Analysis: Judge legislators by what gets their attention — and their neglect
As the Texas Legislature rolls into its final two weeks, it's fair to credit members with what they've done. But pay attention to what they ignored. Full Story
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Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
How a small Texas town doubled its COVID-19 vaccination rate in a month as the state’s rate declined
Mount Pleasant in northeast Texas lags behind the state in its vaccination rate, but the town is boosting its numbers by mobilizing churches, nonprofits and other trusted community leaders to help overcome residents’ fears and doubts. Full Story
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![Onelia Orellana talks to Texas Department of State Health Services Specialist and Translator Maria Palacio before she receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Tennison Memorial United Methodist Church in Mt. Pleasant on May 7, 2021.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Resuming in-person learning at Texas schools last fall accelerated spread of COVID-19, study says
The researchers said the additional cases they tracked after students began returning to schools represented 12% of the state’s total cases during the eight weeks after reopening and 17% of deaths. Full Story
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![Kindergarten students line up on social distancing markers on the first day of in-person classes at Highland Village Elementary on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
“You need that help”: Mom wishes she had better care after giving birth on Medicaid
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, Juanita Raji says she could have used more time on Medicaid postpartum and supports lawmakers' efforts to extend coverage for new moms. Full Story
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![Nurse practitioner Anika Barber with a patient at the Legacy Community Health Center in Houston on Aug. 2, 2013.]()
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Medicaid expansion for uninsured Texans had bipartisan support, but lawmakers won't pass it this session
Nothing is truly dead until the session ends. But committee chairs in both chambers have blocked bills from getting hearings, and supporters have dim hopes that Republican leaders will revive it in time. Full Story
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![A Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, treats a patient in Austin on Nov. 8th, 2012.]()
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State Rep. John Raney tests positive for coronavirus after being inside Capitol this week
Raney, who has been fully vaccinated since February, "went home immediately and, as of this evening, is doing well," his office said in a statement. The CDC says a "small percentage" of people who have been vaccinated can still contract COVID-19. Full Story
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![State Rep. John Raney, R-College Station, at a House Higher Education Committee hearing on March 22, 2017.]()
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Fetal “heartbeat” bill, which could ban abortions at six weeks, nears passage in the Legislature
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has signaled that he is looking forward to signing the bill. Full Story
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![A visitor of the House gallery listens to legislators speak during a debate on an abortion bill being considered on the House floor on May 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Don't skip your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, health experts warn
As of April 25, about 5% — or 570,399 — of Texans who had received the first dose were 43 days or more past due for their second dose. Full Story
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![Maria Diaz receives her vaccine against COVID-19 at a 24-hour vaccination event at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex on March 6, 2021, in Austin. Family Hospital Systems hosted the drive-thru vaccine event with an 80s theme and equipped to vaccinate 7,000 people.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
COVID-19 variant cases are on the rise in Texas. Here’s what you need to know.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vaccines and other preventive measures like social distancing and mask-wearing should protect people from variants. Full Story
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![A nurse demonstrates to a student how to self-administer a COVID-19 test a at a testing location at the University of Texas at Austin. Sept. 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
With half of eligible Texans still unvaccinated and supply exceeding demand, Texas shifts COVID-19 vaccination strategies
Locals are also brainstorming incentives, sending out emergency cellphone alerts, running clinics in workplace break rooms and hanging sign-up sheets in churches. Full Story
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
UT/TT poll: Majority of Texans oppose permitless carry, would ban police chokeholds and taxpayer-funded lobbying
On some of the major issues facing the Texas Legislature — police behavior, expanding Medicaid or allowing unlicensed carry of handguns — voters and lawmakers aren't always in sync. Full Story
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![The Senate Floor on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Lubbock votes to become the state’s largest “sanctuary city for the unborn”
The outcome could prompt a lawsuit over what opponents say is an unconstitutional ban on abortion. The vote comes less than a year after Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in the West Texas city. Full Story
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![Sara Mistrot campaigns for Proposition A with her kids at the corner of Indiana and 82nd Street on May 1, 2021, in Lubbock.]()
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How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in your home
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas that can cause serious injury or even death if inhaled in high quantities. Here’s how you can keep your home and family safe. Full Story
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Credit: Chelsea Stahl/NBC/ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
Texas enabled the worst carbon monoxide poisoning catastrophe in recent U.S. history
They used their car to stay warm when a winter storm brought down the Texas power grid. In a state that doesn't require carbon monoxide alarms in homes, they had no warning they were poisoning themselves. Full Story
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![Illustration of a parent and child bundled in a blanket looking out a window during a power outage with a candle on a desk.]()
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With time running out on the Texas legislative session, health experts urge lawmakers to prepare for the next pandemic
Lawmakers this session have filed a flurry of proposals related to the pandemic. Some, experts say, constitute meaningful reform. Others could leave the state worse off. Full Story
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![Austin residents begin to head out following the Thunderbirds flyover in Austin on May 13, 2020.]()
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Lubbock voters will decide Saturday if the West Texas city will become the largest “sanctuary city for the unborn”
While proponents of the proposed ordinance view abortion as an “inconceivably wicked action,” detractors say it would be immediately challenged in court and that battles over abortion access are best fought at the state and federal levels. Full Story
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![A banner supporting a proposed city ordinance that would ban abortions inside Lubbock city limits hangs from Southcrest Baptist Church on April 27, 2021, in Lubbock. The ordinance goes to a public vote on the May 1 election.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers hope to exclude places of worship from emergency closures after COVID-19 pandemic shuttered doors
Even some religious groups are opposed to Texas legislation that would bar government officials from closing places of worship in any situation — even during a pandemic. Full Story
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![The interior of St. Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin on Jan. 30, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender kids would be considered child abuse under Texas Senate bill
The upper chamber Wednesday passed Senate Bill 1646, which is among several other bills that advocacy groups say erode the rights of transgender Texans. But it’s unclear what the legislation’s chances are in the House. Full Story
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![People hold up a transgender flag at an event held by Equality Texas at the Capitol on April 14, 2021 in Austin.]()
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Point of Order: Mind the gap
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Elena Marks, the president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation, about long-shot efforts to expand Medicaid in the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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An East Texas doctor is on a mission to vaccinate her community against COVID-19
After months of testing for COVID-19 and treating patients, Dr. Carolyn Salter is determined to mitigate the spread of the virus in the region. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast. Full Story
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![Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, on March 3, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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