A Bexar County election worker was assaulted Thursday, officials said. In Tarrant County, officials encouraged voters to review their ballots before voting.

A Texas Juvenile Justice Department report says Dallas County officers kept kids in their sleeping quarters for days at a time and faked school attendance logs.

With the State Fair opening in less than a month, the Attorney General is asking a Dallas County judge to overturn the ban on guns.

After severe storms rolled through the Dallas area this week, a CPS Energy crew is heading to the area to assist residents without power.

In limited instances, the choices some Texas voters make can later be identified using public, legally available data.

At least 76 polling places in four counties closed after the weather left hundreds of thousands of North Texans without power.

Storms with damaging winds and baseball-sized hail have pummeled Texas again.

Since 2019, accidental drug deaths have been rising in Texas, with the number tripling in Travis County.

In the state’s larger counties, voters can now elect people to the agencies that appraise property values.

In a district composed mostly of communities of color, Neave Criado hopes to topple Johnson with her stances on immigration, domestic violence and women’s issues.

Some environmental experts are skeptical that Texas can meet the new rules on particulate matter, which can cause serious respiratory problems.

EPA scientists went fishing to begin a study of how pollution from a group of concrete batch plants impacts human health.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously held that federal courts can’t weigh in on the constitutionality of the county’s pre-trial processes.

The The University of Texas at Dallas replaced three boulders — known as the Spirit Rocks — with trees, citing “extended political discourse.” Students say the quirky public square is a frequent venue for political messaging.

The Democratic congressman from Dallas will talk about the race he hopes to run against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024.

Several of Texas’ largest cities sought to put in place mask requirements, which Gov. Greg Abbott overturned. The ruling is a legal win for Republicans in Austin their ongoing symbolic fight with cities, often run by Democrats.

The county that encompasses Manhattan added more than 17,000 residents in the year ending last July.

During a deadly storm system that spawned tornadoes across parts of the U.S. South, Zakiya Sankara-Jabar’s cellphone buzzed relentlessly.

Two historic military planes crashed mid-air during an air show in Dallas Saturday afternoon, killing six people, according to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

A Dallas County medical examiner was killed in a suspected murder-suicide on Tuesday, officials said.

In Texas, 45.7% of the 17.7 million registered voters cast ballots in the 2022 midterm election. That’s 7.3 percentage points lower than the state’s total turnout in 2018 but higher than in every other midterm election in the last 20 years.

In three key local elections, the Austin mayoral race will be decided in a runoff, Republican Tim O’Hare won the Tarrant County judge race and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins won reelection.

Authorities say two Dallas hospital employees were fatally shot over the weekend by a 30-year-old man who opened fire after accusing his girlfriend who had just given birth of infidelity.

GOP candidate Lauren Davis’ campaign surfaced a Waco police report about a prank for which Jenkins apologized in 2010. He says he was only wearing camouflage at the time.

A Jewish death row inmate who was part of a gang of prisoners who fatally shot a police officer in 2000 after they had escaped is one step closer to getting a new trial after prosecutors have agreed with defense claims that the judge who presided over his case held antisemitic views.

The declaration covers 23 counties across the state and comes after some saw more than 10 inches of rainfall Monday.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared a state of disaster in the region, and Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state’s emergency operations center to be ready to support communities impacted by the flooding.

Heavy rain across the drought-stricken Dallas-Fort Worth area is causing streets to flood and submerging vehicles as officials warn motorists to stay off the roads.

While there are currently 780 confirmed monkeypox cases statewide, Texas cities are bracing for an increase in infections.

A man accused of shooting three Asian American women at a hair salon has been indicted on multiple counts, including committing a hate crime.

Frederick Frazier’s runoff opponent accused him of posing as a city code compliance officer to get campaign signs taken down. Frazier said his opponent is to blame in the case.

With the Texas case reported Tuesday, about 35 cases have now been identified across 14 states and Washington, D.C., this year, according to the CDC.

Dallas County health officials say they are investigating a monkeypox case involving a resident who traveled internationally in the past month to a country with reported cases.

The three men are accused of using excessive force during May 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd.

In just 16 of the state’s largest counties, more than 18,000 mail-in ballots were rejected, most for failing to meet the new law’s ID requirements. A full statewide tally isn’t yet available.

The world knows the city of Selma, Alabama, as a historic beacon in the struggle for voting rights.

In some voting locations where a party’s appointed polling judge didn’t show up, election officials allowed the other party’s judge to operate both parties’ voting machines in an effort to keep the polling place running.

The federal agency’s new guidance says most healthy Americans don’t need to wear masks in public. It marks a turning point in the pandemic.

Authorities say they arrested a 60-year-old Dallas man on a capital murder charge in the 1984 killing of a 21-year-old woman after linking him to the crime through genealogical databases.

A Dallas college student was working as a part-time dog walker to earn some extra cash until a recent dog attack left her permanently disfigured, a civil lawsuit alleges.

As 2021 comes to a close, here’s a look back at just some of our favorite images captured by Texas Tribune photographers all over the state — and across the nation — to tell the stories of Texans in a challenging year.

Most local officials insist they still have testing capacity at their public testing sites, but Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said demand has outpaced supply.

Dallas-area Latinos hoped their growing numbers would finally translate into political clout this year through the creation of a new congressional district anchored by their communities. Instead, their neighborhoods were splintered between numerous white-majority districts.

Dallas police say a woman has been arrested after punching a Southwest Airlines employee in the head during boarding for a flight out of a Dallas airport.

Authorities say a Dallas man previously arrested in the death of an 81-year-old woman has been charged with killing at least 11 more elderly women whose jewelry and other valuables he stole.

A state district judge says a Jewish death row inmate who was part of the so-called “Texas 7” gang should get a new capital murder trial because the judge who presided over his case held anti-Semitic views.

Officials in some counties targeted by audits accuse Republican Texas leaders of pandering to conspiracy theorists and undermining faith in elections. They also say the secretary of state’s office hasn’t provided details on what the audits entail.

With just under a month to go until the State Fair of Texas kicks off on Sept. 24, fair officials announced that masks will be required indoors and in outdoor crowded settings.

Angela Graham-West, wife of GOP gubernatorial candidate Allen West, was arrested by Dallas Police Friday night for allegedly driving while intoxicated. Allen West said she hadn’t been drinking, that her three-month-old grandson was in the car with her, and called the arrest “insidious.”

Back-and-forth legal rulings have left some school districts with the choice of flouting Abbott and mandating masks — or waiting for the dust to settle.

In the face of skyrocketing hospitalizations, the heads of cities, counties and school districts have grown desperate for ways to contain the virus.

COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are pushing back against Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates. Here’s the latest.

A Texas man accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old boy who was found dead on a Dallas street has been indicted on a capital murder charge.

The local officials are asking for courts to rule that Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates is unenforceable.

COVID-19 cases have been increasing in Texas and nationally — mostly among unvaccinated people — as the highly contagious delta variant has become dominant. Here's what that means for Texans, both vaccinated and unvaccinated.

In a story July 11, 2021, about an upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr., The Associated Press erroneously reported that Spence had been convicted of driving while intoxicated after a single-car crash in October 2019.

Their Texas swing is part of a larger effort by senior administration officials who are fanning out across the country this week to encourage vaccinations ahead of the administration’s self-imposed goal of hitting a 70% countrywide vaccination rate by July 4.

A former Dallas County prosecutor has surrendered his law license after the State Bar of Texas said he withheld evidence that led to the wrongful convictions of two men who spent 14 years in prison in the fatal stabbing of a pastor.

Prosecutors say a man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to killing a 22-year-old Dallas woman as she went to celebrate her birthday with friends.

An AMBER Alert has been issued early Monday for two missing teenagers in North Texas.

(AP Photo/LM Otero, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Federal and military crews began playing catch-up with second-dose COVID-19 vaccinations in Texas interrupted by last week’s cold wave. On Friday, they move on to a vaccination mega-site at Globe Life Field in Arlington. FEMA is also administering second doses at NRG Stadium in Houston to those signed up for them. The newly reported cases and deaths pushed the total number of Texas cases reported during the pandemic to 2,613,792 and the state’s pandemic death toll to almost 41,980, according to statistics compiled by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The state estimated that 185,190 COVID-19 cases are active, with 6,738 cases needing hospitalization.

(AP Photo/LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas – Texas will likely partner with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to open two vaccination “supersites” in Dallas and Houston, and more could be on the way, Gov. The mutated version of the virus spreads more easily, and health officials worry vaccines could be less effective against it. The governor said adding more sites is possible, but his office did not immediately release further details, including whether that meant Texas would get more vaccine doses or if those sites would pull vaccine from other areas. AdThe announcement came one month after the first new known COVID-19 variant, one first identified in the United Kingdom, was identified in Houston. Meantime, the Texas COVID-19 death toll rose to 38,700.

Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? The mythic idea of "herd immunity" from COVID-19 in the long journey back to normal may be out of reach for Texas any time soon, state health officials and medical experts say. “We do not know when, or if, Texas will reach herd immunity through vaccination,” Chief State Epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Shuford told The Texas Tribune in an emailed statement. “Therefore, you could potentially start gradually loosening up things once the pressure on the hospitals has significantly decreased even in the absence of full herd immunity." At that point, Abbott added, the state can start “very quickly” making vaccines available to a broader swath of the population.

Howard Holland, 82, receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Wes Vaughn at the Dallas County mass vaccination site at Fair Park Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas – The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Texas continues to fall from record highs as the state nears the end of what has been its deadliest month of the pandemic. State health officials Monday reported fewer than 13,000 people were being treated for the virus in Texas hospitals, marking the seventh consecutive day of declining patient loads. More than 34,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Texas, the second-most in the nation behind California. The U.S. is recording just under 3,100 deaths a day on average, down from more than 3,350 less than two weeks ago.

Long lines of people waited to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at Fair Park, where Dallas County opened its first ìmegaî vaccination site. (Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Trib)Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Greg Abbott praised the state’s vaccine rollout as officials warned the COVID-19 pandemic is at its worst here. Texas is outpacing other states in administering the vaccine, last week topping 1 million total doses administered. In the letter to Garcia, Patrick thanked Abbott for his “leadership” on the state’s vaccine distribution plan and hailed state officials for doing a “good job” on vaccine rollout — “better than most states,” Patrick said.

SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between the San Antonio Business Journal and KSAT. Bexar County saw the greatest percentage increase in home sales of the four largest Texas counties last year, according to the latest multiple listing system report from the San Antonio Board of Realtors. Bexar County saw a 11.2% increase in home sales in 2020 — 27,855 homes last year compared to 24,936 in 2019. Travis County saw a 3.2% increase; Harris County saw a 6.7% increase; and Dallas County saw a 4% increase. Read more on this story at the San Antonio Business Journal.

Many Dallas County seniors received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination site at Fair Park in Dallas. A divided Dallas County Commissioners Court had voted Tuesday to prioritize vaccines at its Fair Park distribution center for individuals in mostly Black and Latino neighborhoods, a reflection of increased vulnerability to the coronavirus in 11 Dallas County ZIP codes, according to the Dallas Morning News. But Texas health officials pushed back on the proposal, warning that it was “not acceptable to [the Department of State Health Services. Her letter came after County Judge Clay Jenkins wrote to state officials asking whether the county’s plan was permissible. The county government is responsible for just 10% of the vaccines distributed in Dallas County.

The Dallas County health department reported 33 available intensive care beds on Sunday for the county’s 2.6 million residents. Jenkins said most Dallas County businesses are likewise adhering to Abbott’s restrictions. But many county officials, including Jenkins, said bars are openly flouting guidelines and the TABC is not enforcing the rules. In most cases, local officials said they focus on educating wrongdoers instead of punishing them. Meanwhile, the city reported 245 people hospitalized with the virus on Sunday, down from a peak of 360 in late November but still enough to concern local health officials.

Officials in Dallas County have confirmed a woman with underlying health conditions died of COVID-19 while on a commercial airplane. The woman, who was in her 30s, died after boarding a flight from Arizona to Texas, officials said Sunday. According to NBC DFW, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the woman died as the plane was parked on the apron on July 25. No further details were released, but county officials said the woman had “underlying high-risk health conditions.”So far, 1,085 people in Dallas County have died from the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The county’s risk level remains in the red zone — a stay home, stay safe indicator — due to an increase in hospitalized patients.

Kathy Schneider worked as a Dallas County election clerk in 2018, but out of concern about the coronavirus, she’s choosing not to this year. Texas is preparing for a general election for which election officials are expecting unprecedented turnout — and unprecedented demand for election workers. In Hidalgo County, officials are hoping for around 800 election workers, nearly doubling the number from past general elections. Counties set their own wages for their election workers, but they have to pay at least the federal minimum wage. You can use this tool to find your county’s contact and election worker information.

The company had filed thousands of lawsuits against borrowers after they fell behind on payments, including throughout the pandemic. Yet the states justice courts are excluded from this requirement, making a complete accounting of debt lawsuits impossible unless the states 803 justice courts choose to make their records public. In eight of the nine counties, Oportun Inc. was a top filer of lawsuits during the pandemic. (In Denton County, where Oportun filed comparatively fewer suits, the company has just one retail location.) All told, Oportun filed more lawsuits than any other personal loan company and was the second-most litigious company overall during the pandemic and the first six months of the year.

AUSTIN, Texas 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 Abbotts 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 states 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.

Dallas County officials have prohibited schools this year from having in-person classes until Sept. 8. Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas TribuneDallas County health officials announced Friday that all public and private schools in the county must keep their classrooms closed through Sept. 7, according to a press release from Dallas County Health and Human Services. Travis County barred in-person classes in public and private schools through Labor Day. Hidalgo County health officials said Tuesday that local schools must keep their classrooms closed through Sept. 27. Houston ISD announced Wednesday that it would start the year with six weeks of virtual classes right after Labor Day, subject to change if state or local officials issue other guidance.

DALLAS – A Dallas man has been arrested and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Black transgender woman. Angelo Walker, 20, was taken into custody Wednesday and is being held in the Dallas County jail on a $900,000 bond. A witness told police that he watched from an apartment window as Walker chased down and repeatedly shot Richey, according to an affidavit. Richey's killing follows a string of attacks last year on transgender women in the North Texas city. In 2019, at least three Black transgender women were killed in Dallas, including Muhlaysia Booker, whose case attracted national attention.

What you need to know Monday:No consensus on whether El Paso is ready to reopenGov. Greg Abbott had given El Paso County and the Amarillo area two of the state's biggest recent COVID-19 hot spots a temporary reprieve from implementing Texas' next phase of reopening. While Abbott said the Amarillo area had "turned a corner," the picture in the El Paso area wasn't as clear. El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, on the other hand, said the situation in El Paso is more manageable now. Texas reported 1,949 more cases of the new coronavirus Sunday the highest increase since the state began reporting coronavirus case counts.

Health officials are working to determine how an inmate who has been in the Dallas County jail since late December contracted the coronavirus, the sheriff said Wednesday. Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown said the positive test for the inmate who is in his 40s was confirmed early Wednesday morning. It is the first known case of the virus in an inmate at the jail. The man was housed in a shared pod with about 50 other inmates, the sheriff said. Brown said employees who had contact with the man who contracted the virus are being asked to self-quarantine.

Republicans hoped to keep a majority Texas House seats from Dallas County when they redrew district boundaries in 2011. Seven years later, they've only held onto two of 14.