Stories by Texas Tribune fellows

Some schools are letting students have a full week off. Others are spreading out free days to discourage travel. And some plan on-campus alternatives to leaving for vacation. Full Story 

The city of Lubbock made plans to join ERCOT in 2015. After last month's winter storm, some feel anxious about the move. Full Story 

Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s order, universities are able to choose whether they will retain and enforce mask-wearing and other COVID-19 safety measures. UT-Austin, Baylor, Southern Methodist University, Rice and the Texas A&M System are among those that will still require face masks. Full Story 

Johnson’s Backyard Garden, an organic farm near Austin, lost almost its entire crop during February's devastating winter storm. Full Story 

A day after Gov. Greg Abbott announced plans to fully reopen businesses and end the state’s mask mandate, small business owners across Texas found themselves struggling to decide what to do next. Full Story 

Abbott’s order will leave it to business owners to decide whether to require customers wear masks inside their establishments. Some say they will keep coronavirus restrictions in place, but some business owners worry those decisions could anger potential customers. Full Story 

Patrick's statements come after the officials testified for hours late last week in committee hearings as state lawmakers grilled them over the power grid failures. Full Story 

Debbie Gosnell, city manager of Cross Plains, said it could take months for her community to recover from the winter storm. Without approval for federal aid, Gosnell worries the town's budget will not cover the numerous broken pipes and damaged buildings. Full Story 

Many hourly wage employees across the state lost working hours last week during the storm and power outage disaster. Now, they’re left with a choice between paying for rent or groceries. Full Story 

Griddy made headlines for sending massive bills to customers after a winter storm sent wholesale electricity skyrocketing. Full Story 

The judge opted against issuing an injunction that would block the federal ban on evictions, instead signaling that he expected the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to withdraw its moratorium. Full Story 

A longstanding shortage of plumbers and disruptions to the supply chain of plumbing materials delivered to the state have combined to delay pipe and water heater repairs. Full Story 

Rural counties endured the same storm as big cities, but many haven't fallen under President Joe Biden's major disaster declaration. Officials say it's because those counties lack data on damages. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

From a new mom in Pflugerville who struggled to keep her baby warm to a Houston teacher worried about her students, listen to what some Texans endured in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast. Full Story 

As power returns, half the state has issues with its water supply, and thawing pipes are at risk of bursting and flooding homes. Full Story 

Dialysis patients need treatments for hours at a time, multiple times a week. Power and water outages forced local centers to shut down. Full Story 

Texas residents said the storm — and ensuing partial collapse of the state's power system — sapped what mental reserves they had left after eleven months of a global health crisis that has cost thousands of jobs and claimed more than 40,000 lives in the state. Full Story 

Texas' energy grid operators warned of rolling, short-term power outages. Millions of homes have been without power since early Monday morning. Full Story 

Local organizations are providing warming shelters and resources, while nonprofits are asking for donations and volunteers. Full Story