The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
“The setting will be similar to a Medical-Surgical Unit with a capability of treating critical care patients," reads a description for a 100-bed site in Austin, according to an email obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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Paxton, a Republican, was indicted in 2015 on felony securities fraud charges, but the case has yet to go to trial as side battles persist over the venue where he will be tried and the amount the special prosecutors will be paid. Full Story
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“We can protect Texans’ lives while also restoring their livelihoods,” Abbott said this week. As cases surge, the question has become: How many Texans’ lives? Full Story
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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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For a second time since the start of the pandemic, Abbott banned elective surgeries to preserve bed space for coronavirus patients. But this time the hold on the nonessential procedures is only in effect for Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis counties. Full Story
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Using TaskRabbit and Venmo, a Silicon Valley investor and his business partner had workers repackage nonmedical KN95 masks so he could sell them to Texas emergency workers. Full Story
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Siding with the state, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo found that Democrats lacked standing to overturn Texas Republicans’ decision to kill straight-ticket voting ahead of the November general election. Full Story
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The tables have turned: Texas previously had similar self-quarantining requirements for hot spots like New York and Louisiana. Now that Texas is the latest hot spot, states are imposing restrictions against travelers from the Lone Star State. Full Story
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Texas government is going in two directions at once, with Gov. Greg Abbott blowing a whistle on rising COVID-19 numbers while top education officials detail plans to open public schools for in-person classes this fall. Full Story
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Regionally, some hospital officials are reporting that intensive care units are near or over capacity, and local leaders have warned that hospitals could get overwhelmed if the number of infections keeps climbing. Full Story
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Three Texas doctors didn’t know about the coronavirus when they filed to run for Congress this year, but now the pandemic has upended their professional and political lives. Full Story
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During an interview with The Texas Tribune, Escobar, D-El Paso, said the state's leadership missed an opportunity to implement robust testing when an emergency was declared. Full Story
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When Gov. Greg Abbott let businesses start reopening, he pointed to two metrics as encouraging signs: the hospitalization rate and the infection rate. Both of those metrics are on the rise in Texas. Full Story
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More people are out and about, and coronavirus cases are rising in Texas. But there's an easy way to limit the spread of the virus, if people will set their politics aside: masks. Full Story
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The release last week of audio of two Empower Texans staffers disparaging Gov. Greg Abbott with profanity and jokes about his disability became nearly instant fodder in the fast-approaching runoffs. Full Story
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State Rep. Tan Parker said he will file a bill in the upcoming legislative session to extend to-go alcohol sales past the coronavirus pandemic. The Texas Restaurant Association also has asked Abbott to expand the waiver to allow mixed drinks with liquor to be prepared, resealed and sold. Full Story
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During a Houston policing roundtable organized by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, several local leaders emphasized the need for social services funding. Full Story
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The Texas Legislature is supposed to convene in January — and would ordinarily be holding public hearings on various issues between now and then. That begs a question: Is there a safe way to open the Texas Capitol to lawmakers and the public? Full Story
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The state reported a total of 2,947 people in hospitals on Thursday. Full Story
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Austin's mayor issued a similar order late Wednesday. Local leaders have been asking for the ability to impose more strict mask orders, but Gov. Greg Abbott never publicly mentioned that one option was ordering businesses to require them. Full Story
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