Nearly two years after the Uvalde massacre, hereโs who has been reprimanded and where investigations stand
As a grand jury considers whether any law enforcement officers are criminally charged for their inaction during the Robb Elementary shooting, some families say they feel theyโve been let down and betrayed by elected officials.
Ex-IRS contractor gets five years in prison for leak of tax return information of Trump, rich people
A former contractor for the Internal Revenue Service who pleaded guilty to leaking tax information to news outlets about former President Donald Trump and thousands of the countryโs wealthiest people was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday.
Election administrators are under attack in Texas. Hereโs what that means for the midterms.
With the 2022 midterms less than a month away, election administrators in Texas and elsewhere continue to face a level of harassment and threats that experts say had never been experienced before the November 2020 presidential election.
In the Army, youโre more likely to be detained for drugs than sexual assault
A first-of-its-kind analysis reveals that, on average, Army soldiers had to face at least eight counts of sexual offenses before their commanders detained them ahead of trial as often as soldiers charged with drug or burglary crimes.
Fauci: Vaccines for Kids as Young as First Graders Could Be Authorized by September
Despite the need, Pfizer is the only manufacturer whose pediatric vaccine trials are far enough along to potentially have data on elementary-school age children by the end of the summer. The adult trials paved much of the way, but researchers still need to study how kidsโ immune systems react and to confirm the optimal dosage. And even if the shots are authorized by September, there will need to be enough supply on hand in order to get school children immunized before school doors open. AdThatโs enough to prove safety and benefit, experts said, in part, because the adult trials have already paved the way. AdWhen it comes to proving benefit, the pediatric trials will focus on a different metric than the adult trials.
A lender sued thousands of lower-income Latinos during the pandemic. Now it wants to be a national bank.
The monthslong probe showed the loan company had sued thousands of lower-income Latinos in Texas during the coronavirus pandemic while depicting itself as a benefactor of that community. California-based Oportun, founded in 2005, has always been a regional company and lends in just 12 states including Texas. โUnfortunately, recent investigations and research have revealed egregious debt collection practices by Oportun,โ the letter states. That means the OCC may decide on Oportunโs application by early spring. โThe public comment period is an important part of this process,โ Oportun said in a statement to ProPublica and the Tribune.
The Trump administration awarded border wall contracts to build on land it doesnโt own in Texas
The situation could become even more complicated if President-elect Joe Biden makes good on his promise to stop border wall construction. The agreements are to build 146 miles of border wall and install nearly three dozen gates. Biden has said he will cease wall construction and drop all the lawsuits on day one. Under the Trump administration, Starr has become one of the agencyโs top priorities for the border wall. But Starr County, which lacks a levee system, had no wall before the Trump administration first proposed building there in 2017.
South Texas restrictions were meant to protect people from COVID-19. Then the handcuffs and ticket books came out.
Among these cases, nearly 3 in 10 people were charged only for the emergency order violation, the district attorney said. In the initial month of the virusโ spread in Texas, orders were coming out every few weeks or even days. Fines pile up, and cases are dismissedOutcomes for violating COVID-19 orders varied from community to community in the Valley. Daisy Alvarado was one of more than 340 people cited by Cameron County sheriffโs deputies for violating COVID-19 orders. The virusโ toll hasnโt changed Alvarezโs opinion that rules like the emergency orders need to be applied cautiously.
Here are the acronyms and terms you need to know to get unemployment benefits in Texas
disqualifiedIf you receive notice that youโve been disqualified from unemployment benefits, it means something has prevented you from receiving them. In Texas, DUA has become synonymous with Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, during the coronavirus pandemic. Temporary Unemployment BenefitsPrograms that temporarily extend unemployment benefits are housed under this classification, including Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Extended Benefits (EB) and High Unemployment Period (HUP). Programs that temporarily extend unemployment benefits are housed under this classification, including Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Extended Benefits (EB) and High Unemployment Period (HUP). UI, UC, UA, UEUnemployment insurance, unemployment compensation, unemployment assistance, unemployment.
What you should watch โ and what you should ignore โ while the votes are being counted in Texas
This year, our results page will be powered by Decision Desk HQ, a firm that collects, organizes and reports election night results. It's been a common refrain across the country that people should prepare themselves in 2020 for election week, not election night. Second, we know that a small number of votes won't be counted on election night, so some races will simply be too close to call. What to keep in mind as the results come inThe vast majority of the votes in Texas will be cast before Election Day. Conversely, only 15% of Democrats said they'd vote on Election Day, compared with 33% of Republicans.
Have a problem voting in Texas? Let us know
Early voting in Texas begins Oct. 13 Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas TribuneEarly voting in Texas begins Tuesday, kicking off in-person balloting in an election unlike any in the state's history. To keep an eye on how things are going, The Texas Tribune is teaming up with ProPublica's Electionland. ProPublica has built a network of news outlets, including The Texas Tribune, across the state and country. To let us know how your voting experience goes, hereโs how to sign up and get in touch:SMS: Text the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or ๆ็ฅจ (for Chinese) to 81380 (standard text message rates apply). WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or ๆ็ฅจ (for Chinese) to 1-850-909-8683.
It cost me everything: Hispanic residents bear brunt of COVID-19 in Texas
Hispanic residents are more likely to work in service jobs or live in multigenerational households that make social distancing difficult. He said COVID-19 is amplifying the existing inequalities of "a health care infrastructure that is faulty by design." Nationally and in parts of Texas, the coronavirus has also disproportionately sickened and killed Black residents, another group with unequal access to health care. "These problems are all coming to a head after decades of not paying attention to the health care infrastructure." Valery Martinez, left, and her family hold a plate lunch fundraiser for her cousin Arturo Valles COVID-19 medical expenses.
This private border wall was already at risk of falling down if not fixed. A hurricane made things worse.
The damage comes at the start of what is projected to be an active hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. Erosion along the privately funded border wall on the banks of the Rio Grande in Mission has accelerated due to Hurricane ... The privately built border fence is the subject of a lawsuit brought by the federal government and the National Butterfly Center. In 2010, Hurricane Alex caused widespread damage along the banks of the river, including at the National Butterfly Center, just upriver from Fisherโs fence. โWe said it was too close to the water, erosion would be an issue, the location made no sense,โ Patrick said.
This Silicon Valley-based lender sued thousands of Texans during the pandemic. It stopped when we started asking questions.
Allie Goulding/The Texas TribuneThis article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for ProPublicas Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published. A Silicon Valley-based installment lender that caters to Latino immigrants announced on Tuesday that it would drop all the lawsuits it has filed against borrowers who fell behind on payments, including during the coronavirus pandemic. That reporting has included interviews with individuals whom Oportun sued in small claims courts across the state, as well as numerous consumer advocates. Court records show that it has filed thousands of debt claims in Texas this year alone and tens of thousands since 2016.
ProPublica posts NYPD records, bypassing judge's blockade
A state judge who first handled the case had issued a narrower restraining order that temporarily blocked the public disclosure of records concerning unsubstantiated and non-finalized allegations or settlement agreements. In all, the searchable database contains 12,056 complaints against 3,996 active NYPD officers. But we believe the public good it could do outweighs the potential harm, ProPublica Editor-in-Chief Stephen Engelberg said. In issuing the temporary restraining order, Failla also barred the New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union from publicly releasing records it had already obtained. The organization said it requested officer misconduct complaints from the CCRB under the states open records law and received them before the unions lawsuit was filed.
San Antonio team weeds out faulty PPE shipped in from other places
SAN ANTONIO During an ever-changing pandemic, there is a constant race to weed out faulty personal protective equipment that ends up in our medical system. Last month, KSAT shared an investigation done by nonprofit consumer watchdog ProPublica, which revealed a Silicon Valley investor was paying workers to repackage non-medical KN95 masks to sell to Texas emergency workers. Thankfully, those masks were denied by a San Antonio team with a lifesaving job. We went to our higher (education) and university systems to make sure that what we were buying was, in fact, quality masks, Kidd said. As the pandemic rages on, PPE will continue to come into the South Texas region from multiple places, and the San Antonio TDEM team will continue to process it before it is handed out.
Former leader of neo-Nazi group pleads guilty to 'swatting'
ALEXANDRIA, Va. A founder and former leader of a neo-Nazi group has pleaded guilty to conspiring to place hoax phone calls targeting an African American church, a Cabinet official, journalists and others. Prosecutors say Denton was leader of a group called Atomwaffen Division. More than a dozen people linked to Atomwaffen Division or an offshoot called Feuerkrieg Division have been charged with federal crimes since the groups formation in 2016. Denton also placed swatting calls to the New York City offices of news outlet ProPublica, and to a ProPublica reporter in Richmond, California. Another member of the swatting conspiracy, former ODU student John William Kirby Kelley, is scheduled to enter a plea next week.
Eroding private border wall to get an engineering inspection just months after completion
Erosion can be seen along the privately funded border wall that was built less than a year ago in Mission. Fisher, a frequent guest on Fox News, has seen his company become Trumps preferred border wall contractor. Javier Pea, attorney for the National Butterfly Center, which sits just upriver from the fence, told Crane the erosion beneath the fence is "massive." The U.S. Border Patrol is building its own fence on top of a levee system about a mile north of the Fisher wall. Officials say that project continues, but it is unclear who will take over management of the Fisher wall long term.
He built a privately funded border wall. It's already at risk of falling down if not fixed.
In this June 19 photo, erosion can be seen along the privately funded border wall that was built on the banks of the Rio Grande in Mission. People dont appreciate the power of the Rio Grande when it does indeed wake up, said Jude Benavides, who specializes in floodplain mapping in the Lower Rio Grande Valley at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. This unnecessary wall must be taken down.A section of Trumps border wall is seen on June 19, 2020 in Mission. This section of the border wall will be built north of the privately funded wall. Vernica G. Crdenas for The Texas Tribune/ProPublicaThe privately funded border wall is seen from the area where Trumps border wall will be built on June 19, 2020 in Mission.
He Removed Labels That Said โMedical Use Prohibited,โ Then Tried to Sell Thousands of Masks to Officials Who Distribute to Hospitals
The masks Rivera posted photos of were face masks with earloops that donโt fit securely around the head, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends. The investigatorโs visit had led him to wonder if repackaging masks for sale to unsuspecting customers was not kosher. The agency shared a photo of a packaged mask SKYOU attempted to sell, which is identical to a photo Rivera shared, only with the medical disclaimer removed. He said Mulligan caused โa very large sceneโ with officials at the agencyโs Austin headquarters after SKYOU masks were rejected. In the end, Mulligan told me all the effort and expense of repackaging the masks was a waste.
When small businesses cant access PPP, local governments struggle to close the gap
Corado said she struggled with and did not complete an online application for the Small Business Administrations Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP. That has particularly affected very small businesses and those owned by people of color. The key to recovery in many towns in Texas and across the country is small businesses, local leaders and experts say. We should do what we can to aid those small businesses, but not on a first-come, first-served basis. Local governments are now setting aside some of the federal COVID-19 relief funds for small businesses in the form of grants.