People across Texas are struggling to navigate a maze-like system to get unemployment benefits. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas was opting out of some federal assistance programs, which ended June 26. Here are the answers to the most common questions about getting benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit uncovers big stories that matter to Texans and the nation, taking aim at corruption, injustice and malfeasance across the state. Read on for the latest stories, and be sure to sign up to get the latest on the people and policies shaping the future of Texas with the Tribune’s weekday newsletter.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Here are the acronyms and terms you need to know to get unemployment benefits in Texas
The state’s unemployment system is confusing and frustrating. Getting familiar with the Texas Workforce Commission’s jargon may help you access assistance.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
How inconsistent policies and enforcement have created false hope for migrants at the border
The Biden administration and the Mexican government have made the situation at the border so confusing that even seasoned experts can’t always determine who is allowed in and who isn’t. That may be contributing to the high number of border crossings.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in your home
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas that can cause serious injury or even death if inhaled in high quantities. Here’s how you can keep your home and family safe.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
The people we left behind: How closing a dangerous border camp adds to inequities
The Biden administration shuttered a migrant tent camp in Mexico that was created under a Trump policy. Immigration advocates praised the move, but the closure adds to growing confusion over which migrants are let in or left out.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
A Texas lender sued thousands of low-income Latinos during the pandemic. Now the feds are investigating.
Oportun Inc., a small-dollar loan company, disclosed to investors that it is the subject of a probe by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau following reporting by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica.
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Winter Storm 2021
“Power companies get exactly what they want”: How Texas repeatedly failed to protect its power grid against extreme weather
Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
ICE guards “systematically” sexually assault detainees in an El Paso detention center, lawyers say
Allegations include guards attacking victims in camera “blind spots” and telling them that “no one would believe” them in ICE detention centers, which imprison about 50,000 immigrants each year at a taxpayer expense of $2.7 billion.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
A lender sued thousands of lower-income Latinos during the pandemic. Now it wants to be a national bank.
Oportun, which lends in only a dozen states, applied for a bank charter late last year. Consumer and Latino civil rights groups are pushing back, citing the findings of a joint investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
South Texas restrictions were meant to protect people from COVID-19. Then the handcuffs and ticket books came out.
Governments along the Texas-Mexico border took a hard line to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. Police were key to the public health response, resulting in hundreds jailed and nearly 2,000 people ticketed.