counties across the state and comes after some saw more than 10 inches of rainfall Monday. Full Story
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![Gov. Abbott gets briefing from members of the Texas Emergency Management Council on the flash floods and excessive rain across the state at the Texas State Emergency Operations Center in Austin on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022.]()
Credit: State government website -
Laredo confronts drought and water shortage with minimal options
Leaders in the South Texas city are reluctant to impose substantial restrictions on watering lawns even as water supplies near record lows. Full Story
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![A bridge crosses the dry bed of Falcon Lake in Zapata, Texas, 60 miles south of Laredo, on Aug. 16, 2022.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
Flooding hits Dallas-Fort Worth as some areas receive more than 13 inches of rain
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared a state of disaster in the region, and Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state’s emergency operations center to be ready to support communities impacted by the flooding. Full Story
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![A car drives through high water on South Second Avenue in Dallas, Texas on Monday, August 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Texas’ drought is likely to persist
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Jayme about how this week’s rain likely won’t mean the end of the drought. And he speaks with Eric about the soon-to-be-over congressional career of Louie Gohmert. Full Story
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![Water spews out of a fire hydrant as a San Antonio Water System crew works to fix a water main break in San Antonio on Aug. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is facing its worst drought since 2011. Here’s what you need to know.
The drought will likely continue into the fall and winter. Full Story
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![Cotton fields near the High Plains town of Ralls, about 30 miles east of Lubbock, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Like much of Texas, the High Plains and Panhandle are facing drought conditions and extraordinary heat.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Wetter weather is coming this weekend. But it won’t be enough to end Texas’ drought.
Rain is in the forecast across much of the state. But it won’t be enough to reverse the drought that has gripped Texas since last fall. Full Story
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![A San Antonio Water System crew works to fix a water main break near Hunt Ln. and Adams Hill in San Antonio on Aug. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Nearly all unplanned chemical releases in Texas go unpunished
Thousands of “emissions events” from chemical plants each year exceed permitted limits, but only a small fraction result in penalties from the state’s environmental agency. Full Story
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![A house stands in the Manchester neighborhood while refineries are visible in the background in Houston on Sept. 8, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Loren Elliott -
Drought and record-breaking heat spur a South Texas water crisis
A century of enterprise brought the Rio Grande to its brink. Now authorities are “praying for a hurricane” as reservoirs dwindle and populations boom on both sides of the border. Full Story
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![Lake Falcon, one of the the two bi-national reservoirs of the Rio Grande, is just 9% full.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
After decades of broken promises, a Texas “donut hole” community will get running water
Construction began in July to bring water to Cochran, one of several colonias along the border not served by public water systems. The project is expected to be completed by October. Full Story
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![a home in the Cochran colonia.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel/DigDeep -
EPA launches investigation into Texas environment agency’s permitting process for concrete batch plants
The federal agency launched the inquiry after complaints from the Harris County Attorney and Lone Star Legal Aid about how the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issues permits to plants that predominantly impact communities of color. Full Story
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![Easy Mix Concrete Services LLC in southwest Austin.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
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