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.
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.
How to help and get help in Texas as the winter storm causes power outages
Local organizations are providing warming shelters and resources, while nonprofits are asking for donations and volunteers.
Hereโs what you need to know if you donโt have access to clean water or are concerned about burst pipes
As power returns, half the state has issues with its water supply, and thawing pipes are at risk of bursting and flooding homes.
Thousands of Texans depend on dialysis treatments. Extended power outages put their lives at risk.
Dialysis patients need treatments for hours at a time, multiple times a week. Power and water outages forced local centers to shut down.
โWeโre in it aloneโ: Power outages leave millions of Texans desperate for heat and safety
Texas residents said the storm โ and ensuing partial collapse of the state’s power system โ 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.
With more dangerous weather approaching, Texans say officials didnโt warn them about going days without power
Texas’ energy grid operators warned of rolling, short-term power outages. Millions of homes have been without power since early Monday morning.
Democratic lawmakers hope to enact statewide nondiscrimination law and ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ Texans
As the Biden administration works to expand federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, Texas advocates and lawmakers are pushing for similar legislation here.
Judge says Texas officials need to speed up foster care reforms
U.S. District Judge Janis Jack says she will give state officials until May to make progress on her orders to overhaul the state’s foster care system, or face hefty fines.
Texasโ COVID-19 cases are down from record highs, though health experts warn the pandemic is far from over
While vaccinations are reaching more people every day, health care experts warn that this doesnโt mean Texas is out of the woods.
Texas cities face difficulties counting their unsheltered homeless population โ at a time when their numbers matter most
Despite changes to the regular count of people experiencing homelessness, support organizations are hoping theyโll still be able to capture a clear picture of who is unhoused in Texas as the pandemic continues.

