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Once a fixture in Harris County COVID-19 education efforts, Dr. Hasan Gokal is now fighting the county in court.

Exonerated Doctor Accused Of Stealing Vaccines Sues Harris County For Over $1 Million

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 21, 2021

Dr. Hasan Gokal was fired by Harris County Public Health for allegedly stealing COVID-19 vaccine doses in December. But after he was found to have committed no crime by a local judge, a county grand jury and the Texas Medical Board, Gokal — a Pakistani immigrant — has now sued Harris County...

COVID-19 vaccines for young children could some sooner than booster shots for the rest of us.

Trial Shows Pfizer Vaccine Safe For Kids As FDA Panel Breaks With Biden On Booster Plan

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 20, 2021

Millions of parents with young kids breathed a collective sigh of relief across the United States Monday morning, as Pfizer announced its trial of its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine found the shots were safe and effective for children ages five to 11. While full authorization for Pfizer’s vaccine in kids five...

Thousands of Houston area residents have ignored health experts' guidance on second vaccine doses.

Over 14,000 Harris County Residents Are Overdue For Second Vaccine Dose

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 17, 2021

More than 14,000 people in Harris County are overdue for getting their crucial second COVID-19 vaccine shot, despite public health officials’ attempts to persuade folks who’ve received their first shot of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine how important shot number two is in granting maximum coronavirus protection. Those under-vaccinated residents coupled...

Tropical Depression Nicholas has made its way to Louisiana.

Over 80,000 in the Houston Area Still Lack Electricity Post-Nicholas

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 15, 2021

Nicholas may have weakened into a Tropical Depression and hightailed it out of Texas for Louisiana already, but for the tens of thousands of Houston area residents who still haven’t had their power restored, the storm's impact is still far from a memory. CenterPoint Energy reported that 83,878 of its...

Lots of fallen branches littered the streets of greater Houston Tuesday thanks to Nicholas.

Nicholas Exits Stage Right, But Plenty of Residents Remain Powerless

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 14, 2021

Tropical Storm Nicholas continued its eastward path out of the Houston area throughout Tuesday, leaving most of inland Harris County relatively dry but still struggling with widespread power outages and scattered debris. While the more southeastern reaches of Harris County saw significant rain totals and a healthy storm surge early...

A downed stop sign on Washington Ave. showed how strong last night's winds were gusting.

Power Outages From Nicholas Likely To Last As It's Still Too Windy For Crews To Start Work

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 14, 2021

In brief remarks updating the public on Harris County’s response to Tropical Storm Nicholas, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday warned residents without power that they may not have their electricity restored any time soon, as CenterPoint crews will not be sent out into the field until the strong...

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said she'd spoken twice with Gov. Greg Abbott Monday about Tropical Storm Nicholas.

Hidalgo Asks Harris County Residents To Stay Put Monday Night Due To Nicholas

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 13, 2021

As the first bands of rain from the edges of Tropical Storm Nicholas continued to drop water across greater Houston, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo spoke Monday afternoon about the county’s response to the fast-approaching storm. “We could get 10 to 15 inches of rain over the next 24 hours...

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner addressed Tropical Storm Nicholas Monday from Houston's emergency center.

Houston Area Leaders and Schools React As Tropical Storm Nicholas Zooms Toward Texas

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 13, 2021

As Tropical Storm Nicholas barrels toward the Gulf Coast, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gave a brief update on the city’s preparations for what’s expected to be a heavy rain event that could cause significant flash flooding in parts of the greater Houston area. Meanwhile, several local school districts responded quickly...

Houston Mayor Turner explained his new order for mandatory COVID tests for all city employees Wednesday.

Turner Orders Mandatory COVID Tests For Unvaccinated City Employees

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 8, 2021

Amid anecdotal reports that only 50 percent or fewer of Houston Police Department and Houston Fire Department employees had been vaccinated against COVID-19, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s communications director told the Houston Press last week that Turner was still considering issuing a vaccine mandate for city employees. But during Wednesday’s...

Fort Bend ISD's school board has given locals whiplash with its back and forth (and back again) decisions on mask rules

Are Mask Rules Why HISD Has Tallied Fewer COVID Cases Than Way Smaller FBISD?

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 8, 2021

One, two, three, four — Those aren’t just the first four numbers Houston ISD’s youngest students are taught. Throw them all together in a row and you end up with 1,234, the total cumulative number of COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday afternoon among HISD students and staff members since the...

State Sen. Bryan Hughes and Gov. Greg Abbott were all smiles in East Texas Tuesday.

Abbott Signs Controversial GOP "Election Integrity" Bill Into Law

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 7, 2021

After Labor Day weekend, Gov. Greg Abbott got right back to work by signing into law Senate Bill 1, the Republican-backed slate of election changes that he and his supporters proclaim as a defense against voter fraud and critics say is nothing but a way to make it harder for...

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and HPD Chief Troy Finner might be talking about a city employee vaccine mandate soon.

Citing Low HPD & Fire Department COVID Vaccinations, Turner Considers City Worker Mandate

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 3, 2021

Given anecdotal reports that only 50 percent or fewer of Houston Police Department and Houston Fire Department employees have taken a COVID-19 vaccine, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is considering issuing a vaccine mandate for city employees, Turner's communications director has told the Houston Press. When answering a question about tracking...

Gov. Greg Abbott is glad the "election integrity" bill is on his desk, but other conservative priorities have stalled in the Lege.

Election Bill Hits Abbott's Desk While Fights Over Other GOP Priorities Heat Up

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 1, 2021

With less than a week left in the Texas Legislature’s second straight overtime round of lawmaking this summer, state Republicans have finally delivered Gov. Greg Abbott the “election integrity” bill he and the GOP base have been clamoring for, the one that will supposedly prevent Texas from falling victim to...

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo hopes extending the vaccine incentive will help the county's strained hospitals.

Hidalgo Extends Harris County $100 COVID Vaccine Gift Card Program Through September 14

By Schaefer Edwards

Aug 31, 2021

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Tuesday afternoon that the $100 vaccine incentive program that has corresponded with a significant rise in COVID-19 vaccination rates has been extended through September 14. The program which rewards first dose COVID-19 vaccine recipients with a $100 gift card had been scheduled to expire...

On Thursday, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced it's even easier to get $100 for your first vaccine shot.

Vaccine Payments Are Spurring More Shots As Hospitals Feel Delta Pinch

By Schaefer Edwards

Aug 27, 2021

With the Delta variant still running rampant through Texas, the Houston area school year has already been marked by multiple temporary campus closures, and local hospitals are still buckling under the massive wave of COVID-19 patients (the overwhelming majority of whom are unvaccinated) in their emergency rooms, general beds and...

Impressively mustachioed State Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Kerrville), author of the GOP's latest election bill, defended it Thursday.

Texas House Passes Controversial GOP Election Bill In the Dead of Night

By Schaefer Edwards

Aug 27, 2021

After lacking enough members to do business for almost six weeks, the Texas House finally passed the state GOP’s controversial election bill on the House floor after a 12-hour debate late Thursday night. The bill previously passed through committee earlier this week on Tuesday, and House Republicans seemed intent during...

Judge Kelli Johnson demonstrated how she uses Zoom in her courtroom to allow for social distancing.

Local Criminal Court Backlog Likely To Keep Growing As Pandemic Surges

By Schaefer Edwards

Aug 26, 2021

When asked about how the massive slowdown in the local court system and the resulting backlog of tens of thousands of criminal cases has affected the men and women whom he defends on a daily basis, Joseph Vinas, local defense attorney and president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association,...

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and his GOP allies are moving swiftly to enact their "election integrity" bill.

A Handful Of Democrats Help House Republicans Move Forward On Election Bill

By Schaefer Edwards

Aug 25, 2021

After nearly six weeks of solidarity from most Texas House Democrats, who had determined to stay out of the Capitol to deny Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan the required 100 members needed for his chamber to function, enough Democrats have returned to Austin for Gov. Greg Abbott’s second straight special...

Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II touted his district's COVID safety protocols at several campuses Monday.

Houston ISD School Year Begins Amid Mask Mandate Battles And FDA Approval For Pfizer's Vaccine

By Schaefer Edwards

Aug 23, 2021

As Houston ISD’s 196,000-plus students headed back to their classrooms Monday with the start of the fall semester began, local parents crossed their fingers that the district can avoid widespread COVID-19 outbreaks like those that have befallen other school districts who started in-person classes earlier this month. HISD’s first day...

It looks like some testing snafus led to most of the positive COVID cases detected at Rice in recent days.

Rice Realizes Dozens of False Positive Tests Were Behind Shift To Online Classes

By Schaefer Edwards

Aug 23, 2021

After 81 members of the Rice University community tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week and a half — most of whom were fully vaccinated against the virus — and the school’s test positivity rate surged, Rice’s leadership acted swiftly. On Thursday, the school delayed this week’s start of...

Bayou City

Supreme Court Asked To Expedite Ruling On Texas Abortion Ban

Texas COVID Deaths Surge As Hospitalizations Fall

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