More than 30 Texas bars sue over Gov. Greg Abbott's recent shutdown order
Abbott has said the actions of his executive order "are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health." Full Story
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![John Caldwell, manager of Coyote Ugly, boards up his bar on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas city and county leaders ask Gov. Greg Abbott for authority to implement local stay-at-home orders
At the beginning of the pandemic, local officials across the state implemented stay-at-home orders for their regions. But now, with cases across Texas' metros surging, those leaders say Abbott has stripped them of the authority to reinstate the same measures. Full Story
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![Kroger pharmacists explain and collect self-swab COVID-19 tests at a testing site in the Fifth Ward in Houston on June 27, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Governing in reaction mode, and always a beat or two behind
The pandemic has been with us since late winter, but state leaders seem to have forgotten something they already know from other disasters: You can get ready when a storm is coming, or wait until it blows your roof off. Full Story
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![A line of about 100 cars formed at Barbara Jordan Elementary School in Austin at a COVID-19 testing site. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Sudden shutdown of Texas bars leaves owners, employees (and patrons) uncertain about the future
Bars had to shut down by noon Friday after a statewide surge in coronavirus infections that officials said was largely driven by activities like congregating in close spaces. There’s no immediate plan for when they’ll be able to reopen. Full Story
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![Workers boarded up bars on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
As evictions resume in Texas, unemployed renters have few options
While cities and legal aid agencies are setting up resources for tenants, many judges explained that they won't be able to consider loss of employment in eviction cases. Full Story
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![An East Austin neighborhood.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A persistent coronavirus thriving against an inconsistent Texas government
It's a déjà vu moment, with the Texas government making some of the same moves to curb the spread of the coronavirus that it adopted in March — and started to get rid of a month later. The virus is spreading, and the remedies are back. Full Story
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![A line of close to 100 cars formed at Hancock Center in Austin while waiting for COVID-19 tests at the Community Care clinic. Some patients reported four hour wait times. June 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Trump’s ban on immigrant workers moves Texas in the wrong direction, business leaders say
Texas-based companies need more immigrant labor, not less, business leaders argue. But that doesn’t mean American workers aren’t needed, too. Full Story
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Texans struggle to find work in the Rio Grande Valley, where unemployment has nearly tripled
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, limits on cross-border commerce and a downturn in the energy sector have hit the Rio Grande Valley's economy especially hard. Full Story
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![People cross the Mc Allen-Hidalgo International Bridge in Hidalgo.]()
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Texas’ coronavirus positivity rate exceeds “warning flag” level Abbott set as businesses reopened
In early May, Gov. Greg Abbott pointed to the positivity rate — a ratio of positive COVID-19 tests to all tests — and said anything over 10% was cause for alarm. As of Wednesday, Texas exceeded that mark for the first time since April. Full Story
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![A health care worker takes a patient's information at an Austin Regional Clinic COVID-19 testing site on June 17, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott recommends Texans stay home as coronavirus cases surge
The governor also moved for the first time to allow the tightening of two kinds of restrictions that had been eased under his reopening plan. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott adjusts his mask after giving an update on the categories of medical surge facilities at a press conference at the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Trump, citing pandemic, orders limits on foreign workers, extends immigration restrictions through December
The White House has described the move “a pause." The order does not apply to immigrants already living and working in the United States nor to permanent residents seeking to become naturalized citizens. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump spoke during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Oct. 21, 2019.]()
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Texas companies would feel the impact of a limit on H-1B visas
President Donald Trump's administration could severely limit approvals of the visas Texas companies use to fill specialized roles. Full Story
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![American Visa and Social Security Card with '"Valid for work only with DHS authorization"']()
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Texas' unemployment rate for May slightly fell to 13% as economists say coronavirus pandemic will hinder recovery
Experts say coronavirus infections and hospitalizations in Texas — which have set new records in recent days — may have the biggest influence on how fast the state's economy recovers. Full Story
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![The Texas Workforce Commission Building in Austin on March 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas bars and restaurants were eager to reopen. Now some are closing their doors again as coronavirus cases rise.
As employees test positive, some bars and restaurants are closing even though Texas allows them to operate. Many owners are balancing feedback from their staffs, their patrons, state guidelines and local officials. Full Story
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![A bartender waits for customers at Buck Wild on West Sixth Street in downtown Austin as bars reopen on May 22, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas to reinstate work-search requirement for unemployment benefits
As COVID-19 continues spreading, the Texas Workforce Commission says out-of-work Texans will have to prove they are searching for work to receive unemployment benefits beginning July 6. Full Story
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![Shuttered businesses in downtown Austin during the coronavirus pandemic.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Supreme Court says civil rights law applies to LGBTQ workers, granting protections long denied in Texas
Texas has no laws on the books explicitly protecting people from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but the Supreme Court's ruling on Monday now gives federal protections. Full Story
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![LGBTQ activists and supporters hold a rally outside the U.S. Supreme in Washington on October 8, 2019.]()
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Analysis: Casting nervous looks at Texas’ medical charts as numbers worsen
State leaders knew COVID-19 cases would rise as businesses and other public places opened, but steady increases over the last two weeks have everyone watching the numbers very closely. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott waits backstage before holding a press conference on the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas on May 5, 2020.]()
Credit: USA Today Network via REUTERS -
Grappling with budget shortfalls, Texas cities prepare for hard choices
Federal aid through the CARES act is helping, but it likely won't be enough to fill the holes in cities' budgets caused by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Full Story
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![Aerial View of Downtown Dallas.]()
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Analysis: A surprise accountability test for local politicians
Moving local elections because of the pandemic might seem unremarkable. But it gives voters a rare chance to instantly grade elected officials' handling of a pandemic and a bad economy, as well as their response to cases of police brutality. Full Story
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![Protesters marched against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers on May 31, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Number of Texans hospitalized with coronavirus hits all-time high as experts say cases are likely to continue increasing
The figures come a little more than a month since Gov. Greg Abbott's stay-at-home order expired and about two weeks after Memorial Day. Full Story
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![Exterior of St. David's Medical Center in Austin on March 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune