https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/dan-keemahill/The latest news by Dan Keemahill.enWed, 06 Nov 2024 21:45:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/donald-trump-near-sweep-texas-border-counties/The former president captured 55% of Latino voters in the state, according to exit polls. He also won 14 out of the 18 counties within 20 miles of the border, a number that doubled his 2020 performance in the Latino-majority region.By Jasper Scherer, Zach Despart and Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune, and Perla Trevizo and Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaWed, 06 Nov 2024 21:45:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/donald-trump-near-sweep-texas-border-counties/Democratic Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, right, secured a fifth term in office with bipartisan support. The county tipped strongly for Donald Trump, reflecting a broader trend of Republican gains along the border.Gabriel Garza, left, augmentee with the sheriff’s office, congratulates, Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, right, after the final vote counts for the night were announced around 10pm at Val Verde County Courthouse on election day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Del Rio, Texas. Martinez was in the lead ahead of his opponent Rogelio “Roger” Hernandez 7,926 votes to 6,033.Salgu Wissmath for The Texas Tribune and ProPublicahttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/03/del-rio-texas-immigration-local-politics/Immigration is not part of Joe Frank Martinez’s job. But in Del Rio, like in other majority Latino communities across the country, the issue is high on voters’ minds and is disrupting long-standing political allegiances.By Perla Trevizo, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, Data reporting by Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, Photos by Gerardo del Valle, ProPublicaSun, 03 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/03/del-rio-texas-immigration-local-politics/The memory of nearly 20,000 primarily Haitian immigrants arriving at the border is seared into the minds of Del Rio residents. Many fear it could happen again, making immigration one of the key issues in Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez’s race for reelection and disrupting local politics.The memory of nearly 20,000 primarily Haitian immigrants arriving at the border is seared into the minds of Del Rio residents. Many fear it could happen again, making immigration one of the key issues in Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez’s race for reelection and disrupting local politics.From left: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune, Liz Moughon/ProPublica, Gerardo del Valle/ProPublicahttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/11/texas-tarrant-county-tim-ohare-far-right/From cutting social services to changing election rules, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare has pushed his agenda with an uncompromising approach.By Robert Downen, The Texas Tribune, and Jeremy Schwartz, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, Data reporting by Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, Story by Juan Salinas II, The Texas Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublicaFri, 11 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/11/texas-tarrant-county-tim-ohare-far-right/Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare at a Commissioners Court meeting in Fort Worth on April 18, 2023Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare listens to Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks after Brooks tells the attendees of the meeting that O’Hare “broke the system” in Fort Worth on April 18, 2023. Following a conversation between O’Hare and Elections Administrator Heider Garcia, Garcia announced his resignation. O’Hare denied responsibility, saying “I did not ask Heider to resign. I did not put pressure on Heider to resign. I did not threaten to fire Heider, I did not threaten to bring him before the election commission for review to determine if he would keep his employment. He chose to resign on his own.”Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/21/greg-abbott-school-vouchers-GOP/Gov. Greg Abbott succeeded in his campaign against Republicans who defied him on school vouchers. Now he may finally get the votes he needs to pass a bill.By Jeremy Schwartz, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, Data reporting by Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaFri, 21 Jun 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/21/greg-abbott-school-vouchers-GOP/Gov. Greg Abbott discusses parent empowerment at Annapolis Christian Academy in Corpus Christi on Jan. 31, 2023.Gov. Greg Abbott discusses parent empowerment at Annapolis Christian Academy in Corpus Christi on Jan. 31, 2023.Blaine Young for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/15/texas-tim-dunn-wilks-brothers-vouchers-courtney-gore/The largesse from billionaires Tim Dunn and brothers Farris and Dan Wilks has made its way into local politics. Courtney Gore, a Republican school board member in Granbury, says it’s part of their strategy to build support for vouchers.By Jeremy Schwartz, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, Data reporting by Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaWed, 15 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/15/texas-tim-dunn-wilks-brothers-vouchers-courtney-gore/Courtney Gore, vice president of the Granbury Independent School District Board of Trustees, listens to public comments during a February meeting.Courtney Gore, vice president of the Granbury Independent School District Board of Trustees, listens to public comments during a February meeting.Shelby Tauber for ProPublica and The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/15/texas-school-board-bond-elections/We want to hear about how heated elections affect the people learning, teaching and living in districts across Texas.By Jessica Priest, Jeremy Schwartz, Lexi Churchill and Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaWed, 15 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/15/texas-school-board-bond-elections/A group that calls itself “pro public education” offers ballot suggestions outside a voting center in Granbury.Shelby Tauber for ProPublica and The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/01/us-immigration-asylum-policy-juarez-fire/A year ago, 40 men died in a detention center fire in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. An examination by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica shows that it was the foreseeable result of landmark shifts in U.S. border policies.By Perla Trevizo and Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaWed, 01 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/01/us-immigration-asylum-policy-juarez-fire/Bodies of those who died during the fire inside a Mexican detention facility were laid in a parking lot outside the offices of the National Migration Institute near the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juárez on March 27, 2023. The fire killed 40 immigrants and injured more than two dozen.Bodies of those who died during the fire inside a Mexican detention facility were laid in a parking lot outside the offices of the National Migration Institute near the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juárez on March 27, 2023. The fire killed 40 immigrants and injured more than two dozen.Paul Ratjehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/texas-school-districts-violated-election-transparency-law/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.By Jessica Priest and Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, Research by Dan Keemahill and Jeremy Schwartz, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaThu, 25 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/texas-school-districts-violated-election-transparency-law/A photo illustration shows a web search box with “BOARD ELECTION Campaign Finance Report” and “Page Not Found” over a photo of a Texas school building.Photo illustration by ProPublica. Photo by Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune.https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/tim-dunn-move-midland-school-bond/Tim Dunn’s public policy groups have helped ensure that tax hike language is attached to every school bond ballot measure in the state. Now he is using that language to cast doubt on a bond in his hometown of Midland.By Jeremy Schwartz and Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaThu, 02 Nov 2023 10:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/tim-dunn-move-midland-school-bond/Billionaire Tim Dunn has ties to the leaders of a group working to defeat a historic school bond in his hometown of Midland, Texas. The group has sent out political mailers, including some marked “official notice” like the one pictured.Photo illustration by ProPublica. Source photographs: Brett Buchanan for The Texas Tribune, bond mailer obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/10/texas-mike-morath-underperforming-charter-schools-expand/Commissioner of Education Mike Morath has repeatedly waived expansion requirements for charter school networks, allowing them to serve thousands more students, even when they don’t meet academic performance standards.By Kiah Collier and Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 10 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/10/texas-mike-morath-underperforming-charter-schools-expand/Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath testifying at the state Capitol in Austin last year. Lawmakers returned to Austin on Monday for a special session of the Legislature to consider helping Texas parents cover private school tuition with state dollars.Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribunehttp://salaries.texastribune.org/Our new Government Salaries Explorer reimagines our flagship salary database app. Use the explorer to review the compensation of hundreds of thousands of state and municipal employees in Texas. We will update and expand this database periodically.By Dan Keemahill, Ryan Murphy, Alex Duner, Travis Swicegood and Daniel CraigmileThu, 21 Aug 2014 06:00:00 -0500http://salaries.texastribune.org/Illustration by Anneke Paterson / Todd Wisemanhttps://www.texastribune.org/2014/05/29/runoff-draws-lower-turnout-march-primary/Dan Patrick won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor with 65 percent of the votes in Tuesday's runoff election, but he earned votes from only 3.5 percent of registered Texas voters.By Dan Keemahill and Ross RamseyThu, 29 May 2014 06:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2014/05/29/runoff-draws-lower-turnout-march-primary/https://www.texastribune.org/2014/05/04/cellphone-contraband-cases-few-face-charges/While confiscations of illicit cellphones in prisons have dropped, a Tribune investigation found that few inmates or correctional officers face legal consequences for smuggling the devices.By Edgar Walters and Dan KeemahillSun, 04 May 2014 06:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2014/05/04/cellphone-contraband-cases-few-face-charges/Correctional officer Mike Warren walks with his contraband detector dog, Gus, during a demonstration of how the dog seeks out cellphones around the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville on Wednesday, April 23, 2014.Correctional officer Mike Warren walks with his contraband detector dog, Gus, during a demonstration of how the dog seeks out cellphones around the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville on Wednesday, April 23, 2014.Brandon Thibodeauxhttp://www.texastribune.org/2014/03/21/gender-wage-gap-state-agencies/At dozens of Texas state agencies, male workers are better compensated than female workers, on average. Use our interactive to compare compensation by gender at state agencies with at least 100 employees, excluding universities. By Dan Keemahill and Aman BathejaFri, 21 Mar 2014 06:00:00 -0500http://www.texastribune.org/2014/03/21/gender-wage-gap-state-agencies/Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Dan HIllhttp://www.texastribune.org/2014/03/07/where-the-votes-landed/We pulled the county-by-county vote totals for each statewide candidate headed to a runoff in their primary and analyzed what parts of the state got them there. Use our interactive to compare each candidate's performance.By Dan Keemahill, Ross Ramsey and Ryan MurphyFri, 07 Mar 2014 06:00:00 -0600http://www.texastribune.org/2014/03/07/where-the-votes-landed/http://www.texastribune.org/2014/03/05/where-texas-candidates-are-buying-airtime/As statewide candidates recover from primary elections and, in some cases, prepare for runoffs, use our interactive to see which campaigns purchased network airtime in Texas' four biggest media markets. By Aman Batheja and Dan KeemahillThu, 06 Mar 2014 06:00:00 -0600http://www.texastribune.org/2014/03/05/where-texas-candidates-are-buying-airtime/Graphic by Marjorie Cotera / Bob Daemmrich / Todd Wisemanhttp://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/26/cost-of-jailing-undocumented-immigrants/A state law passed in 2011 requires Texas jails to report monthly estimates of the cost of housing undocumented immigrants. Use this interactive to see how many immigrants jails across Texas housed and how much the jails spent. By Dan KeemahillTue, 04 Mar 2014 06:00:00 -0600http://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/26/cost-of-jailing-undocumented-immigrants/Todd Wiseman / Dan Hillhttp://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/26/texas-jails-house-fewer-undocumented-immigrants/The cost of housing undocumented immigrants in Texas county jails fell about 8 percent in 2013 from the previous year. Use this interactive to explore trends in detentions of undocumented immigrants in county jails.By Dan Keemahill and Edgar WaltersTue, 04 Mar 2014 06:00:00 -0600http://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/26/texas-jails-house-fewer-undocumented-immigrants/Todd Wiseman / Dan Hillhttp://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/13/where-texas-candidates-are-buying-airtime/With less than a week before the start of early voting in the March 4 primaries, use our interactive to see how statewide candidates are spending campaign funds to purchase network airtime in Texas' four biggest media markets. By Aman Batheja and Dan KeemahillThu, 13 Feb 2014 06:00:00 -0600http://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/13/where-texas-candidates-are-buying-airtime/Graphic by Marjorie Cotera / Bob Daemmrich / Todd Wisemanhttp://www.texastribune.org/education/public-education/8th-grade-cohorts/Each year, some 300,000 students begin eighth grade in a Texas public school. Use this app to track the educational milestones of every student who started eighth grade in a Texas public school between 1996 and 2001, broken down by region and county. By Dan Keemahill and Travis SwicegoodTue, 11 Feb 2014 06:00:00 -0600http://www.texastribune.org/education/public-education/8th-grade-cohorts/Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Dan Hill