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.
Juan Pablo Garnham
Juan Pablo Garnham covered urban affairs for the Tribune in 2019-21, focusing on the main challenges of the state’s largest metro areas — Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso and Dallas-Fort Worth, where he was based. He previously worked as senior producer for the podcast In The Thick, editor of CityLab Latino and city hall reporter for El Diario in New York. He has also taught at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. He is from Santiago, Chile, and the Texas flag constantly reminds him of his home country.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas wants $32 million in unemployment benefits back after finding 46,000 people were overpaid
The Texas Workforce Commission said that incorrect filings and fraud can lead to overpayments, but the money must be paid back even if it was the state’s mistake.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Officials in Texas’ big cities say their public testing sites are being strained. Austin has begun to limit who can be tested.
Austin won’t give tests to people who are asymptomatic. Dallas and Houston officials said their facilities reached capacity in the middle of the day.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas city and county leaders ask Gov. Greg Abbott for authority to implement local stay-at-home orders
At the beginning of the pandemic, local officials across the state implemented stay-at-home orders for their regions. But now, with cases across Texas’ metros surging, those leaders say Abbott has stripped them of the authority to reinstate the same measures.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
As evictions resume in Texas, unemployed renters have few options
While cities and legal aid agencies are setting up resources for tenants, many judges explained that they won’t be able to consider loss of employment in eviction cases.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
For these Texas organizers and officials, defunding the police means remedying effects of racism
Some Texas cities are eyeing cuts to police department budgets to fund social services like housing assistance, mental health services and job training.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Grappling with budget shortfalls, Texas cities prepare for hard choices
Federal aid through the CARES act is helping, but it likely won’t be enough to fill the holes in cities’ budgets caused by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Houston officials increase police budget as Dallas and Austin officials consider decreases in wake of police brutality protests
Some of Texas’ biggest cities appear headed in different directions with police budgets during nationwide calls to cut law enforcement funding.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
With three generations under one roof, pandemic risks multiply
The Golinelli family is among many Texas households navigating working in a pandemic while trying to keep high-risk older relatives safe from the coronavirus.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Living in hotels, students lose ground while dealing with cramped rooms and eviction fears
Long-stay hotels are often the last resort for struggling families, even more so during the coronavirus pandemic. Many children are receiving little education with schools closed, and school districts have simply lost track of thousands of students.
