Texas unemployment rate headed toward double digits, comptroller warns
Texas reported a record low unemployment rate of 3.5% in January. The historic high was 9.2% in 1986. Full Story
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Mitchell Ferman
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Mitchell Ferman covered energy and the economy from 2020 to 2022, based in Houston. Before joining the Tribune he was a reporter for The Monitor in McAllen, where he covered cross-border trade, politics and the city of McAllen. He also regularly freelanced from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond for The New York Times, Texas Monthly and Reuters, writing about topics including the family separation crisis and unexpected consequences of the border wall. He graduated from the University of Missouri.
Past Contributions
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![Pueblo Viejo in Austin closed its dining operations following an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott which limits social gatherings to 10 people. March 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Small businesses in Texas can apply for emergency federal loans to help ride out coronavirus pandemic, Abbott announces
Texans can apply online to see if they qualify for a long-term, low-interest loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Full Story
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![Shuttered businesses on Sixth Street in Austin during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas restaurants are asking for tax relief from the state. But officials say they need those revenues during the pandemic.
Restaurant owners say that delaying sales tax payments could help them ride out the pandemic. State officials, however, say that those revenues help keep hospitals and emergency services running. Full Story
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![Caffe Medici, one of Austin's Oldest coffee shops, was forced to permanantly close one of its five locations and layoff 27 employees as the business attempts to stay afloat in the wake of the global economic crash from the COVID-19. March 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas regulators contemplating a reduction in oil production amid coronavirus crisis
A Texas Railroad Commission official said no decision has been made yet and the agency is looking into options. Full Story
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![A worker waits to load a piece of pipe, or casing, that will be lowered into the well at a Chesapeake Energy drill site in Dimmit County on the Eagle Ford Shale.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
"It's going to hurt": New coronavirus shocks Texas economy as length of public health crisis remains unknown
The novel coronavirus has caught governments unprepared, put people out of work and set businesses on the brink of closure. Congress is working on a federal stimulus package as unemployment claims in Texas are expected to rise. Full Story
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![A screen at the New York Stock Exchange shows the day's numbers as markets continue to react to the coronavirus disease on March 18, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson -
Social distancing has upended the financial lives of countless Texans. And many don't know what's next.
Officials say they have to prioritize public health over economic concerns. Meanwhile, people who can't work from home navigate a public health crisis while facing financial uncertainty. Full Story
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![Scholz Garten in Austin.]()
Credit: Anneke Paterson for The Texas Tribune -
Texans were already feeling coronavirus' financial squeeze. Then the cases increased and cancellations mounted.
The state's oil and gas industry has cratered. Major events have been called off, and tourism across Texas has dipped. It is too soon to tell the statewide economic impact from COVID-19, but Texans are already feeling a pinch. Full Story
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![Billy Benedict, the owner of J&J Spirits in Austin's historic East 11th street, poses for a photo amid the economic uncertainty of the COVID19 outbreak.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune