Monkeypox is spreading in Texas. Here’s what you need to know about causes, symptoms and treatment.
The virus isn’t airborne, so it isn’t as easy to contract as COVID-19. But experts say it shouldn’t be ignored. Full Story
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Karen Brooks Harper
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Karen Brooks Harper reported on the state budget and health and human services from 2020 to 2024. An alumna of the Missouri School of Journalism, Karen arrived in Texas in 1995 to join the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, spent several years in Laredo and Mexico covering immigration and the drug war for Knight-Ridder newspapers, and has covered Texas politics for more than two decades for news organizations including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Dallas Morning News and Reuters.
Past Contributions
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![A healthcare worker prepares a syringe at a monkeypox vaccination clinic run by CIUSSS public health authorities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 6, 2022.]()
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Demand for the monkeypox vaccine in Texas is outstripping supply as the nondeadly disease takes hold
The vaccine isn’t widely available yet and testing levels are low. That’s driving concern about a virus that is expected to keep spreading. Full Story
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![A person arrives to receive a monkeypox vaccine at the Northwell Health Immediate Care Center at Fire Island-Cherry Grove, in New York on July 15, 2022.]()
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Texas abortion foes use legal threats and propose more laws to increase pressure on providers and their allies
No criminal charges have been filed under two current Texas laws restricting abortion, but abortion opponents are looking to build on the momentum of recent victories, including the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Full Story
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![Protesters marched from the federal courthouse to the state Capitol in opposition of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade in downtown Austin on June 24, 2022.]()
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Texans have been slow to vaccinate their youngest against COVID-19, but they’re slightly ahead of the national average
For some parents of kids under 5 who want to vaccinate them, the wait has been excruciating, fraught with delays and close calls. Others are hesitant to have their young children vaccinated. Full Story
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![Mary Douglas injects Huaijin Zhang, 5, with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Texas Children’s Hospital on June 28, 2022, in Houston.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
A “cloned” 18-wheeler made it easy for smugglers to pass through the border, say state officials vowing to crack down
A federal agency estimates that about 75 trucks are reported nationally each year with copied or stolen state and federal ID numbers, which industry experts say is likely a significant undercount. Full Story
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![A tractor-trailer found near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio contained the bodies of 46 dead people, along with 16 others who have been taken to hospitals on June 27, 2022, local officials in San Antonio said.]()
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3 men in custody after deaths of 51 people found in San Antonio truck
The victims included migrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Most were men; five were minors. Full Story
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![A tractor-trailer found near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio contained the bodies of 46 dead people, along with 16 others who have been taken to hospitals on June 27, 2022, local officials in San Antonio said.]()
Credit: Nick Wagner for The Texas Tribune -
Wealth will now largely determine which Texans can access abortion
The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade will not fall equally. Texans most likely to seek out abortion care in the past are now the least likely to be able to afford it. People of color will be most disproportionately affected. Full Story
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![The crowd cheers during the March of Mahogany rally in support of abortion rights in downtown Houston on May 14, 2022. The march was hosted by the Hoochies of Houston, an organization that focuses on empowering and protecting Black women.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate Democrats call again for a special session on gun safety in response to Uvalde shooting
The senators said they would support proposals like raising the age to legally own an assault weapon from 18 to 21, creating red flag laws and regulating private gun sales. Full Story
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![State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, speaks during a Texas Senate Democratic Caucus press conference urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to address gun violence in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, at the Capitol on Jun. 20, 2022.]()
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Uvalde was a mental health desert before a school shooting prompted Texas to respond with resources
After the May 24 school shooting, mental health help is now pouring into Uvalde, where a fourth of residents are uninsured and counseling options are few and far between. Full Story
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![People pray during the vigil at Uvalde County Fairplex on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.]()
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For the children who survived the Uvalde shooting uninjured, trauma will take time to heal
Uvalde offers mental health resources for the victims and considers rebuilding the school where the shooting took place as the community tends to its invisible wounds. Full Story
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![Zayin Zuniga, 10, gazes at piles of flowers and balloons left in front of crosses at Robb Elementary in Uvalde on June 1, 2022, memorializing the 19 children and two teachers fatally shot after a gunman entered the building the week before.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune