Stories by Texas Tribune fellows

The lower chamber gave initial approval Monday to a series of bills responding to this year’s catastrophic power outages during a deadly winter storm. Full Story 

Texas Competes, which is made up of more than 1,450 Texas employers, chambers of commerce, tourism bureaus and industry associations, is advocating the “economic case for equality.” Full Story 

The push to steel Texas against new federal rules comes as gun violence nationwide — including a recent shooting in Bryan — has sparked Democrats to call for an assault weapons ban and stronger background checks, among other changes. Full Story 

The junior senator was among only six Republicans who opposed advancing a bill that would expedite the processing of hate crimes against Asian Americans by the Justice Department. Full Story 

Though seven of the sheriff’s officers have been fired after initially being put on administrative leave and another resigned while under investigation, the family and protesters say they don’t plan to stop until the officers have been charged with a crime. Full Story 

Supporters say Senate Bill 14 will make it easier for businesses to operate in multiple cities. Opponents call it an "existential threat to Texas workers.” Full Story 

Dallas County issued Shelley Luther a temporary restraining order to close her business. But the Texas Supreme Court said the order was too vague. Full Story 

The lawsuit argues that being blocked from viewing the attorney general's tweets is a violation of the First Amendment because it limits the right of people to participate in a public forum and access Ken Paxton's statements. Full Story 

Three federal stimulus packages passed during the pandemic included more than $19 billion for Texas public schools, but state leaders have yet to distribute most of the money. Local districts say they need it to cover pandemic-related costs. Full Story 

Texas officials mandated that students take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness in person this year at monitored test sites, although millions of students are still learning remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Full Story 

The momentum follows a shake-up in House leadership and comes as the practice is gaining traction in statehouses across the country. Meanwhile, gun control advocates are sounding the alarm about making it easier to carry guns after recent mass shootings. Full Story 

The lawsuit claims district policies are unconstitutional and violate Abbott's recent executive order. Full Story 

Early on, coronavirus transmission exploded at dialysis clinics, especially in the Rio Grande Valley. It has subsided some since, but many patients have no choice but to show up at clinics for the life-sustaining treatments. Full Story 

It still may be hard to secure a vaccine appointment, but doctors hope increasing supply will help meet demand. Full Story 

Texans in ERCOT's service area who lost electricity were without power for an average of 42 hours, according to the study. They had been told to prepare for short-term, rolling outages. Full Story 

Some businesses are already seeing customers return. But the numbers of people seeking unemployment aid surged in recent weeks to levels not seen since July. Many of them still face problems getting through to the Texas Workforce Commission. Full Story 

Almost 2,000 vaccine doses have gone to qualifying prisoners as of Thursday, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Full Story 

Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday there is an even greater urgency this legislative session to pass laws expanding gun rights because of Joe Biden’s presidency. Full Story 

Texans face challenges trying to book a vaccine appointment through a time-consuming process that inherently favors people who have easy access to internet and transportation. The situation is contributing to inequitable access for many people in the state. Full Story 

As more people become eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, some of the most vulnerable Asian American communities struggle to access it at all. Full Story