A newly “open” state will likely look very different in rural towns and suburban neighborhoods compared to more populous areas and coronavirus hot spots, residents and business owners say.
West Texas
West Texas is home to the nation’s largest oil field, the Permian Basin. The region is defined by its energy production and wide-open spaces. It also includes Big Bend country and cities such as El Paso, Midland and Odessa.
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Energy
West Texas is on track to get even more nuclear waste — thanks to the federal government
A hazardous waste disposal company in Andrews County wants to handle more dangerous levels of nuclear waste. Federal agencies are pondering new rules that could allow more of it to come to Texas.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Coronavirus is ablaze in West Texas as tourists flock to Big Bend and Marfa. Hospitals are running out of overflow options.
Presidio and Brewster counties, home to the popular tourist destinations, along with nearby Culberson County, lead the state in cases per 1,000 residents in the last two weeks. All of West Texas is dealing with increasing COVID-19 cases while low on hospital beds.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Fleeing their home state’s strict restrictions on sports, New Mexico basketball teams seek refuge in two of Texas’ worst hot spots
The two teams will move to Lubbock and Amarillo, which are in counties with some of the highest rates of COVID-19 per 1,000 residents in the state.
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Coronavirus in Texas
In Lubbock, pandemic fatigue sets in as hospitalizations rise
Experts and officials say people are exhausted with coronavirus restrictions and have begged them to don face coverings, socially distance and take “personal responsibility” for keeping themselves and their neighbors safe.
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Coronavirus in Texas
In West Texas, volunteers manufacture medical supplies and amateur pilots deliver to remote hospitals
A volunteer air force of more than 1,000 amateur aviators has come together to transport essential medical supplies in a part of the state where the cities are far-flung and the roads are notoriously dangerous from oil-related traffic.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas officials project optimism on hospital capacity, medical resources
Concerns that Texas hospitals would be unable to accommodate a surge of COVID-19 patients seem to have been assuaged in recent days.
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Environment
As drought persists, Texas ranchers take stock
In parts of Texas experiencing severe droughts, some ranchers are finding there is practically no grass left for cattle to graze on.
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Environment
Earthquakes in West Texas have dramatically increased, according to new University of Texas study
Every year West Texas experiences more and more small earthquakes. The study by the University of Texas at Austin documented more than 7,000 starting in 2009.
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Immigration
ICE transfers detainees out of West Texas facility after water shortage in Sierra Blanca
The shortage has forced the West Texas Detention Facility, operated by Louisiana-based LaSalle Corrections, to turn off its water nightly.
