Texas is poised to become a film haven — but not without a fight
The Texas Senate has proposed injecting a staggering half a billion dollars into film production, as economists and fiscal hawks question the return on investment. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5a19c6a6a20bceef73fd1d467cbff10a/0205%20Film%20Incentive%20LW%20TT%2015.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/0406_Dan_Keemahill_2x3.jpeg)
Dan Keemahill gathers and analyzes data on health outcomes and access in Texas. A native of Sacramento, Dan is a graduate of Northwestern University and started his journalism career as a contributor to the Tribune's schools and government salaries explorers. He previously covered public education for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative unit and worked with datasets related to immigrant detention centers, elections and the COVID-19 pandemic at USA Today.
Latest Contributions
-
![An ice cream shop in downtown Smithville, Texas on Feb. 6, 2025. The town is the main setting of Hope Floats, a popular 1998 romance film, and the shop is named after it.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Measles cases reported in Texas as vaccine rate against the disease has fallen
Two of the four cases are in Lubbock, which hasn’t seen a case in more than 20 years. Meanwhile, measles vaccination rates in Texas have fallen over the last four years. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4f27e98414f61fe141486b96294ee3ae/MMR%20Vaccine%20REUTERS.JPG)
![A vaccine vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) is pictured at the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle, Washington, on March 20, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson -
Several bills filed to weaken vaccine mandates as more Texas families opt out of immunizations
Emboldened by Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s nomination and disdain for pandemic-era mandates, skeptics are pushing for bills to make it easier to opt out of vaccines. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dedf0e1169e11b8759de6f8c668de893/2021-06-07_Houston_Methodist_Nurses_Walkout_Pu.Ying.Huang0076.JPG)
![A man carries a sign protesting Houston Methodist Hospital's COVID-19 vaccine mandate outside Houston Methodist Hospital in Baytown on June 7, 2021. Employees who chose not to inoculate themselves by the hospital's Monday deadline faced suspension without pay and job termination, a policy criticized by the protesters as unfair and unauthorized.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is silent on whether it will offer summer food assistance for students
After the state missed the Jan. 1 deadline, lawmakers still have time to approve administrative costs before applying for $400 million in federal summer meal assistance. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5ce76357e2ef1bd13ff40ffe9f6c9c69/0913%20Odessa%20School%20Tours%20EH%2051.jpg)
![Ector County Independent School District employees serve lunch to Bonham Middle School students Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
If Trump makes cuts to Medicaid, Texas officials could seize the opportunity to further slash the program
State leaders have shown a decadeslong antipathy toward the health insurance program. If Trump makes severe reductions, it’s unlikely leaders would have the political will to make up any lost federal funds with state money, experts say. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5952210fc65af28cd78feea4adf7d49c/0313%20Medicaid%20Hospital%20Hostage%20Cedar%20Park%20Final%20MC%2025-1_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg)
![A hospital bed]()
Credit: Maria Crane for The Texas Tribune -
Trump’s near sweep of Texas border counties shows a shift to the right for Latino voters
The former president captured 55% of Latino voters in the state, according to exit polls. He also won 14 out of the 18 counties within 20 miles of the border, a number that doubled his 2020 performance in the Latino-majority region. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/bfe0d5cdbc335bb65117055c9cd7f51e/20241105-Wissmath-Del-Rio-2660_A.jpg)
![Gabriel Garza, left, augmentee with the sheriff’s office, congratulates, Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, right, after the final vote counts for the night were announced around 10pm at Val Verde County Courthouse on election day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Del Rio, Texas. Martinez was in the lead ahead of his opponent Rogelio “Roger” Hernandez 7,926 votes to 6,033.]()
Credit: Salgu Wissmath for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
A pro-gun, anti-abortion border sheriff appealed to both parties. Then he was painted as soft on immigration.
Immigration is not part of Joe Frank Martinez’s job. But in Del Rio, like in other majority Latino communities across the country, the issue is high on voters’ minds and is disrupting long-standing political allegiances. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0cee3c698ba4e9622ed438703cec88fb/immigration%20del%20rio%20PROMO_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg)
![The memory of nearly 20,000 primarily Haitian immigrants arriving at the border is seared into the minds of Del Rio residents. Many fear it could happen again, making immigration one of the key issues in Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez’s race for reelection and disrupting local politics.]()
Credit: From left: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune, Liz Moughon/ProPublica, Gerardo del Valle/ProPublica -
In Texas’ biggest purple county, this far-right Republican is creating a playbook for local governing
From cutting social services to changing election rules, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare has pushed his agenda with an uncompromising approach. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/cbad68104aec576a913fde3981c1bb51/0418%20Tarrrant%20Co%20CommCo%20ST%2023.JPG)
![Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare listens to Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks after Brooks tells the attendees of the meeting that O’Hare “broke the system” in Fort Worth on April 18, 2023. Following a conversation between O’Hare and Elections Administrator Heider Garcia, Garcia announced his resignation. O’Hare denied responsibility, saying “I did not ask Heider to resign. I did not put pressure on Heider to resign. I did not threaten to fire Heider, I did not threaten to bring him before the election commission for review to determine if he would keep his employment. He chose to resign on his own.”]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
After decades of lobbying by Christian conservative donors, school voucher legislation may finally have the votes
Gov. Greg Abbott succeeded in his campaign against Republicans who defied him on school vouchers. Now he may finally get the votes he needs to pass a bill. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1adeda875fd2fb09dd041aab70f182b3/0131%20Abbott%20Ed%20Savings%20BY%2019_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg)
![Gov. Greg Abbott discusses parent empowerment at Annapolis Christian Academy in Corpus Christi on Jan. 31, 2023.]()
Credit: Blaine Young for The Texas Tribune -
Former far-right hard-liner says pro-voucher billionaires are using school board races to sow distrust in public education
The largesse from billionaires Tim Dunn and brothers Farris and Dan Wilks has made its way into local politics. Courtney Gore, a Republican school board member in Granbury, says it’s part of their strategy to build support for vouchers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/49253517a6946cefd1ad70c769173457/20240226-Tauber-Schools_025_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg)
![Courtney Gore, vice president of the Granbury Independent School District Board of Trustees, listens to public comments during a February meeting.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune