At least four conferences were canceled in Austin because of the lack of a statewide mask mandate. The cancellations have caused the Hilton Austin hotel to lose out on $350,000 of revenue, according to Austin Convention Enterprises.
Economy
Get the latest on jobs, business, growth, and policy shaping the state’s economy with in-depth reporting from The Texas Tribune.
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Winter Storm 2021
Analysis: Warren Buffett’s power play puts a price on electric reliability in Texas
Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy wants to build 10 electric plants in Texas, for use when demand peaks or other plants falter. And it’s the first time a price tag has been attached to a remedy since last month’s deadly storm.
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Winter Storm 2021
U.S. House committee holds hearing on Texas’ massive power outages during deadly winter storm
At least 57 people died during the winter storm that plunged much of Texas into subfreezing temperatures and caused widespread power outages for days.
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Economy
Texas’ last Public Utility Commission member resigns at Gov. Greg Abbott’s request
Arthur D’Andrea was the only remaining member of the three-seat commission that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, water and sewer utilities.
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Criminal Justice
The rioter next door: How the Dallas suburbs spawned domestic extremists
North Texas remains a focus of the investigation into the Capitol insurrection after 19 local residents have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, according to federal authorities. That’s one of the largest numbers in any place in the country.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Analysis: When elected problem-solvers become part of the problem
Fixing immigration and ending hate crimes was hard enough without elected policymakers in Austin and Washington D.C., stoking nativist and racial fears.
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Winter Storm 2021
Experts fear reversing electricity prices from winter storm could make things worse
It is unclear who would be helped or hurt — and by how much — if lawmakers try to revise electricity market prices charged during the winter storm.
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Demographics
“I don’t feel safe anymore”: Asian Texans grapple with racism after a gunman killed Asian women in Atlanta
Tuesday’s shootings in Atlanta left six Asian women dead. Asian Texans say they’re being targeted, too.
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Winter Storm 2021
At least 57 people died in the Texas winter storm, mostly from hypothermia
The deaths occurred in at least 25 counties. And 25 of the fatalities occurred in Harris County. Some Texas deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and medical equipment failure.
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Coronavirus in Texas
One year ago, the first Texan was killed by COVID-19. 47,000 deaths followed — and it’s not over.
This timeline tracks COVID-19’s rampage through Texas over the last year: the growing death toll, the policy decisions made in response to the pandemic that often influenced its course, and the stories of some of the Texans claimed by the virus.