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How Texas’ Foster Care Fix Fell Apart in Dallas

Lawmakers tried to help abused and neglected kids by privatizing the system. But in North Texas, many problems persist.

by Claire Ballor and Sharon Grigsby

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OUR REPORTING

In Dallas County, Stalled Paperwork Keeps Teens Homeless

Many young people aging out of foster care can’t access housing assistance because of the failures of government officials.

by Sharon Grigsby

Criminal Justice

Dallas’ Juvenile Justice System Was Broken. Have County Leaders Fixed It?

Kids were spending months incarcerated when their cases shouldn’t have reached a judge in the first place. A new analysis points toward progress.

by Kelli Smith

Criminal Justice

This Is What It Takes to Keep the Jail From Overflowing

A little-known team inside the Frank Crowley Courts Building helps bridge the gaps in Dallas’ fractured criminal justice system.

by Kelli Smith

Criminal Justice

The Present Danger of Foster Care in North Texas

After two deaths, the state says third-party case managers are failing foster kids. What happens in this courtroom helps explain why.

by Sharon Grigsby

Housing

How a Humble Tax Tool Protects Neighborhoods

Inside the grassroots push to educate homeowners about a simple tool—the homestead exemption—that can help them afford to stay in their homes amid rising taxes.

by Matt Goodman

The Racetracks We Call Streets

Think one-way streets have become an inevitable piece of modern life? These cities are challenging that notion.

Sharon Grigsby

Only 1 in 5 gunshot patients accessed intervention programs designed to help them

Only about 20 percent of firearm injury patients who were eligible for hospital violence intervention programs actually enrolled in them, a new study found. These programs connect patients to mental health care and local intervention specialists, but federal funding cuts have left many at risk.

Kelli Smith

How is World Cup planning going in other cities?

Los Angeles is hosting eight games. Unlike North Texas, there sure seems to be more of an emphasis on activities large and small throughout their region, including free activations in city parks and along bus lines. It still feels oddly quiet here.

Matt Goodman

Housing

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What’s Really at Stake in November

Good morning and congratulations. You made it through the primary elections. Your phone should stop vibrating through your pocket any day now—except for, maybe, the voters who will return to the polls in the May runoff to determine candidates like attorney general. The Dallas results came late: The county GOP’s decision to hem voters into…

by Matt Goodman, Kelli Smith and Sharon Grigsby