State Reps. Briscoe Cain and Steve Toth said there’s no reason to continue banning businesses from operating as long as they follow CDC guidelines. Such restrictions, the two said, are hurting the Texas economy.
Cassandra Pollock
Cassandra Pollock was a state politics reporter for the Tribune. She joined the Tribune full-time in June 2017 after a fellowship during the 85th Texas Legislature. Pollock spent her first two years at the Trib as an engagement reporter, which meant her name likely landed in your inbox every weekday morning with “The Brief,” a newsletter on all things Texas politics and public policy. Pollock is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism. Pollock left The Texas Tribune in 2021.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas sales tax revenues fall by 9.3% in April
For the past several weeks, the comptroller has been referring to the state of the economy as a recession. The latest sales tax figures give the first glimpse of how much the economic downturn will hurt the state budget.
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Coronavirus: The pandemic through Texans' eyes
In Houston’s Chinatown, restaurants plan to feed front-line workers during the pandemic
Restaurant owners aim to give 10,000 meals to frontline workers. A boy with cancer wants a mohawk. An East Texas town prepares to reopen some businesses. In this weekly series, Texans from across the state share stories about how they’re navigating life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Coronavirus: The pandemic through Texans' eyes
“A victory every time”: Battling cancer while the world battles the coronavirus
A 5-year-old continues his cancer treatments. A couple watch the business they built wither. A small hospital treats its first coronavirus patient. In this weekly series, Texans from across the state share stories about how they’re navigating life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen suggests ordering 5% budget cuts for state agencies
Bonnen raised the idea in a letter earlier this month to Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott’s task force to reopen the economy is packed with top business leaders — and donors
The task force features some of the most prominent and politically powerful business executives in the state. They’ll advise Abbott with the help of medical experts.
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Coronavirus in Texas
How Texas lawmakers are navigating the personal and professional during coronavirus pandemic
Legislators are fielding calls about unemployment claims and small-business loans as they juggle steering their own businesses and careers through the disaster.
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Coronavirus: The pandemic through Texans' eyes
“They’re proud of me”: With a mask and a passion to help, lawyer keeps working in Mexican border city
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.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Houston-area lawmakers urge DA to investigate possible “non-existent” March primary candidate
“We are concerned that more than 2500 Harris County voters may have been duped,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Coronavirus: The pandemic through Texans’ eyes
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.