Texas' July unemployment rate drops slightly to 8%
With more than 10,000 Texans dead from COVID-19, economists have warned that until the state gets a handle on the pandemic, the economic recession will not improve. Full Story
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![A Rooms to Go in Frisco, open to customers.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
With no end to the shutdown in sight, Texas bar owners and employees are on the brink of losing everything
Some bar owners are planning to reopen in defiance of the moratorium, a desperate attempt to generate income — and draw Gov. Greg Abbott’s attention. Full Story
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![Elizabeth McNiel, the owner of Ironwood Saloon and an ASL teacher, and her husband Ryan front of their RV that is parked behind their empty bar, the only one in Sabinal. They shut it down because of COVID-19 mandates. Aug. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Christopher Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: With elections coming, Texas Republican leaders join the thin blue line
Freezing local taxes in Texas cities that cut police funding sounds better than it works. But the political angle taken by the state's top leaders gives them something other than pandemic and recession to talk about this election season. Full Story
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![Austin police officers stand guard as the Austin Fire Department puts out a car that was set on fire by protesters in downtown Austin on May 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
San Antonio postal union leader describes mass delays, says Postal Service hid backlogged mail from congressman
The union leader said tens of thousands of pieces of mail were carted away ahead of U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro’s visit. The office's delays have been exacerbated by employees missing because of COVID-19 concerns. Full Story
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![U.S. Postal Service trucks at an Austin office location on Aug. 17, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
In shift, Texas begins publishing some data on coronavirus cases at child care centers
Without numbers on how many children or staff are in Texas child care facilities — which the state does not report — it’s hard to gauge the magnitude of infections. Full Story
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![A flurry of colors and activity, building time started the day for preschoolers at Greater Cornerstone Academy in North Dallas Oct. 9, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
As the Texas restaurant industry struggles, so do farmers, truckers and others in the food supply chain
Economic experts say a slow recovery in the industry means problems will persist for the restaurant sector — and businesses in the supply chain on which it relies. Full Story
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![Owner Eric Silverstein takes food from the Bar Peached kitchen to one of his customers on Aug. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will start posting coronavirus case data from public schools, education commissioner says
The data will be posted on a state website and the reporting process will be finalized after input from school superintendents. Full Story
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![Partitions made from clear shower curtains and PVC pipe separate desks in a fourth grade classroom at Abilene's Texas Leadership Charter Academy. The barriers are to prevent children from potentially spreading coronavirus to classmates when school resumes later this month.]()
Credit: Ronald W. Erdrich/Abilene Reporter-News -
UT-Austin students and employees urge officials to stop in-person classes, lower tuition and offer hazard pay
The Texas State Employees Union presented a petition that condemns the upcoming return to campus in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic as harmful. Classes start Wednesday. Full Story
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![The Texas flag flies on the south lawn of The Univerisity of Texas at Austin campus on Dec. 3, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats are successfully suing to kick Green Party candidates off the November ballot
Democrats won legal rulings Wednesday blocking Green Party nominees for U.S. Senate, railroad commissioner and the 21st Congressional District from appearing on the November ballot. Full Story
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![T-Shirts for sale at the Green Party Presidential Convention in Houston on Aug. 5, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Daphne Prairie and other Texas grasslands can store carbon and help fight climate change
But there are few pieces of pristine land left like Daphne Prairie, untouched by plow or urban sprawl. Full Story
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![Prairie in Whiteface.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, USPS woes and state deadlines could leave voters without enough time to return mail-in ballots
In Texas' major counties, almost 99% of mail-in ballots were counted during the July primary runoff election, a Tribune analysis shows. But election officials say postal service disarray and a record number of requests mean people should ask for their absentee ballots well before November's Election Day. Full Story
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TribCast: Texas and the DNC, the fight over police funding, and election mailing woes
On this week's Tribcast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Alex and Ross about Texans' role at the Democratic National Convention, a new front in the local control fight and what election mail concerns could mean for Texas. Full Story
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![Protesters march in downtown Austin on July 27, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
“We’re being treated as guinea pigs”: Faculty members fear in-person return to Texas universities
Some faculty members call the pressure to return to face-to-face instruction a callous decision that prioritizes money and the college experience over the safety of the university community. Full Story
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![Sam Houston State University.]()
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Analysis: Watch the bottom of Texas ballots for political change — not the top
If the decadeslong Republican hold on Texas politics loosens, it might not be at the top of the ticket. Watch the federal and state legislative races, and where the money's going in those. Full Story
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![Joan Mooneyham and Barb Walters chat near polling machines set six feet apart at a training lab at the Collin County Elections Department .Collin County created a mock polling site with added protective measures against COVID-19 to prepare poll workers before early voting begins on June 29.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Sam Houston State University canceled its in-person graduation and fall sports — but hosted a Tiffany Haddish comedy show
The school allowed up to 675 students into its indoor Johnson Coliseum to watch comedian Tiffany Haddish on the first day of classes. Full Story
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![Tiffany Haddish poses at the premiere of the film "Sonic the Hedgehog" in Los Angeles, California on Feb. 12, 2020.]()
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Texas school district's dreadlocks ban discriminatory, federal court rules
The decision comes a month after the Barbers Hill Independent School District board of trustees voted to keep the dress code policy, which advocates have deemed racist. Full Story
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![The administration at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu told senior DeAndre Arnold to cut his dreadlocks.]()
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Former USPS leader from Texas says Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is “destroying confidence” in the postal service
Carolyn Lewis, a former USPS Board of Governors chair, said she has been disturbed by reports of cost-cutting measures and concerns that the mail service will not be able to handle an influx of mailed-in ballots. Full Story
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![U.S. Postal Service trucks at an Austin office location on Aug. 17, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott, other Texas leaders want to freeze property tax revenues for cities that cut police budgets
The state's three top elected leaders also fiercely criticized the Austin officials who plan to cut up to one-third of their police department's budget, largely through reorganizing divisions out from under law enforcement. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, hold the first meeting of the Texas Safety Commission at the Texas Capitol August 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Harris County joins federal lawsuit trying to extend time for U.S. census count
After the Trump administration announced an abrupt change to the census deadline, the largest county in Texas is among those suing to keep the count going until October. Full Story
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![Crowds march through Austin in celebration of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
TV ad blitz kicks off in high-profile battle between U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and Wendy Davis
Both sides in the race are launching TV ads Tuesday, auguring an expensive, action-packed sprint to November. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, and former state Sen. Wendy Davis race for Texas' 21st Congressional District.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar and Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune