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Jessica Priest covers higher education. She joined the Tribune in 2022 as an engagement reporter in the ProPublica/Texas Tribune joint investigative unit, contributing to a series that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the explanatory reporting category. Prior to the Tribune, Jessica worked for the Fort Worth Report, USA Today, the Victoria Advocate and the Temple Daily Telegram, reporting on topics that included criminal justice, the environment and local government. Her work has often made an impact. The state’s highest criminal court granted a death row inmate a new trial after she detailed a prosecutor’s conflicts of interest. After she exposed questionable hirings and payments at a port and later a water district in another part of the state, both public entities underwent reforms. Jessica was born in Houston and graduated from Sam Houston State University.
In recent years university presidents have been facing growing political pressures, student and faculty pushback and an increasingly demanding job. Full Story
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Hartzell leaves UT-Austin after four years of tense political battles and legislative efforts to implement a more conservative vision of public higher ed. Full Story
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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
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Tell us about any trouble you have trying to vote, so we can continue to report on potential challenges Texans may face at the ballot box. Full Story
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Two years later, the donation highlights a gap in government oversight at a time when state and local officials are increasingly blurring the lines between church and state. Full Story
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Fines issued to Scott Beard of Abilene’s Fountaingate Fellowship and two pastors follow reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that revealed the churches donated to his campaign for local office despite state and federal prohibitions. Full Story
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We want to hear about how heated elections affect the people learning, teaching and living in districts across Texas. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune and ProPublica analyzed 35 Texas school districts that held trustee elections last fall and found none that posted all of the required campaign finance records. Full Story
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The Texas attorney general said he’s “back to work” after his recent acquittal, but his office has repeatedly declined to fulfill one of its key duties: representing state agencies who are being sued. Full Story
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Records obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune give deeper insight into how Paxton’s representation denials often pushed agencies to look for outside legal counsel that was ultimately funded by taxpayers. Full Story
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