Coronavirus in Texas 3/25: Unemployment claims surge
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![A coronavirus safety sign and sanitizing products at the entrance to Ventec Life Systems, a ventilator manufacturer that has seen a large increase in demand since the global coronavirus disease outbreak began. Washington, March 18, 2020.]()
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TribCast: How coronavirus is affecting Texas workers, immigrants and the courts
On this week's TribCast — a different format in the time of the new coronavirus — Alexa talks to Mitchell, Julián and Jolie about rising unemployment in Texas, the outbreak's effect on immigrants and delayed justice in the court system. Full Story
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![Oasis Eyebrow and Threading in Austin closed its operations following an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott which limits social gatherings to 10 people. Taken on March 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas unemployment rate headed toward double digits, comptroller warns
Texas reported a record low unemployment rate of 3.5% in January. The historic high was 9.2% in 1986. 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 -
Grocery workers are risking their health during the pandemic to keep stores open. They want better pay and protections.
Union members are advocating for government benefits like priority child care and better access to testing. Workers also want hazard pay and expanded sick leave policies. Full Story
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![Shoppers line up with carts outside an H-E-B prior to opening. The COVID-19 outbreak has caused HEB to shorten its store hours in order to restock its inventory and better serve customers. March 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas 3/24: Quarantine ending for cruise ship evacuees at Lackland Air Force Base
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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!["Wash Ur Hands" was spray-painted over the iconic “Be Somebody" graffiti that normally appears on a rail bridge near downtown Houston. The new message is in response to the recent coronavirus outbreak. March 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas' budget could take massive hit as coronavirus crisis continues unfolding, lawmakers learn
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar told House members that it's too soon to make detailed forecasts, but both the state budget and Economic Stabilization Fund could be drastically revised down. Full Story
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![Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announces his office has picked a private vendor to run the Texas Bullion Depository, which will be designed to store gold for both the state and private citizens, at the Capitol on June 14, 2017.]()
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Travel restrictions at U.S.-Mexico border have area businesses grappling with uncertainty
The potential collapse of cross-border commerce has added border store owners to the ranks of Texas restaurateurs and other small businesses who don’t know how they’ll be able to make ends meet. Full Story
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![Shoppers in downtown El Paso on April 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Julián Aguilar/The Texas Tribune -
Small businesses in Texas can apply for emergency federal loans to help ride out coronavirus pandemic, Abbott announces
Texans can apply online to see if they qualify for a long-term, low-interest loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Full Story
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![Shuttered businesses on Sixth Street in Austin during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas restaurants are asking for tax relief from the state. But officials say they need those revenues during the pandemic.
Restaurant owners say that delaying sales tax payments could help them ride out the pandemic. State officials, however, say that those revenues help keep hospitals and emergency services running. Full Story
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![Caffe Medici, one of Austin's Oldest coffee shops, was forced to permanantly close one of its five locations and layoff 27 employees as the business attempts to stay afloat in the wake of the global economic crash from the COVID-19. March 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas regulators contemplating a reduction in oil production amid coronavirus crisis
A Texas Railroad Commission official said no decision has been made yet and the agency is looking into options. Full Story
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![A worker waits to load a piece of pipe, or casing, that will be lowered into the well at a Chesapeake Energy drill site in Dimmit County on the Eagle Ford Shale.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas 3/19: Supreme Court halts evictions statewide
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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![A sign for washing hands is seen during a news media tour of quarantine facilities for treating novel coronavirus at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on March 2, 2020.]()
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"It's going to hurt": New coronavirus shocks Texas economy as length of public health crisis remains unknown
The novel coronavirus has caught governments unprepared, put people out of work and set businesses on the brink of closure. Congress is working on a federal stimulus package as unemployment claims in Texas are expected to rise. Full Story
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![A screen at the New York Stock Exchange shows the day's numbers as markets continue to react to the coronavirus disease on March 18, 2020.]()
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Social distancing has upended the financial lives of countless Texans. And many don't know what's next.
Officials say they have to prioritize public health over economic concerns. Meanwhile, people who can't work from home navigate a public health crisis while facing financial uncertainty. Full Story
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![Scholz Garten in Austin.]()
Credit: Anneke Paterson for The Texas Tribune -
Stop buying all the toilet paper. There's no shortage if everyone takes only what they need.
State officials and industry representatives say Texans should relax: Stores plan to be stocked for months, so there's no need to stockpile groceries and household items. Full Story
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![The parking lot of HEB in Westlake Hills overflows Friday morning after the announcement of the first two presumptive positive tests of COVID19 in Central Texas.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune -
Airlines prepare for uncertainty after European travel ban
Demand for airline travel rebounded quickly after outbreaks of swine flu, SARS and MERS. But the new coronavirus, so far, is less predictable. And it’s not clear when airlines can expect to recover after Trump's European travel ban takes effect. 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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Texans were already feeling coronavirus' financial squeeze. Then the cases increased and cancellations mounted.
The state's oil and gas industry has cratered. Major events have been called off, and tourism across Texas has dipped. It is too soon to tell the statewide economic impact from COVID-19, but Texans are already feeling a pinch. Full Story
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![Billy Benedict, the owner of J&J Spirits in Austin's historic East 11th street, poses for a photo amid the economic uncertainty of the COVID19 outbreak.]()
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Coronavirus revives push for mandatory paid sick leave rules, but Texas leaders have long been opposed
Advocates argue that paid sick leave would allow workers to stay home and avoid spreading the deadly virus. Policies have been blocked in two Texas cities. Full Story
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![Texas AFL-CIO President Richard Levy, along with some representatives of Texasà working unions who face risks from the novel coronavirus, called on political and business leaders to take steps to ensure the wellness of workers through better paid sick leave policies.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
The Future of Rural Texas
Join us in Lubbock for a two-day series of discussions with lawmakers, community leaders and citizens across the state to discuss the future of rural Texas. Full Story
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How will collapsing oil prices affect Texas? It depends on these two factors, experts say.
A dramatic drop in oil prices over the weekend could harm Texas' oil and gas industry and economy, but experts say it all depends on how long they remain low — and how the COVID-19 epidemic plays out. Full Story
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![Pumpjack with oil on the ground in Pecos County near Fort Stockton, Texas.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. markets crater as coronavirus-sparked oil war sends prices spiraling; trading suspended
The Dow plunges more than 1,900 points in a brutal global sell-off, and treasury yields dive to new lows, amplifying recession fears. Full Story
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![An oil refinery is shown in the Houston Ship Channel in 2011.]()
Credit: Louis Vest for The Texas Tribune