Dug Begley
@dugbegley.bsky.social
Houston Chronicle reporter. dug.begley@houstonchronicle.com
Signal: @dugbegley.45
Signal: @dugbegley.45
Detention officer admits to assaulting migrant at Houston-area ICE facility www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Houston-area ICE officer pleads guilty to abusing migrant detainee
A detention officer at a Conroe ICE facility pleaded guilty to using excessive force against a migrant detainee.
www.houstonchronicle.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Detention officer admits to assaulting migrant at Houston-area ICE facility www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
“It’s like they're digging a soul out.”
Montrose rainbow crosswalk is gone after HPD arrested 4 protesters www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Montrose rainbow crosswalk is gone after HPD arrested 4 protesters www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Montrose rainbow crosswalk is gone after HPD arrested 4 protesters
Protesters stood in the way of construction crews scheduled to remove Montrose's rainbow crosswalks at Westheimer Road and Taft Street overnight.
www.houstonchronicle.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:14 PM
“It’s like they're digging a soul out.”
Montrose rainbow crosswalk is gone after HPD arrested 4 protesters www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Montrose rainbow crosswalk is gone after HPD arrested 4 protesters www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
More than three months after the rains stopped, nearly 3,800 households damaged by the July 4 flooding in Central Texas have been awarded federal assistance.
However, not everyone seeking aid has been successful. Many of the lowest income residents are waiting on checks or had their claims denied.
However, not everyone seeking aid has been successful. Many of the lowest income residents are waiting on checks or had their claims denied.
FEMA aid flowed faster to wealthier Central Texas homes after July 4 floods
Since the July 4 Central Texas floods, FEMA has awarded over $37M in aid — much of it flowing faster to wealthier residents than middle- and low-income residents.
www.houstonchronicle.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:25 PM
More than three months after the rains stopped, nearly 3,800 households damaged by the July 4 flooding in Central Texas have been awarded federal assistance.
However, not everyone seeking aid has been successful. Many of the lowest income residents are waiting on checks or had their claims denied.
However, not everyone seeking aid has been successful. Many of the lowest income residents are waiting on checks or had their claims denied.
“When we come through my house and mop or sweep, everything is black. The floor is black, the ceiling fans, even the light is black."
Settegast stands out like a flashing warning light in the state’s network of air-quality monitors maintained by TCEQ.
Settegast stands out like a flashing warning light in the state’s network of air-quality monitors maintained by TCEQ.
A Houston community's air is thick with pollution. Why hasn't the EPA done more?
Houston residents wonder why Texas and EPA officials aren’t doing more to keep the air clean in their polluted neighborhood.
www.houstonchronicle.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:02 PM
“When we come through my house and mop or sweep, everything is black. The floor is black, the ceiling fans, even the light is black."
Settegast stands out like a flashing warning light in the state’s network of air-quality monitors maintained by TCEQ.
Settegast stands out like a flashing warning light in the state’s network of air-quality monitors maintained by TCEQ.
Reposted by Dug Begley
The announcement is in line with a Trump administration rule to “drastically” restrict non-U.S. citizens from getting trucking licenses. bit.ly/46ENPzX
September 29, 2025 at 11:29 PM
The announcement is in line with a Trump administration rule to “drastically” restrict non-U.S. citizens from getting trucking licenses. bit.ly/46ENPzX
Reposted by Dug Begley
Weeks after flash flooding in Kerr County killed more than 100 people, Kerrville first responders were notified that family health insurance premiums could increase by up to $5,000 annually.
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
September 18, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Weeks after flash flooding in Kerr County killed more than 100 people, Kerrville first responders were notified that family health insurance premiums could increase by up to $5,000 annually.
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
Reposted by Dug Begley
Great look at the growing problem of toxic wastewater in US Permian basin, including a 9-minute mini-documentary
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
Texas Oil Boom Leaves a Toxic Legacy of Its Own Making
Toxic wastewater is spreading across America’s biggest oil field, posing a pressing threat to a basin that has grown into a cornerstone of global markets
www.bloomberg.com
September 17, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Great look at the growing problem of toxic wastewater in US Permian basin, including a 9-minute mini-documentary
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
A Houston restaurant carried a passed-out man outside, where he died. Why didn't staff call 911? www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Parents say son would be alive if Houston restaurant staff had called 911
Jessie Mobley, Jr., 34, passed out after eating dinner at an African steakhouse in west Houston, police said. Staff carried him outside, where he was found dead the following morning.
www.houstonchronicle.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:19 PM
A Houston restaurant carried a passed-out man outside, where he died. Why didn't staff call 911? www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
"Now I have to figure out if I have the correct ashes."
Gruesome claims about Houston funerals shocked the nation. Then a quiet horror unraveled.
Gruesome claims about Houston funerals shocked the nation. Then a quiet horror unraveled.
How gruesome claims about Houston funerals unraveled a nightmare
A Houston man stands accused of disrespecting the dead. A bereaved mother will stop at nothing to get justice for her son. And the police trail on the case has seemingly gone cold.
www.houstonchronicle.com
September 16, 2025 at 2:33 PM
"Now I have to figure out if I have the correct ashes."
Gruesome claims about Houston funerals shocked the nation. Then a quiet horror unraveled.
Gruesome claims about Houston funerals shocked the nation. Then a quiet horror unraveled.
I have the perfect costume idea.
September 13, 2025 at 11:32 PM
I have the perfect costume idea.
Reposted by Dug Begley
The federal government has filed a lawsuit against Uber, accusing the ride-hailing app of discriminating against passengers with disabilities, including those who use service dogs and wheelchairs.
Justice Department sues Uber, alleging disability discrimination
The company is accused of refusing to serve those with disabilities including wheelchairs and service dog users in a $125 million suit. Uber denies the claims.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 13, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The federal government has filed a lawsuit against Uber, accusing the ride-hailing app of discriminating against passengers with disabilities, including those who use service dogs and wheelchairs.
How Houston Heights went from a fading suburb to one of the city's most popular areas ... Well, one way it did that was somehow "the Heights" or "Heights area" expanded to 175 square miles.
Also, no mention of the screwy liquor regs pre-14?
Also, no mention of the screwy liquor regs pre-14?
How Houston Heights became the neighborhood everyone wants to live in
Once Houston’s first suburb, the Heights suffered decline before rising again as one of the city’s most desirable and fast-changing neighborhoods.
www.houstonchronicle.com
September 9, 2025 at 7:18 PM
How Houston Heights went from a fading suburb to one of the city's most popular areas ... Well, one way it did that was somehow "the Heights" or "Heights area" expanded to 175 square miles.
Also, no mention of the screwy liquor regs pre-14?
Also, no mention of the screwy liquor regs pre-14?
Reposted by Dug Begley
Experts say these numbers show how Houston’s relentless push into new suburbs has overlooked flood risks, putting tens of thousands of families in harm’s way.
www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...
www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...
65K Houston-area properties have been built in floodplains since Hurricane Harvey
Houston’s relentless push into new suburbs has overlooked flood risks, putting tens of thousands of families in harm’s way.
www.houstonchronicle.com
September 9, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Experts say these numbers show how Houston’s relentless push into new suburbs has overlooked flood risks, putting tens of thousands of families in harm’s way.
www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...
www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...
Reposted by Dug Begley
“It’s like seeing the eye of Sauron hanging over your city,” EFF’s @maassive.bsky.social told @texasobserver.org of the Torre Centinela surveillance nexus rising over Ciudad Juárez. Will it gather information in violation of US laws and share it with US law enforcement?
Just Beyond the Texas Border, Chihuahua Is Launching a Burgeoning State Surveillance System
The 20-story Torre Centinela looming over Juárez is part of a much larger AI-powered network that won’t stop at the U.S.-Mexico divide.
www.texasobserver.org
September 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM
“It’s like seeing the eye of Sauron hanging over your city,” EFF’s @maassive.bsky.social told @texasobserver.org of the Torre Centinela surveillance nexus rising over Ciudad Juárez. Will it gather information in violation of US laws and share it with US law enforcement?
Shit getting real 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 4:43 PM
Shit getting real www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Reposted by Dug Begley
The Trump administration says it’s reviewing all the more than 55 million people with U.S. visas for potential deportable violations. bit.ly/4787NoF
August 21, 2025 at 7:37 PM
The Trump administration says it’s reviewing all the more than 55 million people with U.S. visas for potential deportable violations. bit.ly/4787NoF
FEMA closing 2 recovery centers handling Hill Country flood damage claims, as thousands wait on aid www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
FEMA closing 2 recovery centers handling Hill Country flood damage claims
The Burnet and Kerrville locations will close Thursday and Friday, leaving centers in Hunt and San Angelo open.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 20, 2025 at 9:55 PM
FEMA closing 2 recovery centers handling Hill Country flood damage claims, as thousands wait on aid www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
$26 million approved in FEMA aid to those affected by Hill Country floods, but concerns mounting over growing delays www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...
Texas floods FEMA claim tracker: $26 million approved, thousands still waiting
Hill Country flooding prompts over 7,000 FEMA aid claims since July 4, with Kerr County hardest hit.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 19, 2025 at 4:56 PM
$26 million approved in FEMA aid to those affected by Hill Country floods, but concerns mounting over growing delays www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...
Reposted by Dug Begley
Under Donald Trump, ICE detainers in Texas jails rose 30% compared to last year. A new law could push those numbers higher.
bit.ly/3JjQR4D
bit.ly/3JjQR4D
August 18, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Under Donald Trump, ICE detainers in Texas jails rose 30% compared to last year. A new law could push those numbers higher.
bit.ly/3JjQR4D
bit.ly/3JjQR4D
Just as the Texas Funeral Service Commission was trying to push its agenda forward in the final days of the legislative session, the commission’s board chair texted its executive director a series of misleading claims about Islam. www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
Head of Texas agency investigating Plano mosque sent anti-Islam texts to staff
Kristin Tips, chairwoman of the Texas Funeral Service Commission, sent multiple Islamophobic links as her state agency investigated a Plano mosque.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 15, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Just as the Texas Funeral Service Commission was trying to push its agenda forward in the final days of the legislative session, the commission’s board chair texted its executive director a series of misleading claims about Islam. www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
New bill calls for stricter safety rules at Texas RV parks where over 40 died in Hill Country floods www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
Texas wants to tighten RV park safety rules after Kerr County flood deaths
People swept from campsites, cabins and RV parks account for almost one third of the flood deaths in Kerr County, a Chronicle review shows.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
New bill calls for stricter safety rules at Texas RV parks where over 40 died in Hill Country floods www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
$20 million approved, thousands still awaiting approval as FEMA claims keep coming in
Texas floods FEMA claim tracker: $20 million approved, thousands still waiting
Hill Country flooding prompts over 6,000 FEMA aid claims since July 4, with Kerr County hardest hit.
www.houstonchronicle.com
August 5, 2025 at 5:40 PM
$20 million approved, thousands still awaiting approval as FEMA claims keep coming in
Houston board delays $438K Telephone Road redesign amid public outcry over design changes www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
$438K redesign of Telephone Road paused after public outcry
After years of planning and a sharp pivot in city policy, the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority has delayed a vote on a scaled-back redesign of Telephone Road in the East End.
www.houstonchronicle.com
July 29, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Houston board delays $438K Telephone Road redesign amid public outcry over design changes www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Mapping destruction: New data shows where people reported deaths after Kerr County floods www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Exclusive: Mapping destruction after the Kerr County floods with 911 logs
911 call logs offer a new look at how the catastrophic Independence Day flooding turned into the county’s deadliest disaster in years.
www.houstonchronicle.com
July 24, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Mapping destruction: New data shows where people reported deaths after Kerr County floods www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...