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Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin. He is a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked as an editor for The Daily Texan. When not in the newsroom or at the Capitol, he could be found on the volleyball court, standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
Until this year, Texas had not kept track of how many children in the state's foster care system were pregnant or parenting — though experts estimate the rate is well above the general population's. Full Story
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The number of Texans with health insurance has increased 20 percent since 2013 under federal health care reform, but Texas’ health insurance gains continue to lag behind the rest of the nation, according to a pair of reports released this week. Full Story
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A federal judge ruled Thursday that Texas has violated foster children's constitutional rights to be free from an unreasonable risk of harm, saying that children "often age out of care more damaged than when they entered." Full Story
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Texas' Republican leadership in 2015 sought to cut funding from Planned Parenthood, bar Syrian refugees from resettling in the state and bolster opposition to federal health reform. Full Story
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Last month, the National Institutes of Health announced it would no longer support biomedical research on chimpanzees, which means the nearly 160 federally-owned chimps in Texas will be retired to sanctuaries. Full Story
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Almost two months after Texas Republican leaders announced they would kick Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid, the organization is still receiving funds to provide health care for about 13,500 low-income women a year. Full Story
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A pair of taxpayer-funded contracts meant to upgrade the state’s antiquated child support enforcement system are behind schedule and at least $50 million over budget, and the House’s chief budget writers want to know why. Full Story
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One year after a federal judge heard evidence alleging that Texas Child Protective Services had violated foster children’s civil rights, lawyers for the state and the advocates who filed suit are awaiting a potentially sweeping legal decision. Full Story
Nonprofit workers in the Rio Grande Valley say they’ve seen an increase this year in the number of rip-off artists charging Texans for help signing up for health insurance — a service they are eligible to get for free. Full Story
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Experts warn that a lack of safety on Texas roads is not just killing thousands of people each year. It's taking an even greater — if less visible — toll on life expectancy, due to a lack of safe options for pedestrians and cyclists. Full Story
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