More than two years ago, I obtained video footage of an arrest at a Texas high school. It showed an officer confronting a student who had thrown a can at a girl in his special education classroom. The officer dragged the 17-year-old boy to the ground and punched him. 🧵

Professional news: this is what i've been doing since February! www.nytco.com/press/introd...

Hola! @nytimes.com quiere conocer las opiniones de estudiantes, empleados escolares y miembros de la comunidad que hayan interactuado con agentes de policía escolar en Texas, así como de agentes que hayan trabajado en recintos escolares. Por favor, comparte aquí: www.nytimes.com/es/2025/05/3...

Y'all! I published something! I'm reporting on police and security guards in Texas schools for @nytimes.com. I want to hear from anyone who has interacted with a Texas school police officer or security guard or worked as one. More at the link. Please share! www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/u...

As they say... PERSONAL NEWS: I'm leaving the LA Times after 2 wild, amazing years. For my next stop, I'm heading back to Texas to join the @houstonchronicle.com's i-team. www.houstonchronicle.com/about/newsro...

CPJ has issued a safety advisory for journalists traveling to or entering the US: cpj.org/2025/04/cpj-...

Devastated by this news. A tremendous loss for Houston and Texas, and so unfair to the extremely talented staff, who would be a gift to any newsroom. houstonlanding.org/houston-land...

"Some defendants seem to have been forgotten in jail. Two men were released after The Times asked about them, half a year after their sentences had been completed." This is bananas. Powerful, important work from Jolie McCullough. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/u...

My last story as a @houstonlanding.bsky.social public safety reporter published! José Luis Martinez and I found that Pct 4 Constable deputies initiate dozens of high-speed chases every year over minor traffic violations, with at least 9 fatalities since 2021. 🧵 houstonlanding.org/minor-offens...

Some personal news: Friday was my last day @houstonlanding.bsky.social. I can't share my next move quite yet, but I'll be staying in journalism and in Houston. My contact information in the meantime is in my bio. Can't wait to tell y'all what's next.

It’s quiet. Too quiet.

Maybe Paxton going after the Harris County Jail so publicly will help slow down Phil King's Bill Waybourn Protection Act (SB 781) which wd make secret misconduct records for police officers and jailers. That was filed to protect Tarrant Co, but wd also apply to Harris.

This is a case of even a stopped clock being right twice per day. Do I think this is happening bc of politics more than Ken Paxton caring about jail conditions? Of course. Are other, R-run jails like Tarrant just as bad or worse? Also yes. But does Harris Co. need to be sued for noncompliance? 100%

NEW: Nearly 2 years after issuing a remedial order for the Harris County Jail, the TX Commission on Jail Standards is calling on the office of the TX AG for help enforcing minimum standards at the troubled facility. What does that mean? Maybe a lawsuit. houstonlanding.org/texas-attorn...

Nearly one in four domestic violence assault charges filed in TX last year came from Harris County. I spoke with the Harris County District Attorney's Office prosecutors spearheading an ambitious, county-wide effort to address the problem. houstonlanding.org/safety-accou...

Trump's been busy this week. So has @annacat.bsky.social. Here, she illustrates the human toll of Trump's decision to eliminate a humanitarian program - one that drove down unauthorized border crossings from participating nations by 65% (!) in just over a year. houstonlanding.org/we-dont-have...

If you haven't smiled today (or listened to Cowboy Carter), check out @moniquewelch.bsky.social's latest knockout story about teaching the Black history of the American west. Can I sign up for this class please? houstonlanding.org/we-took-univ...

Local prosecutors can have a big impact on immigration enforcement. Here's what you should know. My latest, for @houstonlanding.bsky.social. houstonlanding.org/local-prosec...

“A Houston Landing review of Whitmire’s calendar from January through November 2024. found no scheduled meetings with grass-roots groups focused on climate or transportation, such as Air Alliance or LINK Houston.” Good stuff by @timcarlin.bsky.social houstonlanding.org/community-or...

How many incarcerated firefighters are fighting the LA wildfires? What type of work are they doing? And how do they feel about it? I teamed up with @themarshallproject.org to answer all these questions we've been seeing online: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/01/11/l...

Harris County's new DA Sean Teare saw his law license reinstated last week following a brief administrative suspension. He forgot to pay a fee, the TX bar confirmed. It's an embarrassing oversight for the new DA, but not one that will impact his work. houstonlanding.org/harris-count...

Harris County has one of the highest rates of Black maternal/infant mortality in the COUNTRY. @moniquewelch.bsky.social wrote about one Black midwife helping to change that. This rather remarkable story, with photos by Meridith Kohut, includes a live birth. houstonlanding.org/from-statist...

NEW: Harris County DA Kim Ogg has spent more than $2.4 million in asset forfeiture funds on donations this year, almost all of it after she lost March's Democratic primary. At least $150,000 in funds went to political allies in the bail bond industry. 🧵 houstonlanding.org/outgoing-da-...

HISD gets a lot of attention, but @brookekushwaha.bsky.social is on the Alief ISD beat and putting out really important stories like this one... where she reveals that the budget-strapped district's enrollment has dropped 18% (!) in the past decade. houstonlanding.org/i-want-to-fi...

IT US!!! I Am Ready Warden made the Oscars shortlist (If you haven’t yet, catch it now on Paramount Plus!) variety.com/2024/film/aw...

houstonlanding.org/behind-the-j... Great stuff from @annacat.bsky.social, who documents an incredible journey

Everything about this makes me so happy 😭 #COYS

Quite a scoop here by @amari-clare.bsky.social in @houstonlanding.bsky.social houstonlanding.org/harris-outgo...

Clare with the latest on the wild politics of the Harris County DA’s Office👇

After 8 years of consistently weird and unpredictable behavior, outgoing Harris County DA Kim Ogg has suddenly recommended offering LWOP in every pending capital case. This has got to be the most chaotic thing she's ever done. houstonlanding.org/harris-outgo...

EXCLUSIVE: Kim Ogg, Harris County's outgoing district attorney, has issued a blanket plea recommendation of life without parole in more than 60 pending capital murder cases, according to internal office communications obtained by @houstonlanding.bsky.social. houstonlanding.org/harris-outgo...

Got a nice one for ya today. At "homeless court," unhoused Houstonians get a second chance. For @houstonlanding.bsky.social houstonlanding.org/at-homeless-...

This series by @propublica.org is some of the best journalism I’ve read all year and should enrage everyone. www.propublica.org/article/pors...

I’m sorry WUT www.expressnews.com/politics/art...

YESSS #COYS

Clarence Jordan has been on TX death row since 1978. He now has a lawyer for the first time since 1988, when he was declared incompetent to face execution due to severe mental illness. His death sentence is "likely unconstitutional," his lawyer argues.

After the death of her daughter, Jocelyn, Alexis Nungaray became an unlikely anti-immigration crusader for President-elect Donald Trump and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaigns. But outside of the spotlight, she mourns alone to keep Jocelyn's memory alive. houstonlanding.org/i-dont-want-...

Last week, Harris County Republicans celebrated Michael Landrum's win in the race for judge of the 133rd Civil District Court, despite some outstanding ballots. Today, those ballots were finally counted -- and the race flipped to Democrat Nicole Purdue. houstonlanding.org/last-votes-c...

The US isn't an autocracy…yet. In @columjournreview.bsky.social, Sheila Coronel shares 10 tips for journalists reporting under autocratic rule. www.cjr.org/political_pr...

“When you buy, I don’t know, a car or an expensive item, right? You spend a lot of time doing research,” Cortina said. “That’s something that we need to do, especially when thinking about voting.” houstonlanding.org/skipped-vote...

NEW: Harris County's district attorney-elect Sean Teare doesn't think of himself as a radical. He's approaching his new job as a pragmatist, not an ideologue. But amid a dramatic political realignment nationwide, that may not matter. For Houston Landing: houstonlanding.org/sean-teare-p...