Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown sought to restrict dine-in food and beverage service both indoors and outdoors from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., starting on New Year’s Eve and ending at 6 a.m. Sunday. The measure allowed restaurants to offer drive-thru, curbside pick-up, take out, or delivery services.
Shannon Najmabadi
Shannon Najmabadi was a reporter at the Tribune from 2017 to 2021, most recently covering women's health. Her stories — on higher education and other topics — have prompted lawmakers to change three state laws, including one involving a very narrow definition of the word “pickle.” She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia University.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Trump commutes remaining prison term of former Texas GOP congressman Steve Stockman, who was convicted of misusing charitable funds
President Donald Trump also pardoned former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who were convicted of shooting an unarmed drug smuggler and covering it up in 2006.
Posted in
Politics
$1.7M for George Strait, six-figure bonuses: Months later, a lawsuit forced Texas to release details on inaugural spending
For months, Gov. Greg Abbott and the 2019 Texas Inaugural Committee fought to avoid disclosing how they spent a record-setting $5.3 million. The Texas Tribune sued and obtained the documents in an out-of-court settlement.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Nine months on the pandemic’s front line have crushed Texas health care workers’ spirits and killed their colleagues
The virus has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 U.S. health care workers; others could face lasting mental scars. It’s “the time when we’re needed most,” one doctor said, “and we’re burned out.”
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Eight months into the pandemic, this women’s health clinic in rural Texas struggles to meet demand for care
At a housing unit turned health clinic in rural Brown County, the director of a family planning clinic laughs at the idea of offering tele-health visits to limit the virus’ spread: “Where we are, that is just not an option for us.”
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
COVID-19 vaccines may be coming soon, but most Texans won’t get them for months. Here’s why.
Officials are preparing for the massive undertaking of distributing a vaccine that may require multiple doses and subzero storage temperatures across a state that covers 270,000 square miles and some 170 rural counties.
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Coronavirus in Texas
These Texans were rescued by the U.S. government after getting stranded in Peru. Now, the bills are arriving.
The U.S. State Department has sent letters to Americans rescued abroad during the pandemic asking for repayment for the repatriation flights and threatening to withhold tax refunds or social security payments if the debt goes unpaid for months.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Funeral homes and hospitals in parts of Texas brace for new wave of coronavirus infections and deaths
Texas is closing in on 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, according to state data, and the pandemic has claimed more than 18,700 lives in the state.
Posted in
Politics
Court documents show friendly relationship between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Nate Paul, donor at the center of new criminal allegations
Paul’s testimony included a reference to having hired a woman who, according to two people who were told by Paxton, was involved in an extramarital relationship with the attorney general.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Democrats hoped high turnout would usher in a blue wave across Texas. It didn’t.
In Texas, at least 66% of the 17 million registered voters cast ballots in the 2020 general election. That’s 6.6 percentage points higher than total turnout in 2016.
