While full of information, some local government websites fall short on best web practices including readability, security and page design.
José Luis Martínez
José worked as a data reporter at the Connecticut Mirror. Prior to that, he’s held internships or fellowships at the Wall Street Journal, Texas Tribune, American Public Media Group, ProPublica, Bloomberg and the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. A native of Houston, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. He is fluent in Spanish.
Posted inPublic Safety
High-speed chases over minor infractions turn deadly in Precinct 4
Precinct 4’s pursuit policy allows high-speed police chases in response to even minor traffic violations, leading to numerous fatal crashes since 2021.
Posted inArts & Culture
Low, lifted and lit-up: Houston’s truck owners flex their modified rides
Drive around Houston enough and you’ll likely see one of two things: A low smooth-riding pick-up truck or a behemoth monster truck.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Outgoing DA Kim Ogg donates forfeiture funds to respected charities, plus political allies
Harris County’s outgoing district attorney Kim Ogg donated more than $2.4 million from her office’s asset forfeiture fund this year, part of a surge in expenditures that cut her cash balance nearly in half, county data shows.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Civic duty meets bad timing: More than 21,000 in Harris County registered too late to vote
The deadline to register to vote in Texas is 30 days before an election. More than 21,000 Harris County residents had to sit out the Nov. 5 election.
Posted inPolitics & Government
‘Lifelong voters’: Organizers seek to engage young people of color in Harris County
As the makeup of Harris County’s voter-eligible population turns younger and more diverse, organizers seek ways to get them involved.
Posted inElections
No time and no point: Thousands of Harris County residents didn’t bother to vote this year.
Forty percent of registered Harris County voters skipped the Nov. 5 election, marking the lowest turnout in a presidential year since 2004.
Posted inElections
Skipped votes could have changed the outcome of many Harris County election contests
Each voter had 50 to 70 contests on their ballot. Numerous races were decided by a few thousand votes but bypassed by more than 100,000 voters.
Posted inElections
Use our map to see where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris got the most votes in Harris County
Trump has gained ground in Harris County since 2016; while the Democratic presidential nominee saw gains in 2020, but dropped this year.
Posted inEducation
See how your neighborhood voted in the failed Houston ISD bond election
Voters across Houston ISD emphatically rejected the district’s historic $4.4 billion school bond package Tuesday, though some communities were roughly split on the proposal while others largely opposed it.