Reporting Texas
News and features from UT-Austin's School of Journalism
Reporting Texas Archives
Jan 01, 2021

Texas Funeral Homes Take a Financial Hit Despite COVID-19 

Texas funeral homes are making less money during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite at least 27,000 COVID-19-related deaths statewide, because the services that drive their profits are less attractive to families worried about spreading the disease.

Dec 18, 2020

Gender Gap Persists in UT System Senior Leadership 

In 2015, a group of female UT System employees sent a report to then-UT System Chancellor William McRaven detailing how women were underrepresented in leadership positions in the system. The 2015 report’s authors acknowledge the progress has been made in the intervening five years, but they say more needs to be done.

Dec 14, 2020

The Uphill Climb for Stricter Gun Laws in Texas

A Republican state representative from Odessa — which witnessed the third mass-shooting tragedy nationwide in a single month last year — filed the first gun-safety-related bill of the upcoming 87th Legislature. 

Dec 08, 2020

Black-Owned Plant-Based Restaurants Taking Root in Texas

Many African-Americans simply are not used to having plant-based ingredients replace meat in the cuisine they grew up with. However, an increasing number of black-owned plant-based restaurants around the state are showing that going meatless is becoming more popular among African-American Texans.

Dec 01, 2020

Falconry Soars in Texas 

Falconry is a niche sport, but the state has seen an uptick in applications for falconry permits. “We have an average of 14 new applicants each year, but in 2019 that number increased to 27,” Megan Nelson, falconry permit coordinator at Texas Parks and Wildlife, said. There are 389 licensed falconers in Texas.

Oct 24, 2020

Central Texas School Social Workers and Counselors Face Pandemic-related Challenges

Since the pandemic forced schools to limit in-person classes, social workers and counselors have struggled to maintain relationships with students. In addition to the difficulty of staying in touch with students virtually, social workers have had to navigate what experts call a mental health crisis.

Oct 13, 2020

Professor Provides Insight on Governor’s Proposed Protest Laws

In September, Gov. Greg Abbott suggested legislation that takes aim at protesters. The Governor’s proposals are part of a renewed law and order focus promoted by President Donald Trump. Reporting Texas spoke with Arizona State Criminal Justice Professor Edward Mcguire about the measures.

Jan 06, 2020

Texas Separatists Aim to Go Mainstream

The Texas Nationalist Movement, a peaceful advocacy group formed in 2005, is intensely critical of the federal government. Its central goal is fundamentally revolutionary: an economically, politically and culturally independent Texas.

Dec 30, 2019

Texas A&M Forest Service Takes Proactive Approach to Fighting Wildfires

The service is building fire barriers around two Panhandle towns that are highly vulnerable to wildfires.

Nov 01, 2019

Understanding the Constitutional Amendment That Would Exempt Gold from Taxation

On Nov. 5, voters will weigh in on Proposition 9, a state constitutional amendment that would exempt metals stored in the Texas Bullion Depository — the only state-backed precious metals depository in the nation — from property taxes.

Sep 26, 2019

Racial Politics and Economic Woes Roil an East Texas City

How the battle over an East Texas city’s economic development corporation laid bare racial fault lines in the age of Trump.

Jun 07, 2019

28 Years After a Forgotten Mass Shooting in Texas, a Survivor Looks Back

Tommy Vaughn says he’s no hero, but his actions helped save lives.

May 20, 2019

Texas Legislature Avoids Hot-Button Abortion Bills This Session

Unlike Alabama, which just banned abortion except to save a mother’s life, or Georgia, with its fetal heartbeat bill, Texas anti-abortion forces are pursuing incremental steps this year.

May 14, 2019

Rodeo Bullfighters Find Fulfillment and Friendship on a Long, Hard Road

In a fast-moving and dangerous sport, the bullfighters develop a bond on and off the dirt.

Apr 21, 2019

UT-Austin, Texas State Train Police, Students and Staff to Handle Active Shooters

Training at UT-Austin and Texas State takes two tracks: one focusing on quick police response and a second on simple steps everyone else can take to defend themselves.

Apr 21, 2019

Estimating Texas Mountain Lion Population Is Like Herding Cats — Literally

The lions are so stealthy and range so widely, mostly on private land, that scientists have difficulty developing a good estimate of their numbers in Texas.

Apr 12, 2019

Kinder Morgan, the Blind Eyes of Texas Salamanders Are Upon You

The presence of endangered salamanders in aquifers under the route means an added layer of environmental scrutiny for Kinder Morgan’s proposed natural gas pipeline.

Apr 04, 2019

U.S. House Democrats Target Six Texas Districts for 2020, Face Uphill Battle

National Democrats are targeting six congressional districts in Texas in 2020. Despite Democratic gains in the 2018 midterms, some political scientists say the party faces an uphill battle in the Lone Star State.

Mar 16, 2019

Central Texas Girls Blaze New Trails in Scouting

In February, the Boy Scouts started allowing all-girl troops in the 109-year-old organization.

Mar 14, 2019

A Bumper Crop for Texas Cotton Could Spell Trouble for Farmers

In the boom-bust world of cotton, a couple of big harvests means lower prices and potentially tough times for Texas growers.