Texas to receive $3.3 billion in federal funds to boost broadband expansion efforts
The federal money will be added to the $1.5 billion investment made by state lawmakers this session to increase broadband availability across Texas. Full Story
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Pooja Salhotra joined the Tribune in 2022 as its first-ever East Texas reporter. Based in Lufkin, she covers a vast region that borders three states and stretches north to Texarkana and south to Beaumont. Pooja was born and raised in the Houston area and graduated from Yale University. She also holds a master’s in fine arts from NYU’s journalism school.
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![An aerial view of Groveton March 20, 2023, in Groveton, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Texas towns are starving for capital and lack the resources to apply for grants. This group hopes to help.
Texas Rural Funders hopes a one-stop resource for grant applications and writers could help small towns win money to fund innovation and capital needs. Full Story
![An aerial view of Groveton March 20, 2023, in Groveton, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?
On the eve of a historic investment in connecting the Lone Star State, advocates worry maps that will help establish which communities get funding have bad information. Full Story
![An industrial irrigation system on a farm in Floydada, TX, on Mar. 8, 2012.]()
Credit: Jason Janik for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: 25 years after James Byrd Jr. was killed for being Black, his loved ones question how much has changed in Texas
The quiet East Texas town of Jasper came together immediately after the racist murder of James Byrd Jr. Now, Texas is leading the nation in incidents of white supremacist propaganda. Full Story
![Jasper, Texas: James Byrd Jr’s burial plot May 29, 2023 at the Jasper City Cemetery in Jasper, Texas. Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Eliminating countywide voting in Texas would make the process harder on voters, cost more money, election leaders say
Currently, more than 80% of Texas voters can vote anywhere in their home county, a model that originated in Lubbock County. If lawmakers approve new legislation, that would change. Full Story
![A voter walks past an election sign on his way to vote outside of the Lauro Cavazos Middle School polling station. Lubbock voters chose their voter preferences during the mid-term elections Tuesday, November 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Texas towns need money, technical help and compromise to save their water systems
Water agencies have long resisted working together out of fear of losing their local powers. But an example from Florida could help save the Lone Star State’s water and infrastructure. Full Story
![One of Wolfforth’s water towers on Wednesday, April. 26, 2023.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Everything you need to know about Texas’ beleaguered water systems
Texas has more than 7,000 water systems. A fraction of them self-reported that they lost 30 billion gallons of water due to broken pipes and leaks in 2021. Full Story
![Water spews out of a fire hydrant as a San Antonio Water System crew works to fix a water main break near Hunt Ln. and Adams Hill in San Antonio, TX on August 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ water infrastructure is broken, jeopardizing quality and supply for a growing state
On a daily basis, water managers in cities across the state move from crisis to crisis hoping to keep the water flowing to residents. Full Story
![Tom Bailey flushes out a water line in Zavalla on April 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune -
Illegal voting in Texas likely to be a felony again after state House vote
The Texas Senate has passed similar legislation. But a key policy separates the two chambers. Full Story
![A voter casts her ballot at the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center during Election Day in Houston on Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House OKs $5 billion for broadband, if voters give thumbs up
The legislation — which falls short of the $10 billion needed to ensure all Texans have reliable internet access — must still win approval in the state Senate. Full Story
![A splice can that contains 432 fiber cables in Louisville, Kentucky on April 19, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Amira Karaoud
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