A Texas university removed its unique public billboards after students used them to share thoughts on Gaza war
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.
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
โProtect the rights and freedoms of all Texansโ: Gov. Abbott, AG Paxton to block Dallas County Judgeโs mask mandate
Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday the filing of a mandamus petition the 5th Court of Appeals to strike down the actions by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, according to a release.
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.
Texas tops 10 million total virus vaccinations administered
(AP Photo/LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas (AP) โ More than 10 million coronavirus vaccinations have been administered in Texas, and more than 1 million more doses are expected in the state next week, the stateโs health department said Saturday. More than 3.5 million people in the state are fully vaccinated according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. On Monday, Texas will begin making the vaccine available to everyone in the state aged 16 and older. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows there have been 47,947 COVID-19 related deaths in Texas, the third most in the United States. AdThe state health department has reported more than 2.7 million total virus cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
Progress in the fight against the coronavirus is coming, but Texas is a long way from herd immunity
The mythic idea of โherd immunityโ 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. AdโThe key here is that you really want to vaccinate as many people as you can to strive for herd immunity,โ he said, โbut we still have more information that needs to be discovered before we say, โOK. 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.
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 TribNeed 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.
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 Texas' worst hot spots. Local leaders say it's 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 needs more poll workers this year because of the pandemic. Here's how to become one.
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas TribuneKathy 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.
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 women sue city, county over Texas anti-rioting law
DALLAS Three women arrested amid protests against racism and police violence sued the city of Dallas and Dallas County on Tuesday in a challenge to the Texas anti-rioting law. He died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck even after he said he couldn't breathe and stopped moving. The women were highlighted in a Dallas Morning News story among hundreds of people who police arrested during protests last month but later declined to charge. Their class action suit claims police selectively enforced Texas' anti-rioting law in a way that targeted activities protected by the First Amendment. The women also request unspecified other relief.The Dallas city attorney and the Dallas County judges offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
How effective are COVID-19 threat level charts in other cities and states?
HOUSTON โ โWe may be approaching the precipice, the precipice of disaster.โThose were the ominous words Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo used Thursday while unveiled a new COVID-19 threat level system. But Hidalgo warned if current trends continue, she may elevate the threat level to red, which means a recommendation that everyone stay home. Right now, that countyโs threat level is red due its current COVID-19 situation. The state of Utah has been using a colored COVID-19 system since April, but individual counties can be at different levels. Hidalgo said she assesses the threat level every day.
Coronavirus in Texas: No consensus on whether El Paso is ready to reopen
Megan Hicks for The Texas TribuneWhat 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.
Attorney general says Dallas County judge canโt regulate pawn shop operations
โWhile local officials possess certain limited emergency powers, those powers do not authorize a county judge to amend state law that the Legislature has expressly removed from local control,โ Paxton explained in his nonbinding opinion. โTo the extent that the Dallas County Order attempts to do so, a court would likely find it invalid and unenforceable.โThe restrictions on the Dallas-area stores were included in Jenkinsโ amended order last month. Jenkins said the pawn shops could resume operations if they followed consumer-protection orders and mandated social distancing, The Dallas Morning News reported. But Paxtonโs opinion concluded by saying that the local order is superseded by Abbottโs directive on store operations. โ Juliรกn Aguilar
Dallas County judge opposes governorโs plan to reopen and says residents should follow science and stay home
(CNN) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the state will begin to reopen Friday from the coronavirus pandemic, but a Texas judge told CNN he hopes residents will not take him up on it. "Just because something can be open doesn't mean it should be open," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins told CNN's Erin Burnett on "Burnett Outfront." "We will open in a way that uses safe standards -- safe standards for businesses, for their employees as well as for their customers. "What we know is that when you look at other science-based plans, movie theaters are not one of the first things that open," Jenkins said.
Dallas County expected to order residents to โshelter-in-placeโ as coronavirus cases there spread
(Texas Tribune) โ Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins was expected to issue a countywide shelter-in-place order on Sunday, marking the most expansive action yet from a Texas official to combat the new coronavirus continuing to spread across the state. "All individuals currently living within Dallas County are ordered to shelter at their place of residence," the order reads. Local health officials reported that 131 county residents have tested positive as of Sunday morning. The Texas State Department of Health Services reported 30 cases there as of noon Sunday. Abbott said that the state's numbers do not include "presumed positive" cases as an explanation for why DSHS' daily figures of positive cases in Texas have consistently lagged other disclosures and reports.