Gov. Greg Abbott warns if spread of COVID-19 doesn’t slow, “the next step would have to be a lockdown”
Abbott has repeated that warning multiple times in local television interviews this week. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott gives an update on Texas hospital bed capacity and the state's strategy for fighting COVID-19 during a press conference at Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Texas reverses course, says it won't collect overpaid unemployment benefits in instances when it was the state's mistake
A Texas Workforce Commission spokesperson said he was previously unaware that a judicial order bars the state from recovering funds when the overpayment is the agency's fault. Full Story
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![Mour Cafe in Austin closed its dining operations following an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott which limits social gatherings to 10 people and prohibits eating and drinking at restaurants but allows take-outs. March 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Free laptops, esports and tuition cuts: How one Dallas college is pivoting during the pandemic
Paul Quinn College serves more than 500 students. In a statement, university President Michael Sorrell announced measures it would take to appease students for the loss of campus resources, including a $2,000 tuition reduction. Full Story
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![Paul Quinn College in Dallas is attempting to ease its students out of poverty by becoming the nation’s first urban work college. Nov. 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Number of Texans filing unemployment claims increased for second week in a row as 117,244 sought benefits
The claims — an increase of 21.4% compared with the week before — come as coronavirus infections in the state continue surging and after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered bars to close and limited restaurant operations. Full Story
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![Workers begin boarding up bars on W. 6th St. in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
More than $54 million in PPP loans went to small private Texas colleges and universities
Schools said they used the money to make payroll. Full Story
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![Hank Warner teaches a pre-advanced placement algebra course for ninth graders at Bowie High School in Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
State Fair of Texas canceled for 2020 because of coronavirus
More than 2.5 million people attended the fair last year. This is the event's first cancellation since World War II. Full Story
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![The State Fair of Texas in Dallas on Oct. 20, 2016.]()
Credit: Allison V. Smith for The Texas Tribune -
Nearly 6,300 Texas companies received PPP loans of more than $1 million
The federal government released the names Monday of 51,250 companies and organizations in Texas that received the loans, which were designed to keep the economy afloat during the coronavirus. Full Story
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![The Parlour Salon in San Marcos closes during the COVID-19 pandemic. April 10, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Poll says Texans' hopes for quick return to pre-coronavirus life are fading
Texans remain focused on the coronavirus, are less optimistic about returning to normal quickly, and their assessments of government pandemic responses have soured, according to a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll. Full Story
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![Pharmacist Emily Smith opens a cooler for a patient to place their self-swab coronavirus test at a Walmart drive-thru testing site in McKinney on June 29.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas wants $32 million in unemployment benefits back after finding 46,000 people were overpaid
The Texas Workforce Commission said that incorrect filings and fraud can lead to overpayments, but the money must be paid back even if it was the state's mistake. Full Story
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![Workers boarded up bars on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: With a wingman like Dan Patrick, who needs critics?
While Gov. Greg Abbott has been responding to the twin crises on his plate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s been stirring the pot — at the governor’s expense. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke to Tarrant county Tea Party supporters in Grapevine for the Spread the Red event on Oct. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Number of Texans filing for unemployment benefits increases by 7% over previous week
For the past two months, the number of people filing claims in Texas has trended downward. But last week, the number of people who filed for claims increased 7% over the previous week. Full Story
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![Pueblo Viejo in Austin closed its dining operations following an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott which limits social gatherings to 10 people. March 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
High school coaches’ convention will draw thousands to San Antonio as pandemic rages across Texas
To stop the spread of the new coronavirus in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars and banned nonessential surgeries in counties that are hot spots. But indoor conventions that will draw thousands of people are still moving forward. Full Story
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![Purell hand sanitizer at the track prior to the NCAA Indoor Championships at Albuquerque Convention Center on Mar 12, 2020.]()
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Texas sales tax revenue declined 6.5% versus last June as state reopened for business
While collections from restaurants were depressed, Comptroller Glenn Hegar said that take-out and delivery sales, along with online purchases, helped buoy revenue in the restaurant and retail sectors. Full Story
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![Downtown Dallas on March 19, 2018.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Austin City Limits music festival canceled for 2020 because of coronavirus
In 2018, the festival contributed $264.6 million to the city's economy and created or sustained at least 1,500 jobs across bars and restaurants, hotels and transportation, according to the Austin-American Statesman. Full Story
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![The Austin City Limits Music Festival canceled its 2020 concerts.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Eddie Gaspar -
Analysis: A rising commotion in Texas’ scattershot response to the pandemic
As Texas leaders struggle to find a balanced response to the pandemic and the lagging state economy, the suggestions for what they ought to do — friendly and hostile — are pouring in. Full Story
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![Texas bar owners and workers protest at the Capitol in Austin on June 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune -
Texas bar owners file $10 million federal lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott, the second suit over the shutdown in two days
The bar owners say in the lawsuit that Abbott's order violates their constitutional rights and "may very well leave long-term scarring on the Republican form of government if left unchecked." Full Story
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![Workers boarded up bars on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will delay work-search requirement for unemployment benefits
The Texas Workforce Commission had been planning to reinstate the requirement July 6 but is now holding off due to a rise in coronavirus cases. Full Story
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![The Texas Workforce Commission Building in Austin on March 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
More than 30 Texas bars sue over Gov. Greg Abbott's recent shutdown order
Abbott has said the actions of his executive order "are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health." Full Story
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![John Caldwell, manager of Coyote Ugly, boards up his bar on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas city and county leaders ask Gov. Greg Abbott for authority to implement local stay-at-home orders
At the beginning of the pandemic, local officials across the state implemented stay-at-home orders for their regions. But now, with cases across Texas' metros surging, those leaders say Abbott has stripped them of the authority to reinstate the same measures. Full Story
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![Kroger pharmacists explain and collect self-swab COVID-19 tests at a testing site in the Fifth Ward in Houston on June 27, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Governing in reaction mode, and always a beat or two behind
The pandemic has been with us since late winter, but state leaders seem to have forgotten something they already know from other disasters: You can get ready when a storm is coming, or wait until it blows your roof off. Full Story
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![A line of about 100 cars formed at Barbara Jordan Elementary School in Austin at a COVID-19 testing site. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune