White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden would “meet with local leaders to discuss the winter storm, relief efforts, progress toward recovery and the incredible resilience shown by the people of Houston and Texas.”
President Joe Biden to visit Houston on Friday after winter storm
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The key to defeating COVID? Harnessing the power of big data.
COVID research happening at UTSA illustrates why big data matters, and why educating a new generation of data scientists is critical to our future.
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Point of Order
Point of Order: The outage and the outrage
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber about the state’s failure to prepare for a brutal winter storm, the fragile electric grid we depend on, and whether the future of energy is bright or bleak.
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Winter Storm 2021
Texans used mutual aid to help their communities through a devastating winter storm
Last week, an untold number of Texans who had lost power and heat, and in some cases water, took to social media platforms to ask for help — and be connected to those who could offer it.
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Winter Storm 2021
At least six people experiencing homelessness died during the winter storm. That number could rise.
Advocates for people experiencing homelessness drove through Texas’ largest cities trying to bring them to the available warming centers and emergency shelters. The official number of casualties is still unknown.
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Winter Storm 2021
“Power companies get exactly what they want”: How Texas repeatedly failed to protect its power grid against extreme weather
Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers.
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Guides
Here’s how Texans can apply for federal help to recover from the devastating winter storm
Texas sustained between $45 and $50 billion in damage and economic loss from the storm, according to AccuWeather. So far, people in more than 100 counties can begin applying for federal assistance.
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Higher Education
$34 million, private planes, cars and housing allowances: Here’s how much UT-Austin is paying football coach Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian’s guaranteed compensation will be approved by the UT Board of Regents Thursday and is at least $5 million higher than any previous head coach.
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Winter Storm 2021
A family is suing Texas’ power grid operator after their son died from suspected hypothermia. But ERCOT may be shielded from lawsuits.
A Conroe family is suing ERCOT and Entergy Texas for a total of $100 million after their son died inside his bed from suspected hypothermia.
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Winter Storm 2021
Texans blindsided by massive electric bills await details of Gov. Greg Abbott’s promised relief
Electric bills are likely to rise for everyone, experts and consumer advocates say, but some Texans on variable rate contracts have been hit with immediate, massive price spikes. Lawmakers and the governor have promised to help, but haven’t said how.
