Sarah Smith

Exclusive: The Texas agency that regulates funerals imploded. What happened? The Texas Funeral Service Commission imploded this summer. This is what happened behind the scenes at the agency meant to regulate death care.

"Most people are happily unaware that the Texas Funeral Service Commission exists. When it flickers briefly in the public consciousness, it’s usually under grotesque headlines: bodies used for medical experimentation, an embalmer castrating a corpse with a scalpel." @sarahesmith23.bsky.social

you:
[stressing for days to send the perfect single email]

billionaires:
hi, . w=en r we mee&ting to do iLlegiL stuff , . ?

Since last year, we’ve been reporting on ICE extensively. But every week brings new information, and it’s getting harder to keep track of what’s happening, let alone remember what’s already happened.

So here’s a quick thread to help.

Visual stories | Georgia Fort | Saint Paul Emmy Nominated Independent Journalist Georgia Fort is Changing the Narrative through Visual stories about race & culture that build equity.

They also arrested Minnesota independent journalist Georgia Fort.

www.georgiafort.com

What Texans are really looking for when they Google Ted Cruz before a freeze At the first hint of severe weather, Houstonians begin our rituals. Turns out, according to Google, that includes searching for where Ted Cruz is right now.

A little something about Ted Cruz on a plane, aka Texas's very own Waffle House Index, and a lot more about how Houston acts when we face down a storm

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

The Star Tribune had an insane graphic about the presence of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. There are more immigration officers in the metro right now than local police officers.

Renee Macklin Good’s wife says she nurtured kindness On Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a federal ICE agent. Becca Good, her wife, shared the following statement with MPR News.

"I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way." - Becca Good www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

I Tried to Be the Government. It Did Not Go Well. My five-month quest to monitor the weather, track inflation, and inspect milk for harmful microorganisms

if you want a long read that involves udders, a hot air balloon, and some extremely dubious data on egg prices, the story I’ve been working on for the last few months where I tried to single-handedly take on every government function myself is now online! www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota investigators say they can't access evidence after fatal ICE shooting and FBI won't work jointly on probe.

@reuters.com

ICE agent was not in the vehicle’s path when he fired at driver, video shows An analysis of video footage raises questions about claims by President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem about the fatal shooting in Minneapolis.

ICE agent was not in the vehicle’s path when he fired at driver, video shows

How Many People Have Been Shot in ICE Raids? The Trace is tracking gun incidents connected to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Know of one? Please be in touch.

Update: As of January 7, The Trace has identified 28 incidents, including 14 shootings, in which federal agents shot someone or held them at gunpoint during an immigration enforcement action under Trump’s crackdown. At least four people have been killed and five others have been injured.

in the book I happen to be reading, No Name In The Street, James Baldwin writes about “something exceedingly difficult to capture, which is that some people are liars, and some people are not.”
Right now, that distinction could hardly be starker.

what if we all just tried lying down on the floor

Cheating the Dead: The Undertaker and the Families Who Say He Scammed Them in Their Hour of Grief A man stands accused of desecrating bodies at a funeral home. A bereaved mother will stop at nothing to get justice for her son. And the police trail on the case has gone cold. A requiem for the livin...

The longest: A man stands accused of desecrating bodies at a funeral home. A bereaved mother will stop at nothing to get justice for her son. And the police trail on the case has gone cold.

-30-

www.esquire.com/news-politic...

Before the river rose, remembering Camp Mystic and the sacredness of girlhood This is camp, and camp is heaven on earth, home away from home, a retreat from the rest of their lives for two or four weeks at a time.

The shortest: A tribute to Camp Mystic and why girlhood is magical

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Trump Burger’s untold story: A $250K murder plot, vaccine scam and ICE arrest It’s a story with subplots involving a vaccine scam and a murder-for-hire scheme. It asks what we as a society require for legitimacy. And it’s a quintessentially American saga.

And then there was the story about Trump Burger, which I would argue is really a story about America today

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Crowds welcomed him when he landed from Gaza. Houston never left his side. Mohammed is 14 years old when he arrives in Houston. By the time he turns 15, he would like to be able to walk.

Made me cry while reporting it: A boy from Gaza who came to Houston to heal (also, Ms. Rachel wore one of his drawings on her dress!)

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Wolves need love to survive. Will a sanctuary's newest rescue find her mate? Wolves are not meant to be in a cage. Wolves are not meant to be alone forever.

Made me cry while writing it: A woman, a wolf, and a love story

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

He helped put Robert Roberson on death row. Now, he thinks he got it wrong. “There is this sudden realization that, ‘Oh, my God, I got this wrong, and somebody’s on death row.’”

More somber: A detective-turned-minister who thinks he got a death row case wrong -- and wants everyone to question what they think they're certain of

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Asteroid (Essay) At least, I think, as we hurtle through space, trapped together on our own spinning rock in a vast expanse of nothing, we might be able to choose our own fates.

Since it is New Year's Eve and I am working, here is one of those overly-sincere threads about things I loved writing in 2025.

To begin: A wistful love letter to the asteroid that is seemingly not going to hit us

www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/ar...

64 days in Chicago: The story of Operation Midway Blitz President Donald Trump’s federal immigration enforcement operation led to most surreal autumn in Chicago history. What happened during those 64 days will be remembered for a long time.

Good morning. ICYMI: The @chicagotribune.com published our in depth report on the Trump raids of the city, and it’s well worth your time to read and understand the chaos of our times
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/c...

As ICE descends on Charlotte, faith leaders draw on other cities' actions to aid immigrants (RNS) — As many as 500 people, a mix of clergy and other volunteers, have appeared at the training sessions on how to counter ICE.

NEW: Churches in Charlotte are hosting trainings on how to response to ICE agents — with *hundreds* filling pews.

At one training, a child led those gathered in "This Little Light of Mine" — but changed the words to “All around Border Patrol, I’m gonna let it shine" religionnews.com/2025/11/20/a...

Escape room where the thing you are trying to escape is reading about Olivia Nuzzi

I’m begging the media to bring ethics back

“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arres...

An absolute powerhouse of a @propublica.org team has done what U.S. officials refuse to do: identify the men and women swept up in that midnight raid in Chicago. Life in the building was not perfect, but reporters found little evidence to back up government claims: www.propublica.org/article/chic...

I'm really proud of this story and my colleagues --
@jodiscohen.bsky.social @tchristianmiller.bsky.social
Sebastian Rotella and @mariamelba.bsky.social ... best collab ever. We got help from A LOT of people
@propublica.org and beyond, including Ronna Risquez, and Andrea Morales from @mlk50.com

“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arres...

You probably saw videos of a nighttime raid in Chicago. Agents rappelling from a helicopter, bursting down doors, questioning brown-skinned immigrants.

We investigated -- and found little evidence to support the government’s claims about Tren de Aragua.

www.propublica.org/article/chic...