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Data Journalist

Stephanie Lamm

Stephanie Lamm is a data journalist for the Houston Chronicle. She looks for stories in datasets and public records. She also creates interactive graphics for online stories. Stephanie previously worked for the Dallas Morning News and attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Stories By Stephanie Lamm

Reward raised to $50,000 for 'very dangerous' escaped murderer

The reward for information leading to the capture of a man who escaped state custody increased to $50,000 as authorities wrapped up the third day of a manhunt Saturday. Stephanie Lamm

Texas prisons cancel visitation following escape

More than a third of Texas criminal justice facilities have canceled visitation after an incarcerated man escaped during a bus transport in Leon County. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced that visiting hours for select units... Stephanie Lamm

2 children killed in Galveston house fire

Two young children died in a house fire in Galveston early Saturday. More than 20 firefighters and four engines responded to a fire at a garage apartment near 21st Street and Avenue K in Galveston around 2:40 a.m. Saturday. The children's... Stephanie Lamm

How to implement an effective school mental health program

A Houston Chronicle investigation found that at no point since 2013 did any Texas school district have the nationally or state recommended student-to-provider ratios in four positions that are key to providing mental health support for children -... Alex Stuckey, Stephanie Lamm

How this Texas school district saves lives of mentally ill kids

Sanger ISD's Challenge Program kids are the so-called worst of the worst behaved. But it's a place where they are listened to and respected. Like other school districts in Texas, Sanger ISD has struggled with no funding from the state for mental... By Alex Stuckey and Stephanie Lamm

She thought her son would be safer in jail. Then he was killed.

Fred Harris, who was 19 and had an IQ of 62, had been struggling for years with depression and anxiety, unable to cope with the sudden nastiness of his peers and not enough mental health resources in high school. He started threatening suicide.... By Alex Stuckey and Stephanie Lamm

See if your kid's school has enough mental health providers

A recent Houston Chronicle investigation found that at no point since 2013 did any Texas school district have the professionally recommended student-to-provider ratio for all four of the following mental health care positions: counselors, social... Alex Stuckey, Stephanie Lamm, Alexandra Kanik

Texas schools don't have enough mental health providers

Half of all mental illness begins by age 14. And the U.S. Department of Education highlights school counselors, social workers, nurses and psychologists as critical in identifying mental health concerns in children. But at no point since 2013 did... Stephanie Lamm, Alex Stuckey

A sculpture honoring a local Latina musical artist has new home

The first sculpture honoring a Latina woman in Houston has a new home at The Center for Pursuit in the East End. Stephanie Lamm

Police seize 200 roosters, some worth $10K, in cockfighting raid

Deputies reported seizing $20,000 and several vehicles during the raid that followed a months-long investigation into organized criminal activity. Stephanie Lamm

Interactive maps, charts show COVID's spread across Houston

To keep you up-to-date with the ever-growing number of COVID-19 cases in Houston, Texas and the rest of the world, we've come up with a few easy-to-use interactives. Jordan Ray-Hart, Stephanie Lamm, Daniel Simmons-Ritchie, Kirkland An

Market makes it easy to ‘Buy Black’ during Black History Month

When Tope Adubi-Ashcroft moved to Houston from Nigeria in 2019, she wanted to start a skincare and cosmetics company with ingredients and fragrances inspired by locations in Africa. Her company, Kilali Cosmetics, was just a month old when the... By Stephanie Lamm

225 felines square off at hair-raising Houston Cat Club fundraiser

Hundreds of cat carriers filled the Hilton Houston North ballroom this weekend for one of the largest cat shows in the country. About 225 cats representing 43 breeds are judged by the Cat Fanciers’ Association at the Houston Cat Club’s 69th... By Stephanie Lamm

These Texas church homes don't qualify for tax break, but you pay

Texas makes it easy for religious organizations to secure a 100-percent property tax break on their clergy members' homes known as parsonages. The law contains only one hard-and-fast limit. Eric Dexheimer, Jay Root, Stephanie Lamm

Map: Tax-free clergy homes across Texas and how much they cost

Religious organizations own tax-free homes worth at least a billion dollars in Texas thanks to an obscure state law. Here are some examples of the homes. Jay Root, Stephanie Lamm, Eric Dexheimer

Obscure law lets religious leaders live in lavish, tax-free homes

In many places across Texas, clergy residences known as parsonages are extravagant estates nestled in the state's most exclusive enclaves. But unlike their wealthy neighbors, they pay nothing in taxes. Eric Dexheimer, Jay Root, Stephanie Lamm

How we found the posh, tax-free homes of Texas religious leaders

Review the documents the Houston Chronicle used to dig into the parsonage tax break as part of our Unfair Burden investigative series. Jay Root, Stephanie Lamm, Eric Dexheimer

Texas COVID Map: See the latest numbers on our state tracker

Track the spread of coronavirus cases in the Houston area and Texas and get live updates with the Houston Chronicle's map, one of the only comprehensive case trackers in the region. Jordan Ray-Hart, Stephanie Lamm, Daniel Simmons-Ritchie, Kirkland An

Houston nonprofit seeks to keep Second Ward residents in their homes

Houston nonprofit seeks to keep Second Ward residents in their homes By Stephanie Lamm

Corporations are saving $10B on taxes, and you're paying for it

The biggest corporate tax giveaway in Texas saves companies billions. But would they come to Texas anyway? Mike Morris, John Tedesco, Stephanie Lamm