https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/vianna-davila-the-texas-tribune-and-propublica/The latest news by Vianna Davila.enFri, 19 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/19/us-army-soldiers-violent-crimes/The change comes after reporting from ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Military Times revealed that hundreds of soldiers charged with offenses like sexual assault and domestic violence left the Army without facing courts-martial.By Vianna Davila and Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Davis Winkie, Military TimesFri, 19 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/19/us-army-soldiers-violent-crimes/Joan Wong for ProPublica and The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/31/ken-paxton-medicaid-fraud-unit/After the chief of the attorney general’s Civil Medicaid Fraud Division was forced out last year, two-thirds of attorneys have quit the unit, leaving it at its smallest size since Paxton took office.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaWed, 31 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/31/ken-paxton-medicaid-fraud-unit/Nearly two-thirds of the lawyers for Texas’ Civil Medicaid Fraud Division have quit under Attorney General Ken Paxton, which former staffers say will leave the elite unit less equipped to weed out fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system.Nearly two-thirds of the lawyers for Texas’ Civil Medicaid Fraud Division have quit under Attorney General Ken Paxton, which former staffers say will leave the elite unit less equipped to weed out fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system.Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-judd-stone-chris-hilton/Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune show the attorneys were expected to return to work after the impeachment trial ended and their extended absence raised concerns internally about the offices’ ability to function properly.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Patrick Svitek, The Texas TribuneThu, 19 Oct 2023 14:44:45 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/19/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-judd-stone-chris-hilton/Chris Hilton and Judd Stone, former lawyers at the Office of the Attorney General.Chris Hilton and Judd Stone, former lawyers at the Office of the Attorney General.https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/21/texas-ken-paxton-refused-represent-state-agencies/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.By Jessica Priest and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaThu, 21 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/21/texas-ken-paxton-refused-represent-state-agencies/Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during his impeachment trial last week. He was ultimately acquitted.Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/05/ken-paxton-state-agencies/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.By Vianna Davila and Jessica Priest, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 05 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/05/ken-paxton-state-agencies/Ken Paxton, who is currently suspended from his post as Texas attorney general, at a news conference in Austin last year.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.Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/06/texas-dan-patrick-transparency-bill/Patrick said he had always intended to sign the measure but pulled it aside in response to the House playing “games” at the end of the regular session.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 06 Jun 2023 18:03:38 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/06/texas-dan-patrick-transparency-bill/Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke at a media briefing at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday.Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick discusses property tax cuts for homeowners during a media briefing at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, June 6, in Austin, Texas.Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/03/texas-transparency-records-bill/The bill would close a long-standing loophole in state law that allows officials to withhold law enforcement records if no one was convicted in a case. The measure was the only bill sent to the Senate that did not get signed and sent to the governor.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaSat, 03 Jun 2023 17:45:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/03/texas-transparency-records-bill/Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (left) and House Speaker Dade Phelan.From left: Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan.The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/09/texas-public-records-loophole-suicide-reports/Texas law allows officials to withhold police records if no one was convicted in a case. At least one city has used this rule to deny the release of suicide records. A new bill aims to close this loophole.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 09 May 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/09/texas-public-records-loophole-suicide-reports/The city of Killeen has used an exception to Texas public records law to withhold Army Pfc. Logan Castello’s suicide report from his family.Photographs of Logan Castello are displayed on a mantle at Patty Troyan’s home, Thursday, May 4, 2023 in Saint Clairsville, Ohio.Rich-Joseph Facun for The Texas Tribune and ProPublicahttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/10/military-army-administrative-separation/A federal watchdog called for ending the practice nearly 50 years ago, but the military pushed back. Now, soldiers leave the Army with a negative discharge, avoiding possible federal conviction and with little record of the allegations against them.By Vianna Davila, Lexi Churchill and Ren Larson, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Davis Winkie, Military TimesMon, 10 Apr 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/10/military-army-administrative-separation/Joan Wong for ProPublica and The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/02/13/military-justice-reforms-pretrial-confinement/The military resisted reforming its justice system for decades. Major congressional changes passed in 2021 promised to overhaul that system — but experts say they may have just made it more complicated.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaMon, 13 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/02/13/military-justice-reforms-pretrial-confinement/The deaths of several soldiers at Fort Hood, including Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén, who was sexually harassed by a supervisor before being killed by another soldier in 2020, spurred calls to reform the military justice system.A mural in honor of Army Spc. Vanessa GuillÈn in the Dove Springs neighborhood of South Austin. July 6, 2020.Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/20/veronica-escobar-military-pretrial-confinement/The Army also said its pretrial confinement rules are “currently under revision” in a statement to Military Times, which is partnering with ProPublica and The Texas Tribune to report on military justice.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Davis Winkie, Military TimesTue, 20 Sep 2022 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/20/veronica-escobar-military-pretrial-confinement/Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, has called for hearings over the military’s pretrial confinement system.Congresswoman Veronica Escobar speaks at a candle light vigil held in front of the U.S Capitol grounds. Washington, D.C. Jan. 6, 2022.Jason Garza for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/15/army-military-pretrial-confinement-sexual-assault/Comparing the cases of Pvt. Olivia Ochoa and Pfc. Christian Alvarado provides a striking example of Army commanders’ uneven use of pretrial confinement.By Ren Larson, Vianna Davila and Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaMon, 15 Aug 2022 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/15/army-military-pretrial-confinement-sexual-assault/Joan Wong for The Texas Tribune and ProPublicahttps://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/11/army-sexual-assault-pretrial-confinement-takeaways/A first-of-its-kind analysis reveals that, on average, Army soldiers had to face at least eight counts of sexual offenses before their commanders detained them ahead of trial as often as soldiers charged with drug or burglary crimes.By Vianna Davila, Lexi Churchill and Ren Larson, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Kengo Tsutsumi, ProPublicaThu, 11 Aug 2022 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/11/army-sexual-assault-pretrial-confinement-takeaways/Joan Wong for The Texas Tribune and ProPublicahttps://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/09/army-military-sexual-assault-pretrial-confinement/A first-of-its-kind analysis reveals that soldiers in the Army are more likely to be locked up ahead of trial for drug offenses than for sexual assault under a system that gives commanders control.By Vianna Davila, Lexi Churchill and Ren Larson, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaTue, 09 Aug 2022 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/09/army-military-sexual-assault-pretrial-confinement/Joan Wong for The Texas Tribune and ProPublicahttps://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/09/military-justice-system/We’re looking into how the military investigates service members accused of crimes, intersects with the civilian justice system and treats cases that do not make it to courts-martial. Guide us to important stories.By Vianna Davila, Ren Larson, Lexi Churchill and Jessica Priest, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Adriana Gallardo, ProPublicaTue, 09 Aug 2022 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/09/military-justice-system/Joan Wong for The Texas Tribune and ProPublicahttps://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/13/texas-teen-arrest-pandemic-progreso/The lawsuit cites findings from a ProPublica and Texas Tribune investigation that showed a small border town issued far more tickets for violations of stay-at-home orders in April 2020 than two major cities combined.By Vianna Davila and Ren Larson, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaMon, 13 Jun 2022 15:30:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/13/texas-teen-arrest-pandemic-progreso/Twilight in the Rio Grande Valley.Twilight in the Rio Grande Valley.Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/22/texas-power-grid-extreme-weather/Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers.By Jeremy Schwartz, Kiah Collier and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaMon, 22 Feb 2021 17:31:57 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/22/texas-power-grid-extreme-weather/Jacob Duran cooked his meals outside last week after his apartment lost power in Southeast Austin.Jacob Duran prepares wood for a grill. Duran has been cooking meals outsides after his apartment lost power. Feb. 18, 2021.Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/20/texas-coronavirus-vaccine-rio-grande-valley/So many workers at an Edinburg hospital declined the new COVID-19 vaccine that it offered doses to other medical workers in the region. The vaccine ended up going to nonmedical personnel as well.By Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Karen Brooks Harper, The Texas TribuneSun, 20 Dec 2020 20:39:25 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/20/texas-coronavirus-vaccine-rio-grande-valley/State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, received the COVID-19 vaccine Saturday at the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance conference center in Edinburg.State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, received the COVID-19 vaccination at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg on Dec. 19, 2020.Jason Garza for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/19/coronavirus-south-texas-enforcement/Governments along the Texas-Mexico border took a hard line to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. Police were key to the public health response, resulting in hundreds jailed and nearly 2,000 people ticketed.By Vianna Davila and Ren Larson, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaSat, 19 Dec 2020 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/19/coronavirus-south-texas-enforcement/Twilight in the Rio Grande Valley.People walk down a road in Donna before nightfall. Dec. 7, 2020.Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2020/09/25/texas-hays-county-coronavirus/In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic when testing supplies were limited, local politicians went to great lengths to help a businessman with a criminal past try to sell telehealth and COVID-19 services across Texas.By Jeremy Schwartz, Lexi Churchill and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaFri, 25 Sep 2020 10:30:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2020/09/25/texas-hays-county-coronavirus/From left: Tommy Calvert, Bexar County commissioner; Alex Villalobos, Hays County Commissioners Court chief of staff; Kyle Hayungs, an entrepreneur; and Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra were featured in a video where they spoke about the value of partnering with private companies to get access to COVID-19 tests.Video Still