2024: The year in photos

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Every year, our stories go ever further into our vast and diverse state, and ever deeper into the lives of the people who live here. From the northernmost tip of the Panhandle to the southernmost point in the Rio Grande Valley, from El Paso to Beaumont, from the largest cities to the smallest towns, Texas Tribune photographers were there, helping reporters tell the stories of we, the Texans.

JANUARY

This town wants to be named the quinceañera capital of Texas

DIBOLL, Jan. 4

The growing Hispanic population in Diboll, a town about 11 miles south of Lufkin in East Texas, has inspired a new economy of party planners and DJs to produce quinceañeras. City leaders are taking notice. More here from reporter Jess Huff and photojournalist Joel Andrews.

This West Texas town has a lot of money in the bank. Why can't it pick up its trash?

KERMIT, Jan. 4

Like local leaders in many other towns in West Texas, the Kermit City Council spent years saving its tax revenue fearing the energy economy would crash. Now it is struggling to keep up with essential services like trash and road repair. Story by Carlos Nogueras, photos by Eli Hartman.

“The most hated people in Gunter”: How the government of this North Texas town broke apart

GUNTER, Jan. 18

Late in 2023, all five members of the City Council in this small Texas town north of Dallas quit. A fight over a railroad development had spiraled into political mudslinging, broken trust and conspiracy. Reporter Zach Despart and photojournalist Shelby Tauber on a town paralyzed by political dysfunction. Read the story here.

Uvalde victims’ families get an official acknowledgement of botched shooting response — but some want criminal charges

UVALDE, Jan. 18

Some relatives of the 21 people killed in Texas’ deadliest school shooting demanded criminal charges after federal officials said delayed police response cost lives. Read more here from reporters William Melhdo, Madeleine Rubin and Poojah Salhotra here. Photo by Chris Stokes.

In Eagle Pass, a tense border standoff between Texas and the federal government is reaching a crescendo

EAGLE PASS, Jan. 22

A park in a remote town on the Rio Grande has the focus of a battle over border enforcement between the state and federal government. Story by reporter Uriel J. García, photos by Eddie Gaspar.

FEBRUARY

House Speaker Dade Phelan, enemy of the far-right, faces toughest reelection yet

BEAUMONT, Feb. 5

Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and former President Donald Trump accused Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan of being a “RINO,” even as Phelan oversaw the passage of some of the most conservative bills in recent history. Learn more here from reporter Zach Despart and photojournalist Mark Felix.

Despite mounting doubts about his guilt, Ivan Cantu running out of time to avoid Texas’ death chamber

LIVINGSTON, Feb. 8

Convicted of killing his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée, the death row inmate hoped recanted testimony and other new details would spur a review of his case. Cantu was executed on Feb. 28. Reporter William Melhado and photojournalist Maria Crane with the story.

These three “bandidas” are changing the face of Texas barbecue

LUBBOCK, Feb. 15

With menu items like birria brisket ramen, the Bar-B-Que Bandidas in Lubbock are challenging the norm of Texas barbecue and a male-dominated industry. Regional reporter Jayme Lozanos Carter reports. Justin Rex took the photos.

The Panhandle Wildfires 

TEXAS PANHANDLE, Feb. 26

In late February, wildfires swept across the Texas Panhandle in what became the largest such disaster in state history. Firefighters finally contained the largest, the Smokehouse Creek fire in Hutchinson County. That inferno and a series of other blazes killed at least two people as they burned more than 1 million acres across several counties. The Smokehouse Creek fire wasn't declared contained until March 16, almost three weeks after it started.

MARCH

With Texas births rising post-Roe, disability advocates say child services need bolstering

CENTRAL TEXAS, March 11

Texas’ fertility rose after new abortion restrictions, raising concerns that special education and specialized health care will be stretched even thinner. Neelam Bohra reports. Photos by Maria Crane.

Neglected and exposed: Toxic air lingers in a Texas Latino community, revealing failures in state’s air monitoring system

CLOVERLEAF, March 14

Public data from a network of state air monitors around the Houston Ship Channel is hard to interpret and is often inadequate, leaving Latino-majority neighborhoods like Cloverleaf unaware of whether the air they breathe is safe. The story is from Alejandra Martinez and Wendy Selene Pérez in English and Spanish. The photographers on the project were Go Nakamura and Danielle Villasana.

Taking a cue from the pews, Texas churches expanding mental health services

AUSTIN, March 28

Many Texas faith groups have offered counseling services in the past. But more of them are expanding their programs and partnering with providers to help meet the growing need here for mental health services. Stephen Simpson reports. Photos by Montinique Monroe. Photojournalists Evan L'Roy and Chris Stokes also contributed to the story.

APRIL

Years ago, Texas hustled to get kids on state health care. Now it’s kicking them off.

McKINNEY, April 2

Texas’ recent unwinding of Medicaid and CHIP has been criticized after more than 1 million people eligible for the health insurance programs were dropped. Decades ago, Texas officials got kids health insurance in record time. Story by Karen Harper, photos by Azul Sordo.

PHOTOS: Clouds break just in time for many in Texas to view eclipse

April 9

In some parts of the state, the skies cleared enough for people to see the total solar eclipse.

South Texas farmers are in peril as the Rio Grande Valley runs dry — again

April 18

With the hottest days still ahead, local leaders have declared emergencies. And farmers are lobbying for the U.S. government to pressure Mexico to release water. Regional reporter Berenice Garcia reported. Ben Lowy took the photos.

Texas politics leave transgender foster youth isolated — during and after life in state care

AUSTIN, April 23

Support once afforded LGBTQ+ foster kids has vanished and a culture of silence has blanketed the agency tasked with raising children growing up in the foster care system. See reporter William Melhado's and visual journalist Greta Díaz González Vázquez' story here.

University of Texas at Austin Protests 

AUSTIN, April 24

Demonstrations supporting Palestinians turned chaotic at the University of Texas at Austin in spring 2024 as protesters and students clashed with school officials and law enforcement. More than 100 people were arrested. Leaders accused demonstrators of trying to disrupt campus, while protesters criticized law enforcement’s use of force. More of our coverage from various reporters and photographers here.

MAY

Mangroves, expanding with the warming climate, are re-shaping the Texas coast

PORT ARANSAS, May 6

The tropical shrubs have been spreading north and growing more abundantly as climate change makes temperatures warmer. Scientists are unravelling what that means for coastal habitats. Story by Emily Foxhall, images by Angela Piazza.

The government wants to buy their flood-prone homes. But these Texans aren’t moving.

HARRIS COUNTY, May 20

In Harris County, the flood control district wants to buy properties along the San Jacinto River that have flooded repeatedly. Some residents aren’t leaving. Reporter Emily Foxhall and photojournalist Danielle Villasana with more.

At Texas GOP convention, Republicans call for spiritual warfare

SAN ANTONIO, May 28

At the three-day convention, delegates moved the needle further to the right, preaching Christian nationalism and approving rules that would give them unprecedented control of elections. Robert Downen with the convention wrap-up, Tribune photographers Eddie Gaspar and Eli Hartman with the photos.

JUNE

How a chance meeting helped Texas become the nation’s top beekeeping state

SAN ANTONIO, June 3

Twelve years after a state law gave tax breaks for keeping bees on at least five acres, people are still getting into the trade — or throwing in the towel and hiring professionals to do it for them. Reporting by Emily Foxhall, photos by Jordan Vonderhaar.

Unchecked growth around Big Bend sparks debate over water — a prelude for Texas 

TERLINGUA, June 6

No one knows how much water sits beneath the desert of Terlingua. Residents worry their wells will run dry, as developers and local officials cheer the tourism boom. Regional reporter Carlos Nogueras Ramos and photojournalist Eli Hartman file from Far West Texas.

JULY

As the Rio Grande runs dry, South Texas cities look to alternatives for water

EDINBURG, July 18

Many of the solutions are costly, putting them out of reach for small towns. But the region's most populous cities are getting innovative. Berenice Garcia and Eddie Gaspar report from the Valley.

GEORGETOWN and TAYLOR, July 20

After an assassination attempt against Donald Trump and growing divisions among national Democrats, Williamson County voters mulled the November election. James Barragán with the story, Eli Hartman with the photos. 2024 Texas Elections

San Antonio church leaders train to serve as mental health counselors 

SAN ANTONIO, July 22

Under a Harvard Medical School pilot program, church members and leaders will work as interns before counseling on their own, referring more serious cases to medical providers. Story by Stephen Simpson, photos by Olivia Anderson.

AUGUST

Texas’ overcrowded and understaffed jails send people awaiting trial to other counties and states

TRINITY, SABINE AND HARRIS COUNTIES; August 13

Limits on who can be released without paying bail and difficulties hiring guards worsen the situation. Reporting by Pooja Salhotra, photos by Mark Felix and Hope Mora.

When Texas jail standards push inmates to lockups in other states, oversight doesn’t follow

HOUSTON, August 14

Jaleen Anderson’s mom is on a quest for details about her son’s death in a Louisiana prison that houses hundreds of Harris County inmates awaiting trial. Read Pooja's follow-up story, with photos from Danielle Villasana.

In a North Texas House race, two Asian candidates campaign on their version of the American Dream

GARLAND, Aug. 20

A Texas House race in the Dallas suburbs features the first Asian to win Miss Texas and the second Asian woman to serve in the state Legislature. Issac Yu has the story; Desiree Rios took the photos. 2024 Texas Elections

The oil industry is booming. This West Texas small business worries it’s been left behind. 

GOLDSMITH, Aug. 22

Before the pandemic, Ben Bilbrey worked with some of the largest oil companies. Now he’s waiting for the phone to ring. Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Eli Hartman with a story from a small town in the Permian Basin.

Odessa is still healing five years after a mass shooting

ODESSA, Aug. 29

“It’s like time passes, but it also freezes,” said Rosie Granados, whose twin sister was killed during the shooting. Carlos Nogueras Ramos looks back. Callie Cummings provided the photos.

SEPTEMBER

What Texas can learn from Italy’s big bet on tiny community health homes

EMILIA-ROMAGNA, ITALY, Sept. 3

In Italy, as in Texas, funding hospitals over primary care leaves many feeling “medically homeless.” Italy’s post-COVID plans show another way. Eleanor Klibanoff reports from Italy, with photos by Margherita Mirabella.

Many Americans say immigration is out of control, but 24 hours on the Texas-Mexico border showed a new reality. Will it last?

TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER, Sept. 25

The Texas Tribune and The Associated Press visited five locations along the 1,254-mile span to separate the facts from the political narrative during a heated election year. A team of reporters and photographers from the Tribune and AP tell the story.

Bernie Sanders tells Texas progressives to back Harris, says Allred win would “make all the difference”

OCTOBER

AUSTIN, Oct. 1

Joining Sanders as he campaigns up and down the Interstate 35 corridor are Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Greg Casar, and former El Paso congressman Beto O’Rourke. Jasper Scherer with the story; Lorianne Willett took the photos. 2024 Texas Elections

How a school voucher supporter won in a Texas House district with almost no private schools

SPLENDORA, Oct. 2

Gov. Greg Abbott said the primary showed Texans want vouchers. In House District 18, an ad blitz and immigration fears may have played a larger role. Reporter Jaden Edison filed this story, with photos from Annie Mulligan. 2024 Texas Elections

Colin Allred, Ted Cruz blast each other as “extreme,” throw jabs on border and abortion in Senate debate

DALLAS, Oct. 15

The debate proved combative from start to finish, with Cruz and Allred trading barbs on nearly every issue that came up. Political reporters Jasper Scherer and Renzo Downey reported, Tribune freelancer Shelby Tauber was the pool photographer.

Delta-8 hemp and Texas medical marijuana industries to face off in the upcoming legislative session

AUSTIN, Oct. 23

Medical marijuana providers say they must operate under strict rules while hemp products like delta-8 can proliferate. Stephen Simpson reports, with photos from Lorianne Willett.

NOVEMBER

Election Day

Nov. 6

After a protracted series of pitched partisan battles over how elections should be conducted, a mostly quiet Election Day ensued in Texas. Donald Trump was reelected and state Republicans won handily down the ballot, showing strong gains in traditionally Democratic South Texas. The whole newsroom at the Tribune was on, and photographers fanned out across the state north to south, east to west, and many points in between. Read our extended coverage here.

DECEMBER

Texas farmers say sewage-based fertilizer tainted with “forever chemicals” poisoned their land and killed their livestock

JOHNSON CO., SAN ANTONIO, FORT WORTH AND ARLINGTON; Dec. 2

The fertilizer was promoted as an environmental win-win for years. An untold number of farmers and ranchers across Texas have spread it on their land. Alejandra Martinez has the story. Photojournalists Azul Sordo, Erika Nina Suarez and Chris Stokes provided the images.

Handshakes, murals and ministry: A reopened Texas prison focuses on rehabilitation 

BARTLETT, Dec. 2

The Bartlett Unit in Williamson County will house 1,049 male inmates who will participate in educational programs aimed to help them secure a job after they’ve served their time. Pooja Salhotra reports; Lorianne Willett was the photographer.

As landowners resist, Texas’ border wall is fragmented and built in remote areas

TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER, Dec. 19

At least one-third of landowners approached by state officials have refused to let wall be built on their properties. That’s forced the state to largely build on ranch land in remote areas, or erect sections that are full of gaps. Read the monthslong investigation from Zach Despart, data visual journalist Yuriko Schumacher, Uriel J. García, and photographers Ben Lowy and Eli Hartman.

Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.