Dug Begley

Houston

Investigative Reporter at Chron

Houston Chronicle reporter. [email protected] Signal: dugbegley.45

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Articles

Texas funeral commission fires director who accused board of 'rot'

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Sarah Smith |Dug Begley

The Texas State Capitol photographed on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 in Austin. Elizabeth Conley/Staff PhotographerThe Texas Funeral Service Commission — the state agency responsible for overseeing deathcare — fired its executive director, demanding he immediately vacate this office after the unanimous vote on Wednesday afternoon.
How Houston police are using a largely unregulated surveillance system

2 weeks ago | buff.ly | Dug Begley |Caroline Ghisolfi |Matt Degrood

Houston police are using a powerful, largely unregulated surveillance tool to track the movements of virtually any vehicle, with the same ease as searching the web for a dinner reservation. They are doing it more than ever, logging tens of thousands of searches just last year, and justifying their work less and less, a tranche of recently released data shows.
How Houston police are using a largely unregulated surveillance system

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Dug Begley |Caroline Ghisolfi |Matt Degrood

Houston police are using a powerful, largely unregulated surveillance tool to track the movements of virtually any vehicle, with the same ease as searching the web for a dinner reservation. They are doing it more than ever, logging tens of thousands of searches just last year, and justifying their work less and less, a tranche of recently released data shows.
HPD oversight board still largely powerless after George Floyd reforms

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Dug Begley

The citizen board charged with policing the Houston Police Department works mostly behind the scenes, rarely disputes officer discipline and even less frequently challenges how cases are resolved when police are accused of abusing their authority or risking lives. And that’s largely by design, even after changes made in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the police accountability review it sparked in Houston and beyond.
Houston Chronicle Editorial Board wins Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Dug Begley

A series of editorials outlining the failures of railroads and state officials to protect Houstonians from the dangers and inconveniences of stopped and slow-moving trains has won the Houston Chronicle's editorial department its second Pulitzer Prize in four years. “I am proud that this shows the role an editorial board can still have in the community,” said Lisa Falkenberg, the Chronicle’s former opinion editor, now a state columnist.
Houston Chronicle Editorial Board wins Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing

1 month ago | expressnews.com | Dug Begley

Article continues below this ad "It should not be something we have to live with; it can be deadly," Falkenberg said of the stopped trains. Members of the editorial board honored, in addition to Falkenberg, are deputy opinion editor Raj Mankad, opinion photojournalist Sharon Steinmann and senior editorial writer Leah Binkovitz. Chronicle publisher Nancy Meyer credited the board for having the commitment to challenge officials and compassion to tell the community's stories.
Staff cuts multiply wait times at Houston-area Social Security offices

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Dug Begley

Longer wait times on the phone and at offices that require appointments, but where applicants can still wait hours to be seen if the office is busy or crowded. Lack of experienced Social Security staff to adequately process those claims with officials planning to slash Social Security staff. Difficulty in obtaining benefits that leave some unable to tap into the help to which they are entitled.
Threat of Trump tariffs upsets the Texas ports that sustain 2.5 million jobs

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Dug Begley

Leaders of Texas ports and the companies that rely on the ports have spent the past two weeks of tariff upheaval doing what the ship captains do practically every minute of every day: Study the information and keep an eye on the horizon. The one thing they agree on is nobody really knows for sure what the conditions will be for very long at the 23 Texas ports that by many estimates generate more than one-quarter of the state's gross domestic product. A few predict calm seas.
Houston Health expects 25% loss in Trump administration budget cuts

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Dug Begley

Houston Health Department expects the Trump administration's abrupt cancelation of a federal grant program started during COVID to punch a $42 million hole in its planned spending, including $12 million for personnel, as officials assess the potential impact on local public health. In a statement, officials confirmed the loss of funding, but said they would have no further comment at this time, nor would they outline how the money was used.
What federal funding cuts could mean for Houston workers and retirees

Mar 11, 2025 | houstonchronicle.com | Dug Begley

For Space City, looming federal spending cuts are akin to thousands of small meteorites raining down. Some are going to burn up, if they arrive at all. And some will land faster and harder than others. Taken together, they have the potential to nick away at social services and extend into areas of research and public safety that mean jobs for Houston area workers and safer homes, schools and hospitals for residents.