State / Local

TEXAS FLOODSCan Sirens Help Save Lives in the Next Flood? Yes, but There’s More to It.
By Emily Foxhall
While sirens can help in areas with shaky cell service, experts say officials also need to consider alert fatigue and provide education on what to do in an emergency.
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TEXAS FLOODS“Disasters Are a Human Choice”: Texas Counties Have Little Power to Stop Building in Flood-Prone Areas
By Joshua Fechter and Paul Cobler, Graphics by Carla Astudillo
Experts suggested that more data and education are needed as Texas and the rest of the country build in known flood plains.
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TEXAS FLOODSWeather Warnings Gave Officials a 3 Hour, 21 Minute Window to Save Lives in Kerr County. What Happened Then Remains Unclear.
By Emily Foxhall
Federal forecasters issued their first flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4. Local officials haven’t shed light on when they saw the warnings or whether they saw them in time to take action.
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WATER SECURITYA Deadline Looms for a New Colorado River Plan. What Happens If There Isn’t One?
By Alex Hager, KUNC
It would likely be complicated, messy and involve big lawsuits, according to experts and former officials.
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FLOODSIn Texas Region Prone to Catastrophic Floods, Questions Grow About Lack of Warning
By Paul Cobler
Water rose fast along the Guadalupe River, causing dozens of deaths. Local officials said they couldn’t have seen it coming.
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NUCLEAR POWERSmaller Nuclear Reactors Spark Renewed Interest in a Once-Shunned Energy Source
By David Montgomery
In the past two years, half the states have taken action to promote nuclear power, from creating nuclear task forces to integrating nuclear into long-term energy plans.
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DEPORTATIONSAmid Trump Immigration Crackdown, Texas Reins in Border Spending and Shifts Focus to Deportations
By Alejandro Serrano
With border crossings at record lows, state authorities are being sent to arrest people accused of committing crimes in Texas after entering the country illegally.
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GUNSGuns Kill More U.S. Children Than Other Causes, but State Policies Can Help, Study Finds
By Nada Hassanein
More American children and teens die from firearms than any other cause. Black children, especially, suffer when laws allow more guns to circulate, researchers found. There are more deaths — and wider racial disparities — in states with more permissive gun policies, according to a new study.
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RISKY POLICINGWith Troops in Los Angeles, Echoes of the Kent State Massacre
By Jennifer Mascia
The 1970 shooting of student demonstrators underscores the risks of President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the military against protesters, a history professor explains.
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DEPORTATIONSLocal Police Join ICE Deportation Force in Record Numbers Despite Warnings Program Lacks Oversight
By Rafael Carranza and Gabriel Sandoval
ICE officials tout an unprecedented expansion of its 287(g) Program, driven by agreements that allow local officers to function as deportation agents during routine policing. But advocates warn such agreements come at a high cost to communities.
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IMMIGRATIONStates, Sheriffs Puzzle Over Trump’s Error-Filled List of Immigration Sanctuaries
By Tim Henderson
A list of 14 states, 298 counties and 200 cities deemed immigration sanctuaries by the Trump administration has disappeared from a government website but continues to hang over the heads of officials who face threats of losing federal funding. “The list is gone. Am I satisfied that it was rectified? Yes. Am I satisfied that it’s over? No,” said Sheriff Charles Blackwood of Orange County, North Carolina.
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LAND SALESTexas Moves Close to Ban on Some Land Sales to Foreigners
By Sameea Kamal
The House has approved a conference committee report that lists sales to certain people from China, North Korea, Russia and Iran as threats to national security.
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CRIMESurge of ICE Agreements with Local Police Aim to Increase Deportations, but Many Police Forces Have Found They Undermine Public Safety
By W. Carsten Andresen
The federal 287(g) program allows ICE to train state and local authorities to function as federal immigration officers. The use of 287(g) has surged since January, and as a criminal justice scholar, I believe this surge sets a dangerous precedent for local policing, where forging relationships and building the trust of immigrants is a proven and effective tactic in combating crime. The expansion of 287(g) will erode that trust and makes entire communities – not just immigrants – less safe.
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WATER SECURITYAs the Rio Grande Runs Dry, South Texas Leaders Look to New Water Supplies to Sustain Growth
By Berenice Garcia
The tension between water supply and demand has been an issue for decades. And now, city and county leaders throughout the Valley believe the problem has come to a head.
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SALES BANTexas House Advances Bill That Would Prohibit Land Sales to People and Entities from Certain Countries
By Sameea Kamal
The legislation had only pertained to countries the government deemed national security threats. A last-minute change would let the governor add more countries to the ban.
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