John Tedesco
johntedesco.bsky.social
John Tedesco
@johntedesco.bsky.social
Investigative journalist at the Houston Chronicle. Frazzled dad. Collector of news tips: https://johntedesco.net/blog/contact/
Reposted by John Tedesco
Leaked documents detail the Trump administration's plans to open previously protected areas to drilling offshore California, Alaska and along the East Coast. bit.ly/47e3zKx
October 21, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
During the 2021 freeze, Griddy made lots of headlines for charging customers thousands of $$ for electricity.

It agreed to forgive all unpaid bills in a settlement w/ the Texas AG. Those who paid could seek reimbursements.

Years later, customers haven't gotten back a dime. 🧵
October 15, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
A missing Houston teen with autism remains in immigration custody and is set for appendix removal. His mother doesn't know when he'll be released to her care. bit.ly/3JbwHdt
October 13, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration late Sunday from sending hundreds of Texas and other out-of-state National Guard troops to Oregon as part of its crackdown on Democratic-led cities and states. bit.ly/4gWhs4B
October 6, 2025 at 4:43 AM
Reposted by John Tedesco
Houston residents wonder why Texas and EPA officials aren’t doing more to keep the air clean in their polluted neighborhoods. Settegast is thick with pollution that can cause cancer, and authorities have yet to offer solutions.
www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...
October 2, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
ICYMI - Republican's claims about health care amid the government shutdown are false, experts say.
@houstonchronicle.com www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Experts: Republicans' shutdown claims about health care for immigrants are false
Immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission have never been eligible for federally-funded health insurance, experts said.
www.houstonchronicle.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
NEW: Houston ISD moved the entire student body of Las Americas Newcomer School into Jane Long Academy.

The move comes as enrollment at the school for recent immigrants dropped by more than half this year.
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
HISD closes school for immigrants as enrollment plummets
Houston ISD reassigns entire Las Americas student body to adjacent Jane Long Academy.
www.houstonchronicle.com
October 2, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
Robert Preston Morris, 64, is the founder of a Dallas-Fort Worth megachurch and a former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump.
Former Texas megachurch pastor pleads guilty to child sexual abuse charges
Robert Preston Morris, 64, is the founder of a Dallas-Fort Worth megachurch and a former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump.
bit.ly
October 3, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Reposted by John Tedesco
Remember when some Texas lawmakers suggested CenterPoint shouldn't be allowed to charge Houston residents for its Hurricane Beryl costs last summer?

Here's my pitch for local journalism: We follow up. www.houstonchronicle.com/business/ene...
CenterPoint will soon charge nearly $1.2B for Hurricane Beryl and other storms
State regulators gave CenterPoint Energy permission to charge Houston-area customers almost $1.2 billion for last year’s Hurricane Beryl and other storms.
www.houstonchronicle.com
October 3, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Reposted by John Tedesco
Residents of a northeast Houston neighborhood known as Settegast have experienced some of Texas’ dirtiest air.

Readings of an air pollutant known as PM2.5 are higher than any other monitor in the state:
The neighborhood with Texas’ dirtiest air is still waiting for help
Any improvement for Settegast’s air quality is likely years away.
txst.us
October 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
In eight years, builders in the Houston area put 65,000 new properties, including 57,000 homes, inside flood zones.
September 9, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by John Tedesco
🧵Houstonians have their own experiences when traveling in a car-centric city.

One thing about transportation…when there are self-driving/flying technology, constant road construction and a push for more public transit, the conversations never die out.

Don’t believe me?⬇️
August 30, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Reposted by John Tedesco
🚨🧵My latest:

As measles took off in Texas, the Trump administration took actions that prevented CDC scientists from responding.

The outbreak became the biggest in 30 yrs. It’s far larger considering the outbreaks it sparked in other states & Mexico. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
As Measles Exploded, Officials in Texas Looked to CDC Scientists. Under Trump, No One Answered. - KFF Health News
Trump officials sowed fear and confusion among CDC scientists, slowing their response to the measles outbreak in West Texas. Cases surged and sparked new outbreaks across the U.S. and Mexico. Together...
kffhealthnews.org
August 25, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
FOIA is clear: individuals have the right to request government records without first handing over their personal details.

But DOJ’s immigration review office has a proof-of-identity requirement for all FOIA requests.

We demanded DOJ end this unlawful barrier.
americanoversight.org/doj-eoir-foi...
American Oversight Calls on DOJ’s Immigration Review Office to Remove Unlawful FOIA Barrier - American Oversight
We’re demanding the Justice Department’s immigration review office end its illegal proof-of-identity requirement, which limits the public’s access to records.
americanoversight.org
August 26, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
Inside a Conroe lab’s alleged scheme to lie about high levels of poop in Houston-area waterways www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Inside a Conroe lab’s alleged scheme to downplay poop in Houston waters
A federal grand jury indicted three people who are accused of concealing high levels of feces and other pollutants released in Houston-area waterways.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
UTHealth Houston is laying off dozens, about 0.5% of staff, amid a hiring freeze and cost controls as it faces ‘financial headwinds.’ bit.ly/4mReKPC
August 20, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
This is not the first time the railroad bridge spanning Interstate 45 has been repainted. Maybe the graffiti mural is here to stay.

However, investigators are still wondering who the true identities of the ones who brought back the most well-known slogan on the highway, "Be Someone."
Investigators seek people in June repainting of Houston’s ‘Be Someone’ mural
The Houston Police Department assisted the Union Pacific Railroad Police Department in its investigation of the incident.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 15, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
Attorneys for 16 Texas families urged a judge in federal district court to halt Senate Bill 10 before Sept. 1, arguing Ten Commandments school displays violate First Amendment protection. bit.ly/4oBzrkc
August 15, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
Advocates warned that an untold number of Texas college students are financially unable to re-enroll in their schools amid confusion and inconsistent applications of the judge's ruling. bit.ly/45PCVYY
August 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
A green card holder who has lived in the United States for more than three decades is pleading to be deported because he’s not receiving the medication he needs. bit.ly/4mnEnYE
August 13, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
NEW: An investigation by ProPublica and @texastribune.org found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state laws had the schools been public.

By Lexi Churchill and @emsimani.bsky.social
Texas Private Schools Hire Relatives and Enrich Insiders. Soon They Can Do It With Taxpayer Money.
An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state law...
www.propublica.org
August 13, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by John Tedesco
I took a little foray into that Trump Burger saga for @houstonchronicle.com

The subplots include an ICE arrest, a vaccine scam and a $250,000 murder-for-hire plot.

Yes, really.

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Trump Burger’s untold story: A $250K murder plot, vaccine scam and ICE arrest
It’s a story with subplots involving a vaccine scam and a murder-for-hire scheme. It asks what we as a society require for legitimacy. And it’s a quintessentially American saga.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
State Rep. Dennis Paul filed a bill to pull the county's flood control district under a board appointed mainly by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. bit.ly/4fxRmnT
August 11, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Reposted by John Tedesco
.@ProPublica and @texastribune.org sued for public records after the 2022 Uvalde shooting that killed 19 children, two teachers. After much legal wrangling three years later, the district released its records and the county following. Texas DPS continues to fight www.texastribune.org/2025/08/11/u...
New Uvalde records: District leaders didn’t reach out to some surviving teachers, knew about broken locks
The records also shed light on previous concerns about shooters’ classroom behavior. The release follows a yearslong lawsuit from news agencies.
www.texastribune.org
August 12, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Reposted by John Tedesco
🧵In Maverick County, six $83,000 Chevy Silverado pickups and a freshly refurbished, wood-paneled office for the County Attorney staff were financed with taxpayer dollars, through Gov. Abbott’s border crackdown initiative.
August 5, 2025 at 1:17 PM