Texas Democrat's congressional campaign received a PPP loan in May
Dr. Christine Eady Mann, who is in a runoff for a Central Texas seat, has already paid the loan back. Full Story
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![Dr. Christine Mann outside the medical building in Cedar Park where she works, on Monday, June 1, 2020. Mann is running against U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, the incumbent in Texas' 31st Congressional District.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner urges Texas GOP to cancel its convention
The in-person event is scheduled for next week, even as the coronavirus continues to spread through Houston. Full Story
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![Texas Republican Convention attendees stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in Fort Worth in 2012.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas wants $32 million in unemployment benefits back after finding 46,000 people were overpaid
The Texas Workforce Commission said that incorrect filings and fraud can lead to overpayments, but the money must be paid back even if it was the state's mistake. 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 -
Nearly 6,300 Texas companies received PPP loans of more than $1 million
The federal government released the names Monday of 51,250 companies and organizations in Texas that received the loans, which were designed to keep the economy afloat during the coronavirus. Full Story
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![The Parlour Salon in San Marcos closes during the COVID-19 pandemic. April 10, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas voters split on police violence protests, open to moving Confederate statues, poll finds
Long-held views on discrimination against Black people and on memorials to the Confederacy are changing in Texas, and voters are open to universal voting by mail, according to polling by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. Full Story
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![The 1903 Confederate monument at the south entrance to the state Capitol grounds in 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Poll says Texans' hopes for quick return to pre-coronavirus life are fading
Texans remain focused on the coronavirus, are less optimistic about returning to normal quickly, and their assessments of government pandemic responses have soured, according to a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll. Full Story
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![Pharmacist Emily Smith opens a cooler for a patient to place their self-swab coronavirus test at a Walmart drive-thru testing site in McKinney on June 29.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texans across the state march to demand justice for Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillén
Guillén, a 20-year-old Army specialist, went missing in April from the Central Texas Army post. Remains found last week were confirmed to be hers, her family said. Her disappearance sparked protests against the military for its handling of sexual harassment allegations. Full Story
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![People gather outside of Power House Gym in Houston to honor Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen on July 5, 2020.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas universities are moving more classes online but keeping tuition the same. Students are asking if it's worth the money.
Universities are moving forward with reopening plans for the fall semester, anxious to bring students back. But faced with online classes and an altered campus, students are questioning if college is still worth what they're paying. Full Story
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![Annabelle Hicks, Ann Marie Cotman Hicks and Allison Hicks outside their north Austin home on July 1, 2020. Annabelle, a Trinity University freshman, and Allison, a University of North Texas senior, both plan to return to their respective campuses this fall.]()
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Several Texas cities worry hospitals may run out of beds in two weeks or sooner
As local officials express concerns that their hospitals could be overloaded with coronavirus patients, some are urging Gov. Greg Abbott to empower local governments to issue stay-at-home orders. Full Story
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![The emergency center at Ben Taub Hospital in the Texas Medical Center in Houston on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for the Texas Tribune -
"Kill 'em": Houston GOP powerbroker Steve Hotze left Greg Abbott a voicemail requesting that National Guard "shoot to kill" rioters
Hotze, a staunch critic of Abbott's coronavirus response, left a voicemail with the governor's chief of staff in early June with the incendiary instruction. Full Story
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![Steve Hotze.]()
Credit: Social media -
How Texans celebrated July Fourth during the coronavirus pandemic
Four Texas Tribune photographers went out to see how Texans were celebrating the holiday as the new coronavirus surges and new restrictions are imposed to stem its rise. Here's what they saw. Full Story
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![People watch a fireworks display from the parking lot of Church of the Springs in Dripping Springs on July 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Ector County GOP censures Abbott over executive power amid coronavirus, state Sen. Charles Perry calls for special session
The developments came two days after Abbott announced an executive order requiring Texans to wear masks in most public places. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the categories of medical surge facilities during a press conference at the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Ten out of the 12 hospitals in Texas' Rio Grande Valley are now full
"We are now at the point of grave concern," said the CEO of one hospital system in deep South Texas as local hospitals began diverting patients away from their emergency rooms amid a crush of COVID-19 infections. Full Story
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Bar exam for Texas' aspiring lawyers canceled in July due to coronavirus concerns
Following pleas from law school deans and prospective lawyers, the Texas Supreme Court has canceled the July bar exam and will plan for an in-person exam in September and an online exam in October. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump endorses Tony Gonzales to replace U.S. Rep. Will Hurd
The president intervened Friday in the Republican primary runoff to replace Hurd, picking Gonzales over Raul Reyes, who U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed days earlier. Full Story
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![Tony Gonzales announces in San Antonio's Orsinger Park that he is running for the Texas Congressional district 23 seat that is being vacated by Will Hurd.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP will proceed with in-person state convention in Houston this month
In light of the decision to go forward with an in-person convention with a new mask requirement, two sponsors announced they would drop out. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he was hopeful that the organization would still reconsider. Full Story
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![The Texas Republican Convention at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio. Bob Parks salutes the flag from the front row on June 14, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
How Texans behave on July Fourth will shape the next phase of the state's coronavirus epidemic
Millions of decisions by a restive population eager to barbecue, jump in lakes and gather for fireworks could have disastrous consequences for public health. Officials are crossing their fingers, and pleading for Texans to give up a little independence. Full Story
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![Aransas Pass hosts its Fourth of July fireworks display on Thursday, July 2, 2020, over Conn Brown Harbor. Attendees were encouraged to social distance and stay in their cars during the show.]()
Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide mask mandate exempts voting sites and churches
As for the voting exemption in his mask order, Abbott says it was designed to make sure Texans do not lose their right to vote "simply because they don't have a mask." Full Story
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![A man exits Toney Burger stadium in South Austin where early voting has begun for the July 14th runoff and special election, in Austin on June 29, 2020.]()
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“How many more are coming?” What it’s like inside hospitals as coronavirus grips Texas’ Rio Grande Valley
The surge in coronavirus cases has slammed hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley. Additional wards have opened. Doctors and nurses pull extra shifts. And the stream of sick people, some gasping for air, keeps growing. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott orders Texans in most counties to wear masks in public
Abbott previously resisted calls for such an order and at one point banned local governments from requiring masks. First-time violators will be issued a warning, though repeat offenders could be fined up to $250. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott gives an update on Texas hospital bed capacity and the state's strategy for fighting COVID-19 during a press conference at Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman
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