Past Contributions

• "They're proud of me": With a mask and a passion to help, lawyer keeps working in Mexican border city

  By Alex Samuels, Aliyya Swaby, Cassandra Pollock, Edgar Walters, Emma Platoff, Julián Aguilar, Mitchell Ferman and Stacy Fernández April 15, 2020

  An El Paso lawyer helps migrants in Juárez. A student struggles to focus while studying at home. A food pantry worker searches for a familiar face. In this weekly series, Texans from across the state share stories about how they're navigating life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Story 

• Federal appeals court once again allows Texas to block many abortions, but allows some pregnant women to proceed

  By Emma Platoff April 10, 2020

  Abortion providers said the latest ruling from the federal appeals court leaves abortion "largely inaccessible" in Texas. Full Story 

• Some abortions may proceed in Texas during the coronavirus pandemic, federal judge rules

  By Emma Platoff Updated: April 9, 2020

  In his second rebuke to state officials, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled Thursday that certain patients may undergo abortions as Texas battles the new coronavirus. Full Story 

• In East Texas, thousands of Easter lilies with no place to go

  By Emma Platoff April 9, 2020

  Don Darby's crop bloomed perfectly this year. But with many churches closed to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, most will never leave his greenhouses. Full Story 

• Coronavirus: The pandemic through Texans’ eyes

  By Alex Samuels, Aliyya Swaby, Cassandra Pollock, Edgar Walters, Emma Platoff, Julián Aguilar, Mitchell Ferman and Stacy Fernández April 8, 2020

  Texas Tribune reporters have interviewed Texans from across the state to learn how they are confronting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read their stories of struggle and resourcefulness in the first installment of a weekly series. Full Story 

• Texas can enforce abortion ban during coronavirus pandemic, federal appeals court rules

  By Emma Platoff Updated: April 7, 2020

  Republican state officials have said barring the procedure in almost all cases is essential for preserving hospital resources during the pandemic. Abortion providers call it political opportunism — and unconstitutional. Full Story 

• Texas City nursing home residents with coronavirus being treated with unproven hydroxychloroquine drug

  By Emma Platoff and Patrick Svitek Updated: April 6, 2020

  The physician and nursing home medical director who prescribed the drug is a campaign surrogate for President Donald Trump. Full Story 

• Expecting a rush of COVID-19 patients, hospitals prepare their most important resource: health care workers

  By Emma Platoff April 2, 2020

  With elective procedures canceled, hospitals are reassigning staff. But even the best-laid plans may go awry if clinicians fall ill in large numbers. Full Story 

• As local officials shrink jail populations due to coronavirus, Abbott blocks release of some inmates who can’t pay bail

  By Jolie McCullough and Emma Platoff March 29, 2020

  Abbott's order bans release without paying bail for inmates who are accused of or have been convicted in the past of violent offenses. Defendants with cash could still walk free. Full Story 

• Out of sight, child abuse in Texas thought to be on the rise

  By Emma Platoff March 27, 2020

  Families are stuck at home, confronting stress and fear. And with many schools and day care centers shuttered, child welfare workers can't rely on teachers to help detect abuse. Full Story