With the first shipments of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine reaching Texas this week, a turning point has been reached in the fight against the virus. And it can at last be said we appear to be on a different trajectory from the one that started with statewide shutdowns nine months ago. That's the good news. But health care officials continue to caution that with families reuniting once more, the dangers of further spread are still very high. There's a limited supply of the COVID-19 vaccine and it's obvious that a clear pandemic fatigue has settled in. The message? Now's not the time to let our guard down. On a practical level, however, the work of government must go on. The question is how? With lawmakers set to resume their work in a new session of the state legislature in January, there is still no clear action plan for casting votes, much less for public or media access to lawmakers. It is one of several featured stories this week in our newsletter, handpicked by our own Wells Dunbar (you likely know him as our social media editor) working in consultation with the rest of the hard-working editors and producers of the Texas Standard team. My favorite pick of the week? The conversation on how women are leading the way in Tejano music post-Selena, a segment produced by our own Kristen Cabrera . If you missed those stories, make sure to check them out below. And get ready for some wonderful end of year Texas Standard specials starting next week (including one on Texas music in 2020 set for broadcast on Christmas Eve.) Until next Wednesday, we'll see you on the radio!

- David Brown

Work safe, Texas. Texas Work Comp Insurance

COVID-19 At The Capitol: So Far, There Isn’t A Plan

Many unanswered questions remain about the 2021 Texas Legislature: Will lawmakers cast votes in person? And how much access will the public and the media have?

Today's Female Tejano Artists Keep Selena’s Legacy Alive

Tejano allows musicians to own their identities, visions and purposes. "I think it’s really about owning your self-worth."

Study: US Citizens Twice As Likely To Commit Violent Crimes Than Undocumented Immigrants

Immigrants were also deemed less likely to commit other felony offenses, including property and drug crimes.

Matthew McConaughey Is ‘Warts And All’ In New ‘Greenlights’ Memoir

The actor opens up about family, the art of living and learning from moments of pause.

San Antonio Police Killed Darrell Zemault Sr. 3 Months Ago. Where’s The Body Cam Footage? (Texas Public Radio)
'I'm So Excited, I'm Like Shaking': Austin Health Care Workers Receive First COVID-19 Vaccines (KUT)
Former Houston Police Captain Arrested In Alleged Scheme To Prove ‘Voter Fraud’ (Houston Public Media)
The City Of Dallas Is Getting Closer To Picking The Next Police Chief (KERA)

Hey! I’m Marisa with KUT in Austin. I joined the staff as a digital producer in January, but we promptly moved to working from home mid-March. One story I worked on this week took me out of the house. I interviewed an Austin artist who’s been planting flags in his front yard for every Texan who has died from COVID-19. Frustrated by people who weren’t taking the pandemic seriously, Shane Reilly wanted to get their attention. When he started the project in May, there were less than 1,000 deaths. Now, Texas has lost more than 24,000 people to the virus. His yard now overflows with flags. It’s almost like a field of wildflowers, he says. But once you read the sign above them – "Texans Lost To COVID-19" – the gravity of the situation sinks in. People have begun to see Reilly’s project as a memorial and have traveled from around the city to see it up close. He’s received letters encouraging him to keep going and donations to help him buy more flags. Reilly says the project doesn’t really belong to him anymore. "I’m just the caretaker of it," he told me. "This seems to belong to everyone who has lost somebody or who knows somebody who has lost somebody."

—Marisa Charpentier
@marisacharp

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