Holly K. Hacker

Holly works on the investigations team after many years covering education for The Dallas Morning News. She specializes in data analysis. Previously Holly reported for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Ventura County (Calif.) Star and the Antioch (Calif.) Ledger Dispatch.

Latest Stories

A truck splashes through standing rainwater at the Illinois Ave on north bound Interstate 35...

Do you need flood insurance in Dallas? Our guide to help you decide

Record rains and floods caused big losses for property owners.

By Holly K. Hacker and Ariana GiorgiTexasAug 24, 2022

Children gather outside during dismissal time at Lakewood Elementary School, home to Dallas...

Dallas ISD’s pay-for-performance teacher model raises questions about equity

COVID-19 paused data collection on the Teacher Excellence Initiative, but a new analysis shows ‘best’ educators are often concentrated at magnet schools.

By Emily Donaldson, Talia Richman and Holly K. HackerEducationSep 29, 2021

A man receives resources from attorneys with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas at the Justice of...

Eviction ban end to hit Dallas’ Black and Latino neighborhoods hardest

Advocates and attorneys expect a wave of evictions that could threaten to slow the pandemic recovery for Dallas County renters often left behind.

By Holly K. Hacker and Dom DiFurioEconomyJul 26, 2021

Dallas City Hall pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)

Challengers outraising five incumbents in upcoming Dallas City Council election

Campaign finance reports filed on Thursday show that nearly $900,000 had been donated to candidates competing for 14 spots on May 1.

By Everton Bailey Jr., Nic Garcia and Holly K. HackerElectionsApr 2, 2021Member Exclusive

Flowers and balloons are left in front of the house where Linda Rogers, 12, died on the 3500...

Texas seeks $1.6 million from Atmos after fatal Dallas gas explosion

It would be a record pipeline safety penalty, but still a fraction of company’s yearly profits

By Holly K. HackerNewsApr 1, 2021

Leslie Armijo helps Enrique Facundo at Santa Teresita Catholic Church, to fill out a form to...

As COVID-19 vaccine eligibility opens up, fears persist that residents of color will continue to be left behind

Hurdles remain to getting the vaccine, and a Dallas Morning News analysis found that Latinos and Blacks are still trailing behind whites in getting inoculated.

By Everton Bailey Jr., Dianne Solis and Holly K. HackerPublic HealthMar 27, 2021Member Exclusive

‘Who’s at fault?’ Texas lawmakers grill regulators, energy industry over power crisis but get few answers

Witnesses blamed extreme winter weather, a failure of communication and a lack of coordination among energy industry players for the outages that affected millions.

By James Barragán and Holly K. HackerPoliticsFeb 26, 2021

"For those of you still hurting, I want you to know that the state is using every resource...

Greg Abbott: ‘No words can fix’ devastation Texans went through last week. State will speak through actions

The governor’s televised speech came hours after overseers of the state’s electricity grid heard a harrowing account of how the system avoided an even worse disaster.

By Robert T. Garrett and Holly K. HackerPoliticsFeb 25, 2021

Large electrical transmission lines are pictured in a new housing development in South...

Texas tells power plants to be winter-ready. But how to prepare is up to them.

Lack of winterization standards lets power generators decide for themselves how to best prepare for deep freezes.

By Lauren McGaughy and Holly K. HackerInvestigationsFeb 20, 2021Member Exclusive

A line of cars waits for a charging station at the Tesla Supercharger on North Central...

ERCOT officials say they have no idea when Texas’ power outages will end

The grid operator told lawmakers that it will be days before people have full electricity, but they provided no details.

By Krista M. Torralva and Holly K. HackerWeatherFeb 16, 2021