Public health experts and medical professionals are sounding the alarm over the highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19. The governor has stood firm on his ban against masking mandates in schools.
Reese Oxner
Reese Oxner was the product manager for The Texas Tribune. He oversaw the product development lifecycle and product operations across The Tribune’s product portfolio. He previously was the Tribune’s breaking news reporter. Before arriving at the Tribune, Reese interned on NPR’s news desk, was a summer reporting fellow at the Tribune and worked part-time covering Arlington for the Dallas Morning News. He was the editor in chief of The Shorthorn, the University of Texas at Arlington’s student-run newspaper, where he earned the 2019 editor of the year award from the Texas Collegiate Press Association. He studied web design in college and really, really likes Korean BBQ. (Photo: Tom Fox, The Dallas Morning News)
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Supreme Court may decide next plot twist in the Democratic walkout, and the fate of 2,100 state employees
The state’s highest civil court has been asked to decide if Gov. Greg Abbott has the power to cut off funding for legislative staff, a move Abbott hoped would keep Democratic lawmakers from leaving the state and shutting down a special legislative session.
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Foster Care in Texas
Texas foster care crisis worsens, with fast-growing numbers of children sleeping in offices, hotels, churches
Increased oversight and lack of funding mean hundreds of children spend their nights in hotels and churches and on office floors.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton agrees to stop blocking people on Twitter, ending lawsuit over First Amendment
Attorneys in the lawsuit, which was filed in April, argued that being blocked from viewing Paxton’s tweets limited the rights of people to access statements made by the public official, therefore violating the First Amendment.
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Criminal Justice
Army sergeant indicted on murder and aggravated assault charges after fatally shooting Austin protester Garrett Foster in 2020
Army Sgt. Daniel Perry shot and killed Foster, who was legally armed, after an altercation during a protest against police brutality last summer, police said. Perry argues it was in self defense.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas students’ standardized test scores dropped dramatically during the pandemic, especially in math
The drop was more significant in districts that had most of their instruction online, compared to districts with more in-person classes.
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Immigration
Texas border wall project receives over $450K in donations, a week after Gov. Greg Abbott announced plans
Gov. Greg Abbott pledged $250 million in state funds for a Texas-Mexico border wall and is soliciting donations to fund the rest.
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Operation Lone Star
Texas empties prison to prepare to detain immigrants arrested during ramped-up border enforcement
The prison — Dolph Briscoe Unit in Dilley — will have capacity for about 1,000 people.
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Criminal Justice
A year after Vanessa Guillén’s death, lawmakers and advocates call for Congress to pass military sexual assault reform bill
A federal bill was recently reintroduced, proposing sweeping changes to the way the military investigates sexual assault and harassment allegations. Texas lawmakers are urging Congress to make it law.
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Immigration
Biden administration threatens to sue after Texas officials say they’ll yank licenses from facilities housing unaccompanied migrant children
A federal attorney claims an order from Gov. Greg Abbott violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and said legal action could follow if the state carries through with plans to pull licenses from the federally contracted facilities.
