Stories by Texas Tribune fellows

COVID-19 rules and accommodations are still uncertain in the Capitol, though many people with disabilities don't plan to give testimony in person because of fears of exposure. Full Story 

Lawmakers could face a multibillion-dollar budget deficit due to the coronavirus pandemic and its accompanying recession. That will only compound the difficulties of balancing the budget. Full Story 

Texas health officials have told vaccine providers that they could resume using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in all adult recipients. Use of that vaccine had been paused for nearly two weeks. Full Story 

The group cautions that the more than 8,000 Texans on Medicaid who rely on Planned Parenthood could lose coverage during a pandemic. Full Story 

Four Texas sites received a total of 19,500 doses of the vaccine on Monday, the first phase of a rollout that will put a quarter-million doses into 110 Texas facilities this week — with more on the way next week. Full Story 

From the Rio Grande Valley to the Texas Panhandle and from the Gulf Coast to West Texas, some 110 medical facilities are slated to receive the first allocation of 1.4 million doses earmarked for Texas. Full Story 

On Tuesday, Trump asked Cruz to argue the Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the election results in four states if it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court Full Story 

This year’s pandemic has brought untold suffering to families across Texas. Making things worse: At a time when they might take solace in the company of friends or family, public health authorities are urging them to stay apart. Full Story 

As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations balloon, public health experts and local officials worry the loopholes are one reason behind the recent rise. Full Story 

In exchange for the guilty plea, two charges related to the incident — abuse of official capacity and official oppression — are being dropped. Full Story 

The two teams will move to Lubbock and Amarillo, which are in counties with some of the highest rates of COVID-19 per 1,000 residents in the state. Full Story 

After the county's hospitalization rate crept up over 15%, public health officials issued a public health warning to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus. Full Story 

Health experts worry that increased travel and mingling over Thanksgiving and into the December holidays could exacerbate an already dangerous situation as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising across Texas. Full Story 

Texas joins California, which has 10 million more residents than Texas, as the nation’s leaders in coronavirus cases. Full Story 

Texans behind bars are also testing positive at a rate 40% higher than the national prison population average, according to a new report from the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story 

Cases continued rising as a state district judge heard arguments Wednesday over a shutdown order issued by El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego. Judge William Moody said he would render a decision later this week on whether to temporarily halt the county order. Full Story 

Wright defeated Democrat Chrysta Castañeda. The commission's elected, three-member board has been entirely Republican for at least 25 years. Full Story 

Officials are warning that coronavirus-related staffing shortages mean elections workers are unlikely to finish counting mail-in ballots Tuesday night, potentially leaving the county’s tightest races undecided until later this week. Full Story 

GOP campaign ads paint cities as lawless places and Democrats as enablers of crime. But people pushing for criminal justice reform say those portrayals sidestep the systemic racism that prompted this year’s protests against police brutality. Full Story 

While big cities and high-stakes lawsuits dominate Texas voting news, the election may come down to rural counties like Archer or Aransas, where there's usually just a few people to handle registering voters, reporting results — and everything in between. Full Story