Coronavirus in Texas: Bars, bowling alleys and other businesses can begin reopening Friday
Live updates: The state's unemployment rate hit 12.8%, and a lawsuit seeks the release of medically vulnerable inmates in the Dallas County jail. Full Story
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![Drinks on a bar.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Texas families filing for SNAP food assistance almost doubled in April
Texas received a staggering 417,468 applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program last month, a sharp increase from March’s already high number of requests. Full Story
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![A volunteer loads a box of groceries into a truck for delivery to a nearby community in the the panhandle.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott lifts coronavirus restrictions for travelers from New York, Georgia and other hot spots
Travelers coming to Texas from select major states and cities previously had to undergo a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. Full Story
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![American Airlines jets fill Terminal A at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in April of 2019.]()
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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 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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
Dancing is discouraged: Bars, sports and child care centers can open if they follow these rules
Among the businesses reopening are day and overnight youth camps, professional sports without spectators and massage services. Full Story
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![People dancing at the Broken Spoke in Austin.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
"It’s a bizarre time to be job searching": College graduates looking for first jobs face catastrophic economic conditions
As 2020 college graduates prepare to enter the workforce, they are having to contend with a historic economic recession. Experts say those who do get jobs in the recession may accept lower wages and salaries than they’d have otherwise settled for. Full Story
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![Sidney Smith poses for a photo outside Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas on Sunday, May 17, 2020. Smith, a recent graduate of the law school has expressed concern about job prospects in a market that has been heavily effected by the coronavirus. Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas: Medical experts say voting in person "certain" to spread infections
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![A women has her nails painted at Kosmo Salon in Corpus Christi after it reopened for business. Barbershops and nail salons reopened on May 8, as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's plan to reopen the state economy after coronavirus closures.]()
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Renters prepare for tough choices as eviction proceedings resume in Texas
Unemployment has disproportionately affected renters since the crisis began. Advocates fear displacement and an increase in homelessness. Full Story
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![An old apartment complex within view of the ship channel refineries on the north side of Pasadena.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas had plans to replace its outdated unemployment system. The coronavirus pandemic hit first.
The Texas Workforce Commission had finally lined up enough federal money to move the system — built in the 1990s — to the cloud. But before that happened, nearly 2 million suddenly unemployed Texans overwhelmed the old system. Full Story
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![The Texas Workforce Commission Building in Austin on March 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Here's what we know about Texas’ economic reopening, and what might be coming next
On Monday, gyms were allowed to reopen in Texas. What's next for Texas' reopening plan? Full Story
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![A gym in downtown Mcgregor is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas: Gyms, manufacturing facilities and offices open Monday
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![Dr. Andrew Moore, middle, Chief Medical Officer at St. David’s Medical Center, along with other doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators who served in the military, salute as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly over Austin to honor front-line workers and health care professionals serving in the coronavirus pandemic on May 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Child care centers, bars and sporting events scheduled for Texas' next phase of reopening
Child care opens immediately, bars can open Friday and sports will be allowed to return at the end of the month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott announces his plan to reopen the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool/Austin American-Statesman -
"All of the party was over": How the last oil bust changed Texas
A plunge in oil prices in the 1980s had ramifications across the state — even without landing at the same time as a pandemic and economic crisis. Full Story
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![Downtown Midland, Texas office buildings lacking for tenants during the oil bust, October, 1987. Photos by Bob Daemmrich for one-time use on the Texas Tribune site with story.]()
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Analysis: Texas tiptoes down the road to normal
As some pandemic doors are slowly opened, others are getting kicked in. Either way, individual choices are quickly replacing the weeks of government instructions about what and what not to do. Full Story
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![Bar and Restaurant.]()
Credit: Anneke Paterson for The Texas Tribune