Masks required, COVID-19 tests encouraged for opening day in the Texas House next month
The House will limit attendance for what is typically a crowded day at the Capitol when family and friends attend the opening ceremonies. Full Story
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![The Texas State Capitol on May 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Ahead of the holiday season, Texas' ICU capacity is the lowest since the start of the pandemic
Intensive care units were full in at least 28 Texas hospitals for the week ending Nov. 27, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Full Story
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
As COVID-19 deaths mount in El Paso, the pandemic is robbing some mourners of traditional funerals
Rules preventing large gatherings and the loss of work in a COVID-19-battered economy has forced many El Pasoans to surrender traditional funeral rites as the pandemic claims more victims in their city. Full Story
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![The Restlawn Memorial Park cemetery in El Paso on Dec. 5, 2020.]()
Credit: Joel Angel Juárez for The Texas Tribune -
COVID-19 vaccine doses are arriving in Texas, giving weary health care workers hope after months of peril
From the Rio Grande Valley to the Texas Panhandle and from the Gulf Coast to West Texas, some 110 medical facilities are slated to receive the first allocation of 1.4 million doses earmarked for Texas. Full Story
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![A vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is seen ahead of being administered at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland Dec. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Liam McBurney/Pool via REUTERS -
Analysis: Texans might be ready for casinos, but lawmakers aren’t convinced
Casinos are making a serious run at Texas lawmakers, hoping to open up to five gaming destinations in a state that has resisted them for years. But gaming in Texas hasn’t been expanded in almost three decades. Full Story
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![A woman is seen reflected wearing a protective face mask, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, outside a closed poker room in a casino in New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2020.]()
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El Paso Mayor Dee Margo loses reelection bid to Oscar Leeser
Margo told reporters he doubted any other mayor has had to endure the crises he has battled throughout his last term, and was hopeful the community would realize he did “the best I could to lead.” Full Story
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![Former El paso Mayor Oscar Leeser.]()
Credit: Courtesy of El Paso Inc. -
U.S. Supreme Court throws out Texas lawsuit contesting 2020 election results in four battleground states
The lawsuit challenged election results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The high court said Texas did not have standing to bring the case. Full Story
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Long wait times and broken machines: Nothing could stop this Dallas voter from casting a ballot
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, Gwendolyn McMillan Lawe reflects on the challenges she and other Black and Latino voters faced at the polls in November. Full Story
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![Gwendolyn McMillan Lawe.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Gwendolyn McMillan Lawe -
In rush of federal executions, Brandon Bernard and Alfred Bourgeois were put to death for Texas murders
Bernard and Bourgeois were the ninth and 10th people executed by President Donald Trump’s administration this year. Full Story
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![Interior of execution chamber.]()
Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
After an indoor reception for Texas education officials, many attendees weren't told of COVID-19 diagnoses
Within two weeks of an informal reception honoring retiring State Board of Education members, at least three members tested positive for COVID-19. No one told many of the other attendees or the hotel. Full Story
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![The DoubleTree Suites in Austin. Dec. 10, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Three indicted in Harris County on allegations of trying to illegally influence state House races
The indictments announced Friday were tied to races in Texas House Districts 132 and 142. Full Story
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![Jolie McCullough, reporter for The Texas Tribune, moderated the “Criminal Justice Reform We Can All Agree On” panel featuring Mark Gonzalez, Marc Levin, Joe Moody, Kim Ogg and Vikrant Reddy at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2017.]()
Credit: Kelly West for The Texas Tribune -
Hit hard by the coronavirus, El Pasoans will decide a mayoral runoff where the central focus has been handling the pandemic
Incumbent Dee Margo is considered the underdog as he fights for a second term leading the city in a Saturday runoff against his predecessor, Oscar Leeser, that has been dominated by management of the latest crisis. Full Story
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![El Paso Mayor Dee Margo is fighting for a second term in a Saturday runoff against his predecessor, Oscar Leeser.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Nine months on the pandemic’s front line have crushed Texas health care workers’ spirits and killed their colleagues
The virus has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 U.S. health care workers; others could face lasting mental scars. It’s “the time when we’re needed most,” one doctor said, “and we’re burned out.” Full Story
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![Amy Jones-Fitz holds a portrait of Dr. Juan Fitz at their home in Wolfforth on Dec. 1, 2020.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Once accused of cheating in an election by Donald Trump, Ted Cruz is now a leading voice casting doubt on 2020's results
On Tuesday, Trump asked Cruz to argue the Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the election results in four states if it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court Full Story
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![U.S. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz applauds as President Donald Trump displays a presidential permit for energy development that he signed during a tour of the Double Eagle Energy Oil Rig in Midland on July 29, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria -
With election lawsuit, Ken Paxton — like Donald Trump — makes a Hail Mary play
The long-shot lawsuit may be Trump’s last chance to contest the election. For Paxton, it’s helping resuscitate a political career in peril. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton receives an applause as he is sworn into office as Attorney General. Paxton replaced outgoing Attorney General Greg Abbott who was sworn in as Governor in 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas students will still take STAAR tests in 2021, but schools won't be rated on them
State lawmakers had previously asked the Texas Education Agency to seek a federal waiver to cancel the standardized tests. Full Story
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![Desks are spaced out in a classroom at Ott Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Texas politicians flock to Georgia to aid in fight for U.S. Senate majority
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz; Texas GOP Chairman Allen West; U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston; and former presidential candidate Julián Castro have all traveled to the state — or plan to soon — to campaign in the Jan. 5 runoffs. Full Story
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![Senator Kelly Loeffler, R-Georgia, and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, participate in a debate in Atlanta for the U.S. Senate seat representing the state. Dec. 6, 2020.]()
Credit: Ben Gray/Pool via REUTERS -
UT-Austin's final football game canceled after 9 players, 13 staff members test positive for coronavirus
“We are pausing all football team activities and shutting down football training facilities to get a COVID-19 spread among our football program under control,” Chris Del Conte, UT-Austin athletic director, said in a statement. Full Story
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![The University of Texas football team celebrates after defeating the Utah Utes at the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Erich Schlegel via USA TODAY Sports -
More than 315,000 gig workers and independent contractors in Texas will lose unemployment relief without action from Congress
Although normally ineligible, gig workers and independent contractors qualified for unemployment aid during the pandemic. The assistance is set to expire at the end of December. Full Story
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![San Marcos Barbershop at The Square in San Marcos on April 10, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Ken Paxton, Texas’ top lawyer, plays for an audience of one
The attorney general’s challenge to the election results in four other states baffles many lawyers, but President Donald Trump likes it. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton greets President Donald Trump as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick follows at Austin Bergstrom International Airport in 2019.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS
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