2021 in photos: Texans navigated COVID-19, weathered power outages and witnessed an increase in border crossings

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For Texans, 2021 will be remembered for the ongoing pandemic that continued to kill thousands and the brutal February winter storm that paralyzed the state and killed hundreds. Many will also look back at laws passed by the Texas Legislature that thrust the state, again and again, into national debates about voting rights and abortion access.

Through it all, Texas Tribune photographers captured the moments, both sweeping and intimate, that tell the story of our time.

First: Long lines of people waited to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at Fair Park, where Dallas County opened its first "mega" vaccination site. Next: Cameron County residents wait to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-thru distribution site in Los Fresnos on Jan. 22. Last: Beverly Mills, a teacher at Anderson Elementary School, speaks to pharmacist Ilana Druker before getting vaccinated at Houston Independent School District’s Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Jan. 9. Credit: Shelby Tauber, Eddie Gaspar and May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune

First: Logan Roerig skids their bike through the snow in Austin on Feb. 15. Last: Megan Linden sits in her car to warm up and charge her phone in East Austin on Feb. 17. Credit: Evan L'Roy and Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

First: Food pantry manager Farrah Rivera maps out routes to resident rooms at the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center in Austin on Feb. 17. Last: Nicole Colato, 12, holds her sibling Christian Colato, 8, at Gallery Furniture in Houston, which opened to the public as a warming center on Feb. 16. The snowfall on Feb. 15 continued to cause problems in Houston as well as other parts of Texas. Credit: Montinique Monroe and May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune

First: Flowers lay atop a sign at Discovery Green on March 20. Last: Hundreds of people gathered to demonstrate against racism during the Stop Asian Hate Rally and Vigil at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin on April 17. Credit: May-Ying Lam and Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

First: Marvin Scott III's mother LaSandra Scott prays at the end of a demonstration outside of the Collin County Jail on March 26. Last: Melinda Whittemore participates in the March 26 demonstration. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

First: In Humble, Marie Sanders looks out the window in a family visitation room at Focused Care at Humble on April 1. Next: Executive director of operations Jeannie Dupree hugs her grandmother, Pauline, at Focused Care at Brenham, a nursing home that experienced an outbreak of COVID-19 infections after the winter storm in Texas. Last: Rosa Ramos and Rebecca Pargas watch television while drinking coffee at the Amistad Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on April 1. Credit: Mark Felix, Annie Mulligan, and Miguel Gutierrez Jr. for The Texas Tribune

First: Joshua Martin, 17, leans forward from his wheelchair as he watches his mother, Teddi Martin, receive a COVID-19 vaccine by a registered nurse at a vaccine site hosted by McKinney ISD and the McKinney Fire Department on May 20. Last: Israel Cheathem, 5, bottom left, waits in line with his sisters Zoey Cheathem, 14, right, and Trinity Cheathem, 15, so the teenagers could receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the McKinney ISD vaccination site. Credit: Ben Torres for the Texas Tribune

Early in the summer, after coronavirus vaccines became widely available, Texans took tentative steps toward returning to normalcy. First: The Saddle Sores play at the White Horse in Austin on June 9. Last: Carolina Rascon, Sarahi Diaz and Suzanne Oviedo gather on the Discovery Green social distancing circles in Downtown Houston. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. and Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

First: In Mercedes, Rene Gonzales dances with his partner at the Mercedes Flea Market on June 13. Last: Marta Linares, left, and her family watch a movie at the WesMer Drive-In Theatre in Mercedes. They have been coming to the theater once a month for the past 15 years. Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune

First: Fireworks conclude the I Am Juneteenth festival at the Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth on June 19. Last: Fireworks surprised some children during the conclusion of the I Am Juneteenth festival. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

First: Registered Nurse Lori Kelley dons an N95 mask and other personal protective equipment before entering the room of a COVID-19 patient at Goodall-Witcher Hospital in Clifton on Aug. 3. Last: A nurse at the Clifton hospital dons full personal protective equipment before entering the room of a COVID-19 patient. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

First: Tomas Garcia looks out of his home in Houston on Sept. 8. As the pandemic took a toll on both his physical and mental health, he decided to leave teaching after contracting COVID-19. Last: James Whitfield, 43, principal at Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, was placed on leave by the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District after being accused of teaching critical race theory at his high school. He ultimately resigned but remains on paid administrative leave until 2023. Credit: Justin Rex and Ben Torres for the Texas Tribune

Migrants crossing the Rio Grande between Del Rio and Cuidad Acuña, Mexico, on Sept. 16 bring supplies such as food, water and clothing back to a temporary migrant camp under the international bride. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune

Performers at the Día de Los Muertos parade in Dallas on Oct. 30. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

First: Customs and Border Protection agents check documents on the Paso Del Norte International Bridge in El Paso on the first day that land borders with Mexico reopened after 19 months. Next: A woman commutes across the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Laredo on Nov. 9. Last: Families are turned away from making their asylum claims at the Paso del Norte International Bridge after the Biden administration announced it would stop metering families at ports of entry. Credit: Justin Hamel and Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune

First: Maddox Cozart, 12, plays at a park in Temple on Dec. 8. Maddox was placed in in-school suspension over his hairstyle earlier this year. Last: Tambra Morrison with her three children at Red Bird Park in Duncanville in August. After a life-threatening experience following the birth of her youngest child, Morrison saw the need for Texas to expand postpartum care for mothers. A new state law to extend Medicaid coverage went into effect Sept. 1., but some say it doesn’t go far enough. Credit: Montinique Monroe and Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune