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Texas 2022: Year in Photos

Texas 2022: Year in Photos” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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The population of Texas, which had roughly 125,000 people when it entered the Union in 1845, surpassed 30 million in 2022. This year, Hispanics became the largest racial or ethnic group, outnumbering non-Hispanic whites for the first time.

These seismic changes unfolded in the background, during a year in which Texas Tribune photographers had the privilege of bearing witness to major news events across the state, chronicling the highs and the lows, moments of tragedy and triumph.

This was the third year in which Texas, and the world, grappled with COVID-19. In hospitals and clinics, at testing sites and in drugstores, Texans received treatment, medicine and vaccines. Living in the state with the highest rate of uninsured children and adults, low-income Texans remained particularly at risk of serious illness and death.

Even for a land accustomed to booms and busts, 2022 was a tough year for Texans. Inflation peaked in June at 9.1%. As politicians bickered over whom to blame — the Federal Reserve, President Joe Biden, Congress — millions of Texans simply struggled to make the rent, pay their mortgages, buy gas, put food on the table and keep their kids clothed and ready for school.

A half-century-long struggle over the right of American women to terminate pregnancies reached a climax in June, when the U.S. Supreme Court voided the constitutional right to abortion that the court had enshrined in 1973. Texans who believe that life begins at conception and that abortion is murder rejoiced. Texans who believe that the right of women to control their own bodies is paramount despaired — as seen in Kaylee Greenlee Beal’s photo of a nurse reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Most Americans, polls showed, support a right to abortion, with restrictions after around 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Jordan Vonderhaar’s photos of the Crawford family illustrated the challenges facing families with transgender kids in Texas. Some have left the state, which has restricted participation in school sports by trans students and directed child-abuse investigators to scrutinize families that have sought gender-affirming care. Conservatives asserted that flamboyant flouting of gender norms was a form of deviancy and perversion to which young people should not be exposed. On the far right, activists seized on drag performances, particularly those with young children in the audience. Liberals argued that cross-dressing and experimentation with gender are not only harmless, but also a healthy part of growing up.

Around one-third of Texans considers security along the U.S.-Mexico border to be the most important problem facing Americans, and these Texans gave Gov. Greg Abbott a decisive victory in his quest for a third term in office. Ivan Pierre Aguirre captured scenes at the border, where Abbott tried all kinds of measures to draw attention to the migration crisis — from blocking inbound commercial trucking to deploying National Guard members to busing migrants to liberal cities like New York and Washington, D.C. And yet, countless people fleeing war and violence, from Central America to Venezuela to Afghanistan to Ukraine, continued to show up at the border, hoping to get in.

On May 24, 19 schoolchildren and two educators were killed when a teenage gunman fired hundreds of rounds from an AR-15-style rifle. The lengthy delay in confronting the gunman and getting care to the victims yielded countless investigations and recriminations. It was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, and it prompted Congress to pass the first significant federal gun legislation since 1994. The law made it easier to screen the mental health of gun buyers under the age of 21 and poured money into programs to keep guns out of the hands of emotionally disturbed individuals, but did not prohibit the sales of high-powered guns to juveniles, as reformers had sought. Evan L’Roy, the Tribune photo department’s first yearlong fellow, has spent months returning to Uvalde documenting the grief and healing of a community shattered by gun violence.

From wildfires in Bastrop and on the King Ranch, to a drought that devastated cotton production in the South Plains, to a water main breakage in Odessa, Texans continued to confront disasters, natural and otherwise. Austin recorded its second-hottest summer on record.

In politics, Democrats held off a feared “red wave” nationwide, although they extended a Texas losing streak that began in 1994, the last time a Democrat won office statewide. The seven Texans who were newly elected to the U.S. House and will take office next month include young progressives, like Democrats Greg Casar of Austin and Jazmine Crockett of Dallas, as well conservatives viewed as rising stars in the GOP such as Monica de la Cruz, one of the first Latina Republicans to represent South Texas, and Wesley Hunt, a Black former helicopter pilot.

In 2022, Tribune photographers filed over 13,000 images. Our contributing photographers roamed the state to cover its diversity, immensity, beauty, challenges and resilience. We’re proud to share this small sample of work by these talented journalists.


January

Tears flow down through the mask of ICU nurse Mary Patton at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital on Friday, January 14, 2022.
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

Houston, Jan. 14

Tears flow down through the mask of ICU nurse Mary Patton as Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital battles staffing shortages and a surge of the omicron variant.

Suporters of Gov. Abbott wait in line at the Hispanic Leadership Summit in McAllen on Jan. 8, 2022 to take a photo with the governor.
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune

McAllen, Jan. 8

Supporters of Gov. Greg Abbott wait in line at the Hispanic Leadership Summit to take a photo with the governor.

Catherine Allen poses for a photo in her home Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 in Midland, Texas.
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune

Midland, Jan. 28

Catherine Allen poses for a photo in her home. The artist said she has considered leaving town because of earthquakes, which doubled in Texas in 2021 compared to the previous year. “It seems like disaster is getting closer,” she said.

Michelle Tennen holds a photograph of herself and her daughter Charley at her home in El Paso, Texas. Charley died by suicide in July 2020.
Credit: Emily Kinskey for The Texas Tribune

El Paso, Jan. 31

Michelle Tennen holds a photograph of herself and her daughter Charley, who died by suicide in 2020. Hospital admissions for teenage girls who may have attempted suicide have increased 50% nationwide.

Bastrop Resident Marla Ferris was unable to return to her home after work on Tuesday, Jan. 18, due to the Rolling Pines Fire and and was forced to sleep in her car in a gas station parking lot outside of Bastrop State Park on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Bastrop, Jan. 19

Bastrop resident Marla Ferris was unable to return to her home after work on due to the Rolling Pines Fire and and was forced to sleep in her car in a gas station parking lot outside of Bastrop State Park.


February

Adelyn Vigil, 13, left, a transgender girl, her cousin Aylette Reyes, 13, center, and her mother Adamalis Vigil, 34, pass their time at her grandma’s home in the Rio Grande Valley on Sunday, February 27, 2022. Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune

Rio Grande Valley, Feb. 27

Adelyn Vigil, left, and her family pass their time at her grandma’s home. Adelyn has had panic attacks since Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state child welfare officials to launch child abuse investigations into reports of transgender kids receiving gender-affirming care. “The thought of me being separated makes me cry — and to think that my mom could go to jail for it and not being able to see her anymore,” Adelyn said.

Ruby Wilkinson and Maya Madabhushi are pulled on a sled int the wintery weather that hit Dallas, TX on February 3, 2022.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Dallas, Feb. 3

Ruby Wilkinson and Maya Madabhushi are pulled on a sled in a storm that brought freezing temperatures and snow.

Diana Crouch chats with her son, Cain, about his upcoming birthday party in their Kingwood home on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022.
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

Kingwood, Feb. 7

Diana Crouch chats with her son, Cain, about his upcoming birthday party about six weeks after being back in their Kingwood home. She had spent about five months being hospitalized for a pregnancy severely complicated by COVID-19.

Iryanna Rodríguez, 18, a junior, poses for a photo with her nine-month-old daughter Ariyanna Juliett Fuentes at Lincoln Park School, in Brownsville, Texas on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. The school for students that are pregnant or have had a baby currently has 69 students enrolled. Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune

Brownsville, Feb. 16

High school junior Iryanna Rodriguez, 18, plays with her 9-month-old daughter, Ariyanna Juliett Fuentes, at Lincoln Park High School. The school enrolls teens who are pregnant or parenting and offers a host of resources, including child care.


March

Ashley (middle) chants, "God made trans kids! God loves trans kids!" with her children during a protest at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2022.
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune

Austin, March 1

Ashley (middle) chants, “God made trans kids! God loves trans kids!” with her children during a protest at the Texas Capitol.

Laurena Ellis lost her granddaughter, Sha’Niyah McGee, to COVID-19 when she was 16 years old in September of 2021.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Dallas, March 10

Laurena Ellis stands in front of her home with old photos of her family and her granddaughter, Sha’Niyah McGee, who died from COVID-19 in September 2021, when she was 16 years old. Ellis described her as a go-getter and caretaker for the entire family, emotionally supporting her three younger siblings as well as her mother. “She always wanted to make sure everyone was happy. Whenever anyone was sad, she could always make us laugh,” Ellis said.

Granbury ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeremy K. Glenn discusses agenda items with school board trustees at a GISD school board meeting in Granbury, TX on March 21, 2022.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune/ProPublica

Granbury, March 21

Granbury ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeremy K. Glenn discusses agenda items with school board trustees at a GISD school board meeting. Glenn ordered librarians to remove books from schools, targeting titles about transgender people.

Rae Fenton, 12, hugs brother Eli, 7, as he joins him on the stage during Diamond Dior Davenport's performance.
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune

Austin, March 26

Rae Fenton, 12, hugs his brother Eli, 7, as he joins him on the stage during Diamond Dior Davenport’s performance at Austin ISD’s “Pride Out!” event. “I love drag queens,” Rae said. “They’re the biggest idols of my life.”

Attendees of at a DFPS Committee meeting in Austin cry while listening to public testimony on gender affirming care for trans youth on Friday Mar. 11, 2022.
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Austin, March 11

Attendees of a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Committee meeting cry while listening to public testimony on gender-affirming care for trans youth.

Victor Trevino administers a vaccine against COVID19 to Yaidra Lucas inside a bus on Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 in Laredo, TX. Workers from Nuevo Laredo were transported to the international crossing point to receive vaccines against COVID19 as part of a program where left over vaccines from the U.S. were to be used instead of being wasted or expiring. Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune

Laredo, March 3

Victor Treviño Jr. administers a vaccine against COVID-19 to Yaidra Lucas inside a bus. Workers from Nuevo Laredo were transported to the international crossing point to receive vaccines as part of a program to put leftover doses from the U.S. to use instead of letting them expire or go to waste.

A firefighter with Forest Bend Fire Department extinguishes flames at the site of the Borrega wildfire on March 31, 2022. The wildfire burned through a large part of the King Ranch and surrounding areas in Brooks, Jim Wells and Kleberg counties.
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune

Brooks/Kleberg County, March 31

A firefighter with Forest Bend Fire Department extinguishes flames at the site of the Borrega wildfire. The wildfire burned through a large part of the King Ranch and surrounding areas in Brooks, Jim Wells and Kleberg counties.


April

Hundreds of semi trucks headed southbound into Mexico are seen at a standstill at the Ysleta Port of Entry, Tuesday, April 12, 2022, in Juarez, Mexico. Truck drivers are protesting Greg Abbott's decision to have state troopers inspect northbound commercial vehicles one at a time. At this port, trucks are not flowing into Mexico to pickup more products and also not flowing into the U.S. to deliver those products. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune

Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, April 12

Hundreds of semi trucks headed southbound into Mexico are seen at a standstill at the Ysleta Port of Entry. Truck drivers protested Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to have state troopers inspect northbound commercial vehicles one at a time. At this port, trucks were not flowing into Mexico to pick up more products and also not flowing into the U.S. to deliver those products.

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper inspects a commercial truck at an inspection station near the Veterans bridge in Brownsville on April 12, 2022.
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune

Brownsville, April 12

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper inspects a commercial truck at an inspection station near the Veterans International Bridge.

Employees at the McAllen Produce Terminal Market. McAllen, TX. April 14, 2022.
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune

McAllen, April 14

Employees at the McAllen Produce Terminal Market took a blow to their business after shipping delays caused by Gov. Greg Abbott’s border inspections.

John Lucio and his wife Michelle embrace Leno Rose-Avila at a press conference about the case of Melissa Lucio in Gatesville, TX on Monday, April 25, 2022. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Lucio amid a strong public push for reevaluation of her case. Sergio Flores for Texas Tribune
Credit: Sergio Flores for Texas Tribune

Gatesville, April 25

John Lucio and his wife Michelle embrace Leno Rose-Avila at a press conference about the case of Melissa Lucio. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Lucio amid a strong public push for reevaluation of her case.

Union Station, Washington, DC - Activists line up to impede journalists from photographing as two buses of migrants arrive near Union Station as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan in response to the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era emergency health order to that allowed immigration authorities at the border to deny entry to migrants in Washington, DC, on Thursday, April 21, 2022.
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune

Washington, D.C., April 21

Two buses transporting migrants from Texas arrive at Union Station. Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to bus migrants to the nation’s capital was in response to the expected end of Title 42, a pandemic-era emergency health order allowing immigration authorities at the border to expel asylum-seeking migrants as a way to contain the coronavirus.

Marleny poses for a photo outside of the trailer home where she lives with her son near San Antonio.
Credit: Nick Wagner for The Texas Tribune

San Antonio, April 4

Marleny, a migrant from Guatemala who fled her country in 2021, stands outside of the trailer home where she lives with her son. She was initially denied refuge due to Title 42, then U.S. immigration officials agreed to give her son a medical exemption and let both of them into the U.S.


May

Victor Olvera puts two pharmaceutical drugs meant to be taken for ulcers back on the shelf. Uncle Sam Pharmacy. Nuevo Progreso, MX. May 4, 2022.
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune

Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, May 4

Pharmacy manager Victor Olvera puts boxes of drugs back on the shelf at the Uncle Sam Pharmacy. South Texas residents have long traveled south the border to obtain medications, including abortion-inducing drugs.

Students flee and authorities help others evacuate after a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022.
Credit: Pete Luna/Uvalde Leader-News

Uvalde, May 24

Students flee and authorities help others evacuate after a gunman entered Robb Elementary School.

UVALDE, TX-MAY 25: Candidate for Texas Governor Beto O'Rourke disrupts a press conference at Uvalde High School on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 in Uvalde, TX. Twenty one people were killed after a gunman after a high school student opened fire inside Robb Elementary School on Tuesday where two teachers and 19 students were killed.
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, May 25

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke confronts Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference the day after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.

Several law enforcement agencies arrive ahead of President Joe Biden’s arrival in Uvalde on Sunday morning.
Credit: Kaylee C. Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, May 29

Several law enforcement agencies were present ahead of President Joe Biden’s arrival days after Texas’ deadliest school shooting.

The Walmart Supercenter baby formula aisle in Baytown, Texas on May 12, 2022.
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

Baytown, May 12

A Walmart Supercenter aisle is still mostly empty during a shortage of baby formula after Abbott Nutrition, one of the four major U.S. manufacturers of baby formula, issued a February recall due to bacterial contamination.

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson talks to District 30 Democratic candidate Jasmine Crockett at Crockett’s election night watch party in Dallas, TX on May 24, 2022.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Dallas, May 24

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson talks to District 30 Democratic candidate Jasmine Crockett at Crockett’s election night watch party.

Michelle Cardenas works on scrapbooks for her students at home while spending time with her daughters on May 24, 2022. Cardenas was inspired to create scrapbooks for her students because she has a scrapbook from when she was in daycare, but her husband does not have many pictures of himself as a kid. She wants her students to be able to look back at their year in pre-k, which they may not remember. Possible quotes: “They’ve made comments to me before like, ‘I wish you didn't have to work today,’
Credit: Lauren Witte for The Texas Tribune

Del Valle, May 24

Michelle Cardenas works on scrapbooks for her students at home while spending time with her daughters. “They’ve made comments to me before like, ‘I wish you didn’t have to work today,” Cardenas said. “Your students at school end up becoming like your own kids.”

Thousands of roses and handwritten notes, hundreds of candles and dozens of stuffed animals surround a fountain in the center of the City of Uvalde Town Square in Ulvade on May 29, 2022.
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, May 29

Thousands of roses and handwritten notes, hundreds of candles and dozens of stuffed animals surround a fountain in the center of the City of Uvalde Town Square.


June

Nurse Kristina Hernandez becomes emotional while remembering stories of previous patients she helped at the Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services abortion clinic before Roe v. Wade was overturned in San Antonio on June 24, 2022.
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune

San Antonio, June 24

The moment Roe v. Wade was overturned, nurse Kristina Hernandez becomes emotional as she recalls stories of previous patients she helped at the Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services abortion clinic.

A tractor-trailer found near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio contained the bodies of 46 dead people, along with 16 others who have been taken to hospitals on June 27, 2022, local officials in San Antonio said.
Credit: Nick Wagner for The Texas Tribune

San Antonio, June 27

A tractor-trailer found near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio contained the bodies of 46 dead people, along with 16 others who have been taken to hospitals, local officials in San Antonio said. All told, there were 53 deaths.

Lightning from a passing storm strikes in the vicinity as City of Odessa Water Distribution employees work through the night to repair a broken water main Tuesday, June 14, 2022 in Odessa. According to Mayor of Odessa Javier Joven, repairs were completed around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday.
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune

Odessa, June 14

Lightning from a passing storm strikes in the vicinity as City of Odessa Water Distribution employees work through the night to repair a broken water main.

Attendees hold up their fists after a march against the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which virtually bans abortion in the state of Texas, on June 24, 2022.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Dallas, June 24

Demonstration attendees hold up their fists in protest of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, ending a guaranteed constitutional right to abortion.

Credit: Clockwise: Sergio Flores, Evan L’Roy, Kaylee Greenlee Beal and Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

Clockwise: Austin, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, June 24

Scenes from protests from various cities in Texas after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Amnisty sits in front of a table containing pictures of her son, at her home in Paris, Texas, on June 17, 2022. According to Amnisty, her son has suffered abuse while in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department system.
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune

Paris, Texas, June 17

Amnisty sits in front of a table with pictures of her son, Keith, whose mental health problems have been strained under the Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s care.

Graduates throw their caps into the air in celebration at the Uvalde High School graduation ceremony on June 24, 2022.
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, June 24

Graduates throw their caps into the air in celebration at the Uvalde High School graduation ceremony.

Alessandra Flores, who was passing by while celebrating her quinceaños, turning 15, stops to pose for a photo holding a green bandana in support of reproductive rights across the the U.S. Embassy in response to the court case Roe v. Wade being overturned in Mexico City, Mexico on June 29, 2022. Behind Alessandra a banner that reads in Spanish, “Alive and free in Mexico,” is seen. Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Veronica G. Cardenas for The Texas Tribune

Mexico City, June 29

Alessandra Flores, passing by a protest during her quinceañera photo shoot, stopped to pose holding a green bandana in support of reproductive rights near the U.S. Embassy after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Behind Alessandra is a banner that reads in Spanish, “Alive and free in Mexico.”

Shannon Brewer; the clinic director at Jackson Women's Health Organization, stands in her new clinic that will soon be the home to the new Las Cruces Women’s Health in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Monday afternoon. Brewer began the move in April in anticipation of the overturn of Roe v. Wade so she could continue to provide women with access to safe abortion options.
Credit: Gabriela Campos for The Texas Tribune

Las Cruces, New Mexico, June 27

Shannon Brewer, the clinic director at Jackson Women’s Health Organization — which was at the heart of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision to revoke the right to abortion — stands in her new clinic that would soon be home to the Las Cruces Women’s Health in New Mexico. Brewer began to ready her new clinic in April in anticipation of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, so she could continue to provide women with access to safe abortion options.


July

Gloria Quezada, right, holds on to a cross bearing the name of her daughter, Adela Betulia Ramírez Quezada, at a San Antonio memorial on July 1, 2022 for dozens of migrants who died in an overheated trailer last month.
Credit: Jinitzail Hernández/The Texas Tribune

San Antonio, July 1

Gloria Quezada, right, holds on to a cross bearing the name of her daughter, Adela Betulia Ramírez Quezada, at a memorial for dozens of migrants who died in an overheated trailer in June.

Linda Coffee, one of the two lawyers who represented “Jane Roe” in the landmark Roe v. Wade case, in her home in Mineola, TX on July 7, 2022.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Mineola, July 7

Linda Coffee is one of two lawyers who represented “Jane Roe” in the landmark Roe v. Wade case decided in 1973. “It’s a bittersweet thing for me,” Coffee said. “Because I’m glad I got to do what I did, but it bothers me, really, to see how it’s ending up.”

Eddie Belcher, 61, shown on his land outside his home he built by hand, log by log, on July 26, 2022 near Bogata, Texas. The Belcher family has lived in Red River County for generations and that could come to an end with the construction of the Marvin Nichols Reservoir. The reservoir has been in the works for decades, but never gained momentum to start. Residents now fear a starting date is near as Texas droughts worsen, and water supply needs in the DFW metro area rapidly increase. Thousands of acres would be flooded and an estimated 60 homes would be lost.
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune

Red River County, July 26

Eddie Belcher outside the home he built himself near Bogata. He fears losing the house and the land that has been in his family for generations if the Marvin Nichols Reservoir moves forward with construction.

TCOLE demonstrates a school shooting scenario at a media availability at Walsh Middle School in Round Rock on July 11, 2022.
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

Round Rock, July 11

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) demonstrates a school shooting scenario at Walsh Middle School for members of the media.

Family members and friends of Uziyah Garcia view a freshly completed mural in his memory in Uvalde on July 17, 2022. Each of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting will receive a mural painted by artists from across Texas.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, July 17

Family members and friends of Uziyah Garcia view a freshly completed mural in his memory. Each of the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting received a mural painted by artists from across Texas.

Dr. Karen Kossie-Chernyshev poses in front of mural celebrating Black leaders in Fifth Ward, a historic neighborhood in Houston, TX, on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Dr. Kossie-Chernyshev is from Fifth Ward where he father was a pastor at Latter Day Deliverance Revival Church and is now a history professor at Texas Southern University in Houston.
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

Houston, July 31

Professor Karen Kossie-Chernyshev in front of a mural celebrating Black leaders at the Fifth Ward, a historic neighborhood in Houston. In 2021, Texas lawmakers redrew political maps that weakened the impact of voters of color and secured the GOP’s majority in the state Legislature.

Volunteers for South Texans for Reproductive Justice unpackage emergency contraceptives used to assemble safe sex kits at the McAllen Creative Incubator on July 9, 2022. The volunteer based pro-abortion organization hosts monthly safe sex kit packing parties in McAllen and occasionally organizes protests to advocate for abortion rights.
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune

McAllen, July 9

Volunteers for South Texans for Reproductive Justice assemble safe sex kits that include emergency contraceptives at the McAllen Creative Incubator. The volunteer-based organization that supports abortion rights hosts monthly packing parties for the kits.

A man rests in the pavilion at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune)
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune

Dallas, July 21

A man rests in the pavilion at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center. Extreme temperatures this year have increased health hazards for people experiencing homelessness, who have few options to escape the heat.


August

Sisters Edith, Carolina, and Maribel Velarde watch as workers from Magnolia Movers struggle to fit their fridge through the front door of their home at Congress Mobile Home Park in Austin on Aug. 29, 2022.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Austin, Aug. 29

Sisters Edith, Carolina and Maribel Velarde watch as workers from Magnolia Movers struggle to fit their fridge through the front door of their home at Congress Mobile Home Park. The park had been purchased by a commercial real estate investor from California, who began notifying tenants in June that they had to move out.

Heather Crawford embraces Cass as they struggle through a panic attack while packing their room to move to Minnesota from their home Austin, TX on August 19, 2022.
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Austin, Aug. 19

Heather Crawford embraces Cass Crawford as they struggle through a panic attack in August while packing to move to Minnesota. The family decided to leave Texas after state policies started targeting access to health care for transgender youth.

A late summer thunderstorm forms over the remnants of the 2021 cotton crop Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in Terry County, Texas. (Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune)
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune

Terry County, Aug. 29

A late summer thunderstorm forms over the remnants of the 2021 cotton crop. Cotton production has been decimated by drought and extreme heat this year, costing Texas High Plains farmers and other agricultural industries at least $2 billion, according to one estimate.

Dana Jones, who has been a victim of many floods, tears up as she recounts her experiences at her home in Houston on August 1, 2022.
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune

Houston, Aug. 1

Dana Jones pauses for a moment, as she retells her experiences with past floods in Houston. Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019 and Winter Storm Uri in 2021 each damaged her home.

Paola Valdez looks through messages from potential buyers of their home, while her family bonds in their living room of their home, at the Congress Mobile Home Park in Austin on Aug. 4, 2022.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Austin, Aug. 4

Paola Valdez Lopez looks through messages from potential buyers for her home as her husband and children gather with her in the kitchen. The family had to leave Austin after their mobile home park sent nonrenewal notices to its tenants, who can own their homes but rent the land.

A photo of Cassandra Salvidar hangs in the living room as Patricia Castro talks to her grandson Ace at their home in Arlington, TX on August 31, 2022. Cassandra Salvidar died at the age of 22 from taking a Xanax laced with deadly fentanyl.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Arlington, Aug. 31

A photo of Cassandra Saldivar hangs in living room of her mother, Patricia Hammad, as Hammad talks to her grandson Ace at their home. Saldivar died at the age of 22 from taking anti-anxiety medication laced with deadly fentanyl.

Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

Fredericksburg, Aug. 17

Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke speaks to Dan Solomon of Texas Monthly after a campaign event.


September

Lauren Hall stands for a portrait in the room that would have been her child’s in her home in on Sept. 10, 2022. Hall had a non-viable pregnancy and had to leave the state in order to terminate, revealing gaps in the state's miscarriage exception after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Waxahachie, Sept. 10

Lauren Hall stands in the room that she and her husband had prepared as a nursery. Hall had to travel to Washington state for an abortion after receiving a lethal fetal diagnosis, for which Texas’ abortion laws make no exception.

Felix Coronado listens to his son, Ariel, 4, while his other children pose for a photo by their mother, Aiko, before the first day of classes in Uvalde on Sept. 6, 2022. This is Ariel's first day of school ever, and he is a little anxious to leave his parents. From left: Adrianna Medina, 10, Alejandro Coronado, 6, Allyson Coronado, 5, Ariel Coronado, 4, Felix Coronado.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, Sept. 6

Felix Coronado listens to his son, Ariel, 4, while his other children pose for a photo by their mother, Aiko, before the first day of classes. This is Ariel’s first day of school ever, and he is a little anxious to leave his parents.

The McAdoo Wind farm provides power to the Cottonwood Substation. A smaller substation provides power to the Crypto farm, feeding energy from the Cottonwood Substation.
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune

McAdoo, Sept. 15

The McAdoo wind farm provides power to Argo Blockchain’s cryptocurrency facility. Eager to bring new jobs to their towns and boost their tax base, rural Texas counties are courting companies that produce cryptocurrencies.

A bipartisian testing crew uses voting machines and tabulators during a state-mandated logic and accuracy test at the Hays County Government building in San Marcos on Sept. 21, 2022. The goal of the test was to identify errors in the counting process of ballots.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

San Marcos, Sept. 21

A bipartisan testing crew uses voting machines and tabulators during a state-mandated logic and accuracy test at the Hays County government building. Texas law requires public testing of the voting machines before and after every election to ensure the machines are counting votes correctly.


October

Nacogdoches, Texas: Todd Stallings looks through curbside voting information October 3, 2022 at the election’s office in Nacogdoches, Texas. Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune

Nacogdoches, Oct. 3

Nacogdoches County elections administrator Todd Stallings looks through curbside voting information. Since 2020, the scrutiny elections administrators face has grown — even in small Republican-controlled counties that former President Donald Trump carried.

Luz Maria Martinez and Napoleon Sepulveda cry over their son, Jesus Ivan Sepulveda, who was shot and killed by a prison warden (at the time) last week near Sierra Blanca, Texas, Wednesday, October 5, 2022, in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Sepulveda was shot while the group of migrants he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with stopped for water near Sierra Blanca, Texas. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune

Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Oct. 15

Luz María Martínez Castro and Napoleón Sepúlveda Moreno cry while holding a photo of their son, Jesús Iván Sepúlveda Martínez, who was shot and killed near Sierra Blanca as he and other migrants stopped for water.

A mural in memory of Makenna Lee Elrod, one of the 21 Robb Elementary school shooting victims in Uvalde on Oct. 22, 2022.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, Oct. 22

A mural in memory of Makenna Lee Elrod, one of the 21 Robb Elementary School shooting victims.

A family from Venezuela crosses the Rio Grande near a temporary border patrol processing center on October 6, 2022 in El Paso, TX. Record numbers of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, began arriving at the US/Mexico border this month.
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

El Paso, Oct. 6

A family from Venezuela crosses the Rio Grande near a temporary border patrol processing center. Record numbers of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, began arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border that month.

Sandra Reed cries during a vigil at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on October 11, 2022. The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments of Rodney Reed vs. Bryan Goertz, examining the statute of limitations for a claim seeking DNA testing of crime-scene evidence after Reed was sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites in Bastrop, Texas.
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune

Washington, D.C., Oct. 11

Sandra Reed, mother of Rodney Reed, cries during a vigil while the U.S. Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments of Rodney Reed vs. Bryan Goertz. The case examined the statute of limitations for a claim seeking DNA testing of crime-scene evidence after Reed was sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites.

From left, Aztecan dancers Azucena Flores, Amelia Morales and Destiny Flores talk with each other as they wait to enter the arena tent for an exhibition on the second day of the Sacred Springs Powwow Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022 in San Marcos, Texas.
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune

San Marcos, Oct. 2

From left, Aztecan dancers Azucena Flores, Amelia Morales and Destiny Flores talk with each other as they wait to enter the arena tent for an exhibition on the second day of the Sacred Springs Powwow.

Lyndon Hallmark, the mobile health center manager, poses for a portrait as patients receive healthcare at a mobile health clinic in Kirbyville, Texas, U.S., on Monday, October 17, 2022.
Credit: Callaghan O’Hare for The Texas Tribune

Kirbyville, Oct. 17

After visiting TAN Healthcare as a patient, Lyndon Hallmark started working the mobile health clinic’s front desk and more recently took over its mobile unit.

Texas Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw sits at a table at a Public Safety Commission Meeting on Thursday, Oct 27, 2022 in Austin, TX. The public meeting saw comments from families of the victims of the Robb Elementary Shooting calling for DPS Director Steve McCraw to resign in response to what McCraw himself called a "Abject Failure", referring to the response by his department as well as other law enforcement there that day. Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune

Austin, Oct. 27

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw sits at a table at a Public Safety Commission meeting. The public meeting saw comments from families of the victims of the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, calling for McCraw to resign in response to what McCraw himself called an “abject failure,” referring to the response by his department as well as other law enforcement agencies the day of the shooting.

Lily Trieu, interim executive director of Asian Texans for Justice (ATJ), who produced a report researching Asian voters, photographed on Tuesday, Oct 11, 2022 in Austin. Asian communities are growing rapidly in Texas, but they are still feeling left out of the political process . (May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune)
Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune

Austin, Oct. 11

Lily Trieu, interim executive director of Asian Texans for Justice, which produced a report researching Asian voters, said Asian communities are growing rapidly in Texas but they are still feeling left out of the political process.


November

Residents watch Uvalde Leader-News reporters update results from local races on a white board in Uvalde on Election Day Nov. 8, 2022.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, Nov. 8

Residents watch Uvalde Leader-News reporters update results from local races on a white board on Election Day.

Relatives of Arnuflo Reyes, a teacher who was injured at Robb, release paper lanterns to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde on Nov. 2, 2022.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

Uvalde, Nov. 2

Relatives of Arnulfo Reyes, a teacher who was injured during the shooting at Robb Elementary, release paper lanterns to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery.

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 13: Brigette Bandit reads to children during a local literacy event at the Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria in Austin, Texas on November 13, 2022. (Photo by Montinique Monroe for the Texas Tribune)
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

Austin, Nov. 13

Brigette Bandit reads to children during a local literacy event at the Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria.

Counter protesters form a barricade outside of a transgender storytelling event as Sara Gonzales of Defend our Kids Texas chants “there are only two genders” at Patchouli Joe’s Books and Indulgence in Denton, TX on November 19, 2022.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Denton, Nov. 19

Counterprotesters form a barricade outside of a transgender storytelling event as Sara Gonzales of Defend Our Kids: Texas chants, “There are only two genders.”

The Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, DC - Organizers and activists rally as Supreme Court hears a case that challenges the legality of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which prioritizes the placement of Native American children in foster care or adoption with relatives, other tribal members, or in other Native homes on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune

Washington, D.C., Nov. 9

A flag flies outside the U.S. Supreme Court as arguments were heard challenging the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which prioritizes the placement of Native American children in foster care or adoption with relatives, other tribal members or in other Native homes.

Billy Peck, 34, and his daughter look through donated clothing at the Haven for Hope shelter in San Antonio on Nov. 10, 2022. Peck and the other residents of Haven for Hope are welcome to take anything they need or want from the warehouse with donations, as one of the services that the shelter offers.
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

San Antonio, Nov. 10

Billy Peck, 34, and his daughter look through donated clothing at the Haven for Hope shelter. Peck and the other residents of Haven for Hope are welcome to take anything they need or want from the warehouse with donations, as one of the services that the shelter offers.

Alex Bowen hugs his girlfriend and his friends as he says goodbye moments before crossing the border and into El Paso from Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, November 22, 2022. When asked why the others weren’t crossing over with him, they said because Bowen is from Ecuador and they are from Venezuela so they couldn’t cross. NOTE: I don’t know if they are paroling people from Ecuador into the U.S. and not others from other countries but this is the reason they gave me. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune

Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Nov. 22

Alex Bowen hugs his girlfriend and his friends as he says goodbye moments before crossing the border and heading into El Paso.

Monica De La Cruz on an instagram live video at the Lark Community Center. McAllen, TX. Nov. 8, 2022.
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune

McAllen, Nov. 8

U.S. Rep.-elect Monica De La Cruz on an Instagram Live video at the Lark Community Center on Election Day.

A poll watcher examines bags of ballots as they are received at the Tarrant County Election Administration building in Fort Worth on November 8, 2022.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Fort Worth, Nov. 8

A poll watcher examines bags of ballots as they are received at the Tarrant County Election Administration building.


December

Migrants standing on the other side of barbwire speak to the Texas National Guard and Texas DPS officers along the banks of the Rio Grande, Tuesday, December 20, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. Over 400 personnel have been sent to this border sector by Governor Abbott after El Paso city officials declared a state of emergency. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune

El Paso, Dec. 20

Migrants speak past barbed wire to Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety officers along the banks of the Rio Grande. After El Paso city officials declared a state of emergency due to the number of migrants at the border, Gov. Greg Abbott sent over 400 personnel to this border sector.

A large crowd of migrants near an encampment in Matamoros, Tamaulipas listen to Victor Cavazos, Director of The Sidewalk School, give instructions for how to sign up to be included in an informal census of the encampment on Dec. 21, 2022. Migrants hope that by having their name recorded, legal aid would be available to them.
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

Matamoros, Mexico, Dec. 21

A large crowd of migrants near an encampment listens to instructions for how to sign up to be included in a census of the encampment. The asylum-seekers hope that by having their names recorded, legal aid would be available to them.

An employee of Misho's Oyster Company uses a backhoe loader to move oyster shells after the Texas Department of State Health Services ordered a recall for oysters harvested in the area of southeastern Galveston Bay in San Leon, Texas, U.S., on Thursday, December 15, 2022.
Credit: Callaghan O’Hare for The Texas Tribune

San Leon, Dec. 15

An employee of Misho’s Oyster Company uses a backhoe loader to move oyster shells after the Texas Department of State Health Services ordered a recall for oysters harvested in the area of southeastern Galveston Bay.

EMT Ronnie Robison calls the Woodland Heights Medical Center to tell them to prepare for an opioid overdose patient at the Lufkin facility Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. Robison has to call on a certain street of highway before a “dead zone” of no cell service or they will not be able to warn the trauma team to prepare for their patients.
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

Groveton, Dec. 16

Ronnie Robison calls the Woodland Heights Medical Center to tell workers at the Lufkin facility to prepare for a patient. Robison has to call before reaching an area with no cell service to be able to warn the trauma team.

Jo Ann Johnson sits for a portrait on the bed that once belonged to her grandson, Bishop Evans, in her home in Arlington, TX on December 7, 2022. 22 year-old Bishop Evans, who was serving on the Texas Army National Guard and assigned to work on Operation Lone Star, died after jumping into the Rio Grande to save two migrants. “When they told me why, I understood, because he saw someone who needed help. That was who he was — he helped people.”
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Arlington, Dec. 7

Jo Ann Johnson sits for a portrait on the bed that once belonged to her grandson, Bishop Evans, who drowned after jumping into the Rio Grande to save two migrants being swept away by the current.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/12/30/texas-2022-photos/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

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