The Texas Education Agency cited COVID-19’s disproportionate effect on communities of color as reason for lower engagement and attendance rates among students of color.
A Year of COVID-19
In the year since the pandemic hit Texas, more than 45,000 people in the state have lost their lives. While the governor has lifted the statewide mask mandate, we still have a long way to go before we return to “normal.” A small portion of the state has been vaccinated and many businesses are still requiring masks as the CDC and health experts recommend Texans continue using safety precautions. Meanwhile, health care workers remain exhausted after hospitals were overwhelmed by patients throughout the year, and many Texans who lost their businesses or jobs are still suffering economically. Read our coverage here on how the coronavirus has changed how we live in the last 12 months.
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A Year of COVID-19
Fear of coronavirus will no longer be acceptable reason for Texans on unemployment to turn down job offers
The state’s unemployment agency is ending that exemption June 26, when out-of-work Texans will also stop receiving an extra $300 in federal jobless benefits.
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Coronavirus in Texas
COVID-19 ravaged Texas nursing homes. Here are the stories behind the numbers.
Nearly 9,000 Texas nursing home residents have died of COVID-19. This is what the last year of chaos and isolation was like for nursing homes residents and the employees who care for them.
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A Year of COVID-19
It will take more than a pandemic to stop Tim League and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: “I’m going to fight like hell”
Although the iconic theater chain is facing bankruptcy, League is optimistic about the future of his Texas-born business. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Empty chairs tell the story of pandemic’s toll at Texas kidney dialysis centers
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.
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A Year of COVID-19
Texas prisons stopped in-person visits and limited mail. Drugs got in anyway.
Agency data shows officers are finding just as many drugs — and writing up even more prisoners for having them — despite the restrictions. Contraband is most often brought in by staff, according to prisoners and employees.
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A Year of COVID-19
COVID vaccine brings home health worker some hard-fought stress relief
Nancy Gallegos says she’s endured debilitating job stress, but the San Antonio nurse has managed to find a few silver linings during the pandemic. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Experts hopeful about state’s economic recovery, but jobless Texans still face problems filing for benefits
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.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Vaccinated Texas nursing home residents can now hug their families and receive more visitors after a year of isolation
For many residents, birthday parties and holiday celebrations took place largely through windows and over video calls.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Widows of the pandemic: Three South Texas women lost their husbands but found solace in one another
Ricardo Ramos, Ramon Fuentes III and Andres Arguelles were all 45. Loving husbands. Strangers who died with the coronavirus in neighboring South Texas cities. They left behind young widows who found each other in Facebook groups and bonded over the similarities in their stories.