KERA News | News for North Texas

Gov. Abbott Warns Texans About The One-Two Punch Of Flu Season And COVID-19

Gov. Greg Abbott is urging Texans to get flu vaccines early this season. He’s warning about a double whammy of flu and COVID-19. Speaking in Dallas on Thursday, Abbott said COVID-19 is still a dangerous threat — and that combining COVID with a bad flu season would be terrible for the healthcare system.

Dallas Nonprofit Hosts 'Census Walks' In Undercounted Latino Communities

Registered nurse Patrick LaFontaine poses for a photo after helping set up a COVID-19 testing station for pre-screened pediatric patients outside a Children's Health PM Urgent Care facility in Richardson, Texas. — Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press

COVID-19 Live Updates: Dallas County Reports Lowest Daily Case Count Since June

George W. Bush Paints A Statement About The Power Of Immigrants In His Next Art Book

By Rick Holter • 2 minutes ago

Former President George Bush's next book will feature portraits he's painted of 43 immigrants, from Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki to Gilbert Tuhabonye, a legendary runner from Burundi. — George W. Bush Presidential Center

While the current president closes borders and shuts off avenues to asylum, George W. Bush is making a statement about immigration with his paintbrush.

Chemical In Beirut Explosion Was Also Linked To Two Texas Disasters

By Katie Watkins | Houston Public Media • 2 hours ago

For some, Tuesday’s deadly explosion in Beirut, which officials say was caused by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate, was a grim reminder of a 2013 disaster in the city of West, Texas.

New Program To Regulate Texas' Hemp Industry

By Rebekah Morr • 4 hours ago

An industrial hemp plant — Associated Press

The Texas Department of State Health Services introduced a program to regulate the consumable hemp industry in the state.

Consumable hemp products include foods, drugs, devices or cosmetics that contain industrial hemp or hemp-derived cannabinoids, like CBD.

The Toll Separation Takes On Families With COVID-19

By Sara Willa Ernst • 5 hours ago

When Crystal Rivas woke up on a Saturday morning in late June, her body felt off. All night, she was going in and out of chills and hot flashes. So out of an abundance of caution, she removed all her kids laptops and video games from her bedroom.

Why Sprawl Could Be The Next Big Climate Change Battle

By Lauren Sommer • 6 hours ago

President Trump is attacking Democrats on a new front: suburbia.

"They want to eliminate single-family zoning, bringing who knows into your suburbs," Trump said on a July campaign call.

New York Attorney General Moves To Dissolve The NRA After Fraud Investigation

By Tim Mak • 8 hours ago

Updated at 2 p.m. ET

The attorney general of New York took action Thursday to dissolve the National Rifle Association following an 18-month investigation that found evidence the powerful gun rights group is "fraught with fraud and abuse."

Attorney General Letitia James claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday that she found financial misconduct in the millions of dollars and that it contributed to a loss of more than $64 million over a three-year period.

Inside The Trump Campaign's Effort — And Struggle — To Win Over Black Voters In Texas

By Alex Samuels / Texas Tribune • 9 hours ago

Frederick Douglass Republican Engagement Strategy creator KCarl Smith spoke at a Black Voices for Trump event in February. The meeting was part of a series of events across the country to reach Black voters. — Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribune

On the door for the McLennan County Republican Party headquarters on a February night, a flyer read, "Black Voices for Trump." Inside, 50 or so faces — virtually all of them white — looked up at the speaker before them.

Who Is Most At Risk For Police Violence?

By Lisa Dunn • 10 hours ago

This article is part of the Guns & America explainer series. You can read other entries here.

Over the past several years, the problem of police violence in the U.S. has garnered worldwide attention: the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Freddie Gray in Baltimore, and Walter Scott in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and George Floyd in May 2020, among others.

COVID-19 Numbers: Which Ones Tell The Real Story?

By Stephen Becker • 16 hours ago

Each day we’re inundated with new data about the spread of COVID-19. But how do we know which numbers tell the real story?

Caroline Chen covers health care for ProPublica and is currently reporting on the coronavirus pandemic. She talked with Krys Boyd about how we should interpret the numbers to get a sense of where we’re headed.

Gone For Good? Evidence Signals Many Jobs Aren't Coming Back

By Associated Press • Aug 5, 2020

People wait to speak with representatives from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission about unemployment claims Thursday, July 9, in Midwest City, Oklahoma. — Associated Press

Stark evidence of the damage the resurgent viral outbreak has caused the U.S. economy could come Friday when the government is expected to report that the pace of hiring has slowed significantly after a brief rebound in the spring.

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Gov. Says Florida's Unemployment System Was Designed To Create 'Pointless Roadblocks'

By Laurel Wamsley • 1 hour ago

Updated at 6:18 p.m. ET

Amid staggering job losses in March and April, Florida's unemployment system was the slowest in the country to process claims. Residents described nightmarish experiences as they tried to get benefits. By April 20, just 6% of Floridians who had applied for unemployment benefits had received a check.

Magnolias, Beer Cans and Football: Mississippi Is Designing A New State Flag

By Top Stories: The Latest On Tropical Storm Irma: September 11th Monuments • 2 hours ago

After Mississippi lawmakers voted in June to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state's flag, they asked people to send in designs for a new flag — and received nearly 3,000 submissions.

Chemical In Beirut Explosion Was Also Linked To Two Texas Disasters

By Katie Watkins | Houston Public Media • 2 hours ago

For some, Tuesday’s deadly explosion in Beirut, which officials say was caused by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate, was a grim reminder of a 2013 disaster in the city of West, Texas.