Yaffa Fredrick
@yaffanyc
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@HoustonChron senior director of investigations. Former @CNN senior editor. Schmoozer and shaker.
Houston, TX
Joined October 2009
NEW: Mayor Whitmire explicitly acknowledged that Houston is cooperating with ICE at a conference yesterday, the first time he's done so publicly. "I'm not going to say that we're not cooperating with ICE, because that's frankly not true," he said. https://t.co/JeHtCO7sWH
houstonchronicle.com
"I'm not going to say that we're not cooperating with ICE, because that's frankly not true," Whitmire said.
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Important immigration story from Julián Aguilar and @haajrahgilani: A Texas priest is in ICE custody even though he can legally work in the U.S., diocese says
houstonchronicle.com
An Episcopal priest and immigrant who was legally employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is in the custody of immigration authorities in Conroe.
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In the latest installment in our floodplain series, @ChengYilun and @matt_zdun explore wow officials approved tens of thousands of homes in Houston floodplains: '1,000 ways to rig the model'
houstonchronicle.com
Many of the top political donors in the Houston area are businesses behind development projects in floodplains.
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Don't miss @Thelastlomax and @ameliawinger's clever look at how the office of County Judge Lina Hidalgo is using ChatGPT in its day-to-day functions.
houstonchronicle.com
The Houston Chronicle secured ChatGPT queries submitted by employees of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s Office between July 1 and Sep. 18 through a records request.
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If you read one thing today, make it @RASchuetz and @carolinewilb’s nuanced look at some of victims found in Houston’s bayous this year.
houstonchronicle.com
The Chronicle searched public records and reached some people close to the bayou victims in an attempt to understand how the deaths have impacted the homeless community. Here’s what they said.
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Texas expected to pay millions repairing border chase damages. Hardly anyone has requested the money. @Dexinvestigates take a closer look at why.
houstonchronicle.com
Operation Lone Star’s hidden costs include the damage done to private property – like destroyed ranch gates – when state troopers chase trucks full of migrants.
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A fallen WWII soldier and former @HoustonChron paperboy will finally be laid to rest in his hometown… 81 years after he died on D-Day. Read @DugBegley’s beautiful tribute to his legacy (with amazing illustrations from Ken Ellis!).
houstonchronicle.com
Nicholas Hartman of Houston died in 1944 Allied invasion, but his remains could not be identified until this year. Advances in DNA analysis allowed him to finally be brought home.
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"Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country worried what would happen if their Telegram chat ever got leaked, but they kept typing anyway."
politico.com
Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.
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And if you're wondering what happened since last July, when the FBI raided a prominent bail company in Houston, @JohnWFerguson has the full details into the ongoing legal saga -- with amazing illustrations from Ken Ellis.
houstonchronicle.com
AABLE Bail Bonds’ alleged fraud scheme helped murderers and other violent criminals bond out of jail. Here’s how they did it.
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For months, @andreeball has been looking into the ongoing legal battle dividing one of Houston's most powerful and influential churches -- Second Baptist. Read her first story on the lawsuit pinning members against clergy.
houstonchronicle.com
Influential Second Baptist members sued to restore the congregation’s ability to vote on church decisions and how its $1 billion in assets is managed.
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Read @Dexinvestigates latest story out of Loving County — He promised free homes to his followers if they moved to West Texas. The goal: Take over the government.
houstonchronicle.com
On social media, Malcolm Tanner offers people a free "home" in remote Loving County, saying he plans to register new voters and sweep 2026 elections.
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NEW in @HoustonChron w/ @neenareports: After the Hill Country floods, emergency responders are squeezed by property tax caps passed by the Republican-led legislature in 2019: "Why cut off our legs?"
houstonchronicle.com
Texas emergency officials say 2019 property tax caps created a financial crunch for their agencies, forcing emergency responders to pay thousands more for benefits.
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If you read one story today, make it @RASchuetz's heartbreaking tale of a young man who was left for dead on the street in Houston. It raises some dark, but prescient questions about where we are as a society.
houstonchronicle.com
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.
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As former city employees struggle to get their pension checks four months after retiring, several have turned to food stamps for assistance. @joysewing explores this latest tragic twist in her weekly column.
houstonchronicle.com
Houston city workers who retired May 1 are still waiting for their first checks — and nearly 350 of them will have to wait until the end of September.
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Elon Musk weighed in on our investigation into his efforts to build tunnels under Houston for flood mitigation, so @ChengYilun fact checked the veracity of his response.
houstonchronicle.com
Elon Musk said his proposal to build tunnels to address Houston’s flooding woes would work, after a Chronicle investigation raised questions about the plan’s effectiveness.
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Not even Hurricane Harvey can deter Houston-area builders from putting up new homes in flood zones. @ChengYilun and @carolineghisolf have the full story.
houstonchronicle.com
Houston’s relentless push into new suburbs has overlooked flood risks, putting tens of thousands of families in harm’s way.
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The camp safety bill specifically included areas previously removed from FEMA’s flood maps through a little-known appeal process. This is after @act_rational and I found 70+ buildings were exempted from Kerr County's flood maps before the deadly floods. https://t.co/LHTV4k87fG
houstonchronicle.com
In the area hit hardest by the Hill Country floods, dozens of landowners used a little-known appeal process to shrink the flood zones around their properties.
Gov. Greg Abbott's second special session ended Wednesday with lawmakers passing a slew of bills on flood relief, STAAR testing and abortion pills.
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This investigative work – and its impact – are part of our larger goal at @HoustonChron to get answers to the questions you have and hold our leaders accountable for the choices they make. So if you aren't yet a subscriber, consider becoming one today.
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Our investigations team sprang into action after the 7/4 floods, digging into decisions, policies & oversights that may have contributed to the disaster. While their work can't bring back the lives lost, it's inspired the TX Lege to take action and protect against future tragedy.
After catastrophic July 4 Hill Country floods claimed the lives of more than 100 people – including over a dozen Houstonians – the Houston Chronicle’s investigations team sprang into action, digging into the decisions, policies and oversights that may have contributed to the
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20 years later, and the photos after Hurricane Katrina still haunt me. But the images of Houston opening its doors to New Orleanians offer me a ray of hope. Thanks to @jkarnickihc and @thepeterwarren for this visual essay.
houstonchronicle.com
Photos show what the Astrodome looked like 20 years ago when it was transformed into a shelter for more than 25,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
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