Texas Capitol Entrance Open: Keep Calm and Carry On, Y’all

The main entrance to the Texas Capitol is open and bustling again, a few weeks after the state Department of Public Safety temporarily closed it, citing security concerns.

The south entrance re-opened this week, according to Tom Vinger, a department spokesman. Early Tuesday afternoon, families walked through the south entrance before joining tours of the historic building, and security personnel checked bags.

The entrance closed in the wake of several high-profile shootings nationwide, including the deaths of two black men at the hands of police in Louisiana and Minnesota and attacks on police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.

Asked for more information on what prompted the entrance to close in July, Vinger said in an email that “we always monitor events that may involve a public safety aspect across the state, nation and world.”

“When warranted, our level of vigilance increases to meet any potential threats, and we will adjust our security measures as appropriate,” he wrote. “Adjusting the public access patterns (in early July) represented one adjustment the department made in light of the threat environment and events at that point in time.”