GOP officials called it “tyranny” and “government overreach,” taking issue in particular with the $1,000 fine associated with violating the mask requirement.
Stories by Texas Tribune fellows
The Texas Tribune welcomes a group of student fellows into our newsroom each spring, summer and fall. Here is a sampling of their work. Learn more about the fellowship program here.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Oil prices collapsed, but that doesn’t mean Texans will get free gasoline
With most Texans staying at home and not driving, the demand for gas has fallen off. But refineries would stop producing before giving gas away for free.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texans in Congress look for ways to help as oil prices tank
While some companies can access small-business funds, the major stimulus that has made its way through Congress has no specific help for the energy sector. Members from Texas are looking for other ways to help.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas is running out of money to pay unemployment benefits. People will still get paid, but businesses may see tax hikes as a result.
Texas Workforce Commission officials say the state will run out of money in May or June. Other economists predict that could happen in as soon as three weeks.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas universities are getting millions in federal money to offset coronavirus losses. It won’t be enough, officials say.
Texas officials closed down campuses in early March and are losing millions of dollars as they pay students back for housing, parking and other unused services.
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Coronavirus in Texas
More than 1 million people in Texas filed for unemployment relief in the last month
Texas unemployment claims continue to rise as Texans struggle to file. The Texas Workforce Commission is expanding its call centers, servers and staff, but many still face delays.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Baylor University announces up to $80 million in budget cuts in wake of coronavirus pandemic
The private school, anticipating a drop in enrollment next school year, is one of the first major Texas colleges to announce budget cuts due to the public health and economic crises.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas doctors are using plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat others. They’re not yet sure if it will work.
The method has been used to treat the sick in past epidemics, and it’s generally considered low risk. Doctors around the nation have started using it on the sickest COVID-19 patients.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas banned abortion during the pandemic, but she got one anyway. How the legal battle is creating confusion for clinics
The courts volleyed back and forth this week, siding in turns with the state and then with abortion providers. But clinics across the state are responding inconsistently, with some shutting down altogether while they await a final answer.
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Coronavirus in Texas
More Texans filed for unemployment in the last 4 weeks than all of 2019
The numbers are early — but incomplete — indicators of how dramatically and suddenly the state’s economy has collapsed under social distancing orders officials issued to curb the still growing public health crisis spurred by the novel coronavirus.