Fiesta San Antonio canceled for 2020 because of coronavirus
The annual festival draws in more than 3.5 million people to the city. Full Story
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![San Antonio’s historic Market Square during Fiesta.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott warns if spread of COVID-19 doesn’t slow, “the next step would have to be a lockdown”
Abbott has repeated that warning multiple times in local television interviews this week. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott gives an update on Texas hospital bed capacity and the state's strategy for fighting COVID-19 during a press conference at Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Houston hospitals are increasingly turning away new patients as coronavirus overwhelms emergency rooms
The busiest hospitals in Houston are increasingly telling emergency responders they cannot safely accept new patients as hundreds of coronavirus patients crowd emergency rooms, and hospitals scramble to open more intensive care space. Full Story
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![The emergency center at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston on June 26, 2020. (May-Ying Lam for the Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for the Texas Tribune -
Texas teachers caught in the middle of political battles over schools reopening
Many Texas Education Agency employees are working from home, but the agency is requiring schools to open five days a week for in-person instruction this fall. Teachers say that mandate has grave implications for their health. Full Story
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![Students leave the classroom to work in the computer lab at Mata Intermediate School.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Skip the convention, but get ready for school
Debates about in-person political conventions and in-person public school classes revolve around the same question: Are we ready for this? Full Story
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![A school bus parked in the parking lot at John B. Connally High School on July 8, 2020 in Austin.]()
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County Republican parties in Texas' GOP strongholds say Gov. Greg Abbott going too far in coronavirus response
The Republican parties in some of the state's biggest red counties are rebuking the governor over his use of executive authority during the pandemic. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott announced a strike force in charge of laying steps to re-open the Texas economy at a press conference in the capitol on April 17, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP sues Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner over canceled in-person convention
The gathering, which was expected to draw around 6,000 people, was set to happen next week in Houston. Full Story
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![Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth in 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: MJ Hegar, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, discusses her policies and chances ahead of runoff election
Backed by national Democrats, Hegar will face off against state Sen. Royce West in the July 14 runoff election. But she's already looking ahead to her strategy for winning the election in November. Full Story
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Nearly 80 Texas counties have opted out of Gov. Greg Abbott's mask order. Others refuse to enforce it.
The governor allowed counties with 20 active cases or fewer to opt out. Full Story
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![Pedestrians wearing masks to protect against COVOD-19 in downtown Austin on June 24, 2020.]()
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Texas bans elective surgeries in more than 100 counties as coronavirus hospitalizations keep climbing
Gov. Greg Abbott said the decision is meant to free up resources to address the pandemic. The attorney general's office has not said the order bans abortions, an assertion that sparked a legal battle over Abbott's earlier prohibition on elective procedures. Full Story
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Two major Texas counties are trimming polling locations as workers pull out over coronavirus
Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to not require voters to wear masks is driving away some poll workers, officials say. Full Story
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![A man enters Toney Burger stadium in South Austin where early voting has begun for the July 14 runoff and special election, in Austin on June 29, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas reverses course, says it won't collect overpaid unemployment benefits in instances when it was the state's mistake
A Texas Workforce Commission spokesperson said he was previously unaware that a judicial order bars the state from recovering funds when the overpayment is the agency's fault. Full Story
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![Mour Cafe in Austin closed its dining operations following an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott which limits social gatherings to 10 people and prohibits eating and drinking at restaurants but allows take-outs. March 20, 2020.]()
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Eroding private border wall to get an engineering inspection just months after completion
Months after the "Lamborghini" of border walls was built along the Rio Grande, the builder agreed to an engineering inspection of his controversial structure. Experts say the wall is showing signs of erosion that threatens its stability. Full Story
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![Erosion can be seen along the privately funded border wall that was built less than a year ago on June 19, 2020 in Mission.]()
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Free laptops, esports and tuition cuts: How one Dallas college is pivoting during the pandemic
Paul Quinn College serves more than 500 students. In a statement, university President Michael Sorrell announced measures it would take to appease students for the loss of campus resources, including a $2,000 tuition reduction. Full Story
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![Paul Quinn College in Dallas is attempting to ease its students out of poverty by becoming the nation’s first urban work college. Nov. 11, 2019.]()
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Number of Texans filing unemployment claims increased for second week in a row as 117,244 sought benefits
The claims — an increase of 21.4% compared with the week before — come as coronavirus infections in the state continue surging and after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered bars to close and limited restaurant operations. Full Story
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![Workers begin boarding up bars on W. 6th St. in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months on June 26, 2020.]()
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Texas parents face a frightening lack of information on coronavirus risks in child care centers
State health officials are providing little detailed information on the spread of coronavirus in Texas child care facilities, and experts aren't sure to what extent children spread the virus. Full Story
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![A flurry of colors and activity, building time started the day for pre schoolers at Greater Cornerstone Academy in North Dallas Oct. 9, 2018.]()
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After losing big on Super Tuesday, Texas progressives hope to salvage some victories in July
The left wing of the Democratic Party is hopeful voters will embrace their priorities during the pandemic and after the death of George Floyd. Full Story
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![Sara Stapleton-Barrera, Democratic candidate for state Senate District 27, in downtown Brownsville on July 4, 2020. Stapleton-Barrera is facing incumbent state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. in the July primary runoff.]()
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signals support as Austin weighs fines for people not wearing face masks
In a letter to Austin's mayor, Abbott said the city's consideration of new enforcement measures "to ensure compliance with my Executive Orders is an important step toward reducing the spread" of the coronavirus. Full Story
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![Pedestrians on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake in Austin on June 24, 2020.]()
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Texas executes Billy Wardlow, who was 18 when he killed a man. Experts argued that's too young for a death sentence.
Wardlow had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that he was too young to get the Texas death penalty. His execution was the first in Texas to proceed during the pandemic as the coronavirus rages across the state. Full Story
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![Interior of execution chamber.]()
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Nearly 14% of new U.S. COVID-19 cases are recorded in Texas
Texas’ coronavirus cases now make up a significantly higher proportion than its 9% share of the nation’s population. Full Story
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
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