Coronavirus in Texas 4/9: ACLU sues Dallas County to release inmates over 50
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![Sparse traffic on the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin during the coronavirus pandemic. April 2, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Expecting a rush of COVID-19 patients, hospitals prepare their most important resource: health care workers
With elective procedures canceled, hospitals are reassigning staff. But even the best-laid plans may go awry if clinicians fall ill in large numbers. Full Story
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![Outside the trauma center at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston on April 1, 2020.]()
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Watch Gov. Greg Abbott give the latest on Texas' efforts to combat coronavirus
State health and education officials will join Abbott at 2 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday for an update on efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott declares a statewide emergency amid new cases of COVID-19 in the state on March 13, 2020 at the state capitol.]()
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How many Texans have been tested for the new coronavirus? State data is incomplete. But here's what we know.
The state isn't reporting tests conducted by some hospitals and private labs. But the figures available show that Texas could be lagging behind other states. Officials say that's because the virus showed up elsewhere earlier. Full Story
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![A drive-thru COVID-19 testing facility at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Round Rock.]()
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Coronavirus in Texas 3/17: Feds consider sending people economic stimulus checks; state has more than 70 known cases
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![A woman in a face mask walks in the downtown area of Manhattan, New York City, after further cases of coronavirus were confirmed in New York, U.S., March 5, 2020.]()
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Coronavirus in Texas 3/13: Shuttered schools can provide students' lunches, Texas courts allowed to change deadlines
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott is briefed on the coronavirus outbreak, in Austin on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
She's a Texas nurse who treats cancer patients — and she can't get a coronavirus test. That's not unusual.
Unless a patient is sick enough to be hospitalized, state criteria for lab testing are difficult to meet. And state officials have yet to say how many Texans in total have been tested. Full Story
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![Graduate research assistant Nicole Johnson researches viral proteins at the McLellan Lab at The University of Texas at Austin on March 11, 2020.]()
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5 million Texans lack health insurance. Here's how that complicates the coronavirus response.
Texas has the highest share of uninsured residents of any state, with nearly 18% of people lacking health coverage, and many are unable to take paid sick leave from work. Experts say that makes it harder to contain an outbreak. Full Story
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![Christian Gutierrez poses for a portrait at his home in Pearland. Gutierrez owns and operates the Latin Dance Factory and has concerns about how the coronavirus will impact his business.]()
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What can Texas do if a coronavirus outbreak hits?
While Texas has not yet seen “community spread” of coronavirus, U.S. health officials have told states to begin considering special measures in case of a COVID-19 outbreak. Full Story
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![A test tube with 2019-nCoV on the label on January 29, 2020.]()
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Leader of Texas’ health department leaving after a year for Louisiana job
Courtney Phillips is leaving the state Health and Human Services Commission to take a job as Louisiana's new secretary of the Department of Health. Full Story
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![Courtney Phillips heads the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.]()
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Toxic algae blooms that kill dogs are becoming more common. And climate change is making it worse, scientists say.
A toxic algae bloom in Austin that killed five dogs caught officials by surprise, but despite how dangerous the blooms are, there's almost no way for cities to combat them. Full Story
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![The banks of Lady Bird Lake at Congress Avenue in Austin.]()
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Texas vaccine exemption rates: Look up your district or private school
In Texas, parents can get their children exemptions from the vaccines required to attend public and private schools for "reasons of conscience." Use our lookup tool to see how exemption rates have changed in school districts and private schools across the state. Full Story
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![Doses of the meningitis vaccine, August 7, 2012 in Houston at the University of Houston Health Center. Each vial contains one dose.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bill requiring children under 2 to ride in rear-facing car seats
Abbott said the measure "is an unnecessary invasion of parental rights and an unfortunate example of over-criminalization." Full Story
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![A mom buckles her infant son safely into a rear facing car seat as they get ready to drive somewhere in their vehicle. The baby's mouth is visible with a big smile. Sunlight shines in from behind. Horizontal with copy space.]()
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Texas picklers get a victory from the Legislature
A proposal on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott would make it easier for pickled beets, carrots and other produce to be sold at farmers markets alongside pickled cucumbers. Full Story
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![Anita McHaney displays a photo of her beets and carrots. She and her husband stopped farming after learning that they could not sell pickled beets.]()
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Some lawmakers want Texas to release vaccine opt-out rates for schools
Texas tries to track the number of students with vaccine exemptions every year, but the data is incomplete and doesn't include the opt-out rates for individual public schools. Amid a recent rise in measles cases across the country, some in the Legislature are calling for more detailed reporting. Full Story
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![Medical assistant Patricia Jaramillo holds a vial of the meningitis vaccine, August 7, 2012 in Houston at Legacy Community Health Services. Each vial contains one dose.]()
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Texas reports on state government efficiency were kept secret. We're publishing them.
Since 2005, state lawmakers have received the agency's biennial report detailing inefficiencies in government, but this year the report was not made public. Full Story
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![Left to right: Outgoing House Speaker Joe Straus, presumptive House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at a Legislative Budget Board meeting in Austin on Nov. 16, 2018.]()
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Texans are waiting for birth and death certificates amid health agency understaffing
The backlog — exacerbated by the state's switch in January to a new computer system for processing records — comes as the short-staffed Texas Department of State Health Services vies for a boost in funding. Meanwhile, families anxiously wait. Full Story
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![Jennifer Lambrecht holds a portrait of her deceased grandmother, Gerda Hughes, on Feb. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Nearly 200 people in Texas detention facilities have contracted mumps
The Texas Department of State Health Services says 186 people, including immigrants and detention center employees, were confirmed with cases of mumps since October. Full Story
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![A measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.]()
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This Texas program lands poor people in jail. Getting rid of it has been too complicated — but that might be changing.
Lawmakers in both chambers and parties want to fix the controversial Driver Responsibility Program, but the program funds state trauma centers. Where will they find $144 million to fill the gap? Full Story
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![Law enforcement officials, at a traffic stop, filmed during a Peaceful Streets Project cop watch on Apr. 24, 2015. Photo: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez for the Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez for The Texas Tribune -
Medicaid, opioids and abortion: Health care issues to expect this Texas legislative session
Amid uncertainty about the federal health law, state legislators will tackle a variety of issues during the session, from abortion to mental health to opioids to funding for Medicaid. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by John Jordan