Tara Arnold was an attorney for Arnold & Itkin, whose PAC has donated to lawmakers fighting tort reform.
Alex Nguyen
Alex Nguyen is a general assignment reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Before joining the newsroom in 2025, she was a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She previously was a reporting fellow for the Tribune and a reporting intern at Bloomberg News. A graduate of Columbia University’s Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, Alex was raised mostly in Vancouver, Canada, and she has reported for various regional and national outlets there. She speaks Vietnamese and conversational Spanish and will be based in Austin.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas jails have more than 400 pregnant inmates monthly. The state is trying to understand what happens to them.
As a part of a yearlong study, Texas county jails are collecting data about pregnant inmates’ prenatal care, mental health indicators, pregnancy outcomes and more.
Posted in
Immigration
Two cases of measles detected at Dilley immigrant family detention center
The cases come amid renewed nationwide scrutiny of the facility following the transfer there of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy who federal agents arrested along with his father in Minneapolis.
Posted in
Courts
AG Ken Paxton cannot shut down Texas Latino voting group, judge rules
Paxton had accused Jolt Initiative of an “unlawful voter registration scheme,” but a federal judge found the AG failed to offer “any plausible proof” of wrongdoing.
Posted in
Public Education
Low test scores on one campus can trigger a state takeover in Texas, affecting Black, Hispanic and low-income students most
The demographic makeup of the trigger schools raises questions about whether Texas’ accountability system fairly considers historic inequities tied to race and poverty.
Posted in
Congress
Judge orders early voting in Houston congressional election extended after winter storm disruptions
Harris County must extend early voting to Wednesday and Thursday for the 18th Congressional District runoff after polling locations closed for the winter storm.
Posted in
State Government
Texas winter storm updates: Power grid holds up through its tightest condition on Monday, Gov. Abbott says
ERCOT officials expected to see power demand close in on power supply by Monday 8 a.m., but the grid held “flawlessly,” Abbott said.
Posted in
State Government
Texas officials say the power grid will hold through winter storm, but local outages are likely
State and local officials say they’re better prepared than they were five years ago when Winter Storm Uri blanketed the state, killing hundreds and leaving scores without power and water.
Posted in
State Government
Texas counties, auto industry push back on proposed ID restrictions on car registration tied to immigration
People testified during a Wednesday hearing said the DMV’s proposed changes would harm not just affected residents, but also Texas businesses and road safety.
Posted in
State Government
LGBTQ+ San Antonio residents criticize city’s plan to replace rainbow crosswalks with rainbow sidewalks
After a lawsuit failed to stop the crosswalk’s removal, caused by a threat to funding, some residents called its replacement a consolation that ignores a larger fight in the state.