Affected by Texas’ high home prices and rents? We want to talk to you
The Texas Tribune is writing about the state’s housing affordability crisis. Help us tell the story. Full Story
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Joshua Fechter is the Dallas-based urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, covering policy — including housing affordability, housing and property taxes, evictions, policing and transportation — and politics in Texas' major metropolitan areas. Before joining the Tribune in August 2021, Joshua covered City Hall for the San Antonio Express-News. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
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![A residential neighborhood seen Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas would need about $81.5 billion a year to end property taxes, officials say
Texas Republicans have been trying to reduce the state’s high property taxes for years, but some acknowledge eliminating them would be too expensive. Full Story
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![An Aerial image of a suburban neighborhood in San Marcos on October 18, 2021.]()
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Texas must build hundreds of thousands of homes to lower housing costs, says state comptroller
Texas needs hundreds of thousands more homes than it has, per one estimate. That shortage has driven up home prices and rents. Full Story
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![A San Antonio neighborhood on Saturday, May 25, 2024.]()
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Texas Rangers find no evidence of efforts to sway 2022 election results in Harris County
One county employee was charged in the probe, however, after investigators said he failed to make sure polling locations had enough ballots. Full Story
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![Harris Co. District Attorney Kim Ogg addresses the media at the Criminal Justice Center in Houston on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Nine out of 10 Texans say housing costs too much, poll finds
Some Texas lawmakers have signaled an appetite to tackle the state’s housing affordability crisis when they convene next year. Full Story
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![Downtown San Antonio on May 25, 2025.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Insurance rates could climb for some Texas coastal homeowners, businesses
Homeowners typically pay $2,300 a year for a Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policy. The rate increase would bump premiums by 10%. Full Story
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![Fallen tree branches obscure a house on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Houston's Fifth Ward. Power had only just returned to the area that day, after Hurricane Beryl caused multi-day long outages.]()
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Attorney general investigating CenterPoint Energy after Hurricane Beryl’s long-lasting power outages
The company’s power outages in July have drawn the ire of state leaders. Here’s what you need to know. Full Story
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![Electric trucks line up to provide support with major power outages after Hurricane Beryl in Houston, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is once more flirting with expanding passenger rail
The state’s booming population, congestion problems and billions of federal dollars on the table have officials eyeing ways to boost passenger rail. Full Story
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![A public scoping meeting on the Dallas to Houston High-Speed Rail hosted by TXDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration in Houston on Oct. 29, 2014.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ban on homeless encampments. Here’s what it means for Texas.
The ruling comes amid a nationwide surge in homelessness as high rents put pressure on low-income households and pandemic-era protections expire. Full Story
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![Downtown Dallas Security Sgt. Shannon Delony wakes up a homeless man outside of the Dallas Public Library on Thursday, July 21, 2022.]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Kinky Friedman, provocative satirist and one-time gubernatorial candidate, dies at 79
Friedman launched a boisterous campaign for governor in 2006, decades after forming the band Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys. Full Story
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![Kinky Friedman is shown at his Medina ranch on Dec. 12, 2013.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune