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Jessica Priest
Engagement Reporter, ProPublica/Texas Tribune Investigative Unit
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Jessica Priest is an engagement reporter on The Texas Tribune/ProPublica Investigative Initiative. She’s previously worked for the Fort Worth Report, USA TODAY out of the Austin-American Statesman newsroom, the Victoria Advocate and the Temple Daily Telegram. She is a Texan whose work has often made an impact — be it local officials in Victoria pursuing funding for mental health after she highlighted a gap in services or the state’s highest criminal court granting a death row inmate a new trial after she detailed a prosecutor’s conflicts of interest. Jessica also has experience reporting on local government and the environment. After she exposed questionable hirings and payments at a port and later a water district in another part of the state, both public entities underwent reforms. After she showed the effects of companies’ air and water pollution on the Gulf Coast, residents organized and regulators took action.
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Texas school districts violated a law intended to add transparency to local elections
The Texas Tribune and ProPublica analyzed 35 Texas school districts that held trustee elections last fall and found none that posted all of the required campaign finance records. Full Story
![A photo illustration shows a web search box with “BOARD ELECTION Campaign Finance Report” and “Page Not Found” over a photo of a Texas school building.]()
Credit: Photo illustration by ProPublica. Photo by Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune. -
The many times Ken Paxton refused to defend Texas agencies in court
The Texas attorney general said he’s “back to work” after his recent acquittal, but his office has repeatedly declined to fulfill one of its key duties: representing state agencies who are being sued. Full Story
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Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG Ken Paxton’s habit of refusing to defend state agencies cost taxpayers
Records obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune give deeper insight into how Paxton’s representation denials often pushed agencies to look for outside legal counsel that was ultimately funded by taxpayers. Full Story
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at a news conference at the William P. Clements State Office Building on a pilot program to dispose of medications, especially opioids on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2022 in Austin, TX. Paxton was joined by a group of former athletes and coaches to make the announcement. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)of former athletes and coaches to make the announcement.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Churches’ role in Abilene election prompts calls for investigations
West Texas voters rejected three conservative Christian candidates who sought to infuse religious values into local politics. The campaign support the candidates received from local churches has prompted calls for state and federal probes. Full Story
![Campign signs outside of the 11th & Willis St. Church of Christ in Abiele, Texas, on May 6.]()
Credit: Johnathan Johnson for ProPublica -
A trio of Texas churches donated to political candidate despite clear IRS prohibition
A candidate for the Abilene City Council said that three churches made an honest mistake by donating to his campaign and that he is returning the money. The race has been beset by allegations of electioneering by churches. Full Story
![An American flag waves in the wind next to a sign for Scott Beard in Abilene, Texas on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo by Emil T. Lippe for Pro Publica)]()
Credit: Emil T. Lippe for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Gov. Greg Abbott says most gun crimes involve illegally owned weapons. That’s not true in mass shootings.
Most of the state’s 19 mass shootings over the past six decades were carried out by men who legally possessed firearms, an investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found. Full Story
![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a presser at Uvalde High School on May 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
Despite decades of mass shootings in Texas, legislators have failed to pass meaningful gun control laws
State lawmakers have rejected dozens of bills that would have prevented people from legally obtaining weapons used in many mass shootings. Instead, they’ve made it easier for residents to get guns and harder for local governments to regulate them. Full Story
![A group of men embrace during a vigil a day after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, U.S. August 4, 2019. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1E05433300]()
Credit: Callaghan O’Hare/Reuters -
These 20 churches supported political candidates. Experts say they violated federal law.
Churches aren’t supposed to endorse political candidates, according to IRS rules. Across the country, churches appear to be doing so anyway. Full Story
![Video editing by Gerardo del Valle/ProPublica. Source videos: Cowboy Church of Corsicana, Mercy Culture, KingdomLife, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Sojourn Church, Beth Sar Shalom, Abundant Life Church, Unite Church, Legacy Church.]()
Credit: Video editing by Gerardo del Valle/ProPublica. Source videos: Cowboy Church of Corsicana, Mercy Culture, KingdomLife, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Sojourn Church, Beth Sar Shalom, Abundant Life Church, Unite Church, Legacy Church. -
Texas churches violated tax law ahead of Tuesday’s election, experts say
Churches in Texas invited Beto O’Rourke and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to speak to their congregations before the 2022 midterms, raising questions about the effectiveness of the Johnson Amendment. Full Story
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Credit: Juanjo Gasull for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune
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