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• Texas has $2 billion in COVID-19 relief funds left to spend. Advocacy groups are anxiously watching.

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Dec. 16, 2020

  The deadline to use the funds is Dec. 30. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller asked the governor to support rural hospitals and food banks. Full Story 

• An eviction moratorium expires at the end of the month, but thousands of Texans are still not able to afford rent

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Dec. 15, 2020

  Communities of color are especially struggling to keep their homes. While more than half of white Texans are highly confident in being able to pay rent, only 21% of Black Texans and 14% of Hispanic Texans say the same. Full Story 

• Texas food banks may be less equipped to help hungry households in the new year

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Dec. 7, 2020

  More than 2.5 million households in Texas didn't always have enough food to eat in November, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About two-thirds of those households were either Hispanic or Black. Full Story 

• Texans living in long-term care facilities will be among first people eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Dec. 4, 2020

  Residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, among others, were added to the priority list that already included hospital staff working with COVID-19 patients. Full Story 

• More than eight years in, Texas high-speed rail company still lacks permits to build Dallas-to-Houston route

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Nov. 17, 2020

  In a letter to the Japanese prime minister, Gov. Greg Abbott said that the company had all the permits needed, but later he had to backtrack. Legislators are expected to file bills to regulate high-speed rail projects during their next session. Full Story 

• Democrats didn’t get a blue wave, but some of the fastest-growing suburbs in Texas are still moving to the left

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Nov. 11, 2020

  Although Democrats didn't flip any congressional seats, experts said that demographic growth is still fueling a change in counties like Fort Bend, Collin and Williamson. Full Story 

• A controversial rule limiting housing options for homeless Texans with criminal records was softened, but it still worries advocates

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Nov. 5, 2020

  The regulation applies to new supportive housing projects, which provide subsidized homes and social services. Gov. Greg Abbott still needs to approve the rule by Dec. 1. Full Story 

• U.S. Supreme Court allows inmate to sue prison officers after he was forced to spend six days in unsanitary cells with human waste

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Nov. 2, 2020

  Trent Michael Taylor alleges that he was kept for three days in a cell covered with feces and spent another three days in a cell with sewage on the floor in a psychiatric prison unit in Lubbock. Full Story 

• Two key Texas counties — Democratic stronghold Harris and traditionally red Denton — are setting early voting records

  by Mandi Cai, Juan Pablo Garnham and Alex Samuels Oct. 17, 2020

  As of Friday, 27% of registered voters in Denton County had cast their ballots in the 2020 election — surpassing the county’s 2016 turnout of 18% on the fourth day. Full Story 

• Texans with criminal records face increasingly limited housing options. Homeless advocates say a new rule could leave them with even fewer choices.

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Oct. 16, 2020

  The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is proposing that people with certain criminal convictions be temporarily or permanently blocked from living in tax-supported developments that provide support services. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas counties can allow bars to reopen. Only 1 of the state's 10 biggest counties has said it will.

  by Juan Pablo Garnham and Stacy Fernández Oct. 8, 2020

  While Denton County is moving forward, Dallas and Harris counties officials almost immediately declined the offer to allow bars to reopen. Many others are taking a wait-and-see approach. Full Story 

• Texas tenants are still struggling to stop evictions a month after federal moratorium was announced

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Updated: Oct. 6, 2020

  Since Sept. 17, court citations include information on how to apply for protections. But some eviction cases had already begun. And the moratorium will only delay proceedings for some renters. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott has closed Texas bars twice since the pandemic began. Now he’s hinting at opening them again.

  by Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and Juan Pablo Garnham Oct. 5, 2020

  Abbott shut down bars for a second time in June, when the proportion of coronavirus tests with positive results was more than 18%. That number has dropped to just over 6%. Experts worry that opening bars will contribute to another surge. Full Story 

• Texas will spend $171 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to help renters avoid evictions

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Sept. 25, 2020

  The new program will provide rental assistance and legal aid for tenants who are behind on rent. Details on how Texans could apply or qualify weren't immediately released. Full Story 

• For rural Texans, the Postal Service is a lifeline, but some say it's been in decay for years

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Sept. 23, 2020

  Business owners, farmers and local politicians said that they are more concerned with long-term problems than with the recent controversy surrounding the United States Postal Service. Full Story 

• High-speed train between Dallas and Houston gets federal approval

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Updated: Sept. 22, 2020

  The railroad plans to connect Texas' two biggest cities within 90 minutes. Construction could begin in the first half of next year. Full Story 

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court justice, dies at 87

  by Abby Livingston and Juan Pablo Garnham Updated: Sept. 18, 2020

  Nominated in 1993 by former President Bill Clinton, the liberal justice was the legal force behind many of the successes of the women's movement. In her later years, she became something of a cult figure in legal and feminist circles. Full Story 

• Texas courts must start telling tenants how a federal eviction moratorium can keep them housed

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Sept. 18, 2020

  The Texas Supreme Court ordered that eviction citations will have to inform renters about the moratorium requirements and include the form needed to apply for protection. Full Story 

• Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall resigns following criticisms of protest response

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Updated: Sept. 8, 2020

  Hall implied that "inquiries about future career opportunities" were a reason for leaving the Dallas Police Department. In 2017, she became the first woman to head the force. Full Story 

• Millions of Texans could be shielded from evictions under new Trump administration order

  by Juan Pablo Garnham Sept. 1, 2020

  A previous federal order, which only protected renters in federally backed housing, expired in July. Full Story