Every story I published in 2026, newest first.
I asked Trinidad's council candidates and community figures what's wrong with the city. Then I went through the records: a $291,723.78 meter vote set beside a budget that's 27 days late, carries no meter line, and shows no fund balances, debts or tax rate.
A bank camera shows three toddlers alone outside Steven Stearman's Seven Points daycare. On body camera he told the officer the door had done it before; now he says nobody told him and the wind held it open. The teacher who opened that door says the center was badly short-staffed and that he coached her before an investigator's interview. Every place I believe he lied, strongest first, and what parents can do now.
Three toddlers walked out of a Seven Points daycare in December 2023. Nearly three years later, parents on Facebook brought it back. Here is what the records and Steven Stearman's own answers show.
According to Councilmember Raymond Mosley, Mayor Clinton Sulak-Tovar texted him that he could sue ITXN for defamation if it doesn't fix the quote. Mosley says the Mayor said it to him. Italy PD now says it has been investigating the harassment allegations since September 14.
Tool Police Chief Robert Walker confirmed that Officer Juan Ochoa was terminated effective October 7 for repeated body camera failures. The department's own records show the problem was in writing by June 2025.
An Italy resident sent me a written complaint alleging a sergeant is making sexual harassment remarks toward a rookie female officer. It lands less than three weeks after the city upheld Kevin Oginski's firing, in a case that began with an allegation its own investigator did not sustain. The Chief's unread statement is attached.
William A. Jones, who represented Precinct 1 until July 2025, alleges in a federal lawsuit that Corsicana's former mayor, city attorney, city manager, and former police chief retaliated against him for records requests and oversight.
Two members of the Italy City Council said publicly this afternoon that nobody told them an officer had been terminated. One of them learned about it from a resident, two hours after asking the city administrator directly.
Five weeks before the vote, the Italy City Council ordered staff to bring back competing bids and a priced breakdown. One bid came back, the breakdown never did, and the council approved the higher number anyway.
Hawk Cove has an agenda item called Public Comments that nobody was allowed to comment on, a federal lender its own attorney says is done being patient, and a council whose members say on the record that they do not know what their own city is doing.
Tens of millions are moving through Hubbard, Texas, a town of 1,400: data-center money into city government, a $7.6 million school bond, and municipal borrowing, with one man near the top of it all.
One year after bonding out of jail on the Fourth of July, I look back at the Texans I have met who were arrested for showing up, and ask a hard question on America's 250th birthday.
A Gun Barrel City clip has more than 244,000 views and a comment section at war. The next morning, I called the mayor in it. He talked for 55 minutes.
An update on Chief Charles Gregory and the Trinidad Police Department storyline after process service today, the side of the story most people are missing, and what is on the agenda for the May 28 council meeting.
A veteran's sign outside Carthage City Hall in September 2024 ended with him being trespassed from all city property. The city manager apologized, rescinded the trespass, and sent him the body-camera footage himself. The federal complaint was filed May 21, 2026.
Winston Wesley Noles filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Thursday over his May 12 arrest at Trinidad City Hall, alleging First Amendment retaliation, an unconstitutional Fourth Amendment seizure, and municipal liability against the City of Trinidad.
A connected timeline of recent Trinidad events: two arrests, on-record water-quality remarks from the city's contracted operator alongside a contrasting view from a neighboring mayor, and a call to action for the May 19 council meeting.
Jennifer Combs of Kerens was arrested on a state jail felony charge over a Facebook post about Trinidad's water system, with Trinidad PD's §42.06 warning fifteen days before the City's own Boil Water Notice.
Italy city council candidate Shelby Browning submitted written answers to the nine-question 2026 Candidate Questionnaire. She calls for stronger oversight of taxpayer spending, active accountability for the city's EDC reserves, and year-round engagement with residents.
Italy city council candidate Quentin Dean Little submitted written answers to the nine-question 2026 Candidate Questionnaire. He calls for rescinding the city's social media policy, restoring self-sustaining city services, and a transparency-first approach to governance.
A thank you to the Kerens TX Talk admins, a note on why open forums matter, and a preview of the Kerens coverage coming up: records request experience, candidate forum clips, and why I am not doing individual candidate calls for this election.
Thank you for the response. Here is what I am seeing in your accounts, where things stand with the city, and how you can help move this forward.
I think BiCARBUS is probably a good product. I also think Italy's residents deserved to know before it was connected to their water supply without council approval.
Combs posted a public statement on Facebook after leaving a Kerens candidate forum, describing inappropriate comments directed at her and calling for an end to dirty politics.
Italy Councilmember Billy Long issued a public statement on water infrastructure, road conditions, and public safety, calling for real fixes instead of temporary patches.
Official Tool PD records reveal a motorcycle strike with a patrol vehicle, body camera violations, and disciplinary records that raise questions about officer accountability.
Former Seven Points police officer Justin Shaffer has filed a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against the city, Mayor Keith Betts, and Anthony Katsoulas. Both individual defendants have been served.
On March 14, the City of Italy held a cleanup day at Upchurch Fields, locked the gate with families still inside, trapped a disabled woman on a mobility scooter, and closed the park for spring break weekend. The Mayor was not there. The City Administrator said no comment. The former mayor read my text and never replied.
On March 9, 2026, Italy's city administrator read a prepared timeline to the council claiming former City Administrator Shawn Holden and 15-year EDC President Charles Hyles had no involvement in a failed Public Works Building project. The documents in the city's own files tell a different story. I have the recordings, the emails, and the resignation letter.
A 45-minute phone call with Trinidad P&Z and EDC member Jerry Bannister, who offered his perspective on the city's divide, the Bannister family's history, and why Trinidad needs to focus on city business.
TCEQ closed a complaint about Italy's unauthorized water treatment installation, claiming the city had approval since January. But the city council voted against BiCARBUS three times and was never told.
We attended our first Kerens ISD Board of Trustees meeting and found a school board that other TOMA-regulated bodies in Kerens could learn from.
A city council candidate posted a biased video clip after Seven Points' most productive meeting in months. Updated 3/29: The deleted post claim has been retracted after new information came to light. All other criticism stands.
A chemical water treatment system was installed on Italy's public water supply without council approval or TCEQ authorization. The council had voted to defer the matter twice. TCEQ has accepted a formal complaint.
After 170 days without an approved budget, the Seven Points City Council passed a balanced budget on March 24, 2026. But the meeting was anything but smooth.
The S.M. Dunlap Library in Italy announced a candidate forum with no cameras allowed. The library pays zero property taxes. And the community already had a more transparent option on the table.
Hubbard City Manager Jason Patrick discusses water and sewer infrastructure, the school bond election, data center jobs, Lake One questions, and the city's future in a phone interview.
The ESD board voted unanimously to terminate the old contract. But termination was not the ending anyone expected.
The ESD posted performance reports at the fire station for anyone to see. I reviewed them. The data tells a complicated story, but the facts make it easy to follow.
After days of interviews with people on every side of Tool's fire department fight, one thing is clear: this story is far more complex than it appears on the surface. Part 2 of a three-part investigation.
A three-part investigation into the battle between Henderson County ESD No. 4 and the Tool Volunteer Fire Department, where the future of emergency services for roughly 2,000 residents hangs in the balance.
The Italy Economic Development Corporation met to discuss putting the demolition of 101 E. Main Street out for bids, but the project still needs final details before that can happen.
A Public Information Act request for Open Meetings Act training certificates revealed compliance gaps among Hubbard city officials.
Nine questions for every candidate running in the May 2026 city council elections. Submit your written answers by email.
I had a half-hour conversation with Brandon Torres. He left me cautiously optimistic, but the mold problem at the police department isn't going away on its own.
A week into researching Seven Points city government, here's what the public should know heading into the May election, and a message for the voices steering the conversation sideways.
With an incumbent stepping down, five candidates are set to compete for a seat on the Goodlow City Council this May.
The city called back about the candidate forum. They won't let me use city hall, and the alternative costs more than it's worth. So I'm doing it my own way.
Three incumbents and two challengers will compete for seats on the Hubbard City Council this May.
Italy has never hosted an open candidate forum in recent memory. I called City Hall this morning to change that.
ITXN is done. I'm not. Here's what we built, why I'm walking away from Italy, and where this work is taking me.
After attending my first Seven Points city council meeting, here are seven thoughts I can't stop thinking about, and one reason to stay hopeful.
If something in your town, your agency, or a business near you does not add up, send it. Documents help, but a date, a place, or a name is enough to start. I read every tip myself.
How I handle tips and protect sources →