KXAN Investigates -- E62: Austin ISD left vulnerable for state takeover (May 30, 2026

KXAN Investigates -- E62: Austin ISD left vulnerable for state takeover (May 30, 2026

The Texas Education Agency on Thursday denied the Austin Independent School District’s request for a two-year pause in accountability ratings for three of its academically struggling middle schools. The decision means that if any of the three campuses earn another F rating, the entire district could be at risk of a state takeover, including a state-appointed superintendent and a board of managers taking over district operations. This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley explains why the state denied the district’s application and lays out what could happen next.

KXAN Investigates -- E61: A Texas teen is out of ICE custody in time for high school graduation (May 23, 2026)

An Austin student is back at school after weeks in an immigration detention center -- just in time for his high school graduation. This week on Inside the Investigation – Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley explains the community effort, led by a U.S. Congressman, to secure 18-year-old Luis Fernando Cabrera’s release and what his arrest tells us about how Texas is assisting federal immigration officials.

KXAN Investigates -- E60: Why Texans are fighting to get out of solar panel contracts (May 16, 2026)

The solar power industry is rapidly growing in Texas, but a KXAN investigation found records showing there’s also a growing number of Texans who say they were misled into signing long-term contracts with solar companies. This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Arezow Doost explains why the state’s attorney general is now threatening legal action against some companies involved with selling and installing the technology.

KXAN Investigates – E59: Austin’s challenge in ticketing driverless cars (May 9, 2026)

This week on Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley explains why, despite hundreds of documented issues with autonomous vehicles, local police have cited driverless cars fewer than a dozen times in three years. Plus Waymo, the company operating the most AVs in town, shares its mission to make roads safer and addresses the viral videos raising safety concerns.

KXAN Investigates – E58: Mental competency concerns surface amid Texas jail deaths (May 2, 2026)

On a “From the Vault” edition of “Inside the Investigation,” KXAN Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle and Senior Investigative Producer David Barer revisit KXAN's "Mental Competency Consequences" investigation into treatment backlogs and deaths in Texas jails.