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Cara Kelly

@carakelly.bsky.social

investigative journalist. style section alum. texas media adoptee.

110 Posts549 Follower46 Folgt
Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · 2w ago

Excited to share that @carakelly.bsky.social and I have received a grant from the Fund for Investigative Reporting for our in-progress investigations on sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in Texas. Stay tuned! fij.org/fund-for-inv...

Fund for Investigative Journalism Awards 67 New Grants for Groundbreaking Reporting - The Fund for Investigative Journalism

WASHINGTON, DC; July 15, 2026 – The Fund for Investigative Journalism announced today that it is awarding 67 new grants to journalists to do groundbreaking stories in more than 25 U.S. states. The gra...

fij.org

Cara Kelly@carakelly.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A few weeks ago I stepped away from @thebarbedwire.com It feels fitting to have edited this last guest essay on Texas’ abortion bans — my first stories for TBW were on the same topic, and so were some of the best I got the privilege to edit. thebarbedwire.com/2026/05/29/k...

Ken Paxton, ‘Champion for the Unborn,’ Would Have Let Our Babies Die. We Know Firsthand.

Texas’ attorney general said we weren’t dead enough for an abortion — that our doctors were right to deny us care.

thebarbedwire.com

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 5mo ago

“We have to travel outside the country sometimes to feel accepted and to feel ourselves,” Fabelina Guerra, a board member with the Gateway City Pride Association in Laredo, told The Barbed Wire. thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/18/a...

At Least 15 LGBTQ+ Businesses Have Quietly Disappeared in Texas

Since 2020, at least 15 LGBTQ gathering spaces — bars, clubs, Pride associations, and restaurants — across Texas have closed their doors.

thebarbedwire.com

Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · 5mo ago

It’s not just that it’s Texas — because in 2020 we had 15 more LGBTQ+ businesses than we do now. It’s the economy, it’s tariffs, and it’s increased discrimination under the leadership of the federal government and the Texas lawmakers pushing anti-DEI initiatives.

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 5mo ago

“We have to travel outside the country sometimes to feel accepted and to feel ourselves,” Fabelina Guerra, a board member with the Gateway City Pride Association in Laredo, told The Barbed Wire. thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/18/a...

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 5mo ago

“Search and rescue in the United States is 99% volunteer,” Chris Boyer, the executive director at the National Association for Search and Rescue, told The Barbed Wire in an interview days after the July 4, 2025 Central Texas flood disaster. thebarbedwire.com/2025/07/12/t...

In Natural Disasters, Community Matters More Than Ever. ‘Help’s Not Coming from the Government.’

Thanks to climate change, harsher flood events will require more rescue operations, resources, and rebuilding. But the current system “offloads everything to the volunteer,” says Chris Boyer, the exec...

thebarbedwire.com

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 5mo ago

Ad spending in the Texas Republican race has stacked up to $98.9 million, according to AdImpact, which noted that GOP spending alone would be one of the most expensive Senate primaries on record. We’re here to break down the numbers for you. thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/03/t...

Texas’ Senate Primary Race Is the Most Expensive on Record, Ad Tracking Report Says

A staggering $128 million has been spent in Texas’ Senate primary, per an ad tracking report, thanks mostly to John Cornyn and Republicans.

thebarbedwire.com

Cara Kelly@carakelly.bsky.social · 5mo ago

dove into the $ in Texas’ Senate primary, here are a few tidbits: - Republicans have spent $98.9 million - mostly for Cornyn - bc establishment GOP thinks Paxton would lose to Dems in the general - Paxton lost a big donor - Talarico ad spends are 4x Crockett’s thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/03/t...

Texas’ Senate Primary Race Is the Most Expensive on Record, Ad Tracking Report Says

A staggering $128 million has been spent in Texas’ Senate primary, per an ad tracking report, thanks mostly to John Cornyn and Republicans.

thebarbedwire.com

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 5mo ago

The Texas Democratic primary for U.S. Senate has been a wild ride. The Barbed Wire will unpack it all while we all wait for the results to roll in, from the primary’s historic turnout to the scandals (with a keen eye on fact-checking).

WATCH: We're Hosting a Live Stream Panel of Experts, Creators & Journalists to Talk About the Texas Democratic Senate Primary on Election Day
Cara Kelly@carakelly.bsky.social · 5mo ago

What did we learn from data from a White Supremacist dating site? A lot, actually. @stevanzetti.bsky.social went beyond individual Texas accounts, bringing in his knowledge of ultra conservative politics right now. Also tried to answer questions we’ve gotten on past reporting about fascists etc.

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 5mo ago

EXCLUSIVE: @stevanzetti.bsky.social and @kylebazgo.bsky.social reviewed data from at least 300 Texas residents who created accounts on a white supremacist dating site with an eye for what it could illuminate about the state of extremism. thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/24/3...

Patrick Monaghan@pkmonaghan.bsky.social · 6mo ago

A college friend, Tony, never came back to school after the freshman winter break, because he was doing this in a parking lot and slammed into the bumper of a parked car. He was permanently brain damaged and disabled. Do not do this.

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 6mo ago

Videos of young adults, giddy at the rare snowfall and ice-covered roads, were all over Instagram and TikTok feeds this weekend. Some were taking part in a dangerous trend — “truck sledding” — or dragging a person behind a vehicle on icy roads. thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...

Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Kaleb Blain, a 35-year old trans man and pitmaster, was fired from the legendary BBQ restaurant Terry Black’s after he was doxxed over Charlie Kirk comments. Now he’s running his own barbecue spot in Waco: “I feel better than I ever have.” By @kitoconnell.com thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/21/b...

‘Barbecue Saved My Life’: Meet Waco’s Antifascist Transgender Pitmaster

Kaleb Blain went from the fast-paced world of 911 dispatching to the “low and slow” of BBQ, where he’s built a following.

thebarbedwire.com

Mother Jones@motherjones.com · 7mo ago

After federal agents shot another protester in Minnesota, Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act. If he follows through, our democracy is in extreme danger, according to a retired brigadier general. From our friends at @revealnews.org:

"Madness": A retired brigadier general slams Trump’s military power grab

On this week’s “More To The Story,” a former National Guard officer discusses the perils of politicizing the military and why the Insurrection Act needs reform.

motherjones.com

Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · 7mo ago

A lot of new nuggets in here, including the context in which ICE arrested a 5-year-old U.S. citizen and deported her to Honduras: Austin’s police chief says the girl’s mom called cops after a man she had an expired restraining order against showed up at their home.

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 7mo ago

“How do we live alongside a violent, paranoid agency that sees everyday people as a threat, under an administration that will tell us not to believe what we see when they step out of line?” asks contributor @catcardenas.bsky.social thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/15/a...

Cara Kelly@carakelly.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Cat really got me with this line: “It’s hard to know where to begin, how to even start parsing through the near-constant deluge of tragedy, misinformation, and violence that has become part and parcel of life under ICE.”

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 7mo ago

“How do we live alongside a violent, paranoid agency that sees everyday people as a threat, under an administration that will tell us not to believe what we see when they step out of line?” asks contributor @catcardenas.bsky.social thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/15/a...

Cara Kelly@carakelly.bsky.social · 7mo ago

update on Orange Julius! also hopefully a dose of vitamin People Are Fundamentally Good which we all need right now

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 7mo ago

NEW: “They really rely on those cats for emotional support,” said Kitti Reed, whose mother is incarcerated at the Patrick O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville. “These animals don’t see their mistakes. They’re just a constant.” Latest from @briangaar.bsky.social — thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/13/i...

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 7mo ago

9-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped on this day 30 years ago, and 1,200 missing kids have been saved by the Amber Alert system made in her honor. But her murder remains unsolved. Still, police are hopeful they can one day crack it using DNA testing. thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/13/a...

The Case That Inspired the Amber Alert Was Never Solved. Will There Ever Be Justice for 9-Year-Old Amber Hagerman?

The case that inspired the Amber Alert was never solved. Could modern technology finally help crack Amber Hagerman's tragic case?

thebarbedwire.com

Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · 7mo ago

“She’s still taking care of little children like she did her younger brother,” said Amber’s mother, Donna Williams, on the 25th anniversary of the kidnapping. “I’m very, very proud of my daughter.”

The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 7mo ago

9-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped on this day 30 years ago, and 1,200 missing kids have been saved by the Amber Alert system made in her honor. But her murder remains unsolved. Still, police are hopeful they can one day crack it using DNA testing. thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/13/a...

Olivia Messer@oliviamesser.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Our first investigation of the year just landed, and it’s a doozy. More than 1,000 children across Texas were affected by this. Through interviews with more than a dozen former employees and the review of internal documents and court records, The Barbed Wire found:

After funding was restored, RAICES voluntarily declined the $19.5 million annual contract from the federal government, which accounted for roughly half of the organization’s more than $43 million budget in 2024. More than 1,000 youth across Texas were affected by the decision to effectively end the children’s program, according to a recording of a February staff meeting. RAICES had child clients sign acknowledgements that the organization’s attorneys were withdrawing from their cases because of a loss of funding that was “beyond the control of RAICES,” even after a court order that restored the funding. After the funding was restored, RAICES falsely represented the same explanation to employees and immigration courts, including in court motions into November of this year. Many former employees said they felt misled by executives at the organization about the program shuttering and some said they felt compelled to mislead their own clients. Such representations, mandated by RAICES directors, could have violated Texas’ legal ethics code.
The Barbed Wire@thebarbedwire.com · 7mo ago

EXCLUSIVE: RAICES built a national reputation on the belief that no kid should go to court alone. Then it declined a $19.5 million federal contract and misrepresented the reason for dropping child clients, former staffers told contributor @paulflahive.bsky.social thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/07/r...