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Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin. He is a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked as an editor for The Daily Texan. When not in the newsroom or at the Capitol, he could be found on the volleyball court, standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
More than 500 residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care centers who were evacuated are still waiting to come home, according to the state. Full Story
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Federal Judge Janis Jack hammered state child welfare officials during a two-day hearing over what she called failures to improve Texas' foster care system. Full Story
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In the first day of a two-day hearing to evaluate progress the state has made toward resolving a long-running foster care lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Janis Jack excoriated Texas child welfare officials. Full Story
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After a late July peak, the number of statewide coronavirus hospitalizations has fallen from about 11,000 per day to about 4,500. Children who are infected are less likely to be hospitalized. Full Story
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An August budget document shows funding for the anti-abortion program would be maintained, but reduced for doctors and clinics that provide reduced-cost contraception and health screenings. Full Story
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The governor also said that testing is down statewide possibly because of the closure of some temporary testing sites created in July that targeted various coronavirus hotspots. Full Story
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Texas' low number of tests and large percentage of positive results suggest inadequacies in the state's public health surveillance effort at a time when school reopenings are certain to increase viral spread, health experts said. Full Story
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It’s hard to collect good numbers on an unknown virus, and Texas health officials have made errors. But experts say the state’s coronavirus data is useful as long as users understand its limitations. Full Story
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Hispanic Texans are overrepresented in the state's updated fatality count, making up 48% of deaths, but only 40% of the state's population. Full Story
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A plateauing of new virus cases would hardly represent a victory over the pandemic, but it would help keep hospitals from being overrun with sick patients. Full Story
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