https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/emily-foxhall/The latest news by Emily Foxhall.enTue, 16 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/16/texas-camp-mystic-parents-new-laws-grief/Two dads helped lead Camp Mystic parents to advocate for new camp rules in the Texas Legislature. What they wanted most was to have their daughters back.By Emily FoxhallTue, 16 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/16/texas-camp-mystic-parents-new-laws-grief/Matthew Childress' 18-year-old daughter, Chloe, was a counselor at Camp Mystic and died in the July 4 Kerr County floods. In the wake of the tragedy, Matthew and his wife Wendie joined other parents to advocate for tighter camp safety regulations, culminating in recent bills signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.Families of the Camp Mystic flood victims known as the “Heaven’s 27,” stand behind Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as he speaks about the Fourth of July floods and the new bills at the Governor’s Mansion on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. The bills, passed during the second special session of the 89th Texas Legislature, aim to enhance camp safety and protect Texans.Manoo Sirivelu/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/03/texas-camp-safety-legislation/The parents of children who died at Camp Mystic advocated for the new legislation, which now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.By Emily Foxhall and Ayden RunnelsWed, 03 Sep 2025 22:49:46 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/03/texas-camp-safety-legislation/Damaged cabins are seen along the Guadalupe River in Ingram on July 7, 2025, days after flooding devastated the area.Damaged cabins seen along the river in Ingram on Monday July7, 2025.Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/29/texas-legislature-flooding-youth-camps/Camp Waldemar, Vista Camps and Camp Stewart ask the lieutenant governor for an expert to determine where cabins are located, want financial aid if pending camp safety bills pass.By Terri Langford and Emily FoxhallFri, 29 Aug 2025 22:05:53 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/29/texas-legislature-flooding-youth-camps/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/21/texas-legislature-flood-response-bills-camp/Here’s where the proposed laws to address camp safety, flood warnings and emergency response stand in the Legislature.By Emily Foxhall, Ayden Runnels, Kayla Guo and Alejandra MartinezThu, 21 Aug 2025 17:43:47 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/21/texas-legislature-flood-response-bills-camp/Parents of the Camp Mystic girls who died during the Guadalupe River flooding of July 4, 2025, fill seats in the Senate chamber Thursday night to view the passage of Senate Bill 1, called the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, which strengthens summer camp regulations to help prevent future tragedies.Parents of Camp Mystic girls lost during the Guadalupe River flooding of July 4, 2025 pack seats in the Senate Chamber to view passage of Senate Bill 1 which strengthens summer camp regulations to help prevent future tragedies.Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/18/texas-senate-second-special-session-thc-disaster-relief-bathroom-bills/Senators moved fast on Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda for the second special session. With House Democrats back in Texas, bills can now move through that chamber.By Jayme Lozano Carver, Carlos Nogueras Ramos, Alejandra Martinez, Alex Nguyen, Ayden Runnels, Eleanor Klibanoff, Emily Foxhall, Joshua Fechter and Stephen SimpsonMon, 18 Aug 2025 21:30:46 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/18/texas-senate-second-special-session-thc-disaster-relief-bathroom-bills/State Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, speaks on the Senate floor at the Capitol on July 21, 2025.State Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, speaks on the Senate floor at the Capitol on July 21, 2025.Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/12/texas-floods-political-redistricting-battle/With Democrats’ walkout over redistricting bringing the House to a standstill, both parties are accusing each other of abandoning Central Texas flood victims.By Kayla Guo and Emily FoxhallTue, 12 Aug 2025 14:45:59 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/12/texas-floods-political-redistricting-battle/The House chamber on Aug. 5, 2025, on the second day the chamber failed to have a quorum after most House Democrats fled the state to halt a GOP congressional redistricting effort.Texas Representatives look towards the voting board as attendance is called in the House Chambers on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Austin. It was the second day that representatives failed to meet quorum after Texas Democrats left the state in protest of new congressional maps.Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/05/texas-house-committee-flood-response-bills/Only one Democrat taking part in the quorum break was absent from the panel as the group discussed five bills and the chair vowed their work would go on.By Emily FoxhallTue, 05 Aug 2025 21:27:40 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/05/texas-house-committee-flood-response-bills/Texas House members gather for a committee hearing regarding flood relief on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in the Capitol Extension in Austin.Texas Repersentives gather for a committee hearing regarding flood relief in the Capitol Extension on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Austin, Texas.Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/31/texas-kerr-county-officials-asleep-july-4-floods-hill-country/Their statements to state legislators marked the first time county officials have spoken publicly about what they were doing the morning of the disaster that killed more than 100 people in the county.By Emily FoxhallThu, 31 Jul 2025 16:16:14 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/31/texas-kerr-county-officials-asleep-july-4-floods-hill-country/People listen to Kerr County officials and other Central Texas officials testify about the July 4 weekend floods during a joint legislative committee hearing at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville on July 31, 2025.People listen in to a panel of local Kerr County officials testify during a joint committee hearing at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville on Thursday, July 31, 2025.Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/texas-kerrville-hill-country-floods-response-emails/Lawmakers plan to hear testimony Thursday in Kerr County. Questions remain about how state and local entities responded to flood warnings.By Emily FoxhallWed, 30 Jul 2025 18:12:36 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/texas-kerrville-hill-country-floods-response-emails/Toppled trees near Hunt reveal the scope of the devastating July 4 flood in Kerr County. Texts and emails show some local officials were slow to grasp the severity of the disaster.A July 5 aerial view of toppled trees near Hunt reveal the scope of the devastating July 4th flood in Kerr Co. Texts and emails show local officials were slow to grasp the severity of the disaster.Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/24/texas-clean-energy-tax-credit-cuts/The One Big Beautiful Bill drastically shortens the timeline for wind and solar projects to qualify for tax credits. This will impact even Texas, where wind and solar power have boomed and power demand is rising.By Emily Foxhall and Gabby BirenbaumThu, 24 Jul 2025 11:30:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/24/texas-clean-energy-tax-credit-cuts/A solar project in Ector County. The Trump administration's rollback of tax credits will mean fewer renewable energy projects get built in Texas, experts say.A solar project on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Ector County.Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/23/texas-hill-country-floods-legislative-committee-hearing/Lawmakers serving on special committees investigating deadly floods blasted a river authority for failing to build a flood warning system on the Guadalupe River.By Emily Foxhall, Hayden Betts, Paul Cobler and Ayden RunnelsWed, 23 Jul 2025 17:05:43 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/23/texas-hill-country-floods-legislative-committee-hearing/Members of the Texas Senate and House hold a joint Disaster Preparedness and Flooding committee meeting on July 23 at the state Capiol in Austin. The joint committee was formed in the aftermath of recent devastating flooding in the Hill Country.Members of the Texas Senate and House hold a joint Disaster Preparedness and Flooding committee meeting Wednesday, July 23, 2025 in Austin. The joint committee was formed in the aftermath of recent devastating flooding in the Hill Country.Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/11/kerr-county-flood-warning-system-sirens/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.By Emily Foxhall, Colleen DeGuzman and Hayden BettsFri, 11 Jul 2025 10:44:20 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/11/kerr-county-flood-warning-system-sirens/Floodwaters stained the walls of an apartment in Ingram on July 5, 2025. As lawmakers ponder how to respond the the deadly Hill Country floods, experts say warning sirens are just one tool that should be deployed.Water from the flood stained the walls in a residential apartment in Ingram on July 5, 2025.Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/08/texas-weather-service-warning-kerr-county/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.By Emily Foxhall, Terri Langford, Ayden Runnels, Jaden Edison, Alejandra Martinez and Carlos Nogueras RamosTue, 08 Jul 2025 18:01:56 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/08/texas-weather-service-warning-kerr-county/The National Weather Service's West Gulf River Forecast Center in Forth Worth helps other offices like the Austin/San Antonio office predict floods.Weather monitors at the National Weather Service West Gulf River Forecast Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/01/senate-reconciliation-bill-texas-cornyn-cruz-border-reimbursement/The package includes $13.5 billion to reimburse states for border spending. It is expected to meet resistance in the House from some Texas Republicans.By Emily Foxhall and Owen DahlkampTue, 01 Jul 2025 11:20:15 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/01/senate-reconciliation-bill-texas-cornyn-cruz-border-reimbursement/The U.S. Capitol in Washington in January 2022.The U.S. Capitol in Washington in January 2022.Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/19/texas-nuclear-waste/The court’s decision is not a final ruling in favor of the licenses, but it removes a major roadblock.By Mark Sherman, Associated Press, and Emily Foxhall, The Texas TribuneThu, 19 Jun 2025 17:13:59 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/19/texas-nuclear-waste/The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for a possible nuclear waste site in Texas. However, the company that sought such a permit has abandoned its plans.The entrance to the Waste Control Specialists site, where radioactive and hazardous waste is being stored on Jan. 17, 2021.Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/14/texas-heat-deaths-undercount/Deaths from heat are notoriously difficult to quantify because of how complex and subjective the process is. It leaves officials with an incomplete picture of who heat kills.By Emily Foxhall, Alejandra Martinez and Yuriko Schumacher, The Texas Tribune, and Dylan Baddour and Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate NewsWed, 14 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/14/texas-heat-deaths-undercount/Robert Shipp, 75, of Bastrop, sweats while receiving treatment inside an Austin-Travis County EMS ambulance on a 102 degree day outside Austin Wrench A Part in Del Valle on July 7, 2023. According to the EMS crew, he passed out while searching for car parts under the hot sun.Robert Shipp, 75, of Bastrop, sweats while receiving treatment from Austin-Travis County EMS first responders inside an ambulance during a 102 degree summer day outside Austin Wrench-A-Part in Del Valle on July 7, 2023. According to the EMS crew, he passed out while searching for car parts under the hot sun.Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/01/texas-oil-electricity-power-lines-fires-panhandle/No state agency is taking responsibility for making sure the privately built lines that power many oil and gas sites are safe. Such lines have been blamed for sparking two recent Panhandle fires.By Emily Foxhall, Jayme Lozano Carver and Carlos Nogueras Ramos, Graphics by Elijah Nicholson-MessmerThu, 01 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/01/texas-oil-electricity-power-lines-fires-panhandle/Craig Cowden points to a pump jack on his Breezy Point Ranch in Pampa on July 7. Cowden said he often spots problems with oilfield electrical equipment such as a pumpjack with faulty wiring or a power line lying on dead grass.Craig Cowden shows parts of his property that are negligent from oil companies using his land, Sunday, July 7, 2024, at Breezy Point Ranch in Pampa, Texas. Cowden has made numerous complaints about the live wires and trash on his property.Annie Rice for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/texas-centerpoint-beryl-outages-company-plan/Jason Wells told regulators the company will launch a new outage tracker by Aug. 1. It will also trim more tree limbs near power lines and hire an executive to focus on emergency response.By Emily FoxhallThu, 25 Jul 2024 14:23:43 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/texas-centerpoint-beryl-outages-company-plan/CenterPoint President and CEO Jason Wells addresses the Public Utilities Commission at a hearing in Austin on July 25, 2024. The energy company proposed action plans for improved customer communication and restoring power quickly in future outages.CenterPoint President and CEO Jason Wells addresses the Public Utilities Commission at a hearing in Austin on July 25, 2024. The energy company proposed action plans for improved customer communication and restoring power quickly in future outages.Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/texas-power-grid-puc-centerpoint-hurricane-beryl/The company’s power outages in July have drawn the ire of state leaders. Here’s what you need to know.By Alejandra Martinez, Emily Foxhall, Joshua Fechter and Kayla GuoThu, 25 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/texas-power-grid-puc-centerpoint-hurricane-beryl/Trucks line up to provide support with major power outages after Hurricane Beryl in Houston, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.Electric trucks line up to provide support with major power outages after Hurricane Beryl in Houston, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/18/texas-energy-grid-power-outages-climate-change-infrastructure/Repairing electricity infrastructure after storms usually costs customers. So could strengthening it before the next weather event.By Alejandra Martinez and Emily FoxhallThu, 18 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/18/texas-energy-grid-power-outages-climate-change-infrastructure/Electric trucks line up to provide support with major power outages after Hurricane Beryl in Houston on July 10, 2024.Electric trucks line up to provide support with major power outages after Hurricane Beryl in Houston, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune