Texas

Hungry Texans Lose Access to Millions of Pounds of Food as USDA Cuts Deliveries to Texas Food Banks

byMadeline de Figueiredo

Recent cuts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture have forced the cancellation of 396 food deliveries to Texas food banks, putting at risk nearly 12 million pounds of food valued at $19 million and intended for emergency food assistance. 

Draggieland Pageant Goes on After Judge Nixes A&M’s Drag Show Ban

byShunya Carroll

Maria Maria hit each choreographed step like an athlete. Her routine elevated classic New York voguing to a gymnast’s floor routine. The four to the floor pop medley was almost drowned out by the crowd’s cheering. 
This wasn’t a national stadium tour. It was Draggieland.
The biggest drag show in College Station prevailed Thursday over Texas A&M University’s attempt to ban drag performances on campus.

Texas’ Suicide Hotline, Overburdened and Underfunded, Could Get Support from a Proposed Bill.

byMadeline De Figueiredo

Each month, thousands of Texans reach out for support in difficult moments by dialing 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. But, for some, their calls are met with long wait times and multiple transfers to out-of-state centers. Texas faces a $7 million shortfall in funding for the 988 system.

In Rural West Texas, Measles Outbreak Signals Concerns over Federal Changes

byMadeline De Figueiredo

Amid concerns that Trump administration policies have reduced access to public health data, the Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed a measles outbreak in Gaines County, which borders New Mexico, with six cases reported so far.

Texans Join Nationwide Protests Against Trump Administration

byMeredith McKelvey

As protests erupted in state capitals around the country Wednesday, hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Austin to voice their anger at the Trump administration. 
Enraged by President Donald Trump’s far-reaching actions during the first two weeks of his second term, protesters waved signs and chanted in unison at the Texas Capitol and on the streets of downtown Austin. While protesters had varied reasons for demonstrating against the Trump administration, they shared a common fear: the demise of democratic institutions in the United States. 
“At some point, you can only step on people’s necks for so long,” said Benny de la Vega, an American who immigrated from the Philippines in 1985 and said he is seeing similarities to the dictatorship he fled. “At some point, everyone will have a common, shared understanding that their rights are being taken away. When we lose representation, then things need to change.”

They provide for others. Now community attendants want the Legislature to provide a livable wage.

byMadeline de Figueiredo

Thomas Greenwell wakes up each morning and gets ready twice — he goes through the motions of brushing teeth twice, doing hair twice and getting dressed twice — once for himself and once for his client, Edgar. But Greenwell doesn’t know how much longer he will be able to afford to take care of Edgar as a community-based care provider under Medicaid. “The attendant care wages are not sustainable at all,” he says. The Legislature will revisit attendant wages in this spring’s legislative session as caregivers and advocacy groups push for more competitive and livable wages.

Fields, Farms and Factories: How a Foreign Company Is Changing a Rural County Near Houston

byRebecca Butler

Waller County saw a population increase of over 42 percent during the 2010s after the arrival of several large companies, most notably the Japanese air conditioning manufacturer Daikin Comfort. Although the city of Waller’s population is only about 4,000, Daikin employs over 9,000 people.
In 2014, the Texas-themed convenience store chain Buc-ee’s moved into the town, bringing new job opportunities and more tax revenue to the city. Three years later, Daikin built a 4.23 million square foot factory, roughly the size of 65 football fields — making it the third-largest factory in the United States at the time of its opening. Daikin’s technology park serves as its American headquarters. 
Daikin will soon increase its Texas presence. It announced in November that it has bought the naming rights to Minute Maid Stadium, home of the Houston Astros baseball team. 

Operation Gratitude: How One Nonprofit Is Making This Holiday Season Special for Military Members

byMichael Karlis

Brennan Avants was completing his final tour in Iraq when a care package from nonprofit Operation Gratitude arrived at his base. “It just meant so much at the time,” Avants recalled. 
After 21 years in the U.S. Army as an artillery gunner, Avants teamed up with the group that had sent him that care package all those years ago. The group recently packed new care packages in San Antonio for shipment around the globe.

Advocates Race to Inform Immigrants, Hospitals as Abbott Demands Citizenship Reports

byMadeline de Figueiredo

In the leadup to the Nov. 1 implementation of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order requiring Texas public hospitals to report on health care for undocumented immigrants, advocacy groups raced to inform affected communities and providers about the policy’s implications and limitations.

Disability Rights Groups Celebrate Ruling That Improves Accessibility for Voters — for Now 

byMadeline de Figueiredo 

Voters with disabilities could get expanded access to the ballot this election season after a federal judge struck down Texas laws limiting voter assistance.
The Oct. 11 ruling has yielded cautious celebration from activist and advocacy communities on the eve of early voting, which begins Monday. But the state might appeal the decision in time to thwart voter assistance efforts. 
“The ruling protects the rights of Texas voters with disabilities to get the assistance they need without fear of prosecution,” said Bob Kafka, the state coordinator for REV UP Texas, one of the groups that challenged the law.

Navigating Legal Frontiers: Rural Texas Struggles With Too Few Lawyers

byMichael Nolan

In 2021, over 65 counties in Texas had no local lawyer accept an appointment to defend an adult client according to a report from the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
“There are some rural counties in Texas, with literally no attorneys registered with a business address,” said Andrew Davies, the director of research at the Deason Center.

Texas Is a National Leader in Human Trafficking Cases. Experts Say the Issue Is Often Misunderstood.

byMichelle Lavergne 

Texas is a national leader in trafficking cases. More than 3,500 victims in Texas established contact with the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2021, according to hotline statistics. These numbers are exceeded only by California. 
Experts say the geographical and population size of the Lone Star State contribute to its high number of trafficking cases. They also say the issue is often misunderstood and disappointedly used by some politicians to make political hay.