Coronavirus in Texas: Austin extends stay-at-home orders to end of May
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![Prior to disinfecting a building, workers for Code 4 Event Management have their temperatures checked, to ensure they are not exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
“I’m over it. I need a haircut.” Eager but nervous Texans venture back into busy salons and barbershops
Barbers reported being booked through the day due to pent-up demand related to the coronavirus. Full Story
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![Stevin Kane, who has owned and operated Kane's Barber Shop since 2006, gives his first haircut of the day to loyal customer Larry Franklin.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
As coronavirus shutdowns sink city budgets, Dallas furloughs almost 500 employees
Experts and local leaders have warned that the next fiscal year will be a historically hard one for cities. Full Story
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![Aerial View of Downtown Dallas.]()
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They just want someone to talk to: This mental health hotline is helping Texans navigate the pandemic
The Harris Center, a health authority in the Houston area, and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission — which had seen a 500% jump in traffic to its webpages on mental health and substance abuse resources — joined forces and provided the service to callers statewide March 31. Full Story
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![A woman wearing a protective mask looks out of a window during the COVID-19 pandemic.]()
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Texas passes grim threshold, marking more than 1,000 COVID-19 fatalities
Texas seems to have fewer to mourn than some of the hardest-hit states. But experts say the official state death toll is likely an undercount. Full Story
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![Oakwood Cemetery in Austin on May 7, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Business has reopened in Texas, but the economy won’t be back anytime soon, experts say
The Texas energy sector has helped insulate the state's economy during national downturns. This time, experts say the industry could hold the economy back. Full Story
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![A gas flare in the Eagle Ford oil patch south of San Antonio, TX.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune -
Language barriers, absence of bank loans leave Latino small-business owners struggling
Before the pandemic, mom-and-pop stores at the Latino-oriented mall La Gran Plaza, in Fort Worth, saw crowds of thousands every day. Now, tenants are worried about evictions and not making ends meet. Full Story
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![Customers visit La Gran Plaza in Fort Worth on the first day that shopping malls, restaurants, retail outlets and movie theaters were reopened on May 1, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus restrictions alter funeral plans, leaving some Texans to grieve alone
Gov. Greg Abbott clarified this week that in-person funerals can be held if attendees stay 6 feet apart. But restrictions still have some postponing memorials until after the pandemic ends. “If you can’t hug anyone or shake their hand, what’s the point of having anyone physically attend?” one mourner said. Full Story
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![Julia and Helen at a Wellesley College reunion in 2004. This was Julia’s 15th class reunion and Helen’s 50th. Helen is holding a fan of Mona Lisa because the movie Mona Lisa Smile was set in Wellesley in 1953-54, her senior year at the school.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Julia Spencer -
Analysis: Splitting hairs in Texas, for politics and profit
The governor and other top Texas officials love promoting the rule of law, but they also love good politics. The civil disobedience of a Dallas beautician forced them to choose a favorite — and maybe hurry changes in pandemic policy. Full Story
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![Shelley Luther, the owner of the Dallas hair salon "Salon a la Mode," who was recently issued a citation after reopening her business in violation of local and state stay at home orders, speaks to a crowd of supporters at an "Open Texas" rally outside city hall in Frisco on April 25, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Jeremy Lock -
Coronavirus in Texas: Seven Corpus Christi beef plant employees test positive
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![The parking lot of Barton Creek Square Mall in Austin on May 1, 2020, the same day some Texas businesses began reopening on a limited basis.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
President Donald Trump applauds Gov. Greg Abbott's handling of Texas reopening during White House visit
During the visit, Trump also inquired about Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther, who was freed from jail Thursday after being sentenced to seven days for violating a court order to close. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump makes remarks as he meets with Gov. Greg Abbott in the Oval Office on Thursday, May 7, 2020.]()
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Dallas salon owner released from county jail after defying orders by reopening early
The order followed Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement that he was eliminating jail time for Texans who violate stay at home orders. Full Story
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![Shelley Luther after being released from jail in Dallas.]()
Credit: via Twitter -
Texas A&M is looking at Saturday and late-night options to reduce class sizes and comply with social distancing
Chancellor John Sharp offered some ideas about what the fall semester could look like, but the system won’t have a finalized reopening strategy until at least the end of May. Full Story
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![Texas A&M University in College Station.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
How gun control advocates plan to make Texas a top political priority in 2020
One group, Everytown for Gun Safety, has already committed $8 million to the state this election cycle and is now naming three hires, including two seasoned Democratic operatives, to help see the plan through. Full Story
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![Guns at McBride's Guns in Austin on Mar 26, 2013.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
247,179 more Texans filed for unemployment, but their jobs might not be waiting for them when they return
The Texas Workforce Commission relaxed guidelines so high-risk workers and people without child care can refuse work and still receive benefits. But that doesn’t protect workers from being fired in the meantime. Full Story
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![Mochas and Javas in San Marcos.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
"There's no sense in risking it": As Texas eases restrictions, a family keeps its social distance
The governor is allowing more businesses to reopen, and Texans are weighing the risks of returning to normalcy. 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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Texans could soon have to start looking for work to keep unemployment benefits if reopening continues
The Texas Workforce Commission's executive director told lawmakers that it plans to reinstate work-search requirements once stores and restaurants are allowed open to 50% capacity. Full Story
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![The Texas Workforce Commission Building in Austin on March 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Trump order to paint border wall black could drive up cost $500 million or more
The president’s determination to have the border wall coated in black has fluctuated during the past several years. He has insisted that the dark color will enhance the wall's forbidding appearance and leave the steel too hot to touch during summer months. Full Story
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![Ordered under the George W. Bush administration, a controversial incomplete border wall along the Rio Grande River in South Texas has had environmental and cultural impacts.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas: Dan Patrick says economy can be fully reopened in "not too distant future"
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![Children's buggies and other common use feature of the mall were closed in order to minimize people's exposure to the coronavirus.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas A&M researchers hope tuberculosis vaccine might prevent coronavirus deaths
Health care workers are being recruited for trials to test whether a decades-old TB vaccine might help people fight off the coronavirus. It's not a cure, but it could be a crucial treatment. Full Story
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![Texas A&M University in College Station.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune