Photojournalism

Photos For Reporting Texas

Home Sweet … Hotel? Students Uprooted from Faulty Student Housing Complex

This story described how student residents at Crest at Pearl housing complex in University of Texas’s West Campus neighborhood were abruptly relocated to hotels after inspectors found structural issues, including slanted floors and cracks. Residents said management gave little explanation or timeline for repairs, leaving them confused and displaced for weeks. Code complaints filed over the past two years revealed ongoing safety concerns, and tenant advocates argued that problems like these are common in West Campus student housing.

Fields, Farms and Factories: How a Foreign Company Is Changing a Rural County Near Houston

Butler wrote about a once-quiet farm town’s transformation propelled by the arrival of Japanese manufacturing giant Daikin. The company’s massive factory spurred rapid growth, brought jobs, and boosted local tax revenue. But longtime residents said the changes came with a cost: farmland is disappearing, property taxes are rising, and local wildlife is being disrupted by development. This story was written immediately after it was announced that Daikin bought the naming rights to Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

Divided Austin Council Expands Wheatsville’s Alcohol Sales Waiver on South Lamar

In this story, Butler reported that, after a heated public comment, the Austin City Council narrowly approved Wheatsville Food Co-op’s request to waive a 300-foot buffer rule that forbids alcohol sales near schools. Wheatsville planned to let customers buy beer and wine from its South Lamar store and drink on-site in its dining or patio areas, not open a full bar. The co-op argued the waiver would help it stay competitive with larger grocery chains and host community events, while opponents to the waiver, including the Austin school board, said allowing alcohol so close to a school undermines student safety. Butler visited the store and witnessed an Austin ISD bus stopped outside.