Federal loans helped more than 400,000 Texas companies retain workers during the pandemic, new data shows
Despite details released from the Paycheck Protection Program this week, a full snapshot of the program remains unclear. Full Story
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![Shuttered store fronts in downtown El Paso during the the coronavirus pandemic.]()
Credit: Emily Kinskey for The Texas Tribune -
Some undocumented immigrants should again be allowed to apply for DACA protections, federal judge rules
Immigrant rights groups cheered the ruling, which could reopen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Texas. Full Story
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![A demonstrator outside the U.S. Supreme Court as justices heard oral arguments regarding the Trump administration’s bid to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.]()
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What you need to know about Texas Latino voters and nonvoters
Cecilia Ballí and two colleagues spoke to 100 Texas Latinos to better understand what drives civic engagement and whom they prefer as candidates. Full Story
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![Billboards in front of the old Blas Chapa house. Rio Grande City on Nov. 11, 2020]()
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She lost work to the pandemic. Now she helps thousands of jobless Texans maneuver through the state’s unemployment system.
While struggling to figure out the state's unemployment system, Alia Kirschner found a Facebook group for thousands of jobless Texans. Now she spends hours a day online, helping others with their benefit claims during the COVID-19 recession. Full Story
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![Shuttered businesses on Sixth Street in Austin during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 19, 2020.]()
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Analysis: Leading by (bad) example
Austin Mayor Steve Adler's delivery of a stay-home message from a vacation spot in Mexico isn't just embarrassing. Mistakes like that one make it harder to lead. Full Story
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![Austin Mayor Steve Adler looks at his speech before a press conference in response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s comments about the city’s homeless ordinance. Oct. 2, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott tells supporters he's considering placing law enforcement for central Austin under state control
It's the latest proposal from the governor to punish the capital city for its August decision to trim its police budget by a third, primarily by shifting some responsibilities out of law enforcement oversight. Full Story
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![State Troopers stand guard on the state Capitol grounds during a protest against the death of George Floyd. June 2, 2020.]()
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Joaquin Castro loses bid to lead U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee
Castro lost to U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York in a race that was a long shot from the start for the San Antonio Democrat. Full Story
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![U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro and U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett speak at a press conference addressing the attempted voter roll review in Texas on June 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus causes El Paso's Sun Bowl game to be canceled for the first time in 85 years
The bowl game, an annual tradition for scores of El Pasoans that has hosted college teams since 1936, will resume in 2021, bowl officials said. Full Story
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![Arizona State Sun Devils tight end Grant Miles riles up his team before facing the Florida State Seminoles at the Sun Bowl in 2019.]()
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"We are in a very dangerous place": White House COVID-19 task force pleads with Texas health officials to warn the public
The report also recommends that anyone younger than 40 who gathered with people outside their immediate household during Thanksgiving should “assume you became infected.” Full Story
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![The White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 2020.]()
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Texas educators urge Gov. Greg Abbott to prioritize teachers, school staff for coronavirus vaccine
Texas is expected to get enough vaccine doses for about 1.4 million people in mid-December. Healthcare workers who directly interact with patients will be the first eligible for vaccination. Full Story
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![Kindergarten teacher Angie Hogan instructs students to make a "bubble" of room between other students on the first day of in-person classes at Highland Village Elementary on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's reelection bid received a big cash assist from national Republicans late in campaign
The super PAC backing Cornyn's reelection, Texans for a Conservative Majority, got a $1.2 million donation from the Senate Leadership Fund days before the election. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, visited College Station on Oct. 28, 2020, as part of his statewide bus tour. Cornyn was also joined by Rick Perry and Pete Sessions at this campaign stop.]()
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As mayor urged Austin to stay home, he was vacationing in Mexico following daughter’s wedding
Mayor Steve Adler told KVUE that he did not violate his own order or orders by Gov. Greg Abbott and took multiple steps to ensure the safety of his guests, including rapid COVID-19 testing. Full Story
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![Austin Mayor Steve Adler speaks at a press conference in response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s comments about the city’s homeless ordinance. Oct. 2, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas may receive initial coronavirus vaccine doses for 1.4 million people this month, Gov. Greg Abbott says
The governor said a vaccine could start arriving by mid-December. The state has said health care workers will be the first to receive voluntary vaccinations. Full Story
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![A dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by BioNTech and Pfizer.]()
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U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess loses bid for GOP leadership position on key committee
Burgess had been vying to be the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, gives an opening statement during the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing at the U.S. Capitol in response to COVID-19 outbreak. May 14, 2020.]()
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On Election Day, Republicans lost a critical advantage in the state Senate. Will Dan Patrick push to change the rules?
In January, the lieutenant governor suggested he could push to further lower the threshold required to bring bills to the floor if the GOP lost its supermajority. Now that that has happened, it remains to be seen whether Patrick will follow through. Full Story
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![Senate floor on Mar. 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus is ablaze in West Texas as tourists flock to Big Bend and Marfa. Hospitals are running out of overflow options.
Presidio and Brewster counties, home to the popular tourist destinations, along with nearby Culberson County, lead the state in cases per 1,000 residents in the last two weeks. All of West Texas is dealing with increasing COVID-19 cases while low on hospital beds. Full Story
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![Signs against tourism to Marfa during the COVID-19 pandemic were posted in some parts of the city. Nov. 30, 2020.]()
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U.S. Reps. Michael Burgess and Joaquin Castro seek House leadership roles
Burgess, a Lewisville Republican, and Castro, a San Antonio Democrat, spent much of the last year pursuing colleagues to support their bids as their parties' top representatives of a pair of high-profile committees. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, left, and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio.]()
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Analysis: Despite vaccine hopes, lawmakers plan for more months of pandemic
The state's leaders are as anxious as everyone else to talk about vaccines and a Texas without the coronavirus. But this is going to take time, and while they're hopeful, they are planning for more months of pandemic. Full Story
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![State Affairs Committee member Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, at the hearing on Senate Bill 4, the "sanctuary cities" bill, on March 15, 2017.]()
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After AG Bill Barr says no evidence of widespread fraud in 2020 election, 9 Texas Republicans decry "shocking lack of action" on allegations
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also called for the Supreme Court to hear one of Donald Trump's election lawsuits. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Victoria, speaks during the daily Public Health District COVID-19 Update at Corpus Christi City Hall on April 3, 2020.]()
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Texas to shutter three more prisons as units face critical staffing shortages
Three units across the state will be at least temporarily closed this month, according to the Texas prison system. The agency hopes it will help with dangerously low staffing levels. Full Story
Credit: Martin do Nascimento for The Texas Tribune
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