For Texas hospitals, a new COVID-19 surge looms over a burned-out, depleted workforce
Some hospitals are better prepared than they were early in the pandemic, but administrators say staff morale still stands on shaky ground. Full Story
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Allyson Waller is a newsletter writer at The Texas Tribune. Previously, she was part of the 2020-2021 New York Times Fellowship class where she worked as a general assignment reporter for the publication’s breaking news desk. Allyson is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in journalism. While at UT Austin, she interned at the Miami Herald as a local government reporter and The Texas Tribune as an investigative fellow. When not closely following politics and state policy, Allyson enjoys listening to podcasts, watching documentaries and stocking up on fiction books. She is based in Austin.
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![A nurse dons full PPE before entering the room of a COVID-19 patient at Goodall-Witcher Hospital in Clifton on Aug. 3, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
The push to ban books in Texas schools spreads to public libraries
Some Texas residents are asking for greater say in what titles appear on public library shelves. Full Story
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![Books on shelves at the Llano Public Library on Dec. 14, 2021. The Commissioners Court for Llano County voted to close the public library to conduct "inventory and catalog" their books after community pushback related to books that some deemed offensive. The pushback also led to a decision to immediately shut down an online library of thousands of books out of fears that children could access material not appropriate for children.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he’ll take fight against federal vaccine mandate for large businesses to Supreme Court
Texas is among states that sued the Biden administration over its mandate. An appeals court ruled in the president's favor Friday and reinstated the rule, set to take effect Jan. 4. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Houston-area school district drops gender-based policy on long hair
The change comes after Magnolia ISD was sued by six boys and a nonbinary student for alleged discrimination. Full Story
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![Danielle Miller hugs her child as the family prepares for school in their home in Magnolia on Oct. 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Sul Ross State University president Pete Gallego announces resignation
A little more than a year after taking the top job at the West Texas school, the former lawmaker has announced he is leaving at the end of the school year. Full Story
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![Former US Rep Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, concedes the 2016 Texas 23 Congressional District race to Will Hurd, a San Antonio Republican, on Wed. Nov, 9th.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Penguin parents, anti-bullying tips, teen romance: What we found inside three books flagged by a Texas lawmaker’s schools inquiry
State Rep. Matt Krause is investigating whether Texas school districts have purchased any of nearly 850 books in a list he produced last month. Full Story
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![And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and Avoiding Bullies?: Skills to Outsmart and Stop Them by Louise A Spilsbury.]()
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Houston-area school district suspends gender-based provisions of its dress code after being sued over its long-hair policy
The ACLU of Texas sued Magnolia ISD, accusing it of violating students’ equal protection under the 14th Amendment and Title IX. Full Story
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![Danielle Miller hugs her child as the family prepares for school in their Magnolia home on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Wondering who can get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot and when? Here’s what Texans need to know.
The vaccine’s protection goes down with time, so medical experts recommend a supplemental dose after two to six months. Find out here if it’s time to get one. Full Story
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![A pharmacist the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Houston Independent School District’s Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Jan. 9, 2021. HISD partnered with Kroger to administer the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine to educators, police officers and school nurses as part of Phase 1A and 1B of the vaccine rollout.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune -
How Texas Republicans moved beyond a bathroom bill to successfully restrict transgender athletes’ participation in school sports
In 2017, conservative lawmakers failed to pass legislation targeting transgender Texans. Things were different this year. Full Story
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![Protestors participate in a rally against Anti-Trans legislation at the southern steps of the state Capitol on April 28, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge says Houston-area students defying dress code ban on long hair can return to class
In a lawsuit filed against Magnolia ISD, the ACLU of Texas says six boys and a nonbinary student were disciplined for having long hair under the district’s gender-based dress code. Full Story
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![A fifth-grade Magnolia student plays some practice notes on the piano before school in their Magnolia home on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune