Tag Archives: Texas

Lubbock’s ABC affiliate reports: its latest update, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said there were 223 cases of measles across the South Plains. Twenty-nine patients were hospitalized, according to DSHS. According to DSHS, 80 of the cases did not have a measles vaccine, and 138 had an “unknown status.” Vaccine details for 11 cases were still pending. …

NBC News reports: A Texas state bill could charge transgender people with “gender identity fraud,” making it illegal to identify as trans on official documents and potentially leading to jail time. The bill, which was filedby Republican state Rep. Tom Oliverson, would make it a state jail felony if a person “knowingly makes a false or misleading verbal or written …

The Texas Tribune reports: A bill that would give parents more power over which books their children can read in public school libraries will soon go before Texas senators for a full vote. The measure was approved Tuesday by a 10-1 vote in the Senate Committee on Education K-16. Introduced last month by Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, Senate Bill 13 …

Newsweek reports: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has not ruled out the possibility of deploying bounty hunters to assist law enforcement in apprehending suspected undocumented immigrants. “Governor Abbott fully supports law enforcement using every tool and strategy to aid in the Trump administration’s deportation of illegal immigrants,” Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, said. Republican lawmakers in Mississippi and Missouri have proposed …

The Texas Tribune reports: The number of measles cases has risen to 198 as the historical outbreak continues to rage on in West Texas, according to state officials on Friday. Of those, 23 patients are hospitalized. As of Friday, most of the measles cases – 137 – were centered in Gaines County, about 400 miles west of Dallas on the …

The Guardian reports: The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, and, later, Elon Musk showed support on Wednesday for the firing of a state employee who refused to remove his pronouns from his work email signature. Frank Zamora, 31, was let go from his job as a program manager at the Texas real estate commission (TREC) last month because he refused to …

Austin’s NRP affiliate reports: A student LGBTQ+ organization is suing Texas A&M University over its newly adopted policy banning drag performances on its public campuses. The federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of the Queer Empowerment Council, a coalition of student groups at Texas A&M University-College Station. The lawsuit aims to block the university from enforcing the policy, which the …

Courthouse News reports: Lawmakers in the Texas Senate Education K-16 Committee gave initial approval Tuesday to two bills that would put more Christian teachings and practices in public schools, setting Republicans up with a second chance after similar proposals failed to become law in 2023. Senate Bill 10, authored by Weatherford Republican Senator Phil King [photo], would require a 16 by …

The Texas Tribune reports: Six years after Texas lawmakers inadvertently triggered the state’s booming consumable hemp market, one chamber of the Legislature is pushing to shut down the industry by barring products that contain THC. Yet even with the backing of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the powerful Texas Senate leader, the proposal to ban THC faces uncertain prospects in the …

Houston’s ABC affiliate reports: Sylvester Turner, the former mayor of Houston who won election last November to fill late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s seat in District 18, has died, ABC13 learned Wednesday morning. He was 70. Turner served two terms as mayor of the City of Houston after being elected in 2016. His tenure ended last January. Ten months later, …

CNN reports: A measles outbreak in Texas has grown to 159 cases, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is now on the ground in that state to respond. The agency posted on X that it’s partnering with the Texas Department of State Health Services. Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, U.S. Health and Human Services …

The Guardian reports: While Texas grapples with its worst measles outbreak in decades, its Republican lieutenant governor has moved for the state’s restaurants and groceries to change the name of the “New York strip” steak cut to the “Texas strip” in what he evidently hopes is a blow to liberals. Dan Patrick announced on Friday on social media that he …

HHS Sec. Robert Kennedy writes for Fox News: As the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I am deeply concerned about the recent measles outbreak. This situation has escalated rapidly, with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reporting 146 confirmed cases since late January 2025, primarily in the South Plains region. Tragically, this outbreak …

Ars Technica reports: A Texas health authority is warning against “measles parties” as the outbreak in West Texas grew to at least 146 cases, with 20 hospitalized and one unvaccinated school-age child dead. In a press briefing hosted by the city of Lubbock, Texas, Ron Cook, chief health officer at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, offered …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Friday passed a resolution banning all drag performances from taking place on its 11 university campuses. This means that Draggieland, a beloved annual event scheduled for March 27 at the Rudder Theatre on the College Station campus, will have to find a new venue. The resolution also …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas is facing its worst measles outbreak in decades, as cases have jumped from two to 146 in just one month. A child is dead, 20 more are hospitalized and the worst is likely still ahead, public health experts say. But neither Gov. Greg Abbott nor lawmakers from the hardest hit areas have addressed the outbreak …

Houston’s ABC affiliate reports: On Friday morning, the state reported that 146 cases in nine counties have been identified since late January. Twenty of the patients have been hospitalized, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., , said Wednesday that HHS is watching cases and dismissed the Texas outbreak as “not unusual.” He appeared to misstate a number of facts, including a claim …

The Texas Tribune reports: A top Texas senator filed legislation Monday that would extend the state’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to K-12 public schools. Sen. Brandon Creighton, the Conroe Republican who chairs the Senate Committee on Education K-16, introduced both Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 1565 after Gov. Greg Abbott expressed support in his State of …

The Associated Press reports: A person who was hospitalized with measles has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield confirmed the death Wednesday. It wasn’t clear the age of the patient, who died overnight. Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock didn’t immediately …

ABC News reports: A measles outbreak in Texas is continuing to grow, reaching 124 cases, new data released Tuesday shows. Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, and 18 people have been hospitalized so far, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Five cases included those who have …