As the safety net for Texas tenants behind on rent begins to disappear, a 19-year-old Houston organizer helps Hispanic residents apply for emergency financial assistance.
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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Texas Legislature 2021
Martin Luther King Jr.’s son says Texas Republicans are misrepresenting his father’s words in effort to whitewash history
Republican Texas lawmakers have justified their efforts to limit how racism and current events are taught in school by saying that critical race theory judges people by the color of their skin. Martin Luther King III and experts disagree.
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Texas Legislature 2021
GOP senator says Gov. Greg Abbott should lose line-item veto after cutting Legislature’s funding, jeopardizing staffers’ jobs
The bill is largely symbolic, as the Legislature is currently at a standstill, unable to move any legislation because House Democrats broke quorum two weeks ago when they fled to Washington, D.C., to block GOP voting bills.
Posted in
Higher Education
After UT-Austin signals a Big 12 exit, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick moves to create a Senate panel focused on college sports’ future
The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oklahoma are expected to leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. The move throws the athletics future of several other Texas schools into uncertainty.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
As Texas COVID-19 cases surge again, some local officials urge everyone to wear masks and unvaccinated residents to stay home
Officials in Dallas, Harris and Travis counties want residents to take stronger precautions as the delta variant drives an increase in coronavirus infections across Texas.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Texas lawmakers file bill to block UT-Austin from leaving Big 12 for SEC
The move is largely symbolic as the legislative session has been ground to a halt by the quorum-busting Democrats who fled Texas 11 days ago. Even if the Democrats returned, Abbott would have to add the item to his special session agenda for it to have a chance at passing.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Extra money for retired teachers in a “13th check” at center of Republican-Democrat shouting match
On Tuesday, the Senate passed Senate Bill 7, which would provide retired teachers, counselors and school staff a one-time payment of up to $2,400 through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Senate advances bills limiting education about race, access to abortion-inducing medications. The House is still sidelined.
It’s largely symbolic, but the Texas Senate is nearing the end of its work on Republican priorities for the special legislative session after passing bills limiting “critical race theory” and abortion access Friday.
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Texas Legislature 2021
What it means to break quorum and what you need to know about the Texas House Democrats’ dramatic departure
Democrats are preventing the Texas House from having enough members to pass legislation. We explain what that means, what options Republicans have and what’s in the voting bills Democrats oppose.
Posted in
Economy
Texas educators of color say law limiting how America’s history of racism is taught further silences marginalized voices
Texas teacher Juan Carmona says it’s important to talk about the experiences of marginalized groups with students of color because they should see themselves represented in history books.
