COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing in Texas nursing homes, and nearly half of workers are unvaccinated
Texas ranks 46th nationally for vaccinated nursing home residents and 33rd for vaccinated nursing home staff. Full Story
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Colleen DeGuzman
Reporting Fellow
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Colleen DeGuzman is an Austin reporting fellow and recent graduate of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she studied mass communication with a concentration in print journalism. Colleen worked as a reporter and designer at The Monitor in McAllen, Texas, and has had internships at NBC's Weekend Today and Ashoka's Washington bureau. She has also worked as a stringer for the New York Times and is an NPR Next Generation Radio mentee.
Past Contributions
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![Rosa Ramos and Rebecca Pargas watch television while drinking coffee at the Amistad Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Apr…]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas cancer patients and people with PTSD will soon be able to join state’s expanded medical marijuana program
A new law going into effect Sept. 1 will also increase the cap of THC in medical marijuana to 1%. Full Story
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![David Bass at his home in Killeen on Aug. 8, 2021. “In the next year, we hope that more municipalities decide to stop wastin…]()
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San Antonio Democrat Leo Pacheco reportedly planning to resign from Texas House before second term ends
Pacheco, who was first elected in 2018, announced that he will be resigning as a representative to teach public administration at San Antonio College, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Full Story
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![State Rep. Leo Pacheco, D-San Antonio, gives a surprising look to Speaker Phelan during the hour session on April 22, 2021.]()
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Local mask mandates pop up in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning COVID-19 restrictions
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is the most recent official to defy the governor’s order. He announced Monday that the city’s nearly 22,000 city employees will be required to mask up inside city buildings where social distancing is not doable. Full Story
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![Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announces Troy Finner as the new chief of the Houston Police Department on March 18, 2021, at…]()
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COVID-19 is spreading fast among Texas’ unvaccinated. Here’s who they are and where they live.
There are two main groups within Texas’ unvaccinated population: white conservatives in rural areas, and Hispanic and Black people in big cities. Full Story
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![Diana Phipps pulls up doses of the Pfizer vaccine into syringes at a clinic organized by the Travis County Mobile Vaccine Co…]()
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As Texas COVID-19 cases surge again, some local officials urge everyone to wear masks and unvaccinated residents to stay home
Officials in Dallas, Harris and Travis counties want residents to take stronger precautions as the delta variant drives an increase in coronavirus infections across Texas. Full Story
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![A sign at Big Top, a candy store in Austin, tells patrons that masks are required for entry on July 19, 2021.]()
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Texas has seen nearly 9,000 COVID-19 deaths since February. All but 43 were unvaccinated people.
Preliminary data shows 99.5% of COVID-related deaths in Texas were among unvaccinated people, according to the Department of State Health Services. Full Story
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![Long lines of drivers wait for hours to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Fair Park vaccination site in Dallas. Feb. 8, 20…]()
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Rising share of coronavirus tests coming back positive in Texas fuels fears of another wave
State officials and virologists say the highly contagious delta variant is causing the rise — and is particularly impacting unvaccinated people. Full Story
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![A sign in South Austin asks customers to wear a mask inside ta business on March 3, 2021.]()
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Austin announces stricter coronavirus protocols for unvaccinated residents as cases increase. But it can’t legally enforce them.
The city’s return to Stage 3 risk-based guidelines marks the first time a major Texas city has reversed direction in the trend toward normalcy. But others are also reporting surges in cases. Full Story
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![A COVID-19 safety sign in Austin on June 24, 2020.]()
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Texans, where’s your Democratic lawmaker?
Here’s a list of the Texas Democrats who left the state in an effort to block GOP voting legislation. Full Story
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![An empty House floor the day after Texas Democrats left the state to break quorum over a Republican-led voting restrictions …]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Houston-area COVID-19 outbreak — including delta variant cases — should be a wake-up call for Texans, health expert warns
The latest, most transmissible coronavirus variant is spreading rampantly in countries with low vaccination rates, and health experts are bracing for impact in Texas. Full Story
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Special legislative session is packed with controversy but not clarity, Tribune reporters say
The list of questions is as long as the list of issues for the new session. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott wants to build a border wall. South Texas landowners are divided over whether they want it.
Some landowners who sued the Trump administration say they aren't "just going to roll over and give up" now that Abbott has taken on a border wall project. Others say a wall is needed to protect people and property on the border. Full Story
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![Gerardo Vargas stands on his favorite cliff overlooking the Rio Grande River on June 23, 2021.]()
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For immigrants with protected status in Texas, U.S. Supreme Court ruling about green card ineligibility sent a "shockwave"
The high court ruled that immigrants granted protection from deportation due to conditions in their homeland are not eligible for green cards if they entered the country illegally. Full Story
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![Migrants walk from a DHS tent facility in front of the McAllen bus station to Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Ce…]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Health experts talk about what Texas did right and wrong in the pandemic — and what it should do differently next time
Three medical professionals discuss what they have learned about where Texas is — and where it is going — in the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Story
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State Rep. James White, an East Texas Republican, won't seek another term in Texas House
White, chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, has served in the lower chamber since 2011. Full Story
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![Rep. James White, R-Hillster, testifies regarding HB 1708, legislation he proposed relating to an electronic voting system …]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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