Latest Contributions

• Austin’s homeless residents left with nowhere to go amid camping crackdown

  By Joshua Fechter Oct. 6, 2021

  Months after Austin voters reinstated the city’s public camping ban, authorities are clearing many of the largest encampments. Their former residents are going “anywhere it’s safe and out of sight, out of mind,” one man said. Full Story 

• With Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s blessing, lawmakers fast-track property tax cut proposal

  By Joshua Fechter Sept. 24, 2021

  Tax relief for property owners joins a packed to-do list for Texas lawmakers — which includes redistricting, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and a spending plan for $16 billion in federal stimulus dollars. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott and local officials are fighting several legal battles over mask mandates. Here’s what you need to know.

  By Joshua Fechter Updated: Sept. 28, 2021

  The Texas fight over mask mandates is confusing. We’re here to help. Full Story 

• A Texas school district doesn’t require masks. The state is suing the district anyway.

  By Joshua Fechter Sept. 14, 2021

  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued nine more school districts over their masking rules. One says it doesn’t mandate them. Another says it doesn’t enforce mask-wearing at Paxton’s request. Full Story 

• Texas sees limited damage in wake of Tropical Storm Nicholas as storm weakens and takes aim at Louisiana

  By Erin Douglas and Joshua Fechter Sept. 14, 2021

  “I think we fared well,” said one official in Matagorda County, where Nicholas made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Tuesday morning. Full Story 

• Texas sues six school districts that issued mask mandates in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order

  By Joshua Fechter and Brian Lopez Updated: Sept. 10, 2021

  Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have long threatened to sue school districts that defy Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates. On Friday, Paxton made good on that threat. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott slams Biden administration over vaccine mandate for employers

  By Joshua Fechter and Neelam Bohra Updated: Sept. 9, 2021

  Abbott has long resisted making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory. There may be legal precedent on Biden’s side. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott wanted state lawmakers to ban mask mandates in public schools. They didn’t.

  By Joshua Fechter Sept. 7, 2021

  As Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to punish any school district that defied Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, Republican legislators were largely indifferent on the matter. Full Story 

• The nationwide ban on evictions is over. Here’s what Texas renters need to know.

  By Joshua Fechter Sept. 2, 2021

  There’s $1 billion in rental assistance available to struggling Texas tenants. But for many renters, getting the help they need depends on where they live. Full Story 

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott can’t enforce mask mandate ban, he argues in court

  By Joshua Fechter Aug. 27, 2021

  Abbott says local district attorneys have the authority to enforce his ban on local mask mandates. But urban DAs are unlikely to go after their fellow local officials. Full Story