Why some Texas cities and counties had to return millions of dollars meant to help renters during the pandemic
For some local relief programs, a lack of staffing, political support and effective community outreach got in the way of spending federal funds to prevent evictions, a new report found. More than $30 million went unspent and had to be returned.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and his wife defied property tax law for eight years by claiming two homestead exemptions
In Texas, married couples generally can claim only one such exemption, meant to provide some tax relief on properties considered โprincipal residences.โ Homestead exemptions cannot typically be claimed on commercial properties, second homes or income properties.
Many voting locations throughout Texas did not open because of staff shortages
In some voting locations where a partyโs appointed polling judge didnโt show up, election officials allowed the other partyโs judge to operate both partiesโ voting machines in an effort to keep the polling place running.
Watch: Local public health leaders across Texas reflect on the uneven challenges of coordinating the fight against COVID-19
Public health officials have played a crucial role in vaccination efforts and tracking the spread of the virus. But different needs from their communities and insufficient aid have complicated the work.
Gov. Greg Abbott draws criticism for ordering state troopers to pull over vehicles with migrants, saying it will stem COVID-19 risk
The executive order allows DPS troopers to reroute vehicles back to their origin point or a port of entry. Critics say citing the coronavirus as justification is hypocritical since the governor won't let local officials require masks in public.
Decrease seen in Texans showing up for COVID-19 vaccine
MCALLEN, Texas โ Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that heโs hoping to increase the number of Texans getting COVID-19 vaccines after seeing a drop in people showing up for the shot. โWeโre beginning to see a decrease in demand for vaccinations,โ Abbott said at a news conference Thursday in border city of McAllen. โSeniors who contract COVID are the people who are most likely to either be hospitalized or lose their life because of COVID,โ Abbott said. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 3.3 million Texans have completed their vaccinations.
Facing a crush of COVID-19 patients, ICUs are completely full in at least 50 Texas hospitals
Currently, COVID-19 patients take up almost half of that regionโs hospital capacity, according to DSHS data โ the highest percentage in the state. Many cities have had to divert patients to other hospitals as their local ICUs overflow, in addition to expanding and converting available beds to treat ICU patients. Melendez said counting available ICU beds doesnโt give the full picture at Texas hospitals because they are constantly adjusting to accommodate more patients. If an ICU is technically full, he said, many hospitals can still convert some available beds or units outside of that ward to give patients ICU care. Simmons and other Texas health care workers have expressed hope for the future after Texasโ vaccination process began on Dec. 14.
First Texas report of more contagious coronavirus variant identified in Harris County
Dec. 7, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? The first known case of a new and possibly more contagious coronavirus strain has been reported in Texas, in an adult male resident of Harris County who had no history of travel, according to the state health services department and Judge Lina Hidalgo. It does not cause a more severe disease and vaccines โare expected to be effective against it,โ the health services department said of the variant. But โthe fact that this person had no travel history suggests this variant is already circulating in Texas,โ said Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the stateโs health services department. The case is being investigated by the state health services department and Harris County Public Health.
Woman accused of sending Trump ricin charged in Texas
This photo provided by the Hidalgo County (Texas) Sheriff's Office, showing the booking photo of Pascale Ferrier. Ferrier, accused of mailing a package containing ricin to the White House, included a threatening letter in which she told President Donald Trump to โgive up and remove your application for this election." A grand jury in Brownsville, Texas, on Monday handed up sixteen counts against Pascale Ferrier, court records show. In September, Ferrier pleaded not guilty to making threats against President Donald Trump by mailing a package containing ricin to the White House after she was arrested at the U.S.-Canada border. Ferrier is also alleged to have sent ricin to six detention centers and law enforcement agencies in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.
South Texas restrictions were meant to protect people from COVID-19. Then the handcuffs and ticket books came out.
Among these cases, nearly 3 in 10 people were charged only for the emergency order violation, the district attorney said. In the initial month of the virusโ spread in Texas, orders were coming out every few weeks or even days. Fines pile up, and cases are dismissedOutcomes for violating COVID-19 orders varied from community to community in the Valley. Daisy Alvarado was one of more than 340 people cited by Cameron County sheriffโs deputies for violating COVID-19 orders. The virusโ toll hasnโt changed Alvarezโs opinion that rules like the emergency orders need to be applied cautiously.
As COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Texasโ hard-hit border areas, experts warn vaccinated people could still spread virus
Some 15,600 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrived at hospitals on Tuesday in El Paso and Edinburg, and more will land in Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville and El Paso later this week. El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said heโs concerned about community spread continuing as the vaccine begins to be administered. The pandemic has disproportionately affected El Paso and Hidalgo counties compared to areas of similar or larger sizes in Texas. As of Wednesday, there had been more than 91,000 cases recorded in El Paso County, the fourth-highest total in the state. This is an exciting time,โ said Mielke, the University Medical Center of El Paso spokesperson.
Cleanup from Hanna spurs fear amid COVID-19 surge in Texas
The Garcia's home was flooded by Hurricane Hanna as it passed through the area dropping heavy rains which caused flooding. Its remnants still threatened to bring rainfall and flash flooding to waterlogged parts of South Texas and Northern Mexico. Border communities hit by Hanna were already strained by COVID-19 cases โ with some patients being airlifted to larger cities. By Monday evening, 50,600 customers remained without power throughout South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Harlingen and McAllen, utility officials said. Officials throughout South Texas were still assessing damage from Hanna on Monday.
Ten members of this South Texas family have contracted COVID-19. She doesnt want to be next.
Elisa Soliz, front right, sat with her sisters in Hidalgo County in May. Her oldest sister, Beatriz Gonzalez, front left, died from the new coronavirus later that month. Courtesy of Elisa Soliz(Audio unavailable. Elisa Soliz lost her sister to the new coronavirus in late May and says at least nine other family members have tested positive. The 63-year-old school bus driver lives in Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley an area thats been devastated by the pandemic.
Hidalgo County stores bodies in trucks as Texas sets one-day record for COVID-19 deaths
HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas Texas set a one-day record for deaths and hospitalizations Wednesday afternoon, and one Texas county is enforcing a stay-home order after bodies are being stored in refrigerated trucks, Reuters reported. The state saw 197 deaths and 10,893 hospitalizations Wednesday, becoming one of the hardest states hit by COVID-19. Hidalgo County, located in south Texas, has seen a sharp rise in cases in the last week, according to Reuters. He told Reuters that crematoriums have a wait list of two weeks, and with five refrigerated trucks in the county, they have a capacity of 50 bodies each. Texas, along with California and Florida remain the top three states where coronavirus cases are rising, Reuters reported.
Hard-hit Texas border counties urge residents to stay home
AUSTIN, Texas โ While some big cities in Texas are reporting signs that an alarming surge in cases of the coronavirus may be leveling off, officials in counties along the border with Mexico said Tuesday that the outlook there remains bleak. Greg Abbottโs past mandates that do not allow local officials to set their own stay-at-home restrictions. Texas on Tuesday reported more than 9,300 confirmed new cases and 131 deaths, the stateโs second deadliest day of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Texas is pressing ahead with plans for high school football this fall. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Hidalgo County judge tries slowing coronavirus, but Gov. Greg Abbott has limited his options
McAllen sits in Hidalgo County, whose top official issued an emergency order Monday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneAs the Rio Grande Valley grapples with an onslaught of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez is pushing hard for residents to stay at home. In the new Hidalgo County order, only a second violation to the statewide mask order can be punished by a $250, in accordance with the existing state rules. In Hidalgo County on Monday, 524 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections there to 12,787, according to data released by the county. U.S. Navy teams were deployed Sunday to the Rio Grande Valley, a region that includes Hidalgo County.
More than a third of Texans speak a language other than English. That means key coronavirus updates arent accessible to them.
More than a third of Texans speak a language other than English at home, according to census data. In Austin, city officials regularly post updates and infographics on Facebook and Twitter in Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese. A third of people in the capital city speak languages other than English at home, according to census data. Unlike Texas' Spanish speakers, who can depend on a handful of local Spanish-language TV news and radio stations, Burmese speakers have fewer options. Thats information officials should be communicating to their constituents, said Josephine Lopez Paul, lead organizer for Dallas Area Interfaith.