A Texas university removed its unique public billboards after students used them to share thoughts on Gaza war
The The University of Texas at Dallas replaced three boulders โ known as the Spirit Rocks โ with trees, citing โextended political discourse.โ Students say the quirky public square is a frequent venue for political messaging.
Texas Supreme Court says Gov. Greg Abbottโs COVID ban on local mask rules was lawful
Several of Texasโ largest cities sought to put in place mask requirements, which Gov. Greg Abbott overturned. The ruling is a legal win for Republicans in Austin their ongoing symbolic fight with cities, often run by Democrats.
Texas voter turnout fell from 2018. It was still higher than other midterms.
In Texas, 45.7% of the 17.7 million registered voters cast ballots in the 2022 midterm election. Thatโs 7.3 percentage points lower than the stateโs total turnout in 2018 but higher than in every other midterm election in the last 20 years.
DA: Texas death row inmate should get new trial over judgeโs bias
A Jewish death row inmate who was part of a gang of prisoners who fatally shot a police officer in 2000 after they had escaped is one step closer to getting a new trial after prosecutors have agreed with defense claims that the judge who presided over his case held antisemitic views.
Many voting locations throughout Texas did not open because of staff shortages
In some voting locations where a partyโs appointed polling judge didnโt show up, election officials allowed the other partyโs judge to operate both partiesโ voting machines in an effort to keep the polling place running.
2021 in photos: Texans navigated COVID-19, weathered power outages and witnessed an increase in border crossings
As 2021 comes to a close, hereโs a look back at just some of our favorite images captured by Texas Tribune photographers all over the state โ and across the nation โ to tell the stories of Texans in a challenging year.
Opportunity was snatched away from Dallas County Latino communities when Texas Republicans redrew congressional maps
Dallas-area Latinos hoped their growing numbers would finally translate into political clout this year through the creation of a new congressional district anchored by their communities. Instead, their neighborhoods were splintered between numerous white-majority districts.
Texas county officials call election audits an unnecessary partisan ploy while voicing confidence in 2020 results
Officials in some counties targeted by audits accuse Republican Texas leaders of pandering to conspiracy theorists and undermining faith in elections. They also say the secretary of stateโs office hasnโt provided details on what the audits entail.
Allen West, GOP candidate for governor, calls wifeโs DWI arrest in Dallas โinsidiousโ
Angela Graham-West, wife of GOP gubernatorial candidate Allen West, was arrested by Dallas Police Friday night for allegedly driving while intoxicated. Allen West said she hadnโt been drinking, that her three-month-old grandson was in the car with her, and called the arrest โinsidious.โ
Several local mask mandates in Texas allowed for now as legal challenges to Gov. Greg Abbottโs ban mount
COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are pushing back against Gov. Greg Abbottโs ban on mask mandates. Hereโs the latest.
What you need to know about the latest COVID-19 surge and how to stay safe
COVID-19 cases have been increasing in Texas and nationally โ mostly among unvaccinated people โ as the highly contagious delta variant has become dominant. Here's what that means for Texans, both vaccinated and unvaccinated.
Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff visiting Texas to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations
Their Texas swing is part of a larger effort by senior administration officials who are fanning out across the country this week to encourage vaccinations ahead of the administrationโs self-imposed goal of hitting a 70% countrywide vaccination rate by July 4.
FEMA vaccination mega-sites playing catch-up
(AP Photo/LM Otero, File)AUSTIN, Texas โ Federal and military crews began playing catch-up with second-dose COVID-19 vaccinations in Texas interrupted by last weekโs cold wave. On Friday, they move on to a vaccination mega-site at Globe Life Field in Arlington. FEMA is also administering second doses at NRG Stadium in Houston to those signed up for them. The newly reported cases and deaths pushed the total number of Texas cases reported during the pandemic to 2,613,792 and the stateโs pandemic death toll to almost 41,980, according to statistics compiled by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The state estimated that 185,190 COVID-19 cases are active, with 6,738 cases needing hospitalization.
Texas likely to partner with FEMA for vaccine โsuper sitesโ
(AP Photo/LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas โ Texas will likely partner with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to open two vaccination โsupersitesโ in Dallas and Houston, and more could be on the way, Gov. The mutated version of the virus spreads more easily, and health officials worry vaccines could be less effective against it. The governor said adding more sites is possible, but his office did not immediately release further details, including whether that meant Texas would get more vaccine doses or if those sites would pull vaccine from other areas. AdThe announcement came one month after the first new known COVID-19 variant, one first identified in the United Kingdom, was identified in Houston. Meantime, the Texas COVID-19 death toll rose to 38,700.
Progress in the fight against the coronavirus is coming, but Texas is a long way from herd immunity
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? The mythic idea of "herd immunity" from COVID-19 in the long journey back to normal may be out of reach for Texas any time soon, state health officials and medical experts say. โWe do not know when, or if, Texas will reach herd immunity through vaccination,โ Chief State Epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Shuford told The Texas Tribune in an emailed statement. โTherefore, you could potentially start gradually loosening up things once the pressure on the hospitals has significantly decreased even in the absence of full herd immunity." At that point, Abbott added, the state can start โvery quicklyโ making vaccines available to a broader swath of the population.
Texasโ COVID-19 hospitalizations falling from record highs
Howard Holland, 82, receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Wes Vaughn at the Dallas County mass vaccination site at Fair Park Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas โ The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Texas continues to fall from record highs as the state nears the end of what has been its deadliest month of the pandemic. State health officials Monday reported fewer than 13,000 people were being treated for the virus in Texas hospitals, marking the seventh consecutive day of declining patient loads. More than 34,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Texas, the second-most in the nation behind California. The U.S. is recording just under 3,100 deaths a day on average, down from more than 3,350 less than two weeks ago.
Dan Patrick asks Texas to revise coronavirus vaccine distribution plan as eligible people experience frustration trying to locate a dose
Long lines of people waited to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at Fair Park, where Dallas County opened its first รฌmegaรฎ vaccination site. (Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Trib)Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Greg Abbott praised the stateโs vaccine rollout as officials warned the COVID-19 pandemic is at its worst here. Texas is outpacing other states in administering the vaccine, last week topping 1 million total doses administered. In the letter to Garcia, Patrick thanked Abbott for his โleadershipโ on the stateโs vaccine distribution plan and hailed state officials for doing a โgood jobโ on vaccine rollout โ โbetter than most states,โ Patrick said.
Bexar Countyโs 11% increase in home sales in 2020 surpassed other major Texas counties
SAN ANTONIO โ Editorโs note: This story was published through a partnership between the San Antonio Business Journal and KSAT. Bexar County saw the greatest percentage increase in home sales of the four largest Texas counties last year, according to the latest multiple listing system report from the San Antonio Board of Realtors. Bexar County saw a 11.2% increase in home sales in 2020 โ 27,855 homes last year compared to 24,936 in 2019. Travis County saw a 3.2% increase; Harris County saw a 6.7% increase; and Dallas County saw a 4% increase. Read more on this story at the San Antonio Business Journal.
Dallas County axes plan to prioritize vaccinating communities of color after state threatens to slash allocation
Many Dallas County seniors received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination site at Fair Park in Dallas. A divided Dallas County Commissioners Court had voted Tuesday to prioritize vaccines at its Fair Park distribution center for individuals in mostly Black and Latino neighborhoods, a reflection of increased vulnerability to the coronavirus in 11 Dallas County ZIP codes, according to the Dallas Morning News. But Texas health officials pushed back on the proposal, warning that it was โnot acceptable to [the Department of State Health Services. Her letter came after County Judge Clay Jenkins wrote to state officials asking whether the countyโs plan was permissible. The county government is responsible for just 10% of the vaccines distributed in Dallas County.
Gov. Greg Abbott allows only limited COVID-19 restrictions for Texasโ worst hot spots. Local leaders say itโs not enough.
The Dallas County health department reported 33 available intensive care beds on Sunday for the countyโs 2.6 million residents. Jenkins said most Dallas County businesses are likewise adhering to Abbottโs restrictions. But many county officials, including Jenkins, said bars are openly flouting guidelines and the TABC is not enforcing the rules. In most cases, local officials said they focus on educating wrongdoers instead of punishing them. Meanwhile, the city reported 245 people hospitalized with the virus on Sunday, down from a peak of 360 in late November but still enough to concern local health officials.
Texas woman in her 30s dies from COVID-19 after boarding flight, authorities say
Officials in Dallas County have confirmed a woman with underlying health conditions died of COVID-19 while on a commercial airplane. The woman, who was in her 30s, died after boarding a flight from Arizona to Texas, officials said Sunday. According to NBC DFW, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the woman died as the plane was parked on the apron on July 25. No further details were released, but county officials said the woman had โunderlying high-risk health conditions.โSo far, 1,085 people in Dallas County have died from the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The countyโs risk level remains in the red zone โ a stay home, stay safe indicator โ due to an increase in hospitalized patients.
Texas needs more poll workers this year because of the pandemic. Hereโs how to become one.
Kathy Schneider worked as a Dallas County election clerk in 2018, but out of concern about the coronavirus, sheโs choosing not to this year. Texas is preparing for a general election for which election officials are expecting unprecedented turnout โ and unprecedented demand for election workers. In Hidalgo County, officials are hoping for around 800 election workers, nearly doubling the number from past general elections. Counties set their own wages for their election workers, but they have to pay at least the federal minimum wage. You can use this tool to find your countyโs contact and election worker information.
Oportun Inc. has filed nearly 10,000 lawsuits this year against lower-income Texans. This is how we found out.
The company had filed thousands of lawsuits against borrowers after they fell behind on payments, including throughout the pandemic. Yet the states justice courts are excluded from this requirement, making a complete accounting of debt lawsuits impossible unless the states 803 justice courts choose to make their records public. In eight of the nine counties, Oportun Inc. was a top filer of lawsuits during the pandemic. (In Denton County, where Oportun filed comparatively fewer suits, the company has just one retail location.) All told, Oportun filed more lawsuits than any other personal loan company and was the second-most litigious company overall during the pandemic and the first six months of the year.
Hard-hit Texas border counties urge residents to stay home
AUSTIN, Texas While some big cities in Texas are reporting signs that an alarming surge in cases of the coronavirus may be leveling off, officials in counties along the border with Mexico said Tuesday that the outlook there remains bleak. Greg Abbotts past mandates that do not allow local officials to set their own stay-at-home restrictions. Texas on Tuesday reported more than 9,300 confirmed new cases and 131 deaths, the states second deadliest day of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Texas is pressing ahead with plans for high school football this fall. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Dallas County says public and private schools cant have in-person classes through Sept. 7
Dallas County officials have prohibited schools this year from having in-person classes until Sept. 8. Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas TribuneDallas County health officials announced Friday that all public and private schools in the county must keep their classrooms closed through Sept. 7, according to a press release from Dallas County Health and Human Services. Travis County barred in-person classes in public and private schools through Labor Day. Hidalgo County health officials said Tuesday that local schools must keep their classrooms closed through Sept. 27. Houston ISD announced Wednesday that it would start the year with six weeks of virtual classes right after Labor Day, subject to change if state or local officials issue other guidance.
Dallas man charged in fatal shooting of transgender woman
DALLAS โ A Dallas man has been arrested and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Black transgender woman. Angelo Walker, 20, was taken into custody Wednesday and is being held in the Dallas County jail on a $900,000 bond. A witness told police that he watched from an apartment window as Walker chased down and repeatedly shot Richey, according to an affidavit. Richey's killing follows a string of attacks last year on transgender women in the North Texas city. In 2019, at least three Black transgender women were killed in Dallas, including Muhlaysia Booker, whose case attracted national attention.
Coronavirus in Texas: No consensus on whether El Paso is ready to reopen
What you need to know Monday:No consensus on whether El Paso is ready to reopenGov. Greg Abbott had given El Paso County and the Amarillo area two of the state's biggest recent COVID-19 hot spots a temporary reprieve from implementing Texas' next phase of reopening. While Abbott said the Amarillo area had "turned a corner," the picture in the El Paso area wasn't as clear. El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, on the other hand, said the situation in El Paso is more manageable now. Texas reported 1,949 more cases of the new coronavirus Sunday the highest increase since the state began reporting coronavirus case counts.
Authorities probing how Dallas inmate contracted COVID-19
Health officials are working to determine how an inmate who has been in the Dallas County jail since late December contracted the coronavirus, the sheriff said Wednesday. Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown said the positive test for the inmate who is in his 40s was confirmed early Wednesday morning. It is the first known case of the virus in an inmate at the jail. The man was housed in a shared pod with about 50 other inmates, the sheriff said. Brown said employees who had contact with the man who contracted the virus are being asked to self-quarantine.