https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/sneha-dey/The latest news by Sneha Dey.enSun, 18 Jun 2023 16:57:05 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/18/east-texas-power-outages/Some Texans may have to wait a week for their power to be restored during a period of extreme heat and humidity.Sneha DeySun, 18 Jun 2023 16:57:05 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/18/east-texas-power-outages/Longview in August 2018. More than 30,000 residents are still without power as of Sunday afternoon in Gregg County, where Longview is located. Some in East Texas may have to wait up to a week to have their power restored.Longview High School - Earlier this year the 1970 federal segregation order was lifted for Longview ISD.Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/31/texas-department-family-protective-services-foster-care/Lawmakers were assured that outsourcing management of foster care services would fix the state’s troubled child welfare agency. But the rollout of the new model, set to be completed by 2029, has been complicated by setbacks.Sneha DeyWed, 31 May 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/31/texas-department-family-protective-services-foster-care/State Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls, answers a question from Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, regarding Senate Bill 11 on May 18, 2017.State Rep. James Frank R-Wichita Falls, answers a question from Rep. Armando Walle D-Houston regarding SB 11 on May 18, 2017Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/26/texas-food-stamp-vehicle-qualifications/The value of a household’s vehicles disqualified nearly 55,000 people seeking federal food assistance in 2022. House Bill 1287 increases the threshold of car values that lead to SNAP applicants being denied aid.Sneha DeyFri, 26 May 2023 15:19:40 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/26/texas-food-stamp-vehicle-qualifications/Volunteers from neighboring small towns divide, box up and load their trucks with food from the Amarillo-based High Plains Food Bank for monthly delivery to Quitaque in June 2019.Volunteers from neighboring small towns divide, box-up, and load their trucks with food from the Amarillo-based High Plains Food Bank for monthly delivery to Quitaque on June 28, 2019.Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/23/texas-schools-libraries-books/Approved by both chambers, the bill is now on its way to the governor. Unless he vetoes it, the bill will become law, which means book vendors will have to assign ratings to books based on depictions or references to sex.Sneha Dey and Raul Trey LopezTue, 23 May 2023 22:46:58 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/23/texas-schools-libraries-books/Vandegrift High School's library in Austin on March 2, 2022.Vandegrift High School's library in Austin on March 2, 2022.Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/22/dfps-the-refuge-bills-child-welfare/The legislation came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing she had a history of sexual misconduct with children at a state juvenile facility. Coworkers also concealed evidence of the abuse, which further put the foster girls at harm.Sneha DeyMon, 22 May 2023 17:49:06 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/22/dfps-the-refuge-bills-child-welfare/The Refuge in Bastrop on Apr. 12, 2022The Refuge in Bastrop on Apr. 12, 2022Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/17/legislature-the-refuge-bills-background-checks/The action came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing her history of misconduct.Sneha DeyWed, 17 May 2023 14:04:36 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/17/legislature-the-refuge-bills-background-checks/The Refuge in Bastrop on Apr. 12, 2022.The Refuge in Bastrop on Apr. 12, 2022Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/09/allen-mall-shooter-neo-nazi-investigation/Four of the eight people killed in the North Texas attack were of Asian descent. Law enforcement officials said the gunman held neo-Nazi beliefs.Sneha DeyTue, 09 May 2023 14:48:58 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/09/allen-mall-shooter-neo-nazi-investigation/Department of Public Safety officers block the entrance to the Allen Premium Outlets mall nearby a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims on Sunday.Department of Public Safety officers block the entrance to the Allen Premium Outlets mall nearby a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims, on May 7, 2023.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/08/allen-mall-shooting-victims/A security guard, an engineer, and a child as young as three were among the eight victims of the shooting at the Allen outlet mall on Saturday.Sneha DeyMon, 08 May 2023 19:29:41 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/08/allen-mall-shooting-victims/Erica Espinoza, a community member who knew one of the eight victims of the Allen Premium Outlets mall shooting, kneels beside a makeshift memorial for the victims with her sister on May 7, 2023.Erica Espinoza, a community member who knew one of the eight victims of the Allen Premium Outlets mall shooting, kneels beside a makeshift memorial for the victims with her sister on May 7, 2023.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/08/texas-gun-bill-uvalde-allen-mall-shooting/The legislation would raise the minimum age for purchasing certain firearms but likely wouldn’t have been a hindrance to the Allen gunman obtaining a weapon. The bill still faces an uphill climb in the Legislature.Alejandro Serrano, Eleanor Klibanoff and Sneha DeyMon, 08 May 2023 12:30:24 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/08/texas-gun-bill-uvalde-allen-mall-shooting/Family members of victims of the Uvalde shooting cry and hug one another at the Capitol on Monday after a Texas House committee voted in favor of House Bill 2744, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.Family members of the victims of the Uvalde shooting cry and hug each other after the House Safety Committee voted in favor of HB 2744, to raise the age requirement to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, at the state Capitol in Austin on May 8, 2023.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/07/Allen-community-reacts-to-mall-shooting/After mall shooting, residents of the Dallas suburb are experiencing familiar rituals: mourning, anger and despair.Joshua Fechter and Sneha DeySun, 07 May 2023 21:25:27 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/07/Allen-community-reacts-to-mall-shooting/Allen community members pray at Cottonwood Creek Church during a vigil on May 7, 2023, to mourn the lives of eight killed during a shooting at the local outlet mall a day earlier. Hundreds paid their respects, including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano.Community members pray during a vigil to mourn the lives of the eight victims of the Allen Premium Outlet mall shooting, at the Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen on May 7, 2023. Hundreds of people attended the vigil to pay their respects, including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/07/allen-shooting-guns-mental-health/President Joe Biden confirmed Sunday that the gunman used an AR-15 in the attack.Sneha Dey and Joshua FechterSun, 07 May 2023 14:48:08 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/07/allen-shooting-guns-mental-health/Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 28.Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during the Texas Rally for Life event at the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 28, 2023.Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/07/brownsville-pedestrian-deaths/The driver has been detained, but authorities say it is unclear what caused the fatal crash at a Brownsville bus stop.Sneha Dey and Jayme Lozano CarverSun, 07 May 2023 13:35:33 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/07/brownsville-pedestrian-deaths/A police officer is consoled Sunday after a deadly incident in Brownsville, where a car ran into pedestrians near Ozanam Center, a shelter for migrants and homeless people.A police officer is consoled after a deadly incident where a car ran into pedestrians near Ozanam Center, a shelter for migrants and homeless, in Brownsville on May 7, 2023.REUTERS/John Faulkhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/02/texas-trans-kids-health-care-ban/Texas state police detained and handcuffed people protesting legislation that would prohibit transgender kids from getting puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The House separately delayed a vote on Senate Bill 14 until later this week.Alex Nguyen and Sneha DeyTue, 02 May 2023 10:09:41 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/02/texas-trans-kids-health-care-ban/Demonstrators protest Senate Bill 14, which would ban transition-related health care for transgender kids in Texas, while the bill was slated to be debated in the Texas House on Tuesday.Demonstrators protest SB14, a bill to eradicate gender transition healthcare for trans kids in Texas, while the bill is heard in the House at the state capitol on May 2, 2023. The bill is the furthest any LGBT legislation has gone this session.Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/30/el-paso-state-of-emergency-title-42/El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said asylum-seekers are camping out on the sidewalks and staying at shelters in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, under the false notion that they will be allowed to enter the U.S. once Title 42 expires.Sneha DeySun, 30 Apr 2023 21:12:30 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/30/el-paso-state-of-emergency-title-42/Migrants stand in line to enter the makeshift shelter inside the gym of Sacred Heart Church in El Paso on Jan. 6.Migrants stand in line to enter the makeshift shelter inside the gym of Sacred Heart Church in El Paso on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/30/san-jacinto-texas-shooting/In the face of mass shootings in Texas, state leaders have made it easier to access guns.Sneha DeySun, 30 Apr 2023 14:25:36 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/30/san-jacinto-texas-shooting/In a still image from video, an aerial view of the wooded area where a search is being conducted for Francisco Oropesa, 38, who police say shot dead five neighbors in Cleveland, Texas, late Friday night.In a still image from video, an aerial view of the wooded area where a search is being conducted for Francisco Oropeza, 38, who police say shot dead five neighbors in Cleveland on Saturday, April 29, 2023. The shooting took place the night before.ABC affiliate KTRK via REUTERShttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/19/texas-libraries-books-schools-legislature/Legal experts, librarians and some parents say House Bill 900’s language is so vague and broad that it could ensnare books that are not inappropriate.Sneha DeyWed, 19 Apr 2023 13:26:39 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/19/texas-libraries-books-schools-legislature/Demonstrators held a read-in in the Capitol rotunda on Tuesday during the reading of House Bill 900, a bill aimed to prohibit sexually explicit materials from school libraries.Demonstrators held a read-in in the capitol rotunda during the reading of HB 900, a bill aimed to prohibit inappropriate books in school libraries, on April 19, 2023. Protestors opposing the bill say the language is too vague to be effective.Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/16/texas-capitol-bomb-threat/The Texas Department of Public Safety did a sweep of Capitol grounds with K-9 dogs and found no explosive devices.Sneha DeySun, 16 Apr 2023 18:17:18 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/16/texas-capitol-bomb-threat/The Texas Capitol on March 29.The Texas State Capitol on Mar. 29, 2023.Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/12/texas-foster-care-lawsuit/Residential facilities did not refill medications in a timely manner, failed to follow psychiatric orders and, in several instances, violated state guidelines, court monitors documented after site inspections. The lawyer representing the foster kids said it could be “the tip of the iceberg.”Sneha DeyWed, 12 Apr 2023 16:07:28 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/12/texas-foster-care-lawsuit/Heart Galleries, portraits of adoptable children, on display at the Child Protective Services office at Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Austin in 2019.Heart Galleries, portraits of adoptable children, on display at the Child Protective Services office at Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/03/texas-dfps-tjjd-reporting-criminal-behavior/The upper chamber unanimously passed Senate Bill 182 after The Texas Tribune reported that a state-licensed foster care facility hired a caretaker whom the Texas Juvenile Justice Department previously fired for having inappropriate relationships with children.Sneha DeyMon, 03 Apr 2023 14:56:35 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/03/texas-dfps-tjjd-reporting-criminal-behavior/The Refuge in Bastrop last year.The Refuge in Bastrop on Apr. 12, 2022Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/30/texas-foster-care-kinship-legislature/Relative caregivers, like grandparents who want to keep kids out of foster care, usually get half as much state assistance as strangers who take in children.Sneha DeyThu, 30 Mar 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/30/texas-foster-care-kinship-legislature/Beverly Morris hadn’t planned to parent again at 63 years old. When Child Protective Services called her about her six grandchildren, she decided to raise them herself but found that the foster care system pays relatives much less than if she were an unrelated foster parent. Now a few years later, she is raising them in Leander.Beverly Morris says she was not aware that her six grandchildren were in foster care. When CPS called her, she decided to raise them herself but found that the foster care system pays grandparents much less than if she were an unrelated foster parent. Now a few years later, she is raising her six grandchildren at their home in Leander, Texas.Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune