Senate confirms U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas as director of national intelligence
The congressman from Heath will oversee 17 intelligence agencies. His appointment creates a vacancy in one of Texas' most conservative districts. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Heath, testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on May 5, 2020.]()
Credit: Gabriella Demczuk/Pool via REUTERS -
Texas businesses returning during coronavirus are unlikely to spur fast economic recovery
As workers and customers reemerge into a society still grappling with a spreading coronavirus, the power Gov. Greg Abbott and officials across the globe used to close businesses in the first place does not extend to reviving the economy. Full Story
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![Donna Heath, floor manager of The Barn Door Restaurant, poses for a portrait during her shift in front of the restaurant in San Antonio on May 18, 2020.]()
Credit: Christopher Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is locked in a battle over voting by mail. Here's how to do it.
It's unclear whether Texas will expand who is eligible for a mail-in ballot during the pandemic, as other states have. But the people who normally qualify to vote by mail can still do so in July. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
“There won’t be a goodbye party”: Hospital administrator prepares to retire during pandemic
A hospital administrator gets a special gift. A food pantry worker gets her coronavirus test results. A Midland family cancels its annual fishing trip. In this weekly series, Texans from across the state share stories about how they’re navigating life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Story
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Coronavirus in Texas: Texans still able to refuse work and receive unemployment benefits if they lack child care
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![Stevin Kane and Ramiro Cruz give haircuts to customers, after Kane's Barbershop reopened from being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas doctors say their revenue has dropped by at least 50% since the pandemic, survey data shows
Pandemic-related financial strain has hit independent medical practices especially hard, the survey showed. Many physicians have resorted to taking pay cuts or working fewer hours. Full Story
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![Dr. Spencer R. Berthelsen, M.D., Chairman, Board of Directors at Kelsey-Seybold, who still sees patients two days a week, visits with patient Francisco Garcia (also a doctor at Kelsey Seybold) before his annual physical at their clinic in Sugar Land. Sept. 22, 2011.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
UT-Austin will resume classes this fall — but students won't return to campus after Thanksgiving
After the November holiday, students will not return to campus in an effort to avoid spreading the coronavirus. Full Story
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![University of Texas at Austin students pass by the main building on their way to and from classes.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Federal appeals court temporarily blocks voting-by-mail expansion in Texas
While a panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals put one federal judge's ruling on hold, the Texas Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a separate case aimed at limiting mail-in voting. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas scaling back child care subsidies for essential workers, low-income parents
A child care subsidy program for essential workers will stop taking applications after Wednesday, and on June 1, low-income parents will stop getting an extra subsidy they have been receiving to help during the pandemic. Full Story
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![The University of Texas Child Development day care center in Austin on April 6, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Bars are back, but questions remain on child care and voting by mail in a pandemic
In this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Aliyya and Ross about the latest reopenings in Texas amid missed benchmarks, child care complications for low-income parents and swirling voting-by-mail questions. Full Story
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![At an Austin location, reopened retailer Urban Outfitters limits occupancy and requires customers to wear masks and maintain social distance. May 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott instructs state agencies to trim budgets by 5% to prepare for "economic shock"
Some state agencies are exempt from the cuts, including the Department of State Health Services, the Texas Workforce Commission and the Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott announced a strike force in charge of laying steps to re-open the Texas economy at a press conference in the capitol on April 17, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus throws Texas Supreme Court justices into the spotlight — and into Democrats' crosshairs
In a year when four justices face reelection, the all-Republican high court has made a slate of controversy-generating decisions, including lifting a moratorium on evictions and — for now — limiting voting by mail in this year’s elections. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt says Abbott's actions to reopen Texas are divisive, scary and confusing
Abbott's recent decisions to reopen the economy despite rising infection rates signal that something has "spooked" the governor, Eckhardt said at a Tribune event. Full Story
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![Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt speaks at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 29, 2018.]()
Credit: Thomas Meredith for The Texas Tribune -
Texas school districts raise hands for shares of $1.29 billion federal infusion
Most of the money is expected to go directly to local districts to help vulnerable students during the coronavirus pandemic. But advocates are trying to steer some into controversial policies like expanding virtual schools. Full Story
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![Students and teachers walk through the halls at Cactus Elementary School on Jan. 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
She walked out of jail into a pandemic. Now she can't find the help she needs to get back on her feet.
Many reentry services offered to those leaving incarceration — like help with housing and employment — have moved online or been halted since the new coronavirus hit the state. Full Story
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![Recently released from jail, Rachel Schuyler panhandles with her dog, Kaido, near the intersection of Burnet Road and U.S. Highway 183 in Austin on May 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Search the Government Salaries Explorer
The Texas Tribune's database of compensation for Texas state employees has been revamped. It includes detailed data for all of the 113 agencies in state government and every position at each of those agencies. Full Story
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T-Squared: Introducing our new salaries explorer
The Texas Tribune is excited to launch a new and revamped version of our Government Salaries Explorer. Full Story
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Credit: Photo Illustration by Ben Hasson / Texas Tribune -
Analysis: In spite of it all, a Texas government that’s running full-steam ahead
The pandemic has devastated the Texas economy. The state comptroller says that will mean billions of dollars less than expected for the current budget. But state agencies haven't received any orders to cut their spending. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen brief reporters during a press conference on a Domestic Terrorism Task Force roundtable held at the capitol on Jan. 7, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge says all Texas voters can apply to vote by mail during pandemic
District Judge Fred Biery granted a preliminary injunction that allows all registered voters to apply to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic after finding the state's existing election rules violate the Equal Protection Clause. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Trump administration announces extension of border-restricted travel
One of the policies quickly returns undocumented immigrants apprehended between ports of entry without allowing them to apply for asylum. Full Story
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![Customs and Border Protection agents constantly patrol wide gravel roads along the border fence. The traffic — which has increased as border enforcement budgets have soared — is another threat to border wildlife, according to scientists and conservationists.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune