It’s a story that goes back years: If Hispanics voted in large numbers, Texas might change from Rick Perry red to game-changing blue. But observers say that theory oversimplifies a diverse demographic.
Kiah Collier
Kiah Collier was a reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative initiative from 2020 through 2023. She previously worked at the Tribune as a reporter and associate editor, covering energy and the environment through the lens of state government and politics. Kiah has reported for numerous other publications across Texas since 2010, including the Austin American-Statesman and the Houston Chronicle. Her beats also have included government and politics, public education and business. Kiah’s work has been honored with numerous prizes, including a George Foster Peabody Award, a Gerald Loeb Award, the Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism, the National Edward R. Murrow Award for best investigation and the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award. A seventh-generation Texan, she grew up in the Austin area and graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in journalism and philosophy.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Civil Rights Group Questions Open-Records Fee
A civil rights group is protesting a new $30 fee for submitting comments on pending open-records requests to the state attorney general’s office. The group also wants to know where the money generated from the fee goes.
Posted in
State Government
Lawmakers Hear Plea for More Fire Department Funding
With the threat of wildfires still looming, firefighters across the state are facing critical funding shortages, state legislators were told at a Senate committee hearing Tuesday.
Posted inState Government
Effect of New Voter Registration Rules Still Unclear
A court ruled last week that new voter registration rules in Texas can be enforced ahead of the November elections. While the effect of the new rules remains unclear, the ruling has cast new light on the state’s low voter registration rates.
Posted in
Energy
Forged in Flames: An Oral History of the Labor Day Wildfires
A year ago, much of Central Texas was in danger because of raging wildfires. Drought-sticken green spaces had provided the perfect tinder for far-reaching blazes. These are the stories of Central Texans who lived through the Labor Day wildfires.
Posted in
Energy
Space-Tech Cameras May Help Spot Wildfires
In the year since wildfires destroyed thousands of homes across Central Texas, officials have looked for ways to reduce the threat of fires. They’ve since found one, in technology developed not for fighting fires but for exploring outer space.
Posted in
Energy
As Climate Hurts Cattle, Ranchers Turn to Genetics
For years researchers have been studying how to develop cattle that are heat and drought tolerant. And while crossbreeding isn’t a new development, it’s becoming more common among Texas ranchers as summers become drier and hotter.
Posted in
Higher Education
Vaccine Requirement Puts Some Students, Schools in a Bind
Virtually all Texas college students must be vaccinated against meningitis before classes start this fall. But state and federal cuts to vaccine funding have left low-income students, and some small schools, on edge.
Posted inState Government
In State Cemetery, Texans Can Be Buried Alongside History
The Texas State Cemetery, located east of downtown Austin, has become the final resting place for dozens of famous politicians and war heroes. But the cemetery’s historical reputation has kept one fact hidden over the years: Any Texan can apply to be laid to rest there.
Posted in
Economy
Even in Budget Crunch, Tax-Free Weekend Lives On
Texas may miss out on the $65 million shoppers are expected to save during tax-free weekend, which starts today. But even as the state faces further budget shortfalls, the holiday, created in 1999, still draws bipartisan support.