https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/pooja-salhotra/The latest news by Pooja Salhotra.enMon, 08 Jan 2024 09:25:39 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/08/supreme-court-cash-bail-dallas-county/The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously held that federal courts can’t weigh in on the constitutionality of the county’s pre-trial processes.Pooja SalhotraMon, 08 Jan 2024 09:25:39 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/08/supreme-court-cash-bail-dallas-county/Magistrate Judge Hal Turley sets bail for defendants in Dallas County's Lew Sterrett Justice Center in 2018.Magistrate Judge Hal Turley sets bail for defendants in Dallas County's Lew Sterrett Justice Center in July.Dallas Countyhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/08/houston-glo-harvey-money/Both the state and the city of Houston say they want to work together to help pay down the remaining funds.Pooja SalhotraMon, 08 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/08/houston-glo-harvey-money/Workers sort through piles of flooded belongings at an apartment complex near Greens Bayou in the Greenspoint area of Houston on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, days after Tropical Storm Harvey dissipated.Workers sort through piles of flooded belongings at an apartment complex near Greens Bayou in the Greenspoint area of Houston on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, days after Tropical Storm Harvey dissipated.Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/31/texas-eddie-bernice-johnson-dies/Johnson, the first Black woman elected to any seat in Dallas and the first Black Dallasite to serve in Congress, was a towering figure in Texas politics.Abby Livingston and Pooja SalhotraSun, 31 Dec 2023 10:58:43 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/31/texas-eddie-bernice-johnson-dies/Retired U.S. Rep. Ernie Bernice Johnson, a towering Democrat from Dallas, died Sunday.Rep. Ernie Bernice Johnson, D-TX 30th District, has been a Congresswoman since 1993. Photographed at her office in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 10, 2019.Lexey Swall/GRAINhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/24/texas-conservative-muslim-mailer-ramadan-dade-phelan/The card insinuates that Phelan wants to wish his constituents a happy Ramadan instead of a merry Christmas. Muslim Texans say it’s Islamophobic and some Republicans say it doesn't reflect Christian values.Pooja Salhotra and Robert DownenSun, 24 Dec 2023 15:00:18 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/24/texas-conservative-muslim-mailer-ramadan-dade-phelan/Cary Cheshire outside of the offices of Pale Horse Strategies in Fort Worth on Oct. 6, 2023. Cheshire is the executive director of Texans For Strong Borders and a longtime employee of groups linked to Defend Texas Liberty.Cary Cheshire outside of the offices of Pale Horse Strategies in Fort Worth on Oct. 6, 2023. Cheshire is the executive director of Texans For Strong Borders and a longtime employee of Defend Texas Liberty-linked groups.Azul Sordo for the Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/15/texas-poverty-rate-census-2022/An influx of highly educated people from other states helped shift the state’s economic fortune. But in many parts of Texas, residents are struggling as jobs dry up.Pooja SalhotraFri, 15 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/15/texas-poverty-rate-census-2022/Yuchih Choy loads boxes of food into a pickup at the West Texas Food Bank in Odessa on Oct. 5, 2022.Yuchih Choy loads boxes of food into a pickup. West Texas Food Bank employees and volunteers load donated food into customer's cars during their weekly pick up outside of the food bank in Odessa, TX. Oct. 5, 2022.Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/texas-hate-crimes-data/A Texas Tribune analysis of hate crime data found that 82% of Texas law enforcement agencies that report to the FBI tracked no hate crimes last year. However, one suburban North Texas police agency is creating a new model of collecting hate crime data.Carla Astudillo and Pooja SalhotraThu, 14 Dec 2023 11:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/texas-hate-crimes-data/Bertha Germany at her home in Texarkana on Nov. 26, 2023. In 2021, Germany's home was vandalized with a racial slur, an event that was not documented as a hate crime by local police.Bertha Germany at her home in Texarkana, Texas on Friday November 26, 2023. Lawrence Jenkins for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/05/texas-fairfield-lake-state-park-eminent-domain-developer/The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will stop pursuing eminent domain to take over the former park property south of Dallas. A private developer plans to turn it into a luxury subdivision.Pooja SalhotraTue, 05 Dec 2023 12:45:11 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/05/texas-fairfield-lake-state-park-eminent-domain-developer/A sign tells visitors that Fairfield Lake State Park is closed on Feb. 27, 2023. After a developer bought the land that included the park, which the state had leased for decades, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tried to seize it through eminent domain but gave up that effort on Tuesday.A sign reads that the state park is closed at the entrance of Fairfield Lake State Park on Feb. 27, 2023.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/15/east-texas-electricity-rate-lawsuit-livingston-jasper/Livingston and Jasper residents hope a lawsuit will force their municipality-operated utility company to offer lower rates and create more transparency in setting rates. They’re among the 5 million Texans living outside the state’s deregulated market and cannot choose their energy provider.Pooja SalhotraWed, 15 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/15/east-texas-electricity-rate-lawsuit-livingston-jasper/Residents in two East Texas towns hope a state regulatory board will step in to help lower electricity rates.Power lines outside of Whinstone's Rockdale facility on Oct. 22, 2021.Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/12/texas-palestine-israel-ceasefire-protest/Thousands of Texans rallied in front of the state Capitol Sunday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 10,000 people.Pooja SalhotraSun, 12 Nov 2023 19:18:25 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/12/texas-palestine-israel-ceasefire-protest/Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather on the grounds of the state Capitol in Austin to protest the Israel-Gaza war on Nov. 11, 2023.Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather on the grounds of the state Capitol in Austin to protest the Israel-Gaza war on Nov. 11, 2023.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/10/east-texas-schools-electric-buses/The Martinsville Independent School District used a federal grant to replace four buses, which started transporting students last month. The principal believes he will save enough money on gas to hire a new teacher.Pooja SalhotraFri, 10 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/10/east-texas-schools-electric-buses/School buses are parked at the Austin Independent School District bus center on July 10, 2020 in Sunset Valley. The Texas Electric School Bus Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates for electric school buses, estimates that somewhere between 13 and 20 electric school buses are on the road in Texas and approximately 170 additional buses have been ordered.School busses are parked at the Austin Independent School District bus center on July 10, 2020 in Sunset Valley.Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/09/texas-school-bonds-approved/The voter approval rate for school maintenance and construction costs dipped in 2021 after lawmakers required school boards to call them “tax increases.”Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Pooja SalhotraThu, 09 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/09/texas-school-bonds-approved/School bond supporters celebrate after one of Ector County Independent School District’s three bond propositions were passed during an election night watch party on Tuesday in Odessa.School bond supporters celebrate after one of Ector County Independent School District’s three bond propositions were passed during an election night watch party Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Odessa.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/07/texas-judges-retirement-proposition-results/Texans soundly defeated a constitutional amendment that would have let judges stay on the bench longer. Proposition 13 would have increased the minimum retirement age from 70 to 75 and the mandatory retirement age from 75 to 79.William Melhado and Pooja SalhotraTue, 07 Nov 2023 22:20:57 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/07/texas-judges-retirement-proposition-results/The county courtroom in the Camp County Court House in Pittsburg on June 21, 2023.The county courtroom in the Camp County Court House in Pittsburg on June 21, 2023.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/07/uvalde-mayor-election-kimberly-mata-rubio/Mata-Rubio’s daughter Lexi was among 19 children killed in the massacre at Robb Elementary last year. In a special election, Mata-Rubio lost to Cody Smith, who previously held the position.Pooja Salhotra and William MelhadoTue, 07 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/07/uvalde-mayor-election-kimberly-mata-rubio/Kimberly Mata-Rubio, mother of Alexandria Rubio, one of the children killed in the 2022 Uvalde mass shooting, speaks with Tribune reporter Uriel Garcia at a Texas Tribune event held at Southwest Texas Junior College on May 20. Mata-Rubio is running for mayor of Uvalde.Kimberly Mata-Rubio, mother of Alexandria Rubio, one of the children killed in the 2022 Uvalede mass shooting, speaks with Tribune reporter Uriel Garcia a Texas Tribune event held at Southwest Texas Junior College on May 20th, 2023 in Uvalde. Mata-Rubio is running for mayor of Uvalde.Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/05/texas-senate-bill-4-immigration/The Senate on Sunday afternoon failed to take action on a border security bill, leaving virtually no time to pass the bill before the special session ends on Tuesday.Pooja SalhotraSun, 05 Nov 2023 17:14:50 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/05/texas-senate-bill-4-immigration/State senators discuss a Point of Order on an amendment to the SJR 1 property tax bill to include a bonus for Texas teachers, with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on the Senate floor during the first day of the second special session at the state Capitol in Austin on June 28.State Senators discuss a Point of Order on an amendment to the SJR 1 property tax bill to include a bonus for Texas teachers, with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on the Senate floor during the first day of the second special session at the state Capitol in Austin on June 28, 2023.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/26/texas-corporal-punishment-high-school-principal/The East Texas school leader was following school district policy — and state law — which allows for corporal punishment. Texas is one of 17 states that allows it, despite one Democrats efforts to ban the practice.Pooja SalhotraThu, 26 Oct 2023 11:58:07 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/26/texas-corporal-punishment-high-school-principal/An East Texas high school principal will not be charged with child abuse after he paddled a student, Rusk County officials said this week.Students in class at Bowie High School in Austin. Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/26/texas-women-gender-discrimination-truck-driving/The Dallas-based trucking company, Stevens Transport, said they do not discriminate against women and the complaint is based on a “misunderstanding.”Pooja SalhotraThu, 26 Oct 2023 11:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/26/texas-women-gender-discrimination-truck-driving/Ashli Streeter poses for a portrait on U.S. Route 190 in Killeen on Sept. 20, 2023.Ashli Streeter poses for a portrait on U.S. Route 190 in Killeen on Sept. 20, 2023.Montinique Monroehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/23/texas-school-bonds-elections-2023-conroe/Conroe is one of the fastest growing school districts in the state. It and other districts say they need voters to OK bonds to keep up with the influx of students.Pooja SalhotraMon, 23 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/23/texas-school-bonds-elections-2023-conroe/Portable classrooms, like these at Nimitz Middle School in Odessa, are often used to help schools manage growth. One elementary school in Conroe has 22, the school district's superintendent said. Both school districts are asking voters to approve more debt to build and repair school buildings.A cluster of portable classrooms at Nimitz Middle School is seen pictured Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/sidney-powell-pleads-guilty/Under the plea agreement, the lawyer will serve six years’ probation, pay a $6,000 fine plus $2,700 to the secretary of state’s office and testify truthfully at co-defendants’ trials.Pooja SalhotraThu, 19 Oct 2023 09:38:23 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/sidney-powell-pleads-guilty/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/mass-timber-trend-east-texas-forest/Globally, mass timber construction projects are expected to reach more than 24,000 by 2034. So far, at least 134 mass timber projects are in progress or completed in Texas. The first such project was a six-story office building in downtown San Antonio.Pooja SalhotraThu, 19 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/mass-timber-trend-east-texas-forest/Stacked logs are carried through Jasper, on Jan. 3, 2023.Stacked logs are carried through Jasper, on Jan. 3, 2023.Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/18/texas-high-school-water-workforce/Nearly two-thirds of the state’s water and wastewater agencies say they need more workers.Pooja Salhotra and Jayme Lozano CarverWed, 18 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/18/texas-high-school-water-workforce/Consolidated Water Supply Corporation employees patch a broken pipe on April 19, 2023 in Crockett.Consolidated Water Supply Corporation employees patch a broken pipe on April 19, 2023 in Crockett.Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune