Texas prisons and jails are recruiting more teenagers to shore up guard shortage
Two counties house training programs in local high schools as officials pitch corrections jobs as gateways to criminal justice careers. Full Story
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Pooja Salhotra joined the Tribune in 2022 as its first-ever East Texas reporter based in Lufkin, where she covered a vast region that borders three states and stretches north to Texarkana and south to Beaumont. In late 2023, she relocated to Austin as a general assignment reporter to cover issues ranging from breaking news to developments in state agencies. Pooja was born and raised in the Houston area and graduated from Yale University. She also holds a master’s in fine arts from NYU’s journalism school.
Latest Contributions
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![19 year-old Detention Officer Justtice Taylor of the Smith County Sheriff's Office, on September 10, 2024, at the Smith County Jail in Tyler.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
What you need to know about the Venezuelan gang that Texas is targeting
Gov. Greg Abbott has declared the Venezuelan gang a foreign terrorist organization and asked the Department of Public Safety to create a strike team targeting them. Full Story
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![Members of the Chilean Armed Forces participate in a security operation against suspects with links to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, on May 29, 2024.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott announces crackdown on Venezuelan gang
Abbott signed a proclamation declaring Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization and directed Texas DPS to create strike teams targeting the gang. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott arrives at a press conference with several other states leadership at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Feb. 04, 2024.]()
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Texas’ prison guard shortfall makes it harder for inmates to get reprieve from extreme indoor heat, critics say
About 25% of Texas’ correctional officer positions are unfilled. Inmates say the shortages make it harder for them to get respite during hot summer months. Full Story
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![Mountain View prison in Gatesville on September 19, 2019.]()
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Abbott says potential power outages from Tropical Storm Francine will be restored within hours
Texas isn’t expected to take a direct hit when the storm makes landfall as a hurricane. But storm surge and dangerous winds are possible. Full Story
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![Governor Greg Abbott hosts a press conference about Tropical Storm Francine at the Texas Division of Emergency Management on Sept. 10, 2024 in Austin.]()
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Texas parents gain new tools to control their teen’s social media use
A new law gives parents more power over a child’s actions on social media, but only if the parent knows about the account. Full Story
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![Men take selfies in front of a Meta sign, the new name for the company formerly known as Facebook, at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California on Oct. 28, 2021.]()
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Former schools police chief says he was not at fault in Uvalde shooting, asks judge to toss charges
Pete Arredondo’s lawyers tell the court that the shooter, not the police, was to blame for the school violence. Full Story
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![Pete Arredondo, chief of the Uvalde school district police, on a dirt road on the outskirts of Uvalde on June 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
In regulating AI, Texas lawmakers face balancing act between its benefits and harms
A Senate committee discussed the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence — and overregulating it. Full Story
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![The Capitol Dome overlooks the city on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at the Texas Capitol Building in Austin.]()
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Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driver’s license
The Texas Department of Public Safety rule change surfaced in an internal email that also asks driver license staff to compile the names of people seeking a gender marker change. Full Story
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![DPS troopers make a traffic stop in southeast Austin on Aug. 7, 2023.]()
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When Texas jail standards push inmates to lockups in other states, oversight doesn’t follow
Jaleen Anderson’s mom is on a quest for details about her son’s death in a Louisiana prison that houses hundreds of Harris County inmates awaiting trial. Full Story
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![Sarah Knight cries at the gravesite of her son at the Paradise Funeral Home and Cemetery North on May 13, 2024, in Houston, Texas. Her son, Jaleen Anderson, died while being held in LaSalle Correctional Facility in Louisiana.]()
Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune