INSIDER
Amarillo voters reject abortion “travel ban,” a rare rebuke of anti-abortion movement in Texas
Read full article: Amarillo voters reject abortion “travel ban,” a rare rebuke of anti-abortion movement in TexasTuesday’s vote was a rare chance for Texans to vote directly on abortion restrictions. The state already has a near-total abortion ban.
I started reporting on the dearth of reproductive health care. Then I had my own emergency.
Read full article: I started reporting on the dearth of reproductive health care. Then I had my own emergency.Texas Tribune journalist Jayme Lozano Carver has written about health care for years. Most recently, she reported on how little access there is for women and new moms in the Texas Panhandle.
Interstate 27 has divided Lubbock for decades. North and east side residents want that to change.
Read full article: Interstate 27 has divided Lubbock for decades. North and east side residents want that to change.After repeated attempts to convince the City Council to make zoning changes, residents asked the federal government to intervene.
HOLY HAIL! Potentially record-breaking hailstone falls in Texas Panhandle
Read full article: HOLY HAIL! Potentially record-breaking hailstone falls in Texas PanhandleA hailstone found in the Texas Panhandle could potentially break the record for the largest hailstone ever found to have fallen in Texas.
Three months after the Texas’ largest wildfire, Panhandle residents are preparing for the next one
Read full article: Three months after the Texas’ largest wildfire, Panhandle residents are preparing for the next oneShort of an immediate statewide response, Texans who lost homes and livestock are taking matters into their own hands to better prepare their property for a wildfire.
Clarendon City Council rejects ordinance banning travel to access abortion outside of Texas
Read full article: Clarendon City Council rejects ordinance banning travel to access abortion outside of TexasClarendon is one of the first cities in Texas to reject the ordinance, after several cities and counties passed similar measures
Ted Cruz and Ronny Jackson push legislation to help ranchers who lost livestock in Panhandle wildfires
Read full article: Ted Cruz and Ronny Jackson push legislation to help ranchers who lost livestock in Panhandle wildfiresThe Republican senator and congressman introduced a bill that would expand a federal aid program to pay ranchers when pregnant cattle are killed in disasters.
Decayed power pole sparked the largest wildfire in state history, Texas House committee confirms
Read full article: Decayed power pole sparked the largest wildfire in state history, Texas House committee confirmsA lack of air support and ineffective coordination hurt efforts to contain this year's Panhandle fires, the committee said.
Public blasts Texas agencies, regulators for poor communication and oversight at wildfire hearings
Read full article: Public blasts Texas agencies, regulators for poor communication and oversight at wildfire hearingsThursday’s hearing marked the end of the Legislature’s three-day marathon of public hearings.
Utility pole inspection company declines to testify at Texas Panhandle wildfire investigation hearing
Read full article: Utility pole inspection company declines to testify at Texas Panhandle wildfire investigation hearingThe Texas A&M Forest Service concluded that a fallen decayed utility pole caused the Smokehouse Creek fire.
Texas emergency director calls for firefighting air force after historic Panhandle fires
Read full article: Texas emergency director calls for firefighting air force after historic Panhandle firesA special legislative committee is investigating what caused the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest in state history.
Texas prepares for large wildfire as critical weather conditions threaten Panhandle
Read full article: Texas prepares for large wildfire as critical weather conditions threaten PanhandleTexas A&M Forest Service is on alert as weather conditions could produce large wildfires as critical weather conditions threaten the Panhandle and Southwest Texas.
Texas firefighters completely contain Panhandle inferno that burned more than 1 million acres
Read full article: Texas firefighters completely contain Panhandle inferno that burned more than 1 million acresA series of deadly wildfires have burned for nearly three weeks, destroying farms and ranches in several counties.
Facing staggering losses from wildfires, Panhandle ranchers and farmers seek aid to rebuild
Read full article: Facing staggering losses from wildfires, Panhandle ranchers and farmers seek aid to rebuildRanchers have likely lost thousands of cattle in the wildfires, according to some preliminary estimates.
Texas fire chief loses life in the line of duty during Panhandle wildfires
Read full article: Texas fire chief loses life in the line of duty during Panhandle wildfiresAuthorities say a Texas fire chief whose small town was among the hardest hit last week by historic blazes sweeping across the Panhandle died Tuesday while fighting a structure fire.
Many homes burned in the Texas wildfires weren’t insured, creating a steep path to recovery
Read full article: Many homes burned in the Texas wildfires weren’t insured, creating a steep path to recoveryRural Texans are more than twice as likely to go without homeowners insurance than their urban peers.
Texas Panhandle wildfires: What you need to know about the blazes, damage and recovery
Read full article: Texas Panhandle wildfires: What you need to know about the blazes, damage and recoveryThe full scope of damage still isn’t known, but some Panhandle residents have returned home. Firefighters continue battling the infernos.
Wildfires ravage cattle country, threatening Texas’ agriculture economy
Read full article: Wildfires ravage cattle country, threatening Texas’ agriculture economyTexas wildfires have consumed acres of agricultural land, killing thousands of livestock, destroying crops and exacerbating challenges lingering from last year’s drought.
Texans in the Panhandle recall towering smoke and darkened skies as wildfires crept near their towns
Read full article: Texans in the Panhandle recall towering smoke and darkened skies as wildfires crept near their townsThe fires have left at least two people dead and four injured firefighters. Cattle have been lost and homes and businesses decimated in their wake.
Massive wildfires in Texas panhandle pose threat to cattle industry
Read full article: Massive wildfires in Texas panhandle pose threat to cattle industryFlames continue to burn through the Texas Panhandle. The Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned over a million acres, the largest recorded fire in Texas history.
After pause, this Texas city is set to reconsider banning travel to access an abortion
Read full article: After pause, this Texas city is set to reconsider banning travel to access an abortionA handful of local governments have already put the legally dubious bans in place. The news that Amarillo will take the issue up again comes shortly after a Dallas woman left the state for an abortion after losing a legal battle to obtain one here.
In Texas’ Panhandle, a long-awaited oasis for mental health care is springing up
Read full article: In Texas’ Panhandle, a long-awaited oasis for mental health care is springing upThe region that includes Amarillo, a Panhandle city of more than 200,000 people, and surrounding towns has long been a mental health care desert. Officials hope a new $159 million hospital can help reduce a massive spike in suicide attempts.
“This is pretty devastating”: Three dead, more than 100 injured after tornado strikes Perryton
Read full article: “This is pretty devastating”: Three dead, more than 100 injured after tornado strikes PerrytonMore than 100 people were injured in the tornado that hit the Panhandle town. Gov. Greg Abbott sent emergency crews to assist with recovery efforts.
Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?
Read full article: Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?On the eve of a historic investment in connecting the Lone Star State, advocates worry maps that will help establish which communities get funding have bad information.
Coronavirus pandemic still raging in Texas
Read full article: Coronavirus pandemic still raging in TexasHOUSTON – Texas is once again, being called a coronavirus hot spot. “It’s constantly surprising us this is a virus that’s defined expectations,” Dr. Bell King, an epidemiologist at The University of Houston College of Medicine said. Houston is growing when you look at new cases, hospitalizations are growing, but they’re growing slowly,” said Dr. James McDeavitt with the Baylor College of Medicine. NBC News and the Associated Press say Texas is the first state to have more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the death toll is close to 20,0000. It’s upsetting,” said Dr. Bell King, an Epidemiologist at the University of Houston College of Medicine.
‘Overwhelmed’: Texas county halts non-essential activities
Read full article: ‘Overwhelmed’: Texas county halts non-essential activitiesEL PASO, Texas – El Paso County officials ordered a two-week shutdown of non-essential activities Thursday after the area's medical resources were overwhelmed by the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Grocery and drug stores, funeral homes, health care services and government activities were among the activities deemed essential. Yet each day for the past week, more than 1,000 new cases were confirmed in the westernmost Texas county. America’s largest state prison system reported more 332 active COVID-19 cases and 8 units in precautionary lockdown across Texas, including one in El Paso as of Wednesday. The 119 newly reported COVID-19 fatalities raised the Texas death toll to 17,819 since the pandemic first struck at the start of March.
Plodding and powerful, Sally moves in on Gulf Coast
Read full article: Plodding and powerful, Sally moves in on Gulf CoastHurricane Sally is expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast sometime through the night and morning. – Hurricane Sally, a plodding but powerful storm with winds of 100 mph, crept toward the northern Gulf Coast early Tuesday, with forecasters warning of potentially deadly storm surges, flash floods spurred by up to 2 feet (.61 meters) of rain and the possibility of tornadoes. Claunch marveled at how the Gulf waters had already crept over swaths of sandy shore and infiltrated bike paths and parking lots. Sally achieved hurricane strength Monday and quickly intensified to a Category 2 storm with 100 mph (161 kph) winds. Forecasters expect winds to increase to up to 110 mph (177 kph) over the warm Gulf waters before the storm blows ashore.